Jump directly to the Content

A Day in The Life of a Paraclete

The Servants of the Paraclete is a counseling service in St. Louis, Missouri, where priests suffering from burn-out go for guidance.

When the alarm goes off early in the morning, I find it a real struggle to pull myself from the warmth of the covers. After some twenty-two years in the priesthood, I hit the deck uncertain of the new day and the demands it will surely present. I think of the priest who called a few nights ago. His first words were, "I'm just tired of giving." As this new day dawns, his words come to mind.

I join the community for morning prayer. I beg for an increase in faith. Little of what I do this day will bear visible results. As I grow older as a priest, I can no longer lean too heavily on the natural satisfaction so present in the early days of my priesthood. My faith must grow in abundance so I can see, hear, and feel God's presence in myself, in my surroundings, and in those I am called to serve.

After morning prayer, one of our guest Fathers asks for a few moments of my time—just to talk. As a paraclete, I have heard the story so many times, but for the priest who now sits before me, what ...

March
Support Our Work

Subscribe to CT for less than $4.25/month

Homepage Subscription Panel

Read These Next

From the Magazine
Empty Streets to the Empty Grave
Empty Streets to the Empty Grave
While reporting in Israel, photographer Michael Winters captures an unusually vacant experience at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
Editor's Pick
What Christians Miss When They Dismiss Imagination
What Christians Miss When They Dismiss Imagination
Understanding God and our world needs more than bare reason and experience.
close