Hopes and fears of modern priest

In a day when the number of ordained priests becomes less and active priests grow grayer, there is a tremendous amount of angst in the air.

The laity are struggling with the fact that their churches may close. Mass times may not be at their convenience. Sacramental celebrations may occur only when a priest is available. The structure of parish leadership is changing.

As our identity changes, is the body of the priesthood depressed, scared, struggling with an identity crisis and feeling obsolete?

New model

I will attempt to address this issue from the perspective of a priest who ministers not as a pastor, but as a sacramental minister. It is my opinion that this can be the seed of a new model of being priest.

The traditional way of ministering was one that I found life-giving in many ways. To live in and amongst the people of God, to walk with them in the intimate moments of life, to counsel them, to laugh and celebrate with them, and to be connected with a community of faith, I found fulfilling in many ways.

However, during the eight years I served as a pastor in two different communities, I found the temporal administration of the parish to be something that drained my joy and excitement about ministry.

Thankfully, the gift of qualified laity enabled me to survive this "dark night" of ministry.

New way to serve

One fear of being a sacramental minister is that the parts of the priesthood that give life will be lost and priests will become sacramental machines. In my experience, I have found the things that give me life are still a part of my life as a sacramental minister. In many cases, I am freer to be there for the people than I ever have been.

This does not mean that I do not feel a certain amount of tension. In the past, I prepared the couple for marriage from the initial appointment to the actual celebration of the sacrament. I met with the parents of the children to be baptized, even if I had not been involved in the actual instruction.

As a sacramental minister, I often do not meet the parents until the Baptism. I find my tension level increasing with the celebration of marriage. It is very difficult for me to adjust to being the person who witnesses the sacrament but is not involved in the preparation.

However, I do not believe that this tension is insurmountable. The place to begin is for the sacramental minister to admit the tension and dialogue with the parish life director as to ways to alleviate this tension. The sacramental minister also needs to be conscious of the tension the parish life director may feel in reverse, especially if the parish life director is a layperson.

Good Shepherd

When I was first ordained, I purchased an icon of Christ the Good Shepherd for the reconciliation room that I used. As I have reflected on that image for the last 17 years, I am convinced that this is the image of the ordained priest.

To lead people to the Good Shepherd is the core of the priestly ministry. The work of the Shepherd who heals the sheep and seeks out the lost is very real and necessary in today's world.

For me to do this ministry well, I need to be willing to be a priest in a whole new way.

Essentials

As we face the impact of the shortage of priests, the danger is that priests will take on more and more. The risk is that the core of who we were ordained to be will be lost and snuffed out.

The Church will lose the most important and sacred reality that is entrusted to us: the mystery of the Eucharist and the sacramental encounters with Christ.

I am not sure that even the deepest prayer life and connection with Christ would survive the stress and impact of trying to maintain the traditional manner of being a priest in a Church that demands more and more of fewer men.

There needs to be a dialogue concerning what is essential to the presbyteral ministry and how best to use the resources we have.

Jesus' words

Whether a priest serves as a pastor or sacramental minister, one possible antidote to this stress is that we re-frame our fears and anxieties into the framework of the Last Supper discourse of John's Gospel:

* "Do not let your hearts be troubled" (John 14:1);

* "I will send you another Comforter, the Paraclete" (John 14:16);

* "You did not choose me; no, I chose you; to go out and bear fruit, fruit that will last; so that the Father will give you anything that you ask in my name. My command to you is to love one another" (John 15: 16-17).

We need to trust the Spirit, who has guided the Church since the apostolic age.

Called to serve

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus said that "anyone who wants to become great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be your slave, just as the Son of Man came not be served but to serve and give his life as a ransom for the many" (Mt. 20: 26-28).

By ordination, a priest is called to configure himself to Christ, who served all humanity by His self-offering on the cross. By virtue of Baptism and the mandate of the Bishop, a parish life director is called to configure him- or herself to the Christ who washed the feet of those gathered in the Upper Room.

Service to the community is not who can write the checks or preside at the Holy Table. Service to the community is the free offering of self as a witness to the community of faith that the heart of Christian ministry is service. That is the meaning of the Eucharist that is celebrated in every parish and community.

Advantages

The role of a priest is nuanced. Entrusted by the Church to preside at the sacraments and prayer, he is charged with reverent and prayerful celebrations of the sacramental life.

Given that one of the main hungers in the Christian community is good and substantial homilies, a sacramental minister is able to devote more time to preparation for homilies that will feed and challenge the Catholic Christian community.

It is a non-negotiable reality that a priest commit himself to quality time in prayer and reflection about the mysteries being celebrated. The time and energy that can be sapped by administrative details, building projects etc. can be re-directed into worship that is led from the core of the person's spiritual life.

Letting go

Without the sacraments, especially the mystery of the Eucharist, we cease to be Roman Catholic communities.

As priests, we need to ask ourselves if we are spiritual leaders or CEOs. To enable the gifts of the community to flourish, we need to let go of our own control issues and our need to have things our way.

To minister as a sacramental minister can be an experience of freedom and a wonderful opportunity to image the reality of the Eucharist: All have been saved by Christ, all are His Body and Blood, and all have ministries for the benefit of the community.

(Father Konopka is sacramental minister at St. Clare's parish in Colonie. Having just completed his MSW, he also works at the diocesan Consultation Center in Albany.)

Danger: Obstacles ahead

Obstacles can creep into the relationship between a parish life director and sacramental minister:

* A major clash of personalities and leadership styles will not allow this model to even begin. It is not impossible if both parties are willing to work together with a third party to resolve these differences, but it will not be easy.

* Another obstacle is allowing parishioners to play the sacramental minister off the parish life director and vice versa. There needs to be a unified front regarding sacramental policy and procedures.

* The sacramental minister needs a level of autonomy in the celebration of the sacraments. This same respect needs to be given to the parish life director in matters of parish administration and vision.

* Unwillingness to compromise and the existence of "turf wars" are major obstacles. When both forget that service to the parish community comes before all else, personal agendas will erupt.

* The relationship between the sacramental minister and parish life director needs to be based in a common vision that the needs of the faith community come before all else.

* Just as there is a risk of clericalism on the part of the ordained priest, there is also a risk of a lay clericalism on the part of the parish life director. An atmosphere of mutuality, consultation and collaboration needs to be strived for.

The relationship between a sacramental minister and a parish life director needs to be rooted in respect for each other's role and the recognition that each role is a vocational choice.

OF PRIESTS AND PARISHES

The motto of the seminary I attended, Immaculate Conception Seminary at Seton Hall University in New Jersey, was "Dispensatores Mysteriorum Dei" or "Dispensers of the Mysteries of God." Another translation is "Stewards or Distributors of the Mysteries of God."

Using the word "dispenser" could translate into the fear of many priests of seeing the sacramental minister as a circuit-rider who never connects with a faith community.

While this is a possibility, it is not a given. It is vital that the priest be connected to the faith communities he ministers to. For that reason, it is necessary that there be serious consideration of limiting the number of parishes that are entrusted sacramentally to one priest.

The priest also needs to make an effort to be a part of the community in which he serves.

(8/23/07)