BishopAccountability.org
 
  Ragsdale: Priest Morale Rebounds

By Shirley Ragsdale
Des Moines Register
September 11, 2005

Catholic priests are emerging from dark days of the child sexual abuse scandal with a new sense of hope and accomplishment, according to a new survey that will be published before the end of the year.

The survey mirrors the sentiments expressed by three veteran priests of the Des Moines Catholic diocese, who spoke to the Des Moines Sunday Register about what it has been like to be a priest during the scandal.

The priests talked about feeling anger and betrayal toward abusive priests. They also were fearful that under the U.S. bishops' new zero-tolerance policy, they might be unjustly accused and removed from the priesthood. However, all said they have been buoyed by the support of their parishioners.

"It has been a very trying time to be a priest in the Catholic Church," acknowledged Des Moines Bishop Joseph Charron.

Dean Hoge, a professor at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., who conducted the survey as part of his ongoing research on the priesthood, said that although priests' morale has rebounded, they still feel stretched too thin because of the growth of Catholicism and a priest shortage.

[Photo caption: DAVID PETERSON/THE REGISTER Faith: The Rev. Dan Siepker of Atlantic blesses one of the residents of the Colonial Manor in Anita, where he regularly visits to anoint the sick and celebrate Masses. He says he received support from his parish in the wake of the priest abuse scandal.]

"Priests today have higher morale than even 15 years ago, when we did the last survey," Hoge said. "Priests are appreciated and are experiencing support from the laity, and morale is gradually going up."

The Rev. Dan Siepker of Atlantic remembers being sick the Sunday he had to talk to his congregations about the scandal and the way the U.S. bishops were addressing it. He felt bad enough about the nationwide scandal — decades of sexual abuse by priests and a church cover-up — without the nausea from a virus.

Within two weeks, he was flooded with cards and letters of support from parishioners and non-Catholics alike.

"There are always going to be those people who tag us as bad because of one story they heard. On the other hand, people today increasingly look at who their priest is and what is going on (in their parish) compared to what the stories are," Siepker said.

Siepker kept most of the correspondence. "When something bad comes out in the news, it's a good reminder to pull them out and reread some of those notes," he said.

The Rev. Robert J. Chamberlain of St. Joseph parish in Des Moines remembers that he experienced similar emotions.

"I was angered by the betrayal by some of the individuals (named in clergy child abuse lawsuits) and felt I might be linked with them," Chamberlain said. "We've had to work through those things."

The Rev. Michael Hess of Sacred Heart parish in West Des Moines believes the scandal created some distrust of Catholic hierarchy.

"People asked the people running the church, 'Why didn't you do a better job with this?' " Hess said. "A lot of people feel badly that the (priests) who were supposed to be healing took advantage. It is a great sin in my mind."

Overall, U.S. priests are doing fine, according to the Rev. Robert J. Silva, president of the Chicago-based National Federation of Priests Councils.

[Photo caption: DAVID PETERSON/THE REGISTER Comforting the sick:The Rev. Dan Siepker blesses Jerome Hoffman, who is ill with lung cancer, last month at the Colonial Manor in Anita. At Hoffman's bedside is his daughter, Lisa Wahlert. Siepker visits the nursing home periodically to anoint the sick and perform Masses.]

"They have done tremendous work under extreme circumstances while managing to keep a fairly positive approach to life and ministry," Silva said. "The reason is that people have demonstrated a great fondness for local priests. They are held in esteem by their parishioners."

Priests most dislike pastoring more than one parish, something that has become a necessity in the eyes of bishops as the number of Catholics rises and the number of priests shrinks, Hoge said.

"It is universally disliked, and in my judgment, not a policy that will well serve the church in the long haul," Hoge said. "They do it, but they don't like it."

Siepker is pastor for Saints Peter and Paul parish in Atlantic and St. Mary parish in Anita. He is assisted in Anita by Fred Cornwell, a deacon and director of parish life.

"We were talking last week that there isn't a priest shortage, that we are moving out of a surplus," Siepker said. "Catholics got spoiled in the U.S. Most parishes had its own priest, and some had several. There were three or four Masses on the weekends. Now, outside of Des Moines and Council Bluffs, almost every parish is paired. We are more like the pioneer priests, traveling from parish to parish."

Hess likes being a parish priest, but, at 60, he's feeling "spread thinner."

"I'm not as young and vigorous as I used to be," Hess said. "There never seems to be enough time to pray and reflect so you can do a good job. We're pulled in all kinds of different directions."

The greatest gift today's priests said they could receive from their congregations would be to be relieved of parish administrative tasks, according to the survey.

"They would love to be unburdened from filling out forms, negotiating roof repair and dealing with insurance, but they need assistance they can trust," Hoge said.

St. Joseph parish hired a business manager earlier this year, Chamberlain said.

"It has been a tremendous help not to have to be involved in the nitty gritty of parish administration," he said. "It gives me more time to minister, which is why I was ordained."

The priests agree that theirs is a rewarding and exciting life and that they have no regrets.

"I like being a priest," Hess said. "It is challenging and frustrating. But show me something that isn't challenging that's worth doing. It's the price of living an authentic life."