Are All Priests The Same?

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The thing I think people forget most is that all priests are guys, with all that implies. Now, by necessity they are a rather brighter-than-average bunch of guys–you can’t be utterly without scholastic aptitude and then get into seminary–but they’re guys. Human beings of the male type. As humans, some are wonderful, some are control freaks, some are work-a-holics, some are kind of lazy. Some are into wood-working, some are into sports, some like cooking, some garden, some like puttering around the house, some are hopeless with tools. They generally have brothers and sisters that they grew up playing with and fighting with and a mom and dad that still haven’t heard all the stories about what they did in high school. Some would pay to do what they do, and some even manage to get into their vocation for all the wrong reasons. As males, well, they have their own set of hormones and likely patterns of childhood and adolescent socialization. They were six once, and for every one that wanted to be a priest, a couple of others wanted to drive trucks or play baseball when they grew up. They were fifteen once. Back then they ate like they had a hollow leg and thought about sex way too much, just like the other guys.

They don’t screen out the imperfect ones in the seminary, because they know that the ones that know they are in need of the mercy of God make the best ones. (Besides, somebody has to say Mass!)

It’s kind of a shock to some, to realize that your priest is a human being. But hey, it’s good practice for coming to the same realization about your mom.
 
Kevin Walker:
I grew up in the obedience/authoritarian style of Catholic instruction at the Gate of Heaven School. For me to speak man-to-man on an equal level with a Priest is a new experience for me. I still acquiese and show respect to every and any priest I speak even if I totally disagree with their politics or on certain peculiar issues.
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Wow!! You went through this too?? I really never have been ab;e to understand what mentality fell into this in the past?? This clericalism, authoritarianism, and kiss my hands type of mentality. When did that arrogance start?? EVEN JESYS said “the son of man has come to serve, not be served.” HE WAS GOD though. How did/do people ever even dare tp approach a priest like that?? He would be so unapproachable, and a grump/moody. I am sorry, I never did, never will kneel even in a psychological spiritual way to a priest. They are chossen by God but this does not mean we must be terrified of them, and that the lay person knows nothing, the lay person is to shut up, the lay person MUST “OBEY” all ANY authoritarian priest in the parish says, NOW!!! Sorry, no way, no time. I may only OBEY in spiritual matters etc. what the POPE says and the only in ex-cathedra. I am independendant minded(but very traditional/conservative) and have trouble with a priest who treats the lay people like CHILDREN. Thank God this idea has bennmitigated by Vatic II, but in some NEW!!! Orders seems to be back::eek:
 
No, Priests are not all the same. We have had several priests over the years. Priests like the rest of us has different talents and gifts. Some priests are “Liturgists” but not very good at people skills. Some priests have good people skills but are not very good liturgists. There are some good at both. WE have had a pastor that could be downright hateful. Then we have had priests that would go above and beyond for his parish. Priests like us are humans too. So thank God They are not all the same.
 
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misericordie:
Sorry, no way, no time. I may only OBEY in spiritual matters etc. what the POPE says and the only in ex-cathedra. I am independendant minded(but very traditional/conservative) and have trouble with a priest who treats the lay people like CHILDREN.
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Priests need to treat adults like adults, this is true. Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean we should allow ourselves to become enamored of our own independence. The attitude “I obey only the Pope, and then only when he speaks ex-cathedra” sounds too much like a five year old with arms crossed and feet stamping who yowls “You’re not my mom! You’re not the boss of me!” An adult recognizes that self-respect and proper respect for those in authority are complementary, not mutually exclusive.

Remember the meaning of the word “obedience.” It comes from the Latin “audiere” meaning “to hear”. We are to be listeners to each other. As Christians, we don’t have the right to say, “Hey, Father, to lead is to serve… you’re there for me.” We serve each other, we submit to each other, we commit ourselves to humility before each other, knowing that we are one body and in need of each other. That is the attitude of Christ, and it should be our attitude, whether or not it comes (as it should) from the top. This is the oldest and most traditional attitude in Christianity.

“Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” (Mark 10:13-15)
 
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BLB_Oregon:
Priests need to treat adults like adults, this is true. Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean we should allow ourselves to become enamored of our own independence. The attitude “I obey only the Pope, and then only when he speaks ex-cathedra” sounds too much like a five year old with arms crossed and feet stamping who yowls “You’re not my mom! You’re not the boss of me!” An adult recognizes that self-respect and proper respect for those in authority are complementary, not mutually exclusive.

