The Job of a Priest

Fr. Longenecker, of Standing on my Head wrote about his first homily at his new parish. He conveyed a message that I haven't heard since I was back in Michigan listening the likes of Fr. Acervo and Fr. Ricardo.

His post talked about the Cross, what a parish is for, and the role of a parish priest. You can read his full post here: "The Way of the Cross"


The most telling part for me was how he views the role of a parish priest:

Just completed my first Sunday as the new parish priest at Our Lady of the Rosary Parish. Got a very warm welcome and we're off to a flying start. The homily was about what a parish is for, and therefore what a parish priest's job is.

I spoke about the cross being made up of the vertical beam and the horizontal. The vertical represents our worship of God and fulfills the first commandment to Love God. Therefore the first priority of the church is not social work or pastoral concern or political change or being nice people or even education or catechesis, but worship, devotions, prayer and the sacramental life. Therefore the parish priest's first job is to lead the people to "worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness, bow down before him his praises proclaim." Part of that job at OLR is going to be to build a new church. Plans are well underway and you can follow the progress of that exciting project here.

I wish more priests would take this view. What separates us from other Christian denominations are the Sacraments and our devotion to Mary, the Angels and Saints.  If they are not our focus... then are we really, truly Catholic?

I wonder what a pastoral lay leaders first job is... since they have different "abilities" and limitations?
Is that why some parishes struggle?
Could a strong and very orthodox lay leader do the same as a priest?

I wonder?

Maybe that is why Jesus set things up the way He did...


... He sure was smart wasn't He?


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