How can we help our priests to smell like the sheep?

[DameAgnes]

I thought this was interesting and maybe important. How do we help the sheep to smell like the sheep? By inviting them to be among the sheep! It never occurred to me to invite a priest to an amusement park or a ball game. http://aleteia.org/2015/12/14/how-to-help-priests-smell-like-their-sheep/

[Ash Wednesday]

Sheep actually really stink. Ever smell one that needs to be washed? 

I could be wrong, but it seems to me that priests did have more involvement with families and the congregation in the past. Clergy in my experience have often been a little detached, very busy, and I was often a little intimidated by them. But I can imagine life can get lonely for them.

Sadly, I think the abuse scandals have also broken a lot of trust people may have ever had for clergy, and the shortage is a problem as well because what priests we have often are very busy.

Praying for more good priests.

[Peace]

Let them have wives. Straight up.

[MarysLittleFlower]

I think its good that priests in the Latin rite don't marry.

Our priests do interact with the families quite a bit... Theres a Christian family group that meets, they get invited to peoples homes and also do blessings and Sacred Heart enthronements. 

I think the lay people in the parish can help priests get to know the families just by inviting them over or suggesting apostolates like the enthronement 

[bardegaulois]

3 hours ago, Peace said:

Let them have wives. Straight up.

But a priest already has a wife; she is called The Church.

[Peace]

Just now, bardegaulois said:

But a priest already has a wife; she is called The Church.

Let them marry human beings of the female sex.

[MarysLittleFlower]

Just now, Peace said:

Let them marry human beings of the female sex.

Why?

[Peace]

23 minutes ago, MarysLittleFlower said:

I think its good that priests in the Latin rite don't marry.

Our priests do interact with the families quite a bit... Theres a Christian family group that meets, they get invited to peoples homes and also do blessings and Sacred Heart enthronements. 

I think the lay people in the parish can help priests get to know the families just by inviting them over or suggesting apostolates like the enthronement 

I think it is cool for those who desire to take a vow of celibacy. I am not knocking it.

It seems like there could be plenty of people who could be good priests and at the same time married, too though. I think there is something to be said if the priest is in the same family position as many of his parishioners. I think you can relate to someone who is married if you have been married yourself, more so than if you have never been married . . .

Plus, when you go to a party or to someone's house - you always feel more comfortable going there with a friend right? Would probably be the same for a priest. I bet they would be a lot more comfortable hanging out with families, if they could bring their family along too. . .

[MarysLittleFlower]

I like the symbolism of them not having a wife except the Church... But anyway the reason I asked is because I though your reason was parish related. (Which it seems to be). Maybe Eastern priests can relate in that way.. But I don't know I guess just in my parish I see the two priests are so friendly with the families and really liked. I think if they were married they'd actually have less time to do parish work? Eastern rite priests don't have daily Mass. Our parish has two Masses every weekdays, Confession before all Masses, plus the priests do spiritual direction and tons of other things. The parish is not territorial (its FSSP) so when they visit people they often have to travel a while. There's just a lot to do and having a family is very time consuming as well. 

[Peace]

3 minutes ago, MarysLittleFlower said:

I like the symbolism of them not having a wife except the Church... But anyway the reason I asked is because I though your reason was parish related. (Which it seems to be). Maybe Eastern priests can relate in that way.. But I don't know I guess just in my parish I see the two priests are so friendly with the families and really liked. I think if they were married they'd actually have less time to do parish work? Eastern rite priests don't have daily Mass. Our parish has two Masses every weekdays, Confession before all Masses, plus the priests do spiritual direction and tons of other things. The parish is not territorial (its FSSP) so when they visit people they often have to travel a while. There's just a lot to do and having a family is very time consuming as well. 

Yeah - the family life would take away from their time (as it should). Maybe it might be balanced by the uptick in vocations that would probably result though?

I guess it really depends on the individual priests though. I guess my experience has been that Catholic priests are much more distant than at the previous churches I was at before I became Catholic. But maybe that is more perception than reality.

I invited one priest at my parish out for a drink one time. He was like "I don't drink". LOL. End of conversation. I tried.

[veritasluxmea]

Huh, was just reading tonight something Fulton Sheen wrote about how like the first pope all priests have a Simon and Peter nature- Simon representing their human nature, Peter their vocational nature of being calling out of the body of Christ to intercede with Christ in a way no one else is. That does separate them from "other" humans in a unique way (for our benefit to continue Christ's work) but at the same time they still remain fully human- as they are still fully human. Sort of like the mystery of Christ being fully human and divine. 

[bardegaulois]

23 minutes ago, Peace said:

Yeah - the family life would take away from their time (as it should). Maybe it might be balanced by the uptick in vocations that would probably result though?

I guess it really depends on the individual priests though. I guess my experience has been that Catholic priests are much more distant than at the previous churches I was at before I became Catholic. But maybe that is more perception than reality.

I invited one priest at my parish out for a drink one time. He was like "I don't drink". LOL. End of conversation. I tried.

To be frank, I have to say I admire that distance about which you speak. I'm far more inclined to trust a priest who bears about him a sort of dignified otherworldliness than I am a gladhander.

[IgnatiusofLoyola]

I have talked with Catholics who are having their first experience with married priests because they attend a formerly Anglican congregation that converted to Catholicism. At first, they aren't used to it, do they call the wife "Mrs. Priest?" But once they are used to it, they like it.

Growing up as an Episcopalian, I was used to priests being married, so it doesn't seem strange. My parents were active in the church and were social friends with priests (and even a bishop). Four or five families, including the rector's family, used to go camping together every summer.

If there is a theological or traditional argument for priests to stay celibate, I can understand that, even if I don't necessarily agree. But, then I read about people saying things like, "What if the priest was having sex before Mass?" First, most married people not only wash their hands but take a shower before dressing for the day. I would hope that even a celibate priest would wash his hands before Mass. Second, there is nothing sinful or "dirty" about sex between a married couple.

I know of Episcopal congregations with multiple Masses per day, and the priest is married. At least where I live, Episcopal congregations tend to have more priests than Catholic congregations. Even small Episcopal congregations often have two or three priests, and large congregations, even more. (Then again, I live about 5 miles from an Episcopal seminary, so I imagine that affects the number of available priests.)

The priests I feel bad for are the ones who are the only priest in a parish. It must be a very lonely life. I've read one recommendation that priests who serve congregations near each other live in Community with each other, rather than live alone, so they have "family" life.

[dominicansoul]

If we want our priests to "smell like the sheep" spend more time with the sheep...in the confessional!

[KnightofChrist]

15 hours ago, Peace said:

Let them have wives. Straight up.

When there are troubles in a relationship many people have the idea that getting married and/or having a baby will fix things. Rarely to mostly never is that so. Married priests won't really solve the sex abuse plague, if I remember correctly a high number of men who sexually abuse young teens and children are married. There's even a high number of protestant pastors who can marry but still sexually abuse teens and children. 

I am also not at all convinced that it would solve the priest shortage problem. The shortage problem goes beyond the issue of men would be priest if they could marry. There is in many regards a great falling away, Church attendance continues to shrink in many places.

Also, I don't like dropping traditions of the Church, we've done quite enough of that lately, and done so in the name of bringing more people to Mass or in the Church and it hasn't really been effective.