Advice to New (and not so new) Priests

A Lay couple in New Mexico wrote a response to their pastor's rescent homily on the ordination of a new priest. In his homily, their pastor reflected that the new priest ought to remember that he "was to serve God...not the people."

The couple, Robert and Lynn Lawton Jones, took exception to this and decided to address it. They composed a list of the top 10 suggestions for newly ordained priests - I have taken the liberty of suggesting that they apply to all priests.

In short, here they are:

1. Reread annually a summary of the second Vatican Council reforms.
   What they need apparently is someone who will implement the Council, not resist it.
2. Commit yourself to interfaith bridge building.
   These Catholics who long ago struggled through the Catholic-Protestant divide have no desire to see us substitute another one for it in this new century. Living in a world that is more cosmopolitan than ethnic, they want the church to reach out to their neighbors who are now Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, and Muslim.
3. Be open to a changing position of the church on gays and women.
   The kind of openness that Jesus showed to women and to those outside the social norms of Judaism is a hallmark of the Christian life and must be modeled by the church if the church itself is to be authentic.
4. Learn more in the first four years of your priesthood than you did in the recent [seminary trainings].
   The message is clear: the parish has as much to teach a new priest as the seminary ever did.
5. Prepare your homilies with one hand on the Bible and the other on (with) the daily newspaper.
   The church does not exist in a world of its own. The Gospel must be good news to the church in every age.
6. Work with people rather than imposing a top-down strategy.
   The church may not be a democracy, but it was never meant to be a monarchy either. Listening to the needs of the laity can only give new energy to the church.
7. Respect the role of the laity in an evolving Church.
   The church does not belong to the clergy. It belongs to all of us together. The priest is meant to be a shepherd, a brother, a leader -- not a potentate. The laity are meant to take their responsibility for the community, as well, and must be seen as equals in the ministry, not servants.
8. Build upon personal spirituality by a growing concern for social justice.
   To live the gospel we must do more than meditate on it; we must practice it.
9. Store your seminary notes in an inaccessible place.
   Remember that parish life is about more than theory, theology, and “the rules.” Like Jesus, be among us, listen to us, enable us all to go on together.
10. Remember that an unquestioning “company man” in all professions, even the priesthood, sacrifices creative energy.
    There are times when the needs of people transcend any particular rule. Let your Archbishop know what’s really going on in the church -- whether he wants to know about it or not -- so we can all grow together. And, whatever you do, think carefully about who you are so you can understand who the people are. (Matt 23: 4-12)

For the full article written by Sr. Joan Chittister see here.