Our priest dresses like the janitor

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ReflectHim:
its just amazing how protestants always get into the conversation. funny. becausei see no point of mentioning them here. seems like this was going to be totally catholic, but i guess there is always the comparison. or the attempt to judge others?
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You have my appologies for that one. I’ve been attacked for being catholic because of everything from ornate tabernacles to the Vatican’s art collection, so I guess I got a little over sensitive when hypnotist threw out the $600 figure.
 
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puzzleannie:
I have Going My Way on on the background, the scene where Fr. Omalleys is new to the parish and greets the pastor in sweats because his good black suit just got sprayed by a sanitation truck. Then when he gets the teenage gang together to try and transform them from delinquents to a choir, he is wearing a baseball jacket. When he takes them to a movie, he is wearing clericals, and around the parish he is wearing the long black cassock. guess he dresses for the occasion.

Our former parish sometimes dressed like the janitor because he did a lot of the yard work for exercise and because he enjoyed gardening. Maybe you could suspend judgement, or save your condemnation for the priests with real problems. So far you are very fortunate if that is the worst thing you ever encounter.
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I happen to know this is not the case with our priest but your point is well taken.
 
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puzzleannie:
Maybe you could suspend judgement, or save your condemnation for the priests with real problems.
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Help me out Annie. Where exactly did the OP judge or condemn this Priest? I don’t think it’s out of line for him to expect a Priest to show the part by wearing his “uniform” during Priestly functions (he stated that the Priest showed up to CCD classes this way). I don’t believe he even mentioned how he dresses away from his functions.

Most “jobs” in todays world have a dress code, why can’t we expect our Priests to abide by theirs, DURING PRIESTLY FUNCTIONS?
 
I once went to confession and the priest was wearing slacks and a polo with the “sash” on. (Wow I am the worst Catholic ever. I forgot the name of the thingy they drape around thier shoulders)

I thought it was a little unprofessional. It just felt strange confessing to a man in normal street clothes.
 
You are not his boss but you want to tell him what to do.
He should dress to please you.
After all , you are only doing it for “his own good”.

Leave the guy alone.
Let him dress as he pleases. Learn from it.
You need to learn from his manner of dress, he doesn’t need to learn from you.
Suck it up
Grow.
 
Why is it that everytime someone speaks up for the right thing,he or she is being “judgmental.” The priest, who is set apart, should look the part. He stands in for Jesus. He is the bridegroom, and his church is his spouse. Why would he want to be in his sweats, when he could be representing his spouse proudly. Plus, the priest really needs to realize that wearing his clerical garb is really a potent weapon because he represents the heavenly and the pure to those who only see the garishness of secular dress. His clerical garb is a form of material witness, so the priest should not qualify his witness but not looking the part. I’ll never forget when a Protestant friend of mine who was about to enter the Church saw our local Franciscan priest who was all decked out in his shcrts and wrinkled t-shirt. She was simultaneously astounded and disappointed because she said under her breath, but which I heard, “is that a priest. I didn’t know they dress like that.” She wanted to see him in Franciscan garb. She wanted the mystique, and the tradition, and the continuity, but all she got was shorts and a wrinkled t-shirt. I don’t think that St. Francis wants his sons to present themselves in this manner, and because I say this doesn’t mean that I’m judgmental. I’m saying it because it’s true, and because the truth will set you free. And so it shall.
 
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hypnotist:
You are not his boss but you want to tell him what to do.
He should dress to please you.
After all , you are only doing it for “his own good”.

Leave the guy alone.
Let him dress as he pleases. Learn from it.
You need to learn from his manner of dress, he doesn’t need to learn from you.
Suck it up
Grow.
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Sorry. But priests work for us. They are our servants. They’ll by God wear what we tell them to wear.

Suck it up, priest. On with the cassock. :tsktsk:
 
Nice people don’t tell other people what to wear. Exceptions: parents to children , bosses to slaves. Other exceptions: None

If you violate this rule, you are not nice. Maybe you’ll feel superior or good, but you won’t have the satisfaction of thinking of yourself as nice, because you won’t be.
 
Priests should wear the cassock- at least most of the time. I understand it would be impractical to go swimming in one, but people need to know who they are. One argument I have heard is that people shouldn’t need a cassock to know the man is a priest…how else are they going to know without asking him? Sure, he may act holy- people will just think “now there’s a holy man”- they’re not going to automatically think he’s a priest. The cassock helps show the world who priests are- to see them out in the community, living holy lives- and living among us laypeople- so we know they’re approachable if we need someone to talk to or to ask advice from- or if maybe we’ve been away from the Church for years, have thought of coming back, but are afraid to- seeing and talking to a caring, compassionate priest may be just what we need to bring us back.

There is an anticlerical streak going through the Church right now. Many priests won’t be caught outside the church in a cassock. It’s almost like they’re ashamed of who they are- or that their ordination has changed them- made them different from a layperson- and that isn’t politically correct.

I’m not sure much can be done- just find a new parish.
 
Bosses to SLAVES? :rotfl: :rotfl:

I think you want to rephrase that. . .nicely. 😃
 
I am very sure that I don’t.
Critiques of capitalism by JPII, and, obviously others, justify the term “wage slavery”. It’s not a nice idea, but it isn’t a nice reality.
 
