Who inherits the property after priest dies?

[TheLittleLady]

Round here, the Eulogy is at the Vigil Service. After that people sit watch all night long with the priest in his parish church.

The Homilist at the Mass of Christian Burial can be designated in the priest’s papers, one recently the homilist was unable to travel due to age/illness, however, he sent a letter to be read.

 

[Petergee]

Religious order priests own nothing at all. Diocesan priests even in most wealthy countries have a very modest income, especially considering they trained eight years for their job. Unless a priest is independently wealthy, say from an inheritance, he probably doesn’t own a car. In many dioceses, priests just get a car allowance or the diocese leases all the cars used by priests. The money for this of course comes from what we put on the collection plate. In most countries priests get no payment from the government. In poorer countries most priests have only a motorbike, bicycle or no vehicle at all.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

I’ve seen several priests who had some kind of inheritance or family monies and used it to buy themselves a retirement residence, in some cases buying it with one or two other priests who all presumably contributed and then all lived in the residence. I would presume that these priests likely leave their assets back to the diocese when they die (or in the case of a co-owned property maybe they leave it to the co-owning priest who would when he dies leave it all back to the diocese), unless they have some relative like a niece or nephew whom they want to help out.

 

[Anne1964]

Not sure where you live but I’m in South USA and every priest I know owns his own car purchased with his own money.

 

[dochawk]

My EC priest often covers RC Masses. He is also an upper-top tier homilist.

At one such, at a church where he did so regularly, a parishioner handed him a significant check and plead with him to buy a new car, with a comment to the effect of, “I can’t stand seeing you in that thing any longer.”

 

[Usige]

Not sure where you live but I’m in South USA and every priest I know owns his own car purchased with his own money.

That’s pretty much the case in the area I iive in also. Several of our priests also have small cabins or vacation homes and can afford modest vacations every year. I know one priest that has a pristine fire engine red '65 mustang convertible that he has willed to a local firefighters fund so that they can use it as they see fit after his death.

To be fair we also have a number of “late” vocations so a decent number of our priests worked in the private sector for 10-15 years before entering the seminary. Because of that, many already owned cars and property before ordination. One priest who died several years ago also invested money from the sale of his house when he entered seminary. After 30+ years the investment was worth several hundred thousand and upon his death was used for a bequest to fund seminarians of the diocese.