Priests having pets

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puzzleannie said:
the same way any pet owner who also has a full time job finds time to care for his pets. Ours had birds, neighbor pastor has dogs, the other has a cat.
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Exactly 🤷 If my mother could spend all day and half of most nights delivering babies (she’s a semi-retired doctor) and still find time to tend to numerous furry feathery and finned friends, then surely a priest can too.
 
scoobydoo6v92 said:
Right. Well that priest you are talking about probably is a diocesan priest who does not take the vow of poverty. Priests get a stipend every two weeks, atleast in the Springfield Mo diocese. Priests are considered contractors as far as taxes go and they must fill oout a 1099. So they must save for taxes and what charities they want to give to and they also pay into retirment. What is left is theirs to use for whatever.grocieries are paid for by the diocese My friend who is a priest here in Springfield has three huge old cars. He enjoys them. As long as it don’t interfere with his pastorial duties it is fine. Same thing for a dog or cat. exotic animals like horses birds and reptiles I am sure as long as it is not impeding his duties or is a burdon on the diocese . A religous priest is a different animal he has to ask his superior if he can have this or that. But not diocesan priests.
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WEll, thanks! I learned something new this a.m… That explains a lot of things to me. My current pastor (diocesan priest) is a Nigerian and is a US Citizen, having worked in the US as a missionary for many years. He is allowed to go back to Nigeria to visit, but can only afford to do so if parishoners donate the funds. He does get a stipend but its hardly enough for a trip of that extent! He is a very holy priest and we are so lucky to have him.
 
Most priests I know have a pet or two! I think it’s fantastic. They need companionship and who better to listen to them than someone who isn’t going to utter a word or gossip about them? I think a dog following his Priest master all around the church wherever is fine too - it’s their home afterall. Any dog that has a priest for a master is a very lucky dog. I know some parish secretaries that take care of the pets when the priests are away, etc., and I’m sure there is some professional courtesy extended if there happens to be a vet among their flock. 🙂
 
Yes, as an owner of a yellow lab, they are special. 🙂

I have seen a lot of parish cats, but dogs can be workable depending on the help. Larger dogs need to be walked (good exercise for the priest) and if he goes away, he needs someone to take care of him, but I think a pet helps loneliness just like it does with others, someone who loves you and wants to see you, no matter what. What’s a little dog hair with those loving eyes and kisses? Priests get a stipend so buying food shouldn’t be an issue.
 
Why not? I think it’s good for priests to have pets! I’m a dog person myself…😃

I’ve known many priests who doted on their dogs. One had a German Shorthaired Pointer who would bark like a fiend if you rang the rectory doorbell (it was in a bad neighborhood). Another one had a black Lab who was very gentle and would lie down near his feet. Another had an English setter who flopped onto the couch next to me when I had an appointment with its master and put its head in my lap (goofy thing!). Still another priest had a Shi Tzu (or Lhasa Apso, I get confused) whom he spoiled rotten!

And yes, our Holy Father is a cat lover…but I don’t think he has one living with him in the Vatican. I know that when he was still just Cardinal Ratzinger, many of the famous stray cats of Rome would follow him to his apartment just outside the Vatican walls. The pesky felines had to be chased away by the guards! 😃

Pets are good for the physical and mental well-being of priests-they provide unconditional love. They don’t criticize and complain like some members of the ‘human flock’ do! :o
 
If I were to become a priest… I would love to have a boxer!! they are my favorite dogs. And a burmese kitty would be a great compliment.
 
My priest had a funny story with his cat…when he went to a new parish, he noticed so many names in the bulletin, everyone who did anything had to be named. When he asked the secretary to remove most of them, she said, “Oh no, they like to see their names, it helps them do things and feel important”. So he relented but added the entry, “Tommy, Parish Cat, defender of the rectory”.
Some got it, some I’m sure didn’t. : )
 
I’ve come to believe that priests SHOULD have pets. Too many priests fall into a habit of 18 hour days, full of meetings and appointments, and burn themselves out. Having the responsibility of a pet would certainly force them to take the occasional break. Priests are sometimes so dedicated to their vocation that they forget they’re ordinary human beings who happened to answer a calling.

There are provisions in the church rules that allow priests to make things easier on themselves. For example, if there’s a funeral, the daily Mass can be cancelled. Priests are only supposed to celebrate one Mass a day, and only two on Sunday. The reality is that they often have to do more Masses on Sunday, but they really can ease off a bit during the week.