Most of the time I dress pretty “casually”. And if I’m within two blocks of a church, a lot of people ASSUME I’m a priest!! [And I’m not!]

[Maybe they’re trying to tell me something!]

One time, at a seminar, as I was leaving, Fr. Benedict Groeschel came over and shook hands with me and said, “Oh Father, and where are you assigned?”

What a hoot!

I really have to behave myself!!]
 
OOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHH-Kay then.

FYI, when we wander off the original topic, it is considered good manners to open a separate thread to address the different topic.
 
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hypnotist:
You are not his boss but you want to tell him what to do. He should dress to please you. After all , you are only doing it for “his own good”. Leave the guy alone.
Let him dress as he pleases. Learn from it. You need to learn from his manner of dress, he doesn’t need to learn from you.
Suck it up Grow.
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Remembering a recent class taught by our Bishop, I would point out that our priests, our bishops and even the Holy Father see themselves as servants to all.
That cetainly does not mean that we should be attempting to “boss” them around; telling them how to dress, etc. But it does imply that they have an obligation to present themselves in a manner that denotes respect for the holy office that is a priest.

Priests also vow obedience to the majesterium and more directly to their Bishop. That includes dressing accordingly in public. They do not dress to please us or themselves, but to be obedient.
Our Bishop asks our priests to be accountable both to him in obedience and to parishioners in humility. He also points out that our priests do learn from us by our expectations. He reminds us that we have a right to expect our priests to act as priests, meeting the needs of those in their care.

A priest is not just a "guy’ to be left alone to do “as he pleases”. The priest in this discussion is not “teaching” anything worthy by dressing inappropriately, but young men in a CCD class who might have otherwise considered the priesthood are “learning” a lesson of disrepect and disobedience, even if it is unintended.

I would not confront this priest over his dress to save him being hurt or embarassed and to be respectful of him. He may not realize that his dress inappropriate. But I would bring it to the attention of the Dean of Priests in the diocese or your Bishop. They are very capable of counseling their priests with both charity and respect, and that is what is called for here.
 
There was a cardinal celebrating Mass in my diocese once, several years ago. I attended the Mass with a priest friend, who was, quite properly, concelebrating. He came out of the sacristy and motioned for me to come back to meet His Eminence… on my way back, one of the priests in the outer sacristy asked me if I were going to concelebrate! I had to politely decline (although I was able to serve the Mass, which was a great honor). The point being… if priests wore their clerics, this sort of thing wouldn’t happen. I was wearing a nice shirt and tie at the time.
 
Im torn.

I think it is VERY important for a priest to be instantly identifiable as a preist. A clerical suit isnt nessessarilly required. (i personally would rather see them in a dress cassock instead if they feel the need to spend that much) I would be satisfied with jeans and a roman-collar (or even a polo shirt with some sort oif indication that they were a priest) unless the situation was formal and even then, plain black slacks are the only needed addition. (and you can always get a black jacket second hand. I’ve also known priests who would use a sort of “shell method” and wear plain street clothes (slacks and a t-shirt) under a habit or (very plain, non-dressy, less than $75) cassock day-to-day and wait until the robe needed cleaned before doing so (as body soil and the like would stay on regular clothes). And priests arent nessessarilly in posession of a huge wardrobe anyway, i think the only unfaded piece of clothing my pastor has is his dress cassock (which he visibly babies becuase its his only “nice” peice of clothing), and he is the most priest-looking priest i know.

on the other hand, i do see the importance of solidarity with the poor and making good on their promise to lead a simple life. One of the biggest points of clerical dress is simplicty! And priests dont have a much money anyway so its not like they can have a new suit for each day of the week… that is very understandable.

personally, if i ever were in a position as a (religous) brother or priest, i think i would do the “cheap shell” method or jeans/khakis and a tab-collar or embroidered polo shirt. I dont think i would fancy a 2or3-peice suit anyway, and if I did, i would get generic black pants, second hand black coat, and a collared shirt of whatever sort i had. i might even take up sewing so i could make my own roman shirts, i dont like spending a lot of money on clothes. that way, i could look distictive as a witness to my vocation and not be extravagant in my dress.
 
I don’t see what the problem is, clerical dress does not have to be expensive to look decent. I don’t think priests should be afraid to look a little different than the rest of us. As with religious habits, the roman collar is an evangelization tool. People see something different and are curious. Where there is curiosity, seeds are planted. As long as priests don’t drive BMWs and own expensive Italian leather shoes (the Pope can get away with this cause they are free gifts and he lives in Italy…) the roman collar should be worn.
 
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hypnotist:
Get off his case.

It bothers me a whole lot more when priests wear $600.00 clerical suits
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Snap out of the hypnosis. Clerical apparel doesn’t cost six hundred dollars unless of course you are referring to liturgical vestments.

catholicsupply.com/churchs/clerstad.html

catholicsupply.com/churchs/cassock.html

It bothers me when I visit a Catholic Church for first time and can’t tell the priests or a sisters from the lay people because they’re not wearing their habit or clerics.
 
**The charity in this thread - on both sides of the argument - is significantly less than impressive.

If it is not possible to discuss the issue with a modicum of courtesy toward one another and without being judgmental in discussing the clergy, the thread will close and those unheeding of this note will be individually addressed accordingly.

Thank you for your participation in the discussion.

Joe Monahan**
 
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