tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36562133.post5427098435342772288..comments2024-02-28T17:57:05.725-05:00Comments on The Black Biretta: Why Priests are Happy and Sometimes NotBlack Birettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08758160681203816829noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36562133.post-655999010336269862014-08-04T21:01:00.830-05:002014-08-04T21:01:00.830-05:00Iam a young priest and new pastor of a parish in t...Iam a young priest and new pastor of a parish in the middle of nowhere. I'm so unhappy that I have little support from the diocese. It seems that the diocese only cares about assessments and not the priest. I just don't understand why bishops throw men into areas that's not the right fit. For example, .l m not a country person and said so many times but still the bishop throws me into a parish in the middle of nowhere and I feel depressed, alone, and isolated. I love saying mass and helping people find God. I just hate the country area (please no offense to anyone that is from the country)<br /><br />I inherited a parish that requires lots of work, a former pastor that gave up on people and was depressed, and some of the most crazy people, so it seems, that exists in a parish. I spoke my concerns and still left here to dry by the diocese. If the church wants happy priests they need to learn to match gifts and talents to parishes rather than cut and paste. So I disagree that priests are fully happy... Many younger priests like me feel used and overworked with things that shouldn't matter. All we want to do is the sacramental and teach the catholic faith. Thanks for your article Father. Well written. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36562133.post-4498470983324909512011-12-15T03:46:51.010-05:002011-12-15T03:46:51.010-05:00As an Orthodox priest, I appreciate your comments ...As an Orthodox priest, I appreciate your comments very much. One of the gaps in the pastoral lives of many RC priests I have met is the focus on the spiritual therapy of the interior life, with the help of an experienced spiritual father. As Orthodox priests, this is essential to our patoral life, and sustains us in times when human weaknesses around us or in us can really become a weight on our shoulders.<br />While many RCs call for a return to a married priesthood (a practice we as Orthodox have never abandoned), the issue is much deeper than this: it is the internal spiritual life, and the help of ongoing spiritual therapy for every faithful person, that is essential for us all.<br /><br />- Poppa GAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36562133.post-67283488315596664862011-12-14T11:15:18.089-05:002011-12-14T11:15:18.089-05:00Right today I was reading some pages from the semi...Right today I was reading some pages from the seminary section from the following site (I am a Roman Catholic btw and the intention is not to post anything unorthodox on your blog):<br />http://oldcatholicapostolicchurch.org/<br />I was deeply struck by the way it talks about the relationship building between seminarians and clerical members at different stages of their formation and pastoral position. The mutual sheparding like a flock of black sheep from amongst which the Holy Spirit raises a white one to watch over them all. Other reflection: scaring almost the demands that are made on perspective priests!having met a number, sometimes you wonder whether human fragility is not what the Lord has built his church upon.Human fragility that keeps his eyes fixed on the one who can calm all pastoral storms.May mary enfold you all in her mantle.Alehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02002929381029120102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36562133.post-61100284215684204782011-11-08T14:45:41.681-05:002011-11-08T14:45:41.681-05:00I also posted a comment about this on Bishop Rene ...I also posted a comment about this on Bishop Rene Gracida's blog. I'll say here what I said there: I want to thank each and every last priest for his service to the Church. I recently crafted a little poem for this purpose, entitled "Our Shepherds' Due", and those who are so inclined can find it at:<br /><br />http://ignatiusmartinus.wordpress.com/<br /><br />Thanks and God bless you, Father.<br /><br /><br />- Ignatius MartinusIgnatiushttp://ignatiusmartinus.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36562133.post-80256800302609799042011-11-05T20:41:17.822-05:002011-11-05T20:41:17.822-05:00Father Levis is a family friend, but he hasn't...Father Levis is a family friend, but he hasn't responded to his Christmas letters the past several years. No one seemed to know what happened to him or where he was. Could you please give me the address of his nursing home so I can write him? Thank you.