Are priests happy? A licensed psychologist has the answer
Worldwide there are an estimated 413,000 Catholic priests, which begs the question, what\'s it really like to be a priest? And most importantly, are they happy?
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Pope: Pray for your pastors, so that they don't become mediocre
The cold and rain weren't an obstacle for the thousands of pilgrims who filled St. Peter's Square in his weekly General Audience. Pope Francis couldn't help but notice all the umbrellas covering the square. POPE FRANCIS "I can see that you're brave...under all this rain that wants to pull you back home. Thank You." As usual, he rode his Popemobile before the audience, blessing and waving at everybody. A music band welcomed him once he made his way across. As part of his catechesis on the Sacraments, Pope Francis talked about Holy Orders. He reminded that all bishops, priests, and deacons are called to serve, and that they should always stay in touch with Jesus through the Sacraments and the Bible. POPE FRANCIS "A bishop who doesn't pray, a bishop who doesn't listen to the Word of God, who doesn't celebrate Mass everyday, who doesn't go to Confession on a regular basis—and the same thing happens to a priest that doesn't do ...
St. Augustine Zhao Rong, priest and companions, Chinese martyrs
Saint Augustine Zhao Rong was a Chinese diocesan priest who was martyred with his 119 companions in 1815. Among their number was an eighteen year old boy, Chi Zhuzi, who cried out to those who had just cut off his right arm and were preparing to flay him alive: "Every piece of my flesh, every drop of my blood will tell you that I am Christian." Christianity arrived in China by way of Syria in the 600s. Depending on China's relations with the outside world, Christianity over the centuries was free to grow or was forced to operate secretly. The 120 martyrs in this group died between 1648 and 1930. Most of them (eighty-seven) were born in China and were children, parents, catechists or laborers, ranging from nine years of age to seventy-two. This group includes four Chinese diocesan priests. The thirty-three foreign-born martyrs were mostly priests or women religious, especially from the Order of Preachers, the Paris Foreign Mission Society, the Friars Minor, Jesuits, Sales...