Father Steve comments on two related articles regarding the health of the clergy in today's society, examining the way in which their redefined roles are often conducive to the onset of medical problems and issues. On the other hand, Father Steve's review also highlights a priestly example of the "way forward."
The juxtaposition of two recent articles caught my attention. On August 1st, the New York Times printed an
article by Paul Vitello concerning the perilous state of health suffered by many members of the clergy. According to Vitello, incidents of depression, hypertension and obesity now skew higher among members of the clergy than the general population. The reasons for this are many, but in particular Vitello cites a study of the clergy (mostly Protestant ministers, but these same stats could easily be applied to Catholic priests) that indicates that many have “boundary issues,” a therapeutic category that denotes the tendency to be overtaken easily by the apparent urgency of other people’s needs. The point being that many of the clergy surveyed will place the concerns of the people they serve above their own, even if such generosity threatens their own health. Christians might cite this as a positive, an indication of the self- sacrifice they would expect of religious leaders. However, the negative impact is evident in the minds, bodies and souls of the leaders themselves...