A day in the life of a parish priest

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Getting up at 5:30 am is not such a hardship if you went to bed at a reasonable hour the night before. 😉 Many people do it. We have a 6:15 am Mass, but our priests rotate who says that, so I assume they aren’t all up by 5 every morning. Don’t know, I have never asked! 😊
😊

;)😃

:angel1:
Yes!..

So you can go to 6:15 am Mass also!:hug1:
 
:angel1:
My priest is not required to rise at 5:30, but he wants to start his day with an hour of prayer. He has shared with us that, for him, early morning works better than evening. So he gets up early to pray. He gives us a great example through this.
Thanks!

:gopray:
It is always
SPRING
in the soul
united to
GOD

-St. Vianney.
:angel1:
 
can’t make a general statement of course but can share what I know as a composite schedule based on priests who have also been my boss. Rise sometime between 5 & 6 for prayer, Mass, breakfast, adoration, office hours any where from 4-10 hours where they are actually available to parishioners,staff etc. 2-3 days a week or more travel to diocesan office for meetings, or for assignments there–3 priests in this town also have another job with the diocesese that is a full time responsiblity, and have an office and secretary there (pastoral center, seminary etc). More prayer, sick calls, funerals, emergency calls from parishioners that need assistance, staff meetings/ That is just business hours.

Usuallly at least another hour for prayer, some have evening Masses, confessions etc.

Meet with engaged couples, RCIA candidates, interviews with confirmation candidates etc.

evenings is meetings, the thing most pastors comlain about most often. Parish organizations and events, diocesan meetings etc. Some teach RCIA or confirmation classes. Pastors with schools visit the teachers, kids, parents have some responsibilities there.and attend functions.

prayer,

preparing homiilies. writing for bulletin, diocesan publications, reports for state bishop’s conferences, prep for bishop’s meetings and assignments.

special prep time for holy days, liturgical seasons etc.

other misc some priests have

we have a dozen correctional facilities and 5 hospitals in a town served by 3 regular pastors, who rotate duties and “on call” related to them–any of these could be a full time job if a priest were available.

one has a weekly PBS show to tape and prepare for, another has a radio show, one runs a radio station, most are chaplains for at least one religious congregation or lay organization.
 
I did not get a chance to say, the composite priest I described only has one parish. At least a third to half the priest of this diocese also have one or more missions and in many dioceses with “cluster” parishes pastors have more than one parish, with or without the help of lay administrative staff people to run. There are administrative, business and fiscal affairs of the parish that are the pastor’s reponsibility under canon law, as well as pastoral care of souls.

the ordained must pray the liturgy of the hours according to the ordo for their diocese or religious order, at least morning and evening prayer and one of the other hours, don’t know of Office of REadings is required but I know of no priests or religious who skip it. In addition to LOTH and Masses they celebrate, usually beginning at 6-7 am, the priests I know spend at least another hour morning and evening in prayer and try for an hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament most days.
 
Wow none of the priests I ever worked with had schedules like that. I guess because in our diocese there are still a lot of priests. We have 6 in our rectory this summer. Most of them are never around. As I stated, our full time associate will only have office hours on Sunday mornings in between masses, and you can never reach him, you can only leave messages on his machine.
 
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