Priesthood Satisfaction and the Challenges Priests Face: A Case Study of a Rural Diocese in the Philippines

Abstract

This article draws from the experience of Catholic priests based in a rural diocese in the Philippines. It will be argued that their satisfaction as diocesan priests is best understood as a religious emotion in spite of the challenges they face on a daily basis. Their challenges revolve around economic limitation, problems with their bishop and leaders, and relational isolation brought about by social and geographic distance. In spite of these challenges, priest-respondents have asserted that they are satisfied because they are still able to fulfill their vocation as priests and have an impact on the lives of their parishioners. Priesthood satisfaction in this sense is not an individual state of the mind dependent on the environment and circumstances. Instead, priesthood satisfaction can be understood as a religious emotion that allows them to remain faithful to their vocation as Catholic priests. The nuances explored in this article inform and complement the various studies on priesthood in the West.

Compassionate Love among Catholic Priests: its Antecedents and its Influence on Affect toward Pastoral Ministry in Indonesia

“…Finally, the present study shows that there is a significant correlation between spirituality and priestly commitment. This result is consistent with previous studies that have shown that by having a close relationship with God, priests remain faithful in their priestly commitment (Cornelio 2012;Sunardi 2014).…”

“…It seems that through the support of companionship, a sense of belonging is very meaningful among Catholic priests. These results corroborate previous studies (Cornelio 2012;Hoge et al 1995;Virginia 1998;Zickar et al 2008) that have highlighted the importance of social support in the priestly life and ministry.…”

“…Hoge et al (1995) documented that the lack of support from the priestly community and the lack of sufficient leadership by bishops are some of the key sources of stress in the priestly life and ministry. In the context of Asia, Cornelio (2012) found that relationship problems with bishops challenged priests who were struggling to serve the people in a diocese in the Philippines.…”

“…Some previous studies explicitly addressed the influences of one's relational experiences with God to priestly commitment. Cornelio (2012) showed that having a close relationship with God allowed priests to remain faithful to their vocation despite challenging situations. Through hierarchical multiple regression analyses, Sunardi (2014) presented the study findings that religious/spiritual factors affect priestly commitment.…”

“…The study also reveals that social support is significantly correlated with priestly commitment. Other studies among Catholic priests have also mentioned that social support from the bishops, communities, and parishioners contribute to vocational commitment (Cornelio 2012;Zickar et al 2008). Otherwise, lacking social support increases the likelihood of leaving the priesthood (Hoge 2002).…”