Our Priests
There are 752 priests in the Archdiocese of Boston of which 274 are Senior or Disabled Priests. Over the next five years an additional 74 priests will be eligible for retirement. In the more than 200 year history of the Archdiocese, there have been more than 3,000 diocesan priests serving the Catholic faithful here.
When a priest is ordained for service in a diocese, he makes a commitment to his bishop and to the local Church to give his life in service to the People of God. Giving up the comfort and security of family and career for the sake of the kingdom, the diocesan priest relies on the Church's commitment to care for him when age or health dictate. Most priests do not have personal or familial resources to pay for healthcare and living expenses in their senior years, nor do they have children or spouses who will meet their needs. The Church is their spouse and the Clergy Funds are their retirement plan.
Retirement is a bit of a misnomer. The priesthood isn't a job or career, like being a doctor or mechanic. It is a vocation, a total giving of self, like marriage or parenthood. So it's not technically correct to speak of priests retiring any more than a mother or father retire from parenthood, which is why we call them Senior Priests. In fact, many priests continue in active ministry well past 75 years old, the official age at which priests may request retirement status. Even then, many of those priests continue to celebrate the sacraments and assist the faithful in many ways.
Senior Priests live in many different situations as their personal situation dictates. Some live in parish rectories, providing assistance to the pastor. Others may keep private homes or live with family. Still others live in nursing homes or assisted living facilities. And many live at Regina Cleri, a residence for retired priests of the Archdiocese of Boston, which provides the equivalent of assisted-living care up to full nursing care.
At the bottom of this page, look to the video on the right for an inspiring two-part video on the priesthood produced by Grassroots Films for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Click play to watch the video and at then end of the first part, the second part will automatically begin. The total length is about 20 minutes. And then see below to the left for a short photo slideshow that was shown at the 2009 Priest Appreciation Dinner, featuring the song "This Is Our Legacy", the 2008 Archdiocese of Boston Bicentennial Song, written and performed by Martin Doman. Below those is another 30-minute documentary about the lives of dedicated priests called "The Catholic Priest Today". The video was sponsored by the Midwest Theological Forum and DVDs of the video are available at their web site.
A Christmas Message from Cardinal Seán |
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2009 Priest Appreciation Dinner Slideshow |
Fishers of Men Priest Appreciation Video |
The Catholic Priest Today |
Do This in Memory of Me |