Not sure of a title for this: I emailed a priest? Prayer

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Truth_Faith13

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Just wondering on people experience of communication with priests? I went onto my local parishes website to find contact info and found an email address…it’s used for various people so someone must look at it at some point.

Anyhow I emailed the priest on Monday, explaining my situation, search for Gods church etc and haven’t heard anything back yet 😦 I know it’s probably normal and it takes a while but I’m getting anxious to hear what he has to say…I keep checking my emails but nothing!

Are they usually quite slow at getting back to you?

Also please pray that I have patience, listen for Gods answers as I go through my journey to finding the truth and do His will. Also that if he is need calling me to the Catholic Church, that this is made clear to me and I have an open mind to overcome some of the struggles/issues I will have.

Thank you
 
You should call and ask for a call back rather than email. sometimes those email addresses are outdated or not the email address one commonly uses.
 
I was afraid someone might say that…I’m not keen with phones 😊 a strange complex of mine!
 
Truth_Faith13 said:
I was afraid someone might say that…I’m not keen with phones 😊 a strange complex of mine!
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Actually, I can completely relate.

An only somewhat related story: When I was in college and living on my own for the first time, I decided to order a pizza one night. I had rehearsed in my head, “I’d like a large cheese pizza, please. I’d like a large cheese pizza, please.” The pizza place answered the phone. “I’d like a large cheese pizza, please.” He asked if I wanted any toppings and I hung up because I wasn’t prepared for them to ask anything besides my address.

My phone phobia is legendary in my family.

That being said, if you call the rectory during regular business hours you will likely get a receptionist who will be happy to take your message. I find it often easier to leave messages or talk to assistants to leave messages rather than have to speak directly to whom I am calling right away. Being called is less intimidating than doing the calling.
 
I have had a parish priest so buried with e-mails that I could count on him either getting back in a day or two or else not getting back to me for two weeks or even more. It depended on whether my note got to the top of his pile or the bottom! It got so I could almost tell when he was in the middle of catching up, because he always got an extra-tired look until he got out from under the pile.

Keep in mind that some parish priests (and probably most priests at diocesan chancery offices) that can do it have their secretaries sort through their e-mail, answering the ones that are routine and forwarding the ones that the priest needs to address himself. Don’t assume that e-mails sent to the parish address are private, IOW. Sometimes they are, sometimes they are not. It depends on the priest.
 
Truth_Faith13 said:
I was afraid someone might say that…I’m not keen with phones 😊 a strange complex of mine!
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The e-mail might work fine; give him a few days, though. If that doesn’t work, you might try a physical note with a self-addressed envelope inside. Mark the front “personal”, if you’d rather no one else helping with his mail read it. 🙂
 
I suggest calling also. Depending on what you are more comfortable with, you can call after hours in order to leave a voice message, or call during business hours when you will likely get a secretary. Your message should be that you’d like to speak to the priest about a sacramental question. That will be the most likey to get you a call back directly from the priest.
 
Truth_Faith13 said:
I was afraid someone might say that…I’m not keen with phones 😊 a strange complex of mine!
Click to expand...
Have you tried speaking in person to a priest? Wait a little longer for the email response. Sometimes the parish emails are extensive. God bless.
 
I suggest you call. Personally I would not use e-mail as a way to communicate with my Priest unless he used a private address that only he accessed. It is just to subject to unauthorized eyes.
 
If you have a complex with phones, you might try dropping by the rectory. You might not be able to have a lengthy meeting with father right then (priests are busy people) but you should be able to schedule a time for such a meeting. God bless.
 
Maybe it is just me, but I wouldn’t stop by the rectory.

Unless you stop by in the middle of the night, you have no idea whether he will be home or not.

Chances are, during the day, he is at the parish or doing work for the parish. He might be at the hospital, the local nursing home or even out eating lunch.

And in the evening he could be anywhere as well.

I certainly wouldn’t assume he would be home.

Go to the church office, during office hours. If the priest is in, you can make an appointment with him. If not, you can leave a message that you would like to speak with him. (At our parish, the priests keep their own calendar, so you wouldn’t be able to make an appointment if he wasn’t there.)
 
Just as an update…

I ended up sending him a letter a few days later and he responded on Saturday via email asking to meet at the rectory tomorrow (Monday)

Excited and nervous…🙂
 
Well I have had the first meeting with the priest and have attended mass the last couple of weeks. I’m enjoying it, still getting my head around the order of mass etc but I’m getting there. It’s nice to hear some old hymns I used to sing at school! 🙂 it’s a beautiful church…really does feel like home!

Going to meet with the Priest again in the New Year!

Not rushing in and still praying about it, but definitely currently on the road to Catholicism.
 
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