The X thread below combines tweets by Fr. Patrick Hyde, OP, and it serves as a reminder to us all that the men who bring us Jesus every Sunday are frail, fallen, imperfect creatures like the rest of us, and need our prayers,
Read on:
I’ve been asked to give a talk to brother priests about administration & leadership. It got me thinking about the expectations that are placed on priests by others & themselves. What follows is a deliberately hyperbolic thread to prove how unreasonable these expectations can be.
As a pastoral minister, the parish priest is expected to go to the margins & unwanted like St. Damien of Molokai, to hear confessions at the rate of St. John Vianney, & to have the compassion of St. Teresa of Kolkata.
As a preacher, the priest is expected to have the poetic eloquence of Gerard Manley Hopkins, the style and power of St. Anthony of Padua, the affability of a favorite uncle, and the impact of a St. Vincent Ferrer.
As an administrator, the priest is expected to understand and manage the finances better than a CPA, to be a creative leader like Steve Jobs, and, if he had a school, to run a school whose Catholic identity and intellectual rigor would make St. Elizabeth Ann Seton blush.
These examples reflect the unreasonable pressure that many priests face—to be all things for all people—in the Information Age. Because we can see the successes of others so easily, it heightens our awareness of shortcomings & increases the pressure to perform.
On top of this, many parishes are oversaturated with ministries. So, the priest feels the burden of ridiculous expectations compounded by a feeling of helplessness at being able to make any impact because “we already did that” or “it’s just another project.”
As I mentioned, I’m being deliberately hyperbolic to help to prove a point to priests. First, it’s okay to feel overwhelmed & confused. Second, you can do something to make an impact. Third, that impact is to put Jesus first & to zealously strive after holiness.
St. John Vianney, pray for our priests!
A Prayer for My Pastor
Lord, where do I begin?
The pews are not full enough
the collections are not big enough
the bills are too large
the parishioners are too picky,
the wiring is old,
the parking lot is too small…
And in the middle of it all,
there is my pastor.
Lord, please help him.
Help him to keep a joyful outlook,
an energetic spirit,
and a forgiving heart.
Give him patience to endure many tests:
from the parish council,
the hospitality committee,
the altar servers,
the lectors
the EMHCs
tnd the people who don’t like incense.
Help me to help him —
to support him,
to cheer him,
to encourage him,
to pray with him and for him
and to be a sympathetic ear when no one else is around.
Help me to patient with him, too,
for those times when he thinks a deacon is more a hinderance than a help,
and help me to see him through your eyes:
as your beloved child,
one seeking to do the impossible — trying to save souls
while remembering that nothing is impossible with you.
