Customer Reviews

The Joy of Priesthood

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Fr. Rosetti has spent much of his life working with troubled priests and religious. He has seen a wide array of personalities and behaviors and he brings that all to bear in this book. This book is addressed primarily to priests,b ut I think it is useful for anyone that wants an idea of some of the struggles priests face in their daily lives. Fr. Rosetti does three things, he points out challenges in the current cultural climate that need to be addressed, he points out areas of a priests' personal life that need to be addressed, but most importantly he speaks of the joy and gratitude with which the priestly life must be lived.

As a seminarian I've found this book to be a worthwhile read. I'm just starting out on the path now, and so its useful to have such a book of things to consider and ways to strengthen my identity before trouble even peeks over the horizon.

When I first saw the title THE JOY OF PRIESTHOOD and learned of its author, I figured that if he of all people can be optimistic about the priesthood, everyone ought to be. Fr. Rossetti's most recent ministry has been working with troubled priests at a time when the woes of the priesthood have become front page news. Instead of another book about what ails priesthood, he speaks of great optimism of what the priesthood ought to be while knowing full well that for a number of reasons, the priesthood is not being lived that way.

Fr. Rossetti offers sound advice for the priesthood. He avoids calling for sweeping changes in celibacy, restricting priesthood to men, or changes in the vision of priesthood. Since this is primarily a book by a priest for priests in ministry today, a call for such changes would take away from what Fr. Rossetti is attempting to do.
Rather, he looks at the state of priesthood today as a starting point, looks at Church documents and teachings as a guide, and offers suggestions as to how priesthood can be better lived. Readers will not be surprised he advocates a strong prayer life, healthy relationships and habits, a self-giving attitude, and a strong love of the Sacraments as essential for all priests. Any book on priesthood that did not espouse these basics should have no credibility. Yet this book is not a reworking of other books on the priesthood. Fr. Rossetti discusses behaviors he sees as unhealthy and detrimental to a priestly vocation (given his ministry, he should know this all too well). He makes a case for the role of masculinity in priesthood and embracing the male dimension of priestly life. He also does not accept mediocrity from a professional point of view nor does he accept excuses of poor choices and bad decisions made by those in authority as a reason for poor job performance. Some may have differing points of view on some of Fr. Rossetti's points, but what he has to say will start conversations and lead readers to see ways in which priesthood can be better lived.

While the material in the book is good and thought provoking, I did have some difficulties with structure. Fr. Rossetti offers his own reflections throughout much of the book, and he does so in an engaging manner. This is the chief strength of the book. Where it becomes somewhat vague is in his use of surveys and scientific materials. For example he states that he believes celibacy is a healthy choice and contends that "many" psychologists agree with him. I don't disagree with him in theory, but knowing "who" would be helpful, especially in a climate where Richard Sipe and Eugene Kennedy, neither of whom endorse celibacy and both of whom were in ministry, are quoted often in the media as being experts. He also refers to a survey he conducted. We get a summary of the information, but we never see the results of the actual survey even in an appendix. I don't see these concerns as major problems, and they are certainly not reasons to avoid the book. On the contrary. Maybe an analysis of solid, statistical information, compiled by a qualified professional who is in active and productive ministry who has the ability to write in a competent manner could be helpful, perhaps even a good project for a future book by Fr. Stephen Rossetti.

How do you value priestly ministry- above all in a society in which the consecrated vocation to God is often scorned or simply misunderstood by many? Father Stephen Rosseti- in a very simple way- expounds on the meaning and the beauty of a life dedicated to Christ and the Church in a pluralistic society. He highlights the essence of priestly life and shows that the priesthood has value not only for the one living it but also for the people the priest serves. Very recommendable for priests going through difficult moments.

Stephen J. Rossetti (born 1951) was the president of Saint Luke Institute (which primarily serves psychological and spiritual wellness issues for Roman Catholic priests and religious women and men in both residential and outpatient settings) in Silver Spring, Maryland. In 2009 Rossetti stepped down from this position and in 2010 joined the faculty of The Catholic University of America to teach in the School of Theology and Religious Studies.

He states in the Introduction to this 2005 book, "This book has been written over a period of fifteen years, duing which I have been working with priests who suffer from psychological and spiritual problems... This book is meant especially for my brothers, our priests, but I think others might profit from its words."

Here are some quotations from the book:

"The Catholic Church rightly shies away from any approach that would promote the old problems of Trusteeism in which the laity controlled the parish and the pastor... Instead, we priests are assigned by our bishops; we are not hired by congregations. Also, the pastor has the authoritative decision-making power in the parish." (Pg. 67-68)
"The issue of homosexuality in the seminaries and priesthood has surfaced amid much emotion and threatens to become an intense battleground... Many persons with same-sex attractions are, indeed, not appropriate candidates for the seminary, such as those with significant histories of sexual behaviors, or those who dissent from the Church's teaching on human sexuality... But history shows us that there have been priests and religious with same-sex attractions who have ministered in the Church with a praiseworthy integrity. We do not want to lose these vocations." (Pg. 123)
"It is noteworthy that the psalms now comprise the bulk of the official prayers of the Church, and thus the Liturgy of the Hours that we priests pray daily. When priests and religious come to Saint Luke Institute, their spiritual lives often have become disconnected from their real lives. In order to reconnect them, we ask them to sit in the chapel, at least twenty to thirty minutes ech day, and open their hearts and let God know what is going on in their lives..." (Pg. 160)