<br /><br />The Button FamilyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36562133.post-85072396335771302472011-11-03T11:45:56.711-05:002011-11-03T11:45:56.711-05:00I responded on Bishop Gracidas blogg & wanted ...I responded on Bishop Gracidas blogg & wanted to post it here.<br />What a beautiful article, thank you so much for posting this. As I started to read this article I was not aware at the time who wrote it, and I thought instantly of Father.Trigilio, I remembered a question he answered a while back on Web of Faith, with regard to vows. I never forgot it, he said that if one could not be faithful to one vow he would not be faithful to another. A caller had thought he should have been a Priest rather then get married, he was already married. That answer stuck in my head for many many years, to me it was so profound simple but true. I miss Father Levis very much and would like to write or visit him, I enjoyed Web of Faith it was my one of my favorite programs on EWTN. I am a musician living in NYC and I play at many different Church’ so I have met many many Priest. I can honestly state the majority are Happy and most people love their Priest. I can mention a few Like Father James Lloyd who also just turned 90, he is terrific, He is related to my brother in law, I was at his 80th Birthday in 2001. Father James Lloyd has a blogg I enjoy reading,Catholicism, Scholarship, & Fun! Father George Rutler is another Priest I enjoy listening to , he is so brilliant and a very hard working Pastor for The Church Of Our Saviour in NYC, Father O Connor Pastor of The Blessed Sacrament Church, he is a saintly Man and reminds me of Father Levis, he is a true Priest, Another Priest I really love is Father Meehan down by The South Ferry 7 state street in NYC it is The Shrine of St. Elizabeth Seton. I could go on and on. These men have made an enormous sacrifice and need our prayers. The problem is that The Faithful need to pray more for their Priest and help them. Father Trigilio is a brilliant Priest a true Scholar and I wish I could see him more on EWTN, we learn so much from our Priest. I once asked my Mother why Priest were so much smarter then other people and she said, It is becuase of God”. I would like to add Father John Corapi, because he has done so much to strengthen my faith & many others I know who were personally brought back to the faith or converted by his preaching and unique story. I will end with the Holy Father Benedict XVI a very generous gift to the Church by Our Lord and he will surely go down in History as one of the Greatest Popes. I do not forget Bishop Gracida who has fought so valiantly for the faith may his rewards be great. God Bless all our Priest.Sullivannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36562133.post-74921418418855171092011-11-01T15:34:06.902-05:002011-11-01T15:34:06.902-05:00Father, I'm going to forward this to my former...Father, I'm going to forward this to my former pastor. You have described his life as a priest.<br /><br />Thank you!Tonyhttp://www.manlymen.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36562133.post-71742635072891154022011-10-29T15:40:08.345-05:002011-10-29T15:40:08.345-05:00Please convey my thanks and best wishes to Fr. Lev...Please convey my thanks and best wishes to Fr. Levis whose presence on Web of Faith I always appreciated.Estasehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14218134057991196938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36562133.post-35029764890372772182011-10-27T17:19:12.426-05:002011-10-27T17:19:12.426-05:00Terrific post. My youngest son is in a discernment...Terrific post. My youngest son is in a discernment house, and much of the bureaucratic downside you describe worries me as the father of a possible priest.<br /><br />Hey have you heard this joke:<br /><br />There are only two kinds of people in the world.<br />Priests; and their critics.kkollwitzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17691145638703824456noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36562133.post-48898546016062794172011-10-27T01:08:43.958-05:002011-10-27T01:08:43.958-05:00I wish every bishop could read this, and more... u...I wish every bishop could read this, and more... understand it.Fr. Amaro Saumellhttp://www.fatheramaro.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36562133.post-88113810555271095512011-10-26T19:55:16.685-05:002011-10-26T19:55:16.685-05:00Every Bishop should read thisEvery Bishop should read thisAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36562133.post-47682144281290510522011-10-26T19:33:07.486-05:002011-10-26T19:33:07.486-05:00I hope this post travels far and wide in the Catho...I hope this post travels far and wide in the Catholic blogosphere. Thank you for it! <br /><br />FrMichaelAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36562133.post-2120788662587430672011-10-26T19:14:11.361-05:002011-10-26T19:14:11.361-05:00Thank you and God bless you, Father Giovanni. I h...Thank you and God bless you, Father Giovanni. I have a teen who feels a calling to the priesthood, and this article is quite insightful.