Priests. Discreet yet constant presences in the life of a Christian, from childhood onwards. We see them in church, administering the Sacraments and saying Mass; we get to know them in the parish, or even at home, if our family also interacts with them privately. But do we really know them? What do we know about how they spend their days when they are not busy helping people or serving God in church? What is a priest’s life really like? Here are some answers to more or less common questions that everyone will have asked themselves at least once about the life of a priest.
One question we have probably all asked ourselves is what a priest lives on. It may seem trivial, but he – or she, if we are speaking of a nun – has needs and personal expenses that go beyond whether or not they live in a monastery or convent. But how much does a priest earn? And how much does a nun earn?
Well, priests do receive a salary, calculated according to seniority and role. It ranges from €1,000 per month for an ordinary priest, which rises to €1,200 if he is responsible for a parish, up to €2,000–3,000 for a Bishop, €3,000–4,000 for an Archbishop, and up to €5,000 for a Cardinal, who is also entitled to additional bonuses and attendance tokens in the Vatican for political activities.
And the Pope? He does not earn as much as one might think. In fact, Pope Francis does not earn anything, having renounced his compensation, while his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI earned €2,500 per month.
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The money needed for a priest’s salary comes from different sources. On the one hand, there is the otto per mille (a portion of taxpayers’ income tax) that taxpayers choose to allocate to the Catholic Church; on the other, donations made by parishioners. If a priest works as a religious education teacher, for example, he receives additional income. Should the salary obtained in this way be insufficient for the priest’s upkeep, the Central Institute for the Support of the Clergy intervenes to supplement it. Together with the Italian Bishops’ Conference (CEI), this body also pays priests’ pension contributions to the INPS.
Things are different for friars, who are not salaried. Their vow of poverty means they cannot receive a salary and must live solely on offerings and the work they do for the Diocese. Similarly, nuns and sisters are not paid a salary by the Church. They earn an income if they work as teachers or nurses, just like their lay colleagues, and they receive a social pension equivalent to their years of work and the contributions they have paid.
Do priests have holidays?
The Code of Canon Law recognises the right of clergymen to an annual holiday period, as established in the decree Presbyterorum Ordinis at the Second Vatican Council. This does not of course mean that a priest ceases to be a priest once he takes off his cassock!
As with any man or woman in work, holidays are necessary for priests, from the deaconto the Pope, so that they can recharge and face their responsibilities to the Church and the faithful with greater energy and peace of mind. These responsibilities, in many respects, represent full-time work.
The number of holiday days granted to a priest is about 30, although it is rare for him to take them all at once, unless he is a priest living far from his homeland and uses his holiday to return to his family. During his absence, the priest must be replaced in all parish activities by a parochial vicar. Most priests, moreover, do not cease to be available to their parishioners even during their holidays.
Where does a priest sleep?
A priest usually sleeps in the rectory, the building intended as a residence for members of the Catholic clergy. It is often the home of the parish priest of a parish church. As early as the medieval period, the rectory was created as a building dedicated to the communal life of priests. Some priests also live in flats.
What does a priest do during the day?
In addition to prayer, which takes up a considerable part of the day, a priest always has many things to do. If he is responsible for a parish, he must look after his parishioners, which means being available to talk with them, hear confessions, be present to organise pre-marriage courses for young couples, coordinate children’s catechism, and run parish youth activities. He must also visit the sick, the elderly, and those unable to come to him. There are Masses to celebrate, of course, ceremonies to prepare for weddings and funerals,homilies to write, and prayer and catechesis meetings to lead.
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And then, if the priest lives alone and has no one to help him, there is the shopping to do, the house to clean, and all those daily tasks each of us must take on. More modern priests also provide digital assistance to those in need, and some even maintain social media accounts, usually those of the parish.
How does a priest go to confession?
To confess, a priest needs another priest, and in this respect there is no difference between a priest and an ordinary person. The only difference is that, once the confession is over, the two can switch roles and the priest who confessed can in turn hear the confession of the other.
How long must one study before becoming a priest?
So how does one become a priest? One must study for a certain period of time, attending the Seminary, the ecclesiastical institution where aspiring priests are formed both culturally and spiritually. The word, not by chance, derives from the Latin seminarium, “seedbed, nursery”.
Before that, however, one must be certain of having the necessary qualities to become a priest. A vocation can be received at any age; even a widower, once alone, may decide to dedicate his life to God. However, those who from a young age attend the parish and already take part in parish activities may find themselves at an advantage in making this choice.
The course of study to become a priest lasts eight years. If one enters the Seminary after having obtained a degree in Theology, History or Philosophy, the length can be reduced to five years. One can also be ordained as a deacon for a six-month period, considered the final stage of study and a kind of mini-priesthood, a trial period to understand whether one truly has the vocation to embrace the priest’s life.
Admission to the Seminary requires a test with personal questions, as well as on one’s educational background and vocation. In the Seminary the future priest will study:
Church history
Latin
Greek
Dogmatic theology
Moral theology
Philosophy
Gregorian chant
Canon law
Exegesis
In addition to these subjects, there is a year of spiritual study, which includes retreats, education in solitude and meditation, as well as conferences and seminars to prepare the aspiring priest for his future duties.
Finally comes ordination, with the call of the bishop and the vow. Before this last step, very strict checks are carried out on personal background, with particular attention to morality.
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