Remember the meaning of the word “obedience.” It comes from the Latin “audiere” meaning “to hear”. We are to be listeners to each other. As Christians, we don’t have the right to say, “Hey, Father, to lead is to serve… you’re there for me.” We serve each other, we submit to each other, we commit ourselves to humility before each other, knowing that we are one body and in need of each other. That is the attitude of Christ, and it should be our attitude, whether or not it comes (as it should) from the top. This is the oldest and most traditional attitude in Christianity.

“Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” (Mark 10:13-15)
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Though SOME may like to be treated like 5 year olds, this may be fine for them, and they may NEED this, but most adult catholics are grown up.
 
** Not on cruise ships.**

**
Now on some ships: preapproved priests
By Associated Press
Published January 17, 2005
Code: 
        PORT EVERGLADES - The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has 
        started screening priests who celebrate Mass aboard cruise ships to 
        prevent unqualified clergy from ministering to Catholic passengers. 
        The bishops have approved more than 650 priests to work on cruise 
        lines in a process designed to weed out unsuitable candidates such 
        as clergy who were suspended in the church's sex abuse scandal or 
        those who have left the priesthood.
        Priests who apply for the program, which started a year ago, must 
        have their bishops' approval and are subject to yearly review. All 
        dioceses conduct their own background checks on priests, said Doreen 
        Badeaux, secretary general of the Apostleship of the Sea, a Catholic 
        ministry devoted to seafarers.
        Celebrity and Holland America lines are working with priests 
        approved by the Apostleship, while other cruise lines continue 
        hiring clergy privately or using agencies such as Rent-A-Priest, a 
        group that provides former, now-married priests who are no longer 
        authorized to conduct Mass.
        Eventually, the bishops hope all cruise lines will adopt a more 
        thorough screening process for clergy.
        "It wasn't being regulated by the bishops' conference and they 
        weren't doing background checks on these guys," said the Rev. 
        Sinclair Oubre, president of the AOS-USA, a chaplains' organization 
        affiliated with the Apostleship of the Sea. "Since we started this, 
        some of the cruise lines have become more alert."
        Lee Breyer left the priesthood when he married a former nun in 1969, 
        yet has been conducting Mass on cruise ships with Rent-A-Priest 
        since 2002. He does not announce to Mass attendees that he's 
       married.
        "By mentioning it upfront, it can come across as a confrontational 
        issue between me and the Catholic Church," Breyer told the Miami 
        Herald. 
        Catholic leaders believe that's deceptive.
        "For them to represent themselves as being connected with the 
        Catholic Church in this country would be disingenuous at best," said 
        Mary Ann Walsh, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Conference of Catholic 
        Bishops. "They have left the ministerial priesthood, so they should 
        not be ministering."
        [Last modified January 17, 2005, 01:06:09]


      **
 
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misericordie:
Though SOME may like to be treated like 5 year olds, this may be fine for them, and they may NEED this, but most adult catholics are grown up.
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My point was not that anyone needs to be treated like a 5 year old. Adults should be treated like adults. They should be listened to with real attention and without interruption, they should be spoken to with respect – heavens, a five-year-old should get those things! – they should be given fraternal correction but allowed to make their own mistakes, their opinions should be respected, they should not be talked down to or patronized, and so on. My point is that some of us need to quit acting like 5 year olds and grow up in how we regard and respond to legitimate authority, even if some others have yet to quit acting like 5 year olds in how they wield it. Americans don’t like to hear that, but it is the truth.
 
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Exporter:
This seems like a childish question at first glance. But ARE all priests the same?

From your experience how were they different?
How are they all alike?
Are some more tolerant in the confessional?
What is a “bad” priest?
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NO !!! some are faithful to the Pope and some aren’t, so I don’t follow the latter.
 
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BLB_Oregon:
My point was not that anyone needs to be treated like a 5 year old. Adults should be treated like adults. They should be listened to with real attention and without interruption, they should be spoken to with respect – heavens, a five-year-old should get those things! – they should be given fraternal correction but allowed to make their own mistakes, their opinions should be respected, they should not be talked down to or patronized, and so on. My point is that some of us need to quit acting like 5 year olds and grow up in how we regard and respond to legitimate authority, even if some others have yet to quit acting like 5 year olds in how they wield it. Americans don’t like to hear that, but it is the truth.
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Yup, as long as WE ARE LISTENED to as you yourself say without being shut down (a sign of arrogance). Priests need to remember St. Thomas explanation of HUMILITY when he uses the example that Christ said he came to SERVE not to be SERVED.
 
