Significant Points:
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Diocesan priests attend to the spiritual, pastoral, moral, and educational needs of the members of their church. A priest锟絪 day usually begins with morning meditation and mass and may end with an individual counseling session or an evening visit to a hospital or home. Many priests direct and serve on church committees, work in civic and charitable organizations, and assist in community projects. Some counsel parishioners preparing for marriage or the birth of a child.
Religious priests receive duty assignments from their superiors in their respective religious orders. Some religious priests specialize in teaching, whereas others serve as missionaries in foreign countries, where they may live under difficult and primitive conditions. Other religious priests live a communal life in monasteries, where they devote their lives to prayer, study, and assigned work.
Both religious and diocesan priests hold teaching and administrative posts in Catholic seminaries, colleges and universities, and high schools. Priests attached to religious orders staff many of the Church锟絪 institutions of higher education and many high schools, whereas diocesan priests usually are concerned with the parochial schools attached to parish churches and with diocesan high schools. Members of religious orders do much of the missionary work conducted by the Catholic Church in this country and abroad.
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| Training, Other Qualifications, and Advancement |
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Preparatory study for the priesthood may begin in the first year of high school, at the college level, or in theological seminaries after college graduation. Seven high-school seminary programs锟絝our free-standing high school seminaries and three programs within Catholic high schools锟絧rovided a college preparatory program in 2002. Programs emphasize and support religious formation in addition to a regular, college-preparatory curriculum. Latin may be required, and modern languages are encouraged. In Hispanic communities, knowledge of Spanish is mandatory.
Those who begin training for the priesthood in college do so in one of 39 priesthood formation programs offered either through Catholic colleges or universities or in freestanding college seminaries. Preparatory studies usually include training in philosophy, religious studies, and prayer.
Today, most candidates for the priesthood have a 4-year degree from an accredited college or university, then attend one of 46 theological seminaries (also called theologates) and earn either the Master of Divinity or the Master of Arts degree. Thirty-four theologates primarily train diocesan priests, whereas 12 theologates provide information mostly for priesthood candidates from religious orders. (Slight variations in training reflect the differences in their expected duties.) Theology coursework includes sacred scripture; dogmatic, moral, and pastoral theology; homiletics (art of preaching); church history; liturgy (sacraments); and canon (church) law. Fieldwork experience usually is required.
Young men are never denied entry into seminaries because of lack of funds. In seminaries for diocesan priests, scholarships or loans are available, and contributions of benefactors and the Catholic Church finance those in religious seminaries锟絯ho have taken a vow of poverty and are not expected to have personal resources.
Graduate work in theology beyond that required for ordination also is offered at a number of American Catholic universities or at ecclesiastical universities around the world, particularly in Rome. Also, many priests do graduate work in fields unrelated to theology. Priests are encouraged by the Catholic Church to continue their studies, at least informally, after ordination. In recent years, the Church has stressed continuing education for ordained priests in the social sciences, such as sociology and psychology.
A newly ordained diocesan priest usually works as an assistant pastor. Newly ordained priests of religious orders are assigned to the specialized duties for which they have been trained. Depending on the talents, interests, and experience of the individual, many opportunities for additional responsibility exist within the Church.
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In response to the shortage of priests, permanent deacons and teams of clergy and laity increasingly are performing certain traditional functions within the Catholic Church. The number of ordained deacons has increased 30 percent over the past 20 years, and this trend should continue. Throughout most of the country, permanent deacons have been ordained to preach and perform liturgical functions, such as baptisms, marriages, and funerals, and to provide service to the community. Deacons are not authorized to celebrate Mass, nor are they allowed to administer the Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Anointing of the Sick. Teams of clergy and laity undertake some liturgical and nonliturgical functions, such as hospital visits and religious teaching.
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Diocesan priests who do special work related to the church, such as teaching, usually receive a salary which is less than a lay person in the same position would receive. The difference between the usual salary for these jobs and the salary that the priest receives is called 锟絚ontributed service.锟?In some situations, housing and related expenses may be provided; in other cases, the priest must make his own arrangements. Some priests doing special work receive the same compensation that a lay person would receive.
Religious priests take a vow of poverty and are supported by their religious order. Any personal earnings are given to the order. Their vow of poverty is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service, which exempts them from paying Federal income tax.
[Please note that the earnings and salary data listed here is usually from government sources and may be dated, so please make adjustments accordingly. If you would like to access current salary data for literally thousands of occupations, access our Salary Wizard.]
| Sources of Additional Information | [About this section] | [To Top] |
Individuals seeking additional information about careers in the Catholic Ministry should contact their local diocese.
For information on training programs for the Catholic ministry, contact:
*Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. Used by permission.