If you feel your priest needs menatal assistance, what do you do?

[Irishgal49]

A priest does not usually take a two month sabatical on his own initiative.

I think you may be wrong in assuming that the Archbishop and his staff are doing “nothing”. It sounds like they are addressing the issue in a discrete manner. You should not be privy to how they are addressing this anyway. Not only is it a private, personnel issue, IF there really is a health or mental health issue, they must be very careful to protect Father’s privacy.

It could be that two months is for assessment and evaluation before a decision can be made what to do. Obviously he would have to be extensively evaluated to see what he has (burnout vs mental illness vs needing more training) before any further action could be taken. Two months “vacation” could very well be that he has to submit to evaluations and then discuss with the Bishop what is to be done in light of the results. Some psychological tests can take 4-6 hours and then it can take a week or two just to score them and have them reviewed by a psychologist and psychiatrist.

I find the OP to be a very caring individual that in light of all the alienation and hurt that is happening you are concerned for the priest’s well being. That’s very commendable.

Bless you,

Lorrie

 

[JRKH]

IrishGal,
Thanks for the (name removed by moderator)ut from the professional perspective…It is most appreciated…

Peace
James

 

[Ohana]

The disconnect I see here an am concerned about is that the parishioners are kind of bereft of support. While there may be several/many like the OP who is approaching this with an attempt to structure and plan a response in a compassionate manner, others may simply be intimidated and are suffering silently, and I would be particularly concerned about the younger members of the parish and the children. It seems to be that there needs to be some kind of advocate for the people in the parish. I don’t know of any models in dioceses where this has been done, but perhaps that is an area to develop. Some structures have been put in place out of the sex abuse crises, Perhaps something can be fashioned out of that problem area.

 

[animalis]

“To love is to will the good of another” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1766) and I think the people you talk with at the parish (about the priest) need to keep this in mind. Following the great commandment to love your neighbour as yourself, in your best attempt in discernment, would you say that the good you sought for him was your own good or truly his good? If you had his good in mind, In my opinion, I think the bigger problem would be the disrepect that most likely was given to the priest because of not following the words of truth, to “turn the other cheek”. Those words of Jesus still apply today.

I would fear God in this case. It says a number of places in the bible -“the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.” You owe the priest a debt of graditude. He gives salvation to you and to those you talk with in the parish, by commanding God to come down at the altar so that he can be in your soul. You owe him a superabundant worth of respect for all the ‘moments’ you will have in a comfortable eternity. This needs to be your mindset. For your own good I think we all here have to change our attitude about this priest. Because mental health doesn’t demonstrate the scientific excellence that other sciences do. You could very well be throwing the priest to the dogs. So you need to endevour to humble yourself because you cannot love him with the love he deserves. He is too excellent in dignity.

 

[animalis]

I thought this through a little. Arrogance which according to Aquinas is a type of pride that claims something for the self which is above the self. We as sinners are often arrogant, “for pride is the beginning of all sin.”(Sir 10:15) So when we choose to claim the authority to fix the situation of harm against us, we should turn the other cheek. and let God fix the situatoin. For He is the one who provides the good, for He is selflessly giving and He is Goodness itself. The saints have shown this in their lives and God does still provide this help to keep his disciples safe from the neglegence of seeking the true good of a person.

I believe that the parish wants to react when they should let things mature. If the man is really sick he would be arrested due to his own disorder, or he would seek treatment. It seems like you are making the man into a social criminal (people who are mentally ill need speical concern not to be incriminated but to be empowered by their own freedom). And that is an injustice and it cannot be love. So my point is, when crowds get against people like they did to Jesus and Paul and others, you have to step back out of humility and say I cannot do a thing to help him in communion with the crowd. You might say that what harm is tbeine done in our concern. He is a person and has a will to decide his good in personal matters such as health.

 

[aicirt]

Are there other priests in your parish? Have you gone to them and told them of your concerns? Maybe all of you could go to the Archbishop with the emails and a dated journal outlining the troublesome actions and words of the priest in question.

I think it is an extremely charitable thing to do and your concern is admirable. He is a person and needs help. The laity should not be subjected to this. Nothing good will happen unless he gets the help he obviously needs.

And you do not need to be a professional in order to know a person is not normal. That is why God gave us common sense.

 

[EvelynEVF]

“If the man is really sick he would be arrested due to his own disorder, or he would seek treatment.”

Ah, no. One big part of personality disorders of several stripes is a total inability to own the problem, and if one has no problem, there is no reason to seek help. And they can do a huge amount of damage without ever technically breaking the law. People like this often need treatment imposed upon them, or at least to be forcibly separated from the situation.

 

[pollycarp]

I think you were right when you said “evil is at work here.” From personal experience, demonic oppression springs to mind. I would offer deliverance prayers for him. Satan loves to ruin priests.