Should priests wear their clerics when out grocery shopping? Getting a haircut? Seeing a movie? Walking the dog? Away on vacation?

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Tell me the beach where there is not one immorally dressed or rather undressed person.

If you say that you can avoid that one you are playing with your soul like a person could say that a robber might only have a fake gun. Risk your life for 50 bucks? You wouldn’t would you?

50 bucks can be replaced. You, when you die, there is no saying I’m sorry.

The Passion of Christ was a rare exception, yet it I am not fanatical about it. It raised more sensitivity than devotion.

[Edited]

So even movies, as decent as they may be, are not indispensable for holiness.

Now you may ask me what is neccesary for my santification for me to be writing here? Well I finished my prayers and am many times waiting for some documents to download. So I share some of the knowledge I was blessed to have found in my short years.

That being said. Vacations as most priests take and even worst religious, are wrong because they are not inline with their vocation or even moral law. One thing is to retire a bit to a monestary or a house of rest on a mountain to study, or pray or things in that line. Even physical exercise. All inline with things for the Kingdom.

Now hanging the habit and going out for a night with “friends”.

Even many wifes cry later on in life, when they realize the “friends” their husbands would go out with.
And vice-versa.

Radicallity does not be a ultradox conservative that things things like karate and football is the “devil”.

Radicallity is being serious, seriousness means doing everything with an objective of greater good. That means laughing when neccesary and enter into great silence in other momments.

All in line with “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God”
 
dessert said:
I used to think yes they should but now I don’t. Good priest s are good men and their good character will show through. They don’t need the clothes to show who they are and what they do. The clerical garb puts people off and on guard so they act (the normal person) like they are putting on a show, for the priest. I don’t really care what they wear but they should keep the moral character to go along with their spiritual if they have one, off the job that is or on.
Just like a good cop or fireman or social worker. 🙂
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Look, the cassock/clerics can save souls. There are numerous cases of people who find a Roman Catholic priest on an airport, on a train station, or anywhere, and ask the priest to confess them. A priest is a priest 24h/day, 7d/week, he must always be easily recognized as a priest, for the good of the souls.
 
WH1988 said:
outch.
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It is a common error since most people do not pronounce the last re.

A good suggestion would be to reread even the most well know prayers because over time you will end up saying heresies!

Instead of saying lead us not into temptation you are asking for it!
 
Priests and Nuns should wear proper religious garbs at all times, with the exception being sports, etc. They are not part of the nun reserves - one weekend a month- or anything like that. As a previous poster put it this is not just job, the cassock, collar, etc. are not a uniform for work.
 
Pro_Domina said:
What I found most disturbing was the situations given.

A priest should never do those things. Take a vacation is impossible if you are a priest.

One thing is to go on a retreat or rest a bit.

But the sick idea of what a vacation is today is something else.
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I can’t imagine what your idea of “vacation” consists of, certainly nothing I have ever encountered on our travels.

someone just cited on another thread, which I will post if I can find it, an article to the effect that failure to take a vacation is not fair to one’s parishioners, one’s coworkers, one’s family, and that downtime and recreation are a necessity spiritually, psychologically and physically.
 
Pro_Domina said:
That being said. Vacations as most priests take and even worst religious, are wrong because they are not inline with their vocation or even moral law. One thing is to retire a bit to a monestary or a house of rest on a mountain to study, or pray or things in that line. Even physical exercise. All inline with things for the Kingdom.
"
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where do you come by your intimate knowledge of what priests and religious do on their vacation? do you have any evidence whatever for you wild allegations?
 
puzzleannie said:
I can’t imagine what your idea of “vacation” consists of, certainly nothing I have ever encountered on our travels.

someone just cited on another thread, which I will post if I can find it, an article to the effect that failure to take a vacation is not fair to one’s parishioners, one’s coworkers, one’s family, and that downtime and recreation are a necessity spiritually, psychologically and physically.
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:amen:

In this diocese, priests are required to take vacations and to go on annual retreats. I see both as essential to avoid burn-out.

In this age of spread out families, most of the priests I know use their vacation to visit relatives. They get to hang out with people who knew them before the collar and who treat them like regular folk.

I know one priest who likes to do cruises. Many cruise lines offer free travel to priests in exchange for saying a couple Masses on board ship. Another priest goes to Europe about every two years. There is a travel agency that gives a free trip when the priest rounds up a certain number of people to go with him. Some of these trips are religious (ie pilgramage sites); others are just appealing as vacations with like minded people.

