Hartford Priest
  • Home
  • Meet the Seminarians
    • Seminarians in the News
    • Seminarian Videos
    • Ordinations
  • Prayer Society
  • Frequently asked questions

Blog

What a Priest Does Part 3: Pastors of Souls

4/17/2023

 
When asking what a priest does we can look to the tradition of the church to see that the main “work” of a priest could best be described as a share in the Tria Munera of Christ the Lord: The Sanctify, Teach and Govern.  In this post we will look at the ministry of Governance or pastoring, by which a priest leads the people of God to a fuller life in the Kingdom. 
The ministry of governance (munus regendi) is proper to Christ the King (Christus Rex).  By this office he is King of all of creation and kingdom is lived and spread specifically  in the life of the Church.  As pastors of parishes and the people in those parishes, each priest shares in the ministry of governance.  Pastors need to care for all of those in their parish, even the non-catholics.  They need to be there for them in a diversity of circumstances and prudently give advice as only a caring shepherd can.  Further, pastors administer the temporal goods of the parish.  All the daily work of running a parish and taking care of the material needs (that there is heat, electricity, that the grounds are kept clean) which often cannot be done without a dedicated parish staff, is a share in this same office.  If our churches are falling down, or dark, or cold where will we go to hear God’s word or receive the grace of the Sacraments?  The administrative work of a pastor is not a distraction from his ministry but rather is specifically an aspect in his sharing in the priestly office of Christ.  When we look to our pastors for whatever needs arise, we should look to them as acting even in the most ordinary daily circumstances in the person of Christ.

Fr. Michael Casey



Comments are closed.

    AuthorS

    Fr. Michael Casey
    Fr. Glen J. Dmytryszyn
    Fr. Anthony J. Federico
    Fr. John E. Gancarz
    Fr. Jaime G. Maldonado

    Archives

    April 2023
    February 2023
    August 2022
    March 2022
    January 2022
    August 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

"The harvest is plentiful,
but the laborers are few.”

Call us:
860-761-7456

Picture

Office of seminarians and Vocations
The saint thomas seminary, inc.

467 Bloomfield Ave.
Bloomfield, CT 06002


Fax: 860-243-0661​

  • Home
  • Meet the Seminarians
    • Seminarians in the News
    • Seminarian Videos
    • Ordinations
  • Prayer Society
  • Frequently asked questions