The priest as counsellor: An investigation of critical incidents in the pastoral work of catholic priests

Abstract

Given the number of priests engaged in the apostolate and considering the interpersonal nature of most of their tasks it is remarkable that despite the number of books and articles written on the priesthood, it appears there has been no attempt to empirically examine and typify the interpersonal context of priestly practice. This paper presents the results of an investigation which was undertaken to identify and analyze what actually happens at the priest-priest and priest-layperson interace apropos interpersonal communication in the pastoral work of catholic priests. The paper provides a picture of critical incidents in interpersonal interactions. It presents a report of the central communication problems in priestly work using an ethnographic approach to sketch and analyze the range of factors which impinge on the interpersonal process. The results indicate that counselling skills form a key part of the day-to-day work of the priest.