Retirement looks like this for priests of the Diocese of Oakland: Those who are able are serving wherever they are called. Those who are less able are serving in place.
Although responsibilities as a pastor may go away – the roof leaking is someone’s else’s business these days – the retired priests of the diocese continue to serve the people of God.
In parishes throughout the diocese, the weekend of Sept. 7-8, a second collection will be taken up to support the Priests’ Retirement Fund. There are 49 retired priests in the diocese. Supporting the collection is a way to thank them and honor them for their service.
It’s quite possible it might be a “retired” priest celebrating Mass.
Their readiness to serve has been witnessed time and again in the Diocese of Oakland this past year. Two pastors of large, vibrant parishes died; three pastors or parochial administrators have been placed on temporary administrative leave.
“We don’t retire from the priesthood, that’s for sure,” said Rev. Paul Vassar, who celebrates four to five Masses a weekend.
In addition to filling in where someone is lost, the retired priests also keep an eye out for their active counterparts.
“We do a lot of relief work, giving a break to our fellow priests who are still in the trenches,” he said. “It’s just what you do.”
Full story at Catholic Voice Oakland.
Over the past few years, I have had some experience with older priests in the Monterey diocese. For the most part, they have been great. Sometimes a bit more energy here and there and sometimes less. I have had some very grace filled confessions with these older priests. I am very grateful to God and to them.
God bless and keep these men for their post-retirement service. Yes, they are free from the heavy burden of pastoral rigamaroll.
I know of one retired priest who had no time after Mass at Parish 1 because he had to drive 20 freeway miles in less than 30 minutes to make the start of Mass at Parish 2.
Thank you to every one of these men who have lived (and are living!) their lives in the service of Christ and his Church! We have been blessed by your service. Pray for us as we pray for you.
Thank you, retired priests of Oakland and other dioceses. The best way to show our appreciation is to give to the second collection this weekend!
Retired priests help out so much — God bless them. (I just wish they wouldn’t retire from wearing the collar…).
Yes, God bless these older priests. It was older priests who saved my life by their advice when I was younger, and older priests who had served in Viet Nam who took my confessions.May those who have passed away, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
If a picture of Fr. Jim Shexnayder can appear on this website without any comments about You know what, this website has really changed it’s readership in the last few years. .
Except you can’t see his face. The only way you know he’s in the photo is from the caption.
I do remember some now since looking them up, and we were at odds with each other — on opposite sides of Prop 8 – I for it and they against. It was so very long ago, I had forgotten. Time does fly.
It is interesting how things change.. People do forget and people move on. The names that trigger big responses now are “Pope Francis” “Cardinal McCarrick” and “Fr Jim Martin” Most people now post anonymously where in previous years anonymous posters were criticized as being cowards.
One could argue that it was the passage of Prop 8 (11 years ago – November 2008) that drew so much outrage that it energized LGBT activists to push for marriage equality more than they ever had before.
It energized LGBT activists to vandalize Churches, target people with death threats, disrupt Masses, send white powder to Churches who supported it, hit women in the head with a Bible at a prayer meeting. Even people who opposed Prop 8 were appalled at the violent reaction of LGBT activists after it passed. Thanks for the reminder.
We should always give respect and honor to retired priests, for their service to God and to all of us! But I think they should be proud to always wear their Roman collars — especially for special Church events! Very important!
That is good advice, and I was assuming these priests had been faithful to Church teaching as were the ones who helped me, but I really cannot vouch for that as I do not know them personally and do not remember previously hearing their names. All I can do is pray that they are faithful or that they repent if they are not, just as I must always do.
This was not a public event, they weren’t in Rome, and they are RETIRED. So judge them all you want for being in casual clothes. You really aren’t showing your appreciation for their service by being so critical.
That is just your opinion and you are quite critical yourself. I was not talking about all of them but those who still might be pushing evil, such as sodomy between two men or two women. Sin is still sin, no matter how anyone tries to justify it. To me marriage equality means a marriage between one man and one woman, all else is unequal.
Anne TE, you realize that the post at 3:15 PM was in reply to the 5:50 PM post the prior day by Anon, not to you, unless you are that Anon.
