The Diocesan Clergy Retreat

Some may wonder why beginning November 15 the daily masses will not be celebrated by the parish priest. Every year, the archdiocese holds a retreat for the diocesan priests. Why? If a car refuses to start, the owner brings it to a motor shop to re-charge the battery. You noticed that there are times when you feel tired, low and stressed. So you take a vacation or rest for a few days, take lots of vitamin pills and food. You are now full of vim, vigor and vitality so you become productive again.

So it is with our parish priests. They are on call 24/7 (twenty four hours seven days) a week. A typical day begins with a 5 AM morning prayer and mass at 6 or 7 PM. After breakfast lunch and dinner, the monotonous daily physical, mental and spiritual work begins: managing the office, conferring with the staff, writing and signing letters, circulars, reading mail, meetings with parochial organizations, one on one with parishioners, GKK visitations, confessions, counseling, sick calls, blessings of houses, vehicles, marriage and baptismal interviews, mass at noon, evening, for the dead, weddings, anniversaries, GKK fiestas, school openings/graduations, attending Church meetings, seminars, birthday, baptismal, wedding anniversary, blow-out parties, dealing with visitors, donors and patrons. On Sundays, they celebrate 2 or more masses, attend parochial organization meetings.

The Holy Week and the Christmas season is also a heavy burden. And they do this beginning January 1. By October, they are worn out. This is the most dangerous time because he might think, what am I doing with my life? And he might leave. A retreat, where he is in communion with the other tired and weary ‘soldiers’ of Christ, is the answer.