Does it worry you when your parish gets a new priest?

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Nelka

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Our priest is retiring in a few months he has been there for many years.

When I was a teenage we had a new priest and he stopped a weekday mass as he said he wants a day off, stopped the Saturday morning mass as he said there weren’t enough people attending it and ended one of the Sunday masses.

What if we get a new priest like this or one that reduces confession time or one that makes me feel I can’t approach him?

I know we will probably get a great priest but I’m not very good with change?

Thanks.
 
Nelka said:
stopped a weekday mass as he said he wants a day off,
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Priests do get a day off per week. If the prior pastor was foregoing that, it was the exception rather than the rule.
Nelka said:
stopped the Saturday morning mass as he said there weren’t enough people attending it and ended one of the Sunday masses.
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With only one priest available, her certainly needs to evaluate these things and make decisions that make sense in light of limited resources.
Nelka said:
What if we get a new priest like this or one that reduces confession time or one that makes me feel I can’t approach him?
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Usually the priest makes changes in consultation with the parish council. And usually after a period of time spent getting to know the parish. As a teenager it may have appeared to be sudden but likely wasn’t.

If the pastor is contemplating changes share your thoughts with a member of the parish council or the pastor.
Nelka said:
but I’m not very good with change?
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This may be the heart of things, and it’s something only you can change. Perhaps you need some help from a book or a trusted friend or even a coach on how to deal with change effectively.
 
Nelka said:
Our priest is retiring in a few months he has been there for many years.

When I was a teenage we had a new priest and he stopped a weekday mass as he said he wants a day off, stopped the Saturday morning mass as he said there weren’t enough people attending it and ended one of the Sunday masses.
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Change is part of life, little point in worrying about it.

As far as mass schedules for any particular church, they are coordinated by a diocesan office. It isn’t like this kind of thing is done unilaterally. If there aren’t enough people attending a mass, that’s a valid reason to discontinue it.
 
Augustinian said:
As far as mass schedules for any particular church, they are coordinated by a diocesan office
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I’m not sure where you got this idea. Maybe that is something particular to your diocese, but it is the pastor’s discretion in the dioceses where I have lived.
 
Don’t ruminate on the what if’s. Approach him, make him feel welcome and valued. Change can feel uncomfortable at times, but the new priest, or newly assigned priest also is going through changes and adjustments.
 
Nelka said:
I thought a priest had to say Mass every day?
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I always thought so, too, until I actually asked one.

They have to say the Divine Office everyday, but not the Mass. Of course, in practice, they would say Mass if possible, but it’s not required.
 
How often do they have to say Mass, what would the minimum be, once per week on Sunday? What about retired priests?
 
Nelka said:
How often do they have to say Mass, what would the minimum be, once per week on Sunday? What about retired priests?
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I’m sorry, I don’t know. I’ll find out if I can (and if nobody else chimes in with the answer before me).
 
As a parish employee, you would be amazed at how horribly people treat a new priest.
They gossip about the past priest, they pick apart everything he does as if he has ulterior motives, and he gets the past thrown up in his face al the time.
This is part of the reason why they don’t leave them for entre lives anymore.
People idolize the previous person. They don’t just support them or love them, they feel like no one can ever be just as good
Each priest has their gifts, and MANY TIMES…the Appointing Bishop gives them a “laundry list” of things to change. They are most often, simply putting into place things that the Bishop himself feels should change.

I’m not saying that every boss I’ve ever had has been the most amazing person ever, but it’s important to give the new person a chance to familiarize themselves with his new parish as it is for you to get accustomed to his methods and preferences.

There’s so much more behind the scenes that people really are not privy to.
It will be fine.
God bless.
Introduce yourself, greet him warmly.
You may be pleasantly surprised.
 
Nelka said:
I thought a priest had to say Mass every day?
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They can still say mass every day even with a day off.

When on their day off they can offer mass at a time and place of their choosing rather than having to do so at the parish and on a schedule.
 
Once daily at minimum here, no clue about Britain.
The Sunday liturgies are dependent on how big the parish is.
When we go home to Ireland, the parish priest says 3 Masses: one Sat evening, 2 on Sunday, one early, one not so early. Relatively small parish encompassing 3 small villages, but loads of tourists.
Where we live in the U.S., there are many immigrants, and the Hispanic community is larger than the Anglo community.
We have 5 Masses and one priest. He has special permission form the Archbishop to say that many.
It varies from location to location in the world.
 
I am more upset when one I like leaves. Sometimes the new Priest can turn out to be fantastic.
 
Yes they are great, I know Mass will still be there, I guess I am spoilt as the current priest hears confession before weekday Mass if you need it.
 
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