CHARLOTTE — Think all your parish priest does is say Mass on Sundays and holy days? Think again.
Appointed by the bishop, pastors are ultimately responsible for every aspect of parish life – from celebrating the sacraments and teaching the faith to managing the finances and repairing the roof. While each molds his role as servant leader or shepherd to best serve the needs of his particular flock, some parts of the job are universal, laid out in Church law. Primarily, his mission is "exercising the pastoral care of the community committed to him under the authority of the diocesan bishop in whose ministry of Christ he has been called to share, so that for that same community he carries out the functions of teaching, sanctifying, and governing, also with the cooperation of other presbyters or deacons and with the assistance of lay members of the Christian faithful..." (Canon 519)
In fact, Church law is pretty specific when it comes to the personal qualities of a pastor. For one, "he is to be outstanding in sound doctrine and integrity of morals and endowed with zeal for souls and other virtues..." (521 §2)
And his duties are explicitly described as follows:
"A pastor is obliged to make provision so that the word of God is proclaimed in its entirety to those living in the parish; for this reason, he is to take care that the lay members of the Christian faithful are instructed in the truths of the faith, especially by giving a homily on Sundays and holy days of obligation and by offering catechetical instruction. He is to foster works through which the spirit of the gospel is promoted, even in what pertains to social justice. He is to have particular care for the Catholic education of children and youth. He is to make every effort, even with the collaboration of the Christian faithful, so that the message of the gospel comes also to those who have ceased the practice of their religion or do not profess the true faith." (528 §1)
"The pastor is to see to it that the Most Holy Eucharist is the center of the parish assembly of the faithful. He is to work so that the Christian faithful are nourished through the devout celebration of the sacraments and, in a special way, that they frequently approach the sacraments of the Most Holy Eucharist and penance. He is also to endeavor that they are led to practice prayer even as families and take part consciously and actively in the sacred liturgy..." (528 §2)
And, Church law states, "In order to fulfill his office diligently, a pastor is to strive to know the faithful entrusted to his care. Therefore he is to visit families, sharing especially in the cares, anxieties, and griefs of the faithful, strengthening them in the Lord, and prudently correcting them if they are failing in certain areas. With generous love he is to help the sick, particularly those close to death, by refreshing them solicitously with the sacraments and commending their souls to God; with particular diligence he is to seek out the poor, the afflicted, the lonely, those exiled from their country, and similarly those weighed down by special difficulties. He is to work so that spouses and parents are supported in fulfilling their proper duties and is to foster growth of Christian life in the family." (529 §1)
"A pastor is to recognize and promote the proper part which the lay members of the Christian faithful have in the mission of the Church, by fostering their associations for the purposes of religion. He is to cooperate with his own bishop and the presbyterium of the diocese, also working so that the faithful have concern for parochial communion, consider themselves members of the diocese and of the universal Church, and participate in and sustain efforts to promote this same communion." (529 §2)
The list goes on, but we don't have the space here to include all of a pastor's myriad duties.
So how does all this work in reality?
The Catholic News Herald recently took its cameras to St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte to capture "a day in the life" of its pastor, Father Mark Lawlor. Ordained to the priesthood in 1995, Father Lawlor has served as pastor at St. Vincent de Paul Church since 2003. He graciously allowed us to film him all day on Aug. 4 – the feast of St. John Vianney, patron of priests – to help illuminate a portion of what all of our priests do for us each day, and how much they love serving Christ and His Body, the Church.
— Catholic News Herald