December 19, 2007

Book Review on Priest as a Man: Counselling for the Clergy

George Manalel V.C, Priest as a Man: Counselling for the Clergy, Kochi: Karunikan Books, 2006, Pp. 120. Paper, INR 80.

"Clergy are not supposed to have problems," was the popular belief. "Or if they did, they could just pray about them and they would go away." I was convinced that they wouldn't just go away. After a quarter of a century of service to more than 2,500 clients, I am convinced the problems are multiplying. In fact, today's clergy are forced to fight their own individual traumas against crushing odds, says Dr. George Manalel. The author is a Clinical Psychologist and Professor of Psychology at St. Joseph’s Pontifical Seminary, Aluva.
The standard stressors are still there: unrealistic expectations … impossible time demands … loss of privacy … role confusion … power struggles … financial crunches … family conflicts … sexual temptations. But the new ones are overwhelming: fragmenting cultural foundations … sudden shifts in values … secularization and alienation of the church … job insecurity … and readily accessible Internet pornography. The clergy fight complex social needs while the fabric of family, community and church unravels around them. These first-line caregivers, who are expected to have all the answers, are forced to cope somehow.
Often priests are perceived by people in non-human terms. But the fact is that priests are ordinary human beings. Priest as a Man is an attempt to look at the human aspects of the priesthood. Like Jesus, the priest is called not only to care for his own wounds and the wounds of the others, but also to make his own wounds into a major source of his healing power.
Dr. George analysis the theme in 14 chapters.
· Priest and their Mental Health
Psychological studies on Catholic priests show that there is a high incidence of the obsessive compulsive disorder among them.
Clinical studies on the lives and ministry of Catholic priests have revealed that the incidence of the depression is high among them.
Honest self-esteem, Self-acceptance, Realistic Life-goals and sense of security are needed for the priestly personality integration.
· Priests and Psychosexual Maturity
A priest who is psychosexually mature loves individuals, not in an abstract way. He can be psychologically intimate with persons of either sex without domination, possessiveness, jealousy or genital expression. There must be a harmony between thinking, feeling and acting if the individual is to move toward psychosexual maturity in the priestly life.
· Priestly Celibacy and its Challenges
Celibacy is a lifestyle that shapes our attitudes, actions, perceptions and to some degree, evens our feelings about things, persons and events. If celibacy had been viewed as unmarried state, today psychologists are speaking of celibacy as a married state. Celibate life is a voluntary choice to transcend the need for marriage and genital sex in order to satisfy a higher need for personal relationship with God and to accomplish the mission he has entrusted.
· Priestly Solidarity
Man needs intimate relationships. Only through relationships he can be happy and become self actualized. In their difficulties priests should be humble enough to open up their problems to fellow priests.
· Authority and Priestly Ministry
Authority of Christ himself is an authority for the sake of service, an authority to wash the feet of the disciples; an authority to care for others. In Christian obedience three persons are involved: the subject listening to the superior, the superior listening to the subject and finally superior and the subject, listening to God.
· Morale in Priestly Life
Priests who have a healthy self-image and love themselves feel good about their vocation and ministry. One of the reasons of low morale is that many priests cannot accept their shadows.

· Priestly Ministry and Job-satisfaction
Though priesthood is not a job, the concept of job-satisfaction is very much relevant in priestly ministry. A person may feel self-actualized when his capacities, aspirations and values are fulfilled. As far as possible bishops and superiors should try to have a dialogue with their subjects when assignments are made.
· Pastoral Leadership
Pastoral leader is a shepherd whose primary duty is to care his flock. Jesus had time for people, the individual as well as the crowd. Whenever a priest tries to do everything by himself in his ministry his coworkers and parishioners will feel frustrated.
· Self-awareness and Ministry
According to Abraham Maslow, every person has a strong need for love, acceptance, belonging and achievement. Since unconscious factors can have a great influence in the life and ministry of priests they should try to become aware of them.
· The Emotional Priest
Feelings are experiences. And experiences can never be measured objectively. So nobody can really understand our feelings. It is quite natural that priests feel hurt when sincere motivations are questioned. We should not deny the pain of being hurt. Recognize our sensitivity.
· Midlife Integration
When they reach midlife, many priests and religious have a haunting suspicion that they are no good and carry on impossible burden of guilt about their failures and inadequacies. Then they need to re-examine their dreams and expectations. This is one of the important tasks of midlife integration.
· In the Evening of Life
Retired priests should transform their loneliness into solitude. Solitude-alone with God – teaches us who we really are. It forces us to realize that our worth is not based on having or doing.
· Stress Management in the Ministry
Personal prayer offers an opportunity for the priest to share his stress and tension with God. Other methods for stress management are: commitment to the vocation, sharing problems through healthy interpersonal relationships, rest and recreation.
· Developing a ‘Pastoral Personality’
Since pastoral ministry is an interpersonal relationship, the personality of the priests has a decisive role in the success or failure of the ministry. The pastor may not be able to approve certain wrong behaviors of his people, but personal charity demands to accept them and care for them inspite of their problems. The essential qualities of a pastoral personality are described in this last chapter.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

i too read the book by Fr. Geaorge. i am so impressed by his views . i think it is a must read book by all the priest, who are cought up in thier own webs of guilt and shame. this kind of books helps the clergy to come out of their closed shell and accept themselves as human and fallible. Fr.Antony Arotha tor