Yes, I did mistakenly think it was posted to me, but I still think it was too critical of the other Anonymous, and my reply to him, as what the other Anonymous posted the day before was said quite charitably and not harshly at all. Furthermore, all these Anonymous postings are really very confusing. People should at least put a number after their post unless the anonymous post was accidental.
I am very “battle weary” as I constantly get political e-mail and snail mail, and the television is full of it. I often just “tune it out” for my own sanity.
Yes, I thought it was posted to me, or to my reply to the Anonymous who posted the day before my post. Quite frankly I think the criticism was two harsh as the first Anonymous’s post was written quite charitably and not harsh at all. Furthermore all these Anonymous posts are terrible confusing. I am going back to not even bothering to answer any of the “Anon posts.
Quite frankly, I am sorry I even posted anything on this article. YFC’s post on Sept. 6 at 9:45 pm should have sent up a red flag for me to keep my mouth shut.
You did nothing wrong
I’m sorry, wait what? Point of Personal Priviledge. What did I say wrong in my post of Sept 6 at 9:45 PM, which I repeat below. What in my post created a “red flag” for you?
“Thank you to every one of these men who have lived (and are living!) their lives in the service of Christ and his Church! We have been blessed by your service. Pray for us as we pray for you.”
That post scared you off? sheesh.
YFC, the red flag is that you most often praise people for the the wrong reasons, for their dissent from Church teaching, especially on the moral issues, and not for their orthodoxy. My point is that I need to read and listen more and talk and write less, so I do not praise the wrong people. Pray for yes, praise for the wrong behaviors, no.
Anne TE I am truly sorry that you are so peined by my posts that you cannot recognize good will and shared agreement when it comes your way.
Seriously? I can’t do anything right in your eyes? These priests can do nothing right in your eyes? I made absolutely no mention of anything unorthodox, yet you castigate me and these good men?
No use talking to you. You always twist it your way. Good bye.
Anne TE, I want to share with you a song/video that moved me today. It’s a modern rendition of the old hymn “Lift High the Cross”. I hope you are inspired as much by it as I was.
Stop playing the victim. Are you still in a gay marriage? Catholics who don’t live the faith should not be picking on the Catholics who do.
Anonymous, if you are asking me whether I am a sinner, the answer is clearly yes, yes just as much as all of us are sinners. Am I “picking” on someone…no I don’t think so. I just said a few nice things about retired priests and got ostracized for it for zero reason. I’m trying to offer some words of reconciliation and healing, as I did with the video i posted yesterday. Is offering a beautiful acapella hymn picking on someone, or playing victim? I really don’t think so. Peace be with you!
We are all sinners, but not all are mortal sinners. Catholics are supposed to be repentant sinners. We beg the Lord to have mercy on us and to grant us pardon, absolution and remission of our sins. God bless you. God grant you peace.
YFC, you were the victim for a minute but then you became the abuser. The tactic you used is common in people who don’t fight fairly and in narcissistic abuse. You are exaggerating the wrongness of the other person’s behavior and portraying yourself as pure as the driven snow. You want to truncate the issue to just what you wrote in this post and Anne TE was reacting to your whole history of posts on this website. Peace.
YFC, you can’t reconcile until you say you are sorry. You can’t post “I’m so sorry that YOU are horrible” and falsely accuse someone of doing something much worse than what they actually did. Then offer a hymn video as an inspirational gift???? OH KALE NO!
Sorry for what? What tactic, saying nice things, offering a nice reflective video? Did I post “I’m sorry that YOU are horrible”, as you allege? All it takes is a control F to find any word on this page, so the only person who used the word horrible is Anonymous on Sept 13 3:28 PM
I was referring to your post of Sept 10, 10:35 in a generalized way. I can see that you are not ready for this conversation. Peace to you. God bless you and heal you.
Anonymous at 2:03 PM: Your wonderfully “generalized way” literally put quoted words into the mouth of a person who never ever said the things you accused him of. And you knew he never said those things. Shame.
There is nothing to be ashamed of. You just tried to help someone that did not want the help.