Do you feel more at ease with priests/religious who wear street clothes?

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FrCorey said:
**welp, thats going to be a real shock to all our clergy all over the world. and our friends in Rome. and Pope Benedict who said we made a fine addition to the One Holy Church. the jesuits will probully laugh when they hear about this too. hmm, probully a good opening joke at the next synod too. p.s. we have the Villate lines and the Costa lines of succession.

God Bless…

**
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😦 sorry about that. Here is my ecumenical hug :hug1::grouphug:your a priest in my mind 😉
 
Uncle_Norbert said:
Growing up around the Church, and with Priests in my family, I can tell you this…Priests (and nuns) are people too!

Yes, they took the Sacrement of Holy Orders. But that does not make them zombie-robots.

Don’t you think it gets old, having the apple-polishers come around all the time? Don’t you think it gets old, that everyone that sees them in “clerical dress” feels the need to carry on conversation limited to church or religion?

Think about it…

They can’t hang out with guys, or they’re accused of being gay.

They can’t hang out with gals, or they’re accused of having an affair.

They can’t hang out with parishoners, or they’re accused of showing favoritism.

Sometimes, their only escape is their families, or
getting into street clothes and getting out a little and hoping they aren’t recognized.
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I suspect these are the very priests who the parishioners feel they can call by their first name and who have affairs. I would bet you a buck that priests who go by i.e. Father Jones and wear their clerics don’t have those kinds of problems.

I am shocked a priest would ever feel the “dang, I just can’t escape” as you put it. He knew going in it was a 24/7/365/50 years kinda commitment.
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lepanto said:
You seem to be repeatedly making the connection that clerical clothing drives men away from the priesthood. I don’t understand this correlation. Please explain it.

Better yet, do you have any hard data to back up this wild assertion?
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No, you are missing the point. The clothing thing is just a microcosm of the problem.

The problem is, that so many people inisist on priests being so perfect in every way (never mind that “in every way” varies from parishoner to parishoner) that they can’t possibly measure up to the expectations placed upon them.

Even a simple act of personal expression, like being seen by someone in street clothing, is viewed by some as a “failing” of their priestly calling.

We had a pastor, several years ago, that enjoyed scuba diving…you can imagine the furor THAT created. It was not uncommon at all to see him in shorts and an OP tee shirt (remember those?)…but when it was time for church business, he would always suit up in his “proper attire”.

Some posters have taken offense to the very notion that a priest can burn out from day to day, or week to week from the rigors of parish life. Are you kidding me? Do you have any idea what they endure on a day-in, day-out basis? Sure, they accept it as part of their vocation. But it doesn’t mean they like it, or want more of it.

Next time you have a parish priest that wears jeans and boots, instead of going off on a rant, maybe you should ask to go horseback riding with him sometime.

Your eyes might be opened a little.

No “hard data”, just many years of open eyes, ears, and mind.

🤷
 
Uncle_Norbert said:
Oh great, a retreat. More time with religion. I’ve seen life from the other side. I’m guessing you haven’t. Give 'em a break. Let them recharge their batteries, so they can better recharge yours.

Instead of inviting them over for pot roast on Sunday afternoon, try inviting them out to Chili’s for a beer and nachos, and to catch the ball game. They might turn you down, but at least recognize them as a PERSON rather than just a VOCATION that’s here for YOUR needs.

And, NO, I don’t wear my wedding ring. I stick my hands in electrical panels all day long, and a ring is a shock hazard. It doesn’t make me any less married, any more than not wearning a collar makes a priest less a priest.

You know, priests (and nuns) are human too. They get gas when they eat beans like the rest of us. They like Reba McEntire CDs. They like the Cubs. My cousin Tom (a priest) used to take us to Pensacola Beach when we were teens. Oh, the scandal! A priest in swim trunks!

And you wonder why the number of priests is dwindling? You hold them to a standard they can never meet. I’d rather have a good priest in street clothes, than a pedophile in a cassock.
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I’m sure your last comment was what you thought at the time was a good one to put in there but, pardon me, it was rather stupid. Priests know going in that their job is a FULL time one. The number of priests is dwindling because the priests are having a hard time separating the secular world from their commitment. If they would dress the part it would be easier to live the part.
 
Philothea53 said:
I’m sure your last comment was what you thought at the time was a good one to put in there but, pardon me, it was rather stupid. Priests know going in that their job is a FULL time one. The number of priests is dwindling because the priests are having a hard time separating the secular world from their commitment. If they would dress the part it would be easier to live the part.
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But, how many wouldn’t have signed up, or would have left the priesthood altogether (as many do), if they weren’t allowed a little personal freedom? The priests I know that occasionally wear street clothes are all pretty darned good priests. But then again, I’m not judging a book by it’s cover either.
 
I guess I’d better not tell you about the nun that built bird houses in the convent basement, huh? It was a great habit…
 
Philothea53 said:
The number of priests is dwindling because the priests are having a hard time separating the secular world from their commitment. If they would dress the part it would be easier to live the part.
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Here is the Poster Child of not understanding that distinction.