I think the reasoning behind cancelling the weekday Mass is that people will simply go to the funeral. The reality may very well be that many of the daily attendees then go to work and can’t make the funeral time.

So give a priest a nice gift - a pet from a rescue shelter!
 
Overall, I think it is good for priests to have pets.

My one big concern would be for people with allergies. I cannot be around cats or dogs for very long. If had to meet with a dog-owner priest in his rectory, that would be a problem. Priests ought to have an office separate from their living quarters, IMO, but that’s not often the case.

And pets should never (!) be inside the church unless they are on-duty helper dogs.
 
That is true priests are REQUIRED!!! REQUIRED!! to have a hobby. I have heard of a priest that flies airplanes. Some priests are musicians some priests love to hunt. It is a healthy thing that the need in their lives. I see nothing wrong with a pet and the rectory in the church I think it is a bit much. So yes priests can have pets and some are anilmal lovers and some are not just like anyone else. As long as it does not interfere with his pastorial duties. I can’t imagine anything legal and moral not being allowed in a priest’s life.
 
As long as the priest is not a religious, he can have a pet, provided that the local bishop allows it. Some bishops do not allow it for practical reasons. It makes assigning a priest more challening. You can’t transfer Father and Fido to a parish where there is a priest who does not like dogs or who is allergic. Some pests have been known to destroy furniture. Rectory furniture does not belong to the priest, except what’s in his room. It belongs to the parish. That’s another issue that some pastors have when accepting a new associate with a pet.

If the priest is a religious, the answer is no. Religious orders or men and religious congregations have very strict rules about pets. To have a pet you must have the permission of the superior. It is not a given that you can have a pet. Many houses have a pet. He or she is the house pet.

For example, I live with two cats. They’re the house cats, even though I feed them and take them to the vet. Another brother cleans the litter box and another buys the food and litter. The work is split. This was allowed because I’m often alone. Since I have terminal cancer, I have days when I can’t get up. The brothers brought me a kitten. I felt sorry, becaue the kitten looked bored. Then they brought a kitten for the kitten… I know . . . they’re nuts. Now, the three of us sleep in this tiny cot and I usually get the edge, because I feel so badly about disturbing them so I can get into bed. I just crawl into the edge and try to sleep there.

Now we have a problem. We can’t assign anyone to the house who has allegies. That creates a problem with a religious, because you can’t take over a house, just because you have a cat or a dog. That’s why you need permission from the superior.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF 🙂
 
UnityofTrinity said:
Is it ok for priests to have pets? How do they manage to take care of pets and work at church at the same time?
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Our friars have one day per year where they bless our animals.

In fact, the other day, the pastor asked someone at mass to take the puppy in his hands and take care of it until someone claimed him.

Gotta love Franciscans.
 
Sherry_G said:
I;ve always wondered about this question, too. The conflict in my mind has to do with vows of poverty. I had the idea that a priest is to have no possessions. A priest in my old diocese who was a young priest of only a few years got a dog, then about six months later, he had a red convertible to drive around on his day off. I thought it was a little strange at the time and have often wondered about it. Thinking of the dog, and the comfort and companionship, I realize it could be a good thing, but I had a question about the expense associated with a pet, veterinary bills, and dog sitting services etc.
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Diocesan priests do not take vows of poverty like religious order priests do they are under obedience to the bishop of the diocese unlike the religious order priests who are underobedience to their superior general. A diocesan oriest can keep his money as long as he lives a humble lifestyle and having a dog does not keep a person from living a humble lifestyle.
 
There is a priest in my diocese who is followed everywhere (including church/sanctuary) by what appears to me to be an unattractive mutt. I learned later that despite appearances, this is a service dog who can detect an epileptic seizure coming on. I would never have guessed, I always expect service dogs to be big and to wear a hand harness. not so!
 
I had dinner with our parish priests and retired bishop a while ago, and this topic came up. Bishop emeritus said “I wanted to write a law that says ‘you may have a dog, or an assistant.’”
One of the retired priests muttered without a thought, “I’d take the dog.”
 
Sherry_G said:
I;ve always wondered about this question, too. The conflict in my mind has to do with vows of poverty. I had the idea that a priest is to have no possessions. etc.
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secular priests do not take a vow of poverty and may own whatever they need for a comfortable life, including pets, car etc.

an order priest may keep a pet is his living situation permits but if his order forbids private ownership of property, the pet would belong to the order.

I don’t know but I gotta believe Franciscans and pets go together.
 
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