One priest goes to an art colony every year. Another goes hiking/camping. One priest I listen to on the radio goes skiiing as often as possible.

My point is that these are all “regular” vacations and there is nothing that is contrary to the priestly vocation.
Tell me the beach where there is not one immorally dressed or rather undressed person.
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When I was a teen, our nuns had their own beach house with a private beach. There are nuns here in Texas that have a similar set up down in South Texas. 😃 They would probably have to get the ruler after you if you tried to accuse them of impropriety.
 
A story:

A couple of weeks ago my 4yo granddaughter and I were out purchasing groceries for our family. She spied our priest and went running over to him yelling father John and hugged him. From the distance she would not have noticed him with out his clerics. Seeing our priests and religious in public makes the young ones notice the good examples they show.
 
First: You must distinguish between a secular priest and a priest who is a religious. The rules are not the same. Secular priests are SECULAR MEN. Like all secular men, they follow the rules of their employer when it comes to dress. In our diocese the secular priests must wear a roman collar when on duty. The rest is up to them.

Secular priests make their own money, pay their own taxes, pay their own social security, pay for their own cars, own their own homes if they want to, and are not part of a community. Therefore, the local bishop does not interfere in their private lives as long as it does not give scandal or violate Church law.

Therefore, the choice not to wear a collar when not on duty is left to the individual as it’s his time, just like any other secular man.

Second: You cannot apply the same rules to all priests. Many priests are religious. They follow the rules and customs of their religious congregations or relgious orders.

In our parish we have seven religious, only three are priests and the superior is not a priest. All seven wear a Roman collar. There goes the theory that Roman collars are for priests. Such is not the case.

When they are not in Roman collars they wear the habit of their community, depending on what they are doing and the weather. Their community is very clear that the habit must be worn for all community functions. Other than that it is up to their superior or to the house chapter to decided when the habit is worn. They maintain a very strict policy of keeping the laity out of their internal affairs. Wearing the habit or the collar is an internal decision.

The bishop does not interfere with religioius in his diocese. His rules are very simple. Religious who are invited to work for the diocese must follow the same rule as the secular priests follow. They must wear a habit or collar on duty. Outside of that, it is up to their superior, their community chapter or their constitutions to decide what they wear.

Third: Vacations, retreats, shopping, getting haircuts are not the same for every male religious or priest. Religious communities have their own rules regarding these things. These rules are different from those of dioceses for secular priests.

It seems that to try to make a uniform rule for all priests, is to paint them all as the same. THEY ARE NOT THE SAME. Religious are not secular priests, even if they are ordained. Priests in religious orders and congregations: Franciscans, Dominicans, Salesians etc, must conform to whatever is unifying within their community, not with every other priest in the Church. They are n ot part of the larger system. They are part of their community.

To make expect secular priests to accommodate to the same rules as religious priests is unfair. You may as well make them religious. If they had wanted to be religious, they would have entered religious life as well as the priesthood. They didn’t. Christ did not call them to the consecrated life. He called them to the priesthood. Then you have religious who are not priests. God does not call them to the priesthood, but calls them to the consecrated life. Those priests who are part of religious communities must be identifiable with their brothers, be they ordained or not. They are not expected to be in the same frame as their secular priest counterparts, because they are not the same.

Paintaing with a brush that is too broad may do more damage than good. Not all priests are the same. The Holy Spirit does not mean for them to be the same.

JR 🙂
 
I like to see priests wear their clerics while out in public. And I think in general they ought to do so.

But to make a blanket statement that they ought not to run to the grocery store or the barber without them is just crazy.

Priests are like any other person in the respect that they sometimes plan their day and other times they make impromptu decisions. There’s no way that anyone who sees the priest at the grocery store picking up a quart of milk and some shaving cream knows where he’s coming from or even where he’s going to. (Although if he’s getting milk he’s hopefully headed to some place with a refrigerator.)

If a priest is lucky enough to have a day/evening off where he can kick back in the rectory in his t-shirt and sweatpants or in his plaid shirt and jeans and he decides that he ought to go out and run an errand I’d hate to think he needs to change his clothes just to do so.
 
Corki said:
:amen:

In this diocese, priests are required to take vacations and to go on annual retreats. I see both as essential to avoid burn-out.