Nobody is demanding or expecting perfection from their priests, just holiness. And the people have a RIGHT to expect holiness from their priests.

thepunkpriest.com/
 
Uncle_Norbert said:
I guess I’d better not tell you about the nun that built bird houses in the convent basement, huh? It was a great habit…
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Nobody has said that priests cannot have hobbies or free time. But when in public they should wear their clerics unless they are swimming or doing something that can not legitimately be done in their clerics like playing tennis. You want to take it much farther than what anyone has said just to try to make your point stick. Doesn’t work.
 
I was unaware that following Christ through the Catholic Church came with a “Bill of Rights”…

Or better yet, what about a priest? Does he have any “rights”?

This IS getting interesting after all 🙂
 
Speaking as an Eastern monk, I can assure you that the garb of holy poverty is VERY expensive.
 
bpbasilphx said:
Speaking as an Eastern monk, I can assure you that the garb of holy poverty is VERY expensive.
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no kidding, a new habit from Blue Cloud Abbey starts at around 375.00, cassocks start at about 250.00 or so.
 
I vote “no difference”.

I remember having my confession heard by one of my favorite priests who was wearing a sweater and khaki pants. That wasn’t out of character for him, and didn’t matter a wit to me. It was a life-changing confession for me. He’s now a monsignor.

On the flip side of the coin,I think I saw our previous pastor only twice in street clothes, though I’m sure he probably went to the theater or wherever in street clothes. Occcasionally, my boys and I will go to Mass at his new parish and take him to lunch afterwards. He always has his clerics on, and that is probably most appropriate. I remember him saying one time during a homily that he was glad his “job” (for lack of a better word - we know it is more than a job) came with a “uniform”.
 
Well, before the “spirit of Vatican II” came along, most people never heard of priests not wearing their habit, and vocations were plentiful. Then, the “spirit of Vatican II” arrived and priests and religious stopped wearing their habits and vocations no longer are plentiful.

Now, I’m not suggesting that THE reason that vocations plummeted was the loss of religious garb, but the fact is that certainly this is another abandonment of authentic Catholic tradition which, when coupled with the many other ways tradition has been set aside, certainly has contributed to the situation we find ourselves in today.

The proof is obvious: if you look at orders and dioceses where traditional Catholic practices and customs are observed strictly and with great devotion, you will see that there are a good number of vocations. If you look at orders and dioceses that have very liberal and lax attitudes and which have abandoned the ways organically developed over many centuries by countless faithful Catholics, you will see few vocations.

It is amazing that one or two generations think they know better than all those who came before them and refer to traditional practices and ways as “archaic” or “irrelevant.” This is clearly repugnant to our Holy Faith. May God have mercy on us.

I am not insensitive to the hard life priests live, but is it not true that God called them to that life? And if He called them, will He not give them all the grace they need and more? I do not think it is wrong for us laymen to hold priests to a higher standard, just as I do not think it wrong that when we laymen get to Heaven (God willing) we will find those humble, faithful priests more highly rewarded and exalted.
 
Uncle_Norbert said:
I’d rather have a good priest in street clothes, than a pedophile in a cassock.
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If someone makes one more stab at priests being pedophiles I’m going to scream. Non-Catholics have many many more pedophiles than the Church. Trust me. I have studied the issue and unfortunately I know from experience. Stop making such retarded statements.
 
bpbasilphx said:
Speaking as an Eastern monk, I can assure you that the garb of holy poverty is VERY expensive.
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😃 May I suggest outsourcing? (only you might get it in white)

I don’t know how I’d feel with priests who don’t dress like priests. I’ve seen almost all the priests of our parish dressed in street clothes (since they are not allowed to wear habits or the cassock on the street) and it looked very odd! But primarily because I’m just not used to them looking like that.
 
Uncle Norbert, thanks for your thoughts on this matter. My vote was for “indifference”. I think I understand somewhat, your perspective on this. I also understand the thoughts from others that feel more " “comfortable” when a clergyman is dressed in his clerics.

I have an uncle who is a priest. At non-liturgical family gatherings, ie. thanksgiving, mothers/father’s day, visiting family he usually wears regular street clothes, however whenever he is at the parish, visiting hospitals/parishioners, at a parishioner’s home for dinner or otherwise “on-duty” he is always appropriately dressed in his clerical garb. Is he any “less” a priest when wearing jeans?? of course not. Is he ashamed of his vocation?? of course not!!! please people, lets not get too worked up over this, there are so many other more important things out there.

Your brother in Christ,
Jason
 
I was fascinated this morning, to learn that a local non-denominational pastor has set up a “Bed and Breakfast” of sorts.

It’s called “Monday Morning Ministry”. It caters to clergypeople of any and all faiths who are suffering from “burnout”. From what I am told, clergy and their families come from miles around, seeking to be refreshed and rejuvenated from the rigors of their congregational life.

Some will say that this post is off-topic, but I found it intersting in light of yesterdays conversations about priests, escape, burnout, time-off, etc…
 
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