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misericordie:
Yup, as long as WE ARE LISTENED to as you yourself say without being shut down (a sign of arrogance). Priests need to remember St. Thomas explanation of HUMILITY when he uses the example that Christ said he came to SERVE not to be SERVED.
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I think we are on the same page. You can treat a priest with the respect due his position without consenting to let him abuse his authority. The cleansing of the temple by Jesus, the interrogations of Jesus and later of his apostles by the chief priests: these are examples of how to respond to serious abuses by those in power. Humility and utter passivity are not the same thing.
 
No. Some are child molesters and/or drunkards and others are not. Next question.
 
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BLB_Oregon:
I think we are on the same page. You can treat a priest with the respect due his position without consenting to let him abuse his authority. The cleansing of the temple by Jesus, the interrogations of Jesus and later of his apostles by the chief priests: these are examples of how to respond to serious abuses by those in power. Humility and utter passivity are not the same thing.
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Thank you.
 
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misericordie:
Anyone ever run into THIS TYPE of priest???
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Misericordie:

What you’re describing is a function of culture. He comes from a culture where he’s supposed to be AUTHORITARIAN. I’m sure it has far less to do with his DOCTRINE than with his CULTURE.

I used to know some VERY CONSERVATIVE Priests who very nearly had me converted to Catholicism some 25 years ago. They were the opposite of what the man you described was. although the one had an agreement with his secretary that went something like this: On the rare occasions he would start to act like that (he was the director of an Institue, a high stress job), She would pick up his gym bag, open the door to his office, unceremoniously throw the gym bag at him and announce that she would see him in an hour as she shut the door. He’d get the hint, drop what he was doing, put on his gym clothes, and go on the jog he had missed for the last 2 or 3 days.

An hour later, he’d be back barely dry from the shower, and much easier to deal with, and grateful. He would then hand the gym bag back, for the next occasion (usu. in another month).

Now, on the Conservatism derby, I’d stack up this Priest against most Conservatives that I’ve heard about. I know that he had Pastoral regard, because he treated me as treasured brother in Christ.

I was going to School then and was away from home. He was the one who suggested the Requiem Mass for my mother when she died before I went home to the funeral.

As I said, the problem with the Priest you describe may be a personality confict (they happen) or (most probable) something from his culture.

Goodnight.

In christ, Michael
 
Yes!

All Priests are the same. Their personalities, however, will differ greatly!!!
 
Traditional Ang:
Misericordie:

What you’re describing is a function of culture. He comes from a culture where he’s supposed to be AUTHORITARIAN. I’m sure it has far less to do with his DOCTRINE than with his CULTURE.

I used to know some VERY CONSERVATIVE Priests who very nearly had me converted to Catholicism some 25 years ago. They were the opposite of what the man you described was. although the one had an agreement with his secretary that went something like this: On the rare occasions he would start to act like that (he was the director of an Institue, a high stress job), She would pick up his gym bag, open the door to his office, unceremoniously throw the gym bag at him and announce that she would see him in an hour as she shut the door. He’d get the hint, drop what he was doing, put on his gym clothes, and go on the jog he had missed for the last 2 or 3 days.

An hour later, he’d be back barely dry from the shower, and much easier to deal with, and grateful. He would then hand the gym bag back, for the next occasion (usu. in another month).

Now, on the Conservatism derby, I’d stack up this Priest against most Conservatives that I’ve heard about. I know that he had Pastoral regard, because he treated me as treasured brother in Christ.

I was going to School then and was away from home. He was the one who suggested the Requiem Mass for my mother when she died before I went home to the funeral.

As I said, the problem with the Priest you describe may be a personality confict (they happen) or (most probable) something from his culture.

Goodnight.

In christ, Michael
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YOU are 100% right!! I do agree. Yes.sonally prefer the "conservative/tradiotional priests who are born, raised and attended SEMINARY etc here in our beloved USA!!! As to the AUTHORITARIANS, yup=in THIS case these guys come mostly from ARGENTINA=machismo, and the man is the boss in town, especially if they are not from the capital of Buenos Aires (a little more open minded).
 
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misericordie:
YOU are 100% right!! I do agree. Yes.sonally prefer the "conservative/tradiotional priests who are born, raised and attended SEMINARY etc here in our beloved USA!!! As to the AUTHORITARIANS, yup=in THIS case these guys come mostly from ARGENTINA=machismo, and the man is the boss in town, especially if they are not from the capital of Buenos Aires (a little more open minded).
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Yup!!!
 
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