Drawing on reliable national survey samples of priests, sociologist Fr. Andrew Greeley, Ph.D., has written a book that punctures a lot of the popular, unflattering myths about the Catholic priesthood in the United States.

Titled Priests: A Calling In Crisis (The (The University of Chicago Press, 2004), I think it is worth passing along some of the findings it discusses. They help shed a clearer light on a very timely issue for all Catholics – in fact, for all people interested in overcoming prejudice – and especially for those who are themselves considering a possible priestly vocation.

Much of what has been publicized in the media about Catholic priests is at crosscurrents with my own experiences of priests I know – Jesuits, other religious order priests, and diocesan priests included. Greeley shows how many of the prominent public voices commenting about Catholic priests in the media have based their statements not on fact, but on popular misconceptions, personal bias, and skewed data (for example, anecdotal or very unrepresentative samples such as priests in treatment).

He, on the other hand, taps into the actual life experiences of a broad range of real, live priests. Based on reliable sociological data, Greeley arrives at a number of conclusions that are consistent with my positive experiences of most priests. At the same time, he also addresses a number of legitimate concerns. I offer here a mix of a half dozen of his findings which I believe will give you a more accurate picture of American Catholic priests today.

1. Priests are among the happiest men in the world. They say they would become priests again, and life in the priesthood is better than they expected. They score higher in these areas than married Protestant clergy.
   
2. The data indicate that priests, on average, are as mature and as capable of the intimacy of warm, deep friendships as married laymen. Moreover, priests are more likely to be satisfied with their work and their lives than are married Protestant clergy.
   
3. Priests stay in the priesthood and are happy in ministry because they like their work and doing the things involved with priestly life. They tend to be religious altruists, not just social workers or social activists. While it is difficult for many people today to believe a man can be a happy, fulfilled, and mature human being without a female partner, celibate priests prove that this is not only possible but can also be a very rewarding lifestyle. Of course, those of us who are happy, celibate priests knew this all along.
   
4. Most priests are celibate heterosexuals. Approximately one out of six priests is homosexual. Moreover, the vast majority of both hetero- and homosexual priests value their celibate commitment and live it faithfully.
   
5. However, not all of what Greeley found in his examination of the research data about priests is flattering. Obviously not all is perfect about American priests and there is definitely room for growth. On the downside, Greeley’s examination of the research indicates that too many priests can be insensitive to the laity and out of touch with the feelings and perceptions about their job performance as priests. For example, many Catholic laypeople report dissatisfaction with poor homilies, liturgies, and sub-par performances in pastoral counseling and working with young people. Moreover, Greeley believes that the walls of the clerical culture impede communication between priests and laypeople. While the brotherly bonds and friendships that priests experience among themselves are good, priests need to reach out, listen better to laypeople, and respond more sensitively to their perceptions, feelings, and concerns.
   
6. Another negative finding in Greeley’s examination of the research data is that priests are generally poor at inviting young, Catholic men to consider the priesthood. Nine out of 10 respondents who expressed some interest in the priesthood had never been approached by a priest on the subject. Greeley reflects that if only a small proportion of those young men had become priests, there would be no shortage of priests today. He also raises an interesting question: if priests are as happy and satisfied in the priesthood as the research data shows them to be, why are they not more actively encouraging vocations? Could it be because they unwittingly buy into the popular negative misconceptions of their calling? All this depicts a view that shows Catholic priests in America are neither the superheroes of bygone myths when people tended to put them on pedestals, nor the villains that unfortunately much of the popular media broadly paints them as today. Rather they are generally altruistic men who are as mature as their lay married counterparts and who need to be more sensitive and listen better. As I mentioned at the beginning of this column, Greeley’s findings are very consistent with my experiences of my brother priests. In general, I find that most Catholic priests I know are good, happy, caring men. As I observe my experience of my married, lay friends and my brother priests, I see both groups having many wonderful qualities as well as limitations.

When I look at fellow priests, I see some true saints – generous, self-sacrificing, loving, holy men who inspire me. Certainly some are warmer and more pleasant than others and some are better at what they do, which is true in every walk of life. But by and large, most are good people who are neither obvious saints nor outrageous sinners. They do much good in the world in often ordinary ways. They have simultaneous generous qualities and blind spots. They are, in a word, human.