Changing Priests is Hard

At the time of writing, my parish is in the process of transitioning priests. As a Catholic, there are a lot of struggles that we are prepared for during religious education like maintaining modesty, being truthful, and being called on to share our faith with others.

Your priest is your shepherd; don't downplay the difficulty of change. Image Credit: Josh Applegate

One that isn't addressed (at least to my knowledge) is how to handle changing priests, especially when you are a new Catholic. In my experience with new members of the Church, they are drawn by something about the parish: the location, architecture, music, or homilies. From there (because Catholicism is so much more) they begin RCIA (Rite of Catholic Initiation for Adults) and begin to understand more about us and what makes this religion the true religion. Unfortunately, these candidates soon encounter bumps in the road. Sometimes family is not supportive or they have a hard time with some of the teachings. This is normal, and the RCIA instructor(s) and other parish staff do their best to help.

When the parish priest is very active in the community, it can be extremely difficult to feel all alone when the pastor leaves and someone unknown is on the way. If you are struggling with this (whether a convert or cradle catholic) here are a few things that have helped ease the transition for me.

1. I consciously remind myself that while the homily is important, it is not the high point of the mass. The Eucharist is, and the transition will not change that.

2. As a member of the choir, our director took the time to answer our questions and concerns when the transition was announced (and moving forward). If you have questions or concerns, please email the parish staff. They want to help as much as possible. While they may not be allowed to disclose certain information yet, they will do their best.

3. Trust in God. I know, it can sound a little cliché, but we have to remember that God is the perfect father. I was blessed with a good dad growing up, and so I know he would not leave us with a babysitter that wouldn't have taken care of us. If you are worried about the new priest's abilities, I would encourage you to pray for a good shepherd, take a deep breath, and remember that God's got this.

Thank you for reading and God bless!

P.s. In doing my research for this post I was unable to find advice from others on changing priests. If you have any tips that might be helpful for others, please reach out! I would love to hear them!