Roman Catholic priests


Priests in the Catholic Church may be categorized as either diocesan or religious. Both types of priests have the same priesthood faculties, acquired through ordination by a bishop. Differences lie in their way of life, type of work, and the Church authority to which they are responsible. Diocesan priests commit their lives to serving the people of a diocese, a church administrative region, and generally work in parishes, schools, or other Catholic institutions as assigned by the bishop of their diocese. Diocesan priests take oaths of celibacy and obedience. Religious priests belong to a religious order, such as the Jesuits, Dominicans, or Franciscans. In addition to the vows taken by diocesan priests, religious priests take a vow of poverty.
Diocesan priests attend to the spiritual, pastoral, moral, and educational needs of the members of their church. A priest�s 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�s 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.

Related news articles
Priest Sues Sex Abuse Accuser - 16 Oct 2006
The Ledger,A Roman Catholic priest suspended by the Archdiocese of Miami because of sexual abuse allegations sued one of his accusers last week as well as the lawyer who ...

Priest must remove cross from front yard - Oct 13, 2006
Monsters and Critics.com,TAMPA, FL, United States (UPI) -- A Florida homeowners association has ordered a Roman Catholic priest to remove a Celtic cross from the front of his home. ...

Suspended Miami Priest Sues Accuser For Defamation - Oct 13, 2006
News4Jax.com,MIAMI -- A Roman Catholic priest suspended by the Archdiocese of Miami because of sexual abuse allegations sued one of his accusers Thursday and an attorney ...

Fascinating path to a conviction - Oct 15, 2006
Toledo Blade,Gerald Robinson, 68, a Toledo Roman Catholic priest currently serving 15 years to life for the 1980 murder of Sister Margaret Ann Pahl. ...

Ex-priest challenges longtime incumbent - Oct 13, 2006
Louisville Courier-Journal,Valenza, a former Roman Catholic priest who more recently operated a bingo business, said he believes his work in ministry helped give him people skills he can ...

Priest killed, 2 hurt in car crash in Italy - Oct 10, 2006
Philadelphia Inquirer,A Roman Catholic priest from Harrisburg died on vacation with another Pa. priest, Baltimore cardinal. By Ben Nuckols. Associated Press. HUNT VALLEY, Md. ...

Priest with sex conviction loses teaching license - Oct 11, 2006
Toledo Blade,COLUMBUS — The Ohio Board of Education permanently revoked the teaching license yesterday of a former Toledo Roman Catholic priest convicted in 2003 of ...

Pa. priest dies, Baltimore cardinal and 3rd priest hurt in crash - Oct 9, 2006
Examiner.comAP. BALTIMORE - A Roman Catholic priest from Pennsylvania died in a car accident while on vacation in Italy with another priest and the archbishop of Baltimore ...

Pa. priest dies, Baltimore cardinal and 3rd priest hurt in crash - Oct 9, 2006
Allentown Morning Call,BALTIMORE (AP) -- A Roman Catholic priest from Pennsylvania died in a car accident while vacationing in Italy with another priest and the archbishop of ...

Boy sentenced to 18 years for priest’s murder - Oct 10, 2006
Alarab online,Sea port of Trabzon on Tuesday sentenced a 16-year-old boy to 18 years and 10 months for the February murder of an Italian Roman Catholic priest, Andrea Santoro ...

Mexico bans lawyers, activist behind priest abuse suit - Oct 12, 2006
International Herald Tribune,...on Thursday handed down a five-year entry ban on two US lawyers and an activist who filed a lawsuit alleging abuse by a Roman Catholic priest, saying they ...

Turkish Teen Sentenced for Catholic Priest's Slaying - Oct 10, 2006
AINA,...kill him. The third attack occurred in July when a man stabbed a Roman Catholic priest in the Black Sea port of Samsun. The French ...

Priest sentenced to 3 years - Oct 10, 2006
Vancouver Province (subscription),But the White Rock woman felt relief as she watched 84-year-old Charles Sylvestre, a retired Roman Catholic priest who sexually abused her as a child, led out ...

Police ask DA to drop charges against priest - Oct 13, 2006
The Daily Advertiser,...announced today they will ask 27th Judicial District Attorney Earl Taylor on Monday to drop charges levied against a local Roman Catholic priest accused of 84 ...

God has a plan for all of us; have faith in it PERSPECTIVE FatheR ... - Oct 14, 2006
Wilkes Barre Times-Leader,...permission to guide us in that plan. Father Bob Timchak is a Roman Catholic priest on leave of absence from The Diocese of Scranton.

Former Iowa priest, an admitted abuser, dies in St. Louis - Oct 4, 2006
St. Louis Post-Dispatch,By Cheryl Wittenauer. AP. ST. LOUIS (AP) -- A former Roman Catholic priest from Iowa who had admitted abusing minors, has died at a St. ...

Former Iowa priest, an admitted abuser, dies in St. Louis - Oct 4, 2006
Kansas City Star,AP. ST. LOUIS - A former Roman Catholic priest from Iowa who had admitted abusing minors, has died at a St. Louis-area hospice, the ...

Priest must remove cross from front yard - Oct 13, 2006
Washington Times,A Florida homeowners association has ordered a Roman Catholic priest to remove a Celtic cross from the front of his home. The Westchase ...






More information on Roman Catholic priests from The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook
Overview of Roman Catholic priests occupation
Number of Roman Catholic priests in the U.S.
Salary and earnings for Roman Catholic priests
Working conditions for Roman Catholic priests
Significant points for Roman Catholic priests
Training requirements for Roman Catholic priests




Labor Information Home | Occupational data by city | Search
Rainforests | Madagascar | What's new