<br /><br />@The Little Way - can't agree more! There is not enough empathy or sympathy for the challenge of being a priest/pastor.RayHnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36562133.post-20140631963097763162011-10-26T17:50:21.973-05:002011-10-26T17:50:21.973-05:00Thank you. So much resonates with me. I have bee...Thank you. So much resonates with me. I have been a priest for over 30+ years and enjoy every bit of being a "priest" - I not enjoy the endless red tape and the middle management status that I have involuntarily been assigned to. But I am very happy to put up with all that for the sake of being able to continue to serve the people of God. I know the bishop is himself tied by civil and canonical demands which he has to fulfill.Fr Steve Porterhttp://www.frsteve.tvnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36562133.post-6682117668267299782011-10-26T15:20:56.283-05:002011-10-26T15:20:56.283-05:00Thank you for responding positively to your vocati...Thank you for responding positively to your vocation as a priest. I'm a grandmother of 18...I've already watched 1 valid vocation go down the tubes due to the rampant homosexuality in our area & poor, if any, support of Orthodox priests.<br />It still pains me to pray for those who helped my grandson stay away from the priesthood. However, he's still toung, there is always hope.<br />God bless you, you & your brother priests are always in my prayers & fasts.<br />Kathleen Riney<br />Texaskathleen rineynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36562133.post-36019731178092619862011-10-26T13:52:38.708-05:002011-10-26T13:52:38.708-05:00Awesome as always, Fr. Trigilio. I'm sure you...Awesome as always, Fr. Trigilio. I'm sure you make our Blessed Mother proud.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36562133.post-30239816339342400452011-10-26T10:49:37.983-05:002011-10-26T10:49:37.983-05:00actually the ceo model has much to offer a parish ...actually the ceo model has much to offer a parish priest . the effective c e o has bothered to to formulate a mission statement . canon law lays out what a parish must be . each individual parish , however , has its own ethos . the management by objective model works well enough . the mission statement gives the pastor and parishioners a way to know how well they are succeeding . the value statement gives the main principles on which judgements are made . e. g. the value statement might say that beauty for God's glory and human nourishment is a value. when this is out there , people will know that this parish will use resources for high quality vestments and furnishings . people whose hierarchy of values is different will move on .<br /><br />any way , it is worth reading drucker on nonprofit management . the man was a genius , a catholic , the catholic church ignored him. <br /><br />as dean hoge , a protestant sociologist whose focus was the catholic priesthood said " it is clear that leadership is not a matter that rome attends to in selecting bishops "<br /><br />I would prefer a c e o type as bishop , if he was dedicated to being a good one.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36562133.post-59030026044488664652011-10-26T08:17:16.728-05:002011-10-26T08:17:16.728-05:00Dead on target. Thank you for writing this.Dead on target. Thank you for writing this.Fr. Erik Richtsteighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16585104084132192522noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36562133.post-82280826814214538482011-10-26T08:10:40.766-05:002011-10-26T08:10:40.766-05:00I don't know which diocese you serve in, but y...I don't know which diocese you serve in, but you've obviously talked with priests from mine. The corporate/cronyism model you describe is horribly familiar to me, and has cost our diocese priests and seminarians who wanted to serve Our Lord but were deemed "too rigid" by the entrenched team of buffer people.NancyPnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36562133.post-6710430578781313982011-10-24T20:24:11.536-05:002011-10-24T20:24:11.536-05:00Thank you for having the courage to say this. I&#...Thank you for having the courage to say this. I'm by no means a parish insider, but I have often wondered how we can expect priests to be spiritual fathers, business managers and CEO's all at the same time and with little or no training for the responsibilities that come with being a pastor. Not to mention that the politics and cronyism that unfortunately exist even in the Church can rob the soul, which is the last thing you'd want to do to a man who is responsible for so many other souls. God bless you Father!TLWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05699746979019393620noreply@blogger.com