New Book Out on Pulpit & Pew Catholic Priests Study

"The First Five Years of the Priesthood," a new book containing the findings of a Pulpit & Pew-backed study on newly ordained Catholic priests, is now available from The Liturgical Press of Collegeville, Minn.

Prompted by reports of declining morale and increasing resignations among new priests, the study looked at the experiences of priests in the first five years following ordination. In interviews with 500 priests--including 72 who had resigned--the researchers led by Dean R. Hoge, a professor of sociology at The Catholic University of America, found that 10 to 15 percent of priests resigned in the first five years of ministry due to loneliness, feelings of being unappreciated, problems of celibacy and disillusionment. The priests who remained active reported that satisfaction with their ministry came particularly from presiding at the Eucharist, preaching, and teaching.

The study was a collaborative work between the National Federation of Priests' Councils, the Life Cycle Institute of The Catholic University of America, and Pulpit & Pew, a research project on pastoral leadership, based at Duke Divinity School and funded by the Lilly Endowment, Inc.

In a foreword to the book, Jackson Carroll, director of Pulpit & Pew, praised Hoge's research, saying the study would be of great help not only to the Catholic Church, but also to leaders of Protestant denominations.

To order "The First Five Years of Priesthood," visit the Liturgical Press web site or Amazon.com.

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