In this age of spread out families, most of the priests I know use their vacation to visit relatives. They get to hang out with people who knew them before the collar and who treat them like regular folk.

I know one priest who likes to do cruises. Many cruise lines offer free travel to priests in exchange for saying a couple Masses on board ship. Another priest goes to Europe about every two years. There is a travel agency that gives a free trip when the priest rounds up a certain number of people to go with him. Some of these trips are religious (ie pilgramage sites); others are just appealing as vacations with like minded people.

One priest goes to an art colony every year. Another goes hiking/camping. One priest I listen to on the radio goes skiiing as often as possible.

My point is that these are all “regular” vacations and there is nothing that is contrary to the priestly vocation.

When I was a teen, our nuns had their own beach house with a private beach. There are nuns here in Texas that have a similar set up down in South Texas. 😃 They would probably have to get the ruler after you if you tried to accuse them of impropriety.
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I have gone on vacation with priests a few times. They were considered pilgrimidges but we had lots of fun too. Our last one to Greece also consisted of a cruise and lots of fun at the pool and beaches with a few glasses of ouso and baklava (pardon my spelling). I have been to Broadway plays with priests and out to dinner. Good priest friends of mine go camping, kyacking, have time shares at Dinsey and the islands of the Carribean. They go to football and baseball and hockey games and go on week long golf vacations. They all come back from these vacations well rested, refreshed and ready to face the challenges of ministry. These same priests also go on yearly retreats which are much different and are not meant for fun. Vacations are for fun and God is not against having fun. As someone mentioned, going on vacations is required of priests in some diocese, and that is for a good reason. A burnt out priest is not a good priest.
 
As long as the priests know what they are doing, and are not breaking any rule then no one should be commenting on their decision to do what is in their conscience to do. You don’t have to like something, but you must know if there is something actually wrong with what is happening before condemning then if they dont do things as you wish they would.

I see no evidence presented here that shows any priest would be wrong in this case for not wearing their clerics.

Feelings about it, are feelings. Fleeting and emotional, and many times wrong.
 
I like seeing priests out and about in their clerics, but at the same time, it’s almost like having a celebrity status. People will either show more respect for you, or put you down because of the collar. Sad, but true.
 
As a transitional deacon, I’ve worn my clerical shirt and collar in the grocery store and even to get a haircut (that poncho thing keeps the hair out just as well with a clerical collar as with any other kind of shirt), but so far, most people simply ignore it or call me “sir.” Clergy in my diocese are expected to wear the collar at all times when visible to the public, but obviously if you’re jogging, cycling, or changing your car’s oil, you would not be expected to wear it.

Out here in the Pacific Northwest, wearing a Roman collar in public does not bring celebrity status. It does not garner free meals in restaurants, except the odd Mexican one. It sometimes attracts insults or stares. A priest friend told me of walking down the street wearing his collar, when an approaching woman yanked her young daughter out of his path and glared at him as if he were a pervert. Another priest in a different town told of people yelling rude things at him from their vehicles as he walked down the sidewalk on his first day in that town.
 
There are two questions that come to my mind.
  1. Do we realize that priests are not the only ones who wear Roman collars? Religious brothers and deacons also wear them. Do we expect them to wear them 24/7 also?
  2. Why is this so important to the laity? Shouldn’t this be a topic for the diocese or superiors of religious communities? It almost seems as if the laity is doing some wishful thinking about Roman collars, cassocks, habits and so forth. There is nothing wrong with wishful thinking as long as we remember that there are internal systems that govern these things and we respect them. Respect means that we allow those systems to be what they are.
If a Bishop wants his clerics to wear collars we support the Bishop. If he does not, we still support the Bishop. If a religious superior wants his religious to wear them or not, we support that religious superior.

We don’t have to agree. We just have to show our fraternal support as part of one family and one body.

JR 🙂
 
A.Pelliccio said:
Priests and Nuns should wear proper religious garbs at all times, with the exception being sports, etc. They are not part of the nun reserves - one weekend a month- or anything like that. As a previous poster put it this is not just job, the cassock, collar, etc. are not a uniform for work.
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I coached a woman’s intramural basketball team back in school. There were two nuns that played - in full habit - with a red mesh jersey over it. One of the sisters had a pretty decent jump-shot and the other could play good defense.
 
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