Are Priests Happy?

I have just read a Europa Press report saying that eight out of ten priests would choose the priesthood again if they were born again. That is the finding of several studies carried out in the United States and compared in the book “Why Priests Are Happy,” published by Ave Maria Press and written by Father Stephen Rossetti, an American priest and psychologist at the Catholic University of America.

Father Rossetti carried out two studies based on surveys of thousands of American priests (1,242 in 2004 and 2,482 in 2009), with the aim of correcting what he calls the “mistaken perception” that “secularized” society has of priests’ happiness. In an interview with Europa Press on the occasion of Seminary Day, he explained that people assume priests must be unhappy because they have to live celibacy, when in fact it is just the opposite: when you serve others and God, you find happiness.

In the 2004 survey, asked whether they would become priests again if they had the chance, 81.5 percent agreed or strongly agreed. According to Rossetti, that figure is backed up by other surveys, such as the 2001 National Federation of Priests’ Councils study, in which 88 percent said they would choose the same path again, and the 2001 CARA study, in which 90 percent said they would become priests again.

Rossetti’s studies also show that between 90 percent (2004) and 92.4 percent (2009) of priests say they are happy in their vocation, and that between 80 and 88.9 percent say their morale is good. This is in line with a list of the ten happiest professions published by Forbes magazine, which put the priesthood in first place.

But what makes priests happy? Rossetti identified fourteen important factors that contribute “directly and positively” to their happiness. Among the most important are their ability to maintain inner peace, their spiritual practices (celebrating the Eucharist, prayer, spiritual reading, the sacrament of Penance) and, above all, their relationship with God. The priest’s personal relationships with his bishop, his fellow priests and lay people are also essential. And, the author says, when a priest embraces celibacy as a call from God and a personal grace, despite its challenges, he is much more likely to be a happy priest.

In substance, Rossetti says priests are very happy because they like what they do, they help people, and they have many friendships with other priests and with lay people; and most of them have a solid spiritual life, which shows that people of faith are happier. The relationship with God, he stresses, is the great predictor of happiness. He insists that secularized society has a mistaken image of the priesthood and believes his findings should challenge that mindset. To change that perception, he suggests that priests speak more, and more clearly, about their lives and the joys of priestly life, including from the pulpit.

And I, who through my work have come to know more than 200 priests personally, can testify that the joy, hope and strength they pass on to us for the daily struggle are unique. That is why every day I pray very especially for many holy priestly and religious vocations. Thank you all for showing us that by being faithful to God’s immense and complete love we can live happily, even in this valley of tears.