Can a priest have hobbies?

Dear friends in Christ,

Today's question that I wish to discuss is the following: "Is a priest still able to achieve certain social goals, such as sharing their music to the world?" I think this question is basically getting at hobbies.

The general norm for this is the following: "A priest is encouraged to have hobbies as long as his hobbies don't inhibit his primary work as a priest." In other words, the work of a priest comes first, but a priest is still encouraged to have a hobby or two. In fact, hobbies are healthy activities, and they should allow anybody, including a priest, to relax from stressful days. In terms of hobbies, I wish to share with you a few priests who I know, and their hobbies.

The first is Fr. Kevin McGoldrick. Fr. Kevin is a parochial vicar in South Philadelphia at Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Before he went into seminary, he learned how to play the guitar. He still knows how to play, and he is really quite good. Last night I heard him play the guitar, and he was playing everything from The Beatles to Nirvana. If you can imagine a priest in a cassock playing Beatles tunes on a guitar, you must admit it can be a rather humorous picture. While Fr. Kevin knows how to play a vast array of things, he shares his gift of music to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia by playing for many different religious functions. He is in charge of the music at Catholic Underground, which is a young adult event held monthly at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul. He was also the guitarist at the recent Friday Night at the Seminary, where we had over 200 young people come together to learn about discernment and seminary life. He uses his gift of music to bring people to Christ in a unique way. Not every priest knows the guitar, and so he has developed his guitar skills into a very effective way of evangelizing.

Over the Christmas holidays, there was the story about a group of three Irish priests who hit it big on the music charts with their cd of traditional religious music. Here is a link that tells you a little more about them! Again, these three priests are using their gift of music and sharing it with the world.

The Late Pope John Paul II was a writer and an actor, and he shared that gift with many people. The current Pope Benedict XVI is a gifted classical pianist.

In short, there is a place for musical talent in the priesthood. There are many priests who are musically talented. There are priests who are painters, some are great actors and help out and act in the local Catholic High School musical. Some priests are great writers.

While a priest is able to share their talents with the community and, in some cases, the world, it is important to remember that he is a priest of Jesus Christ, so his priestly ministry will always come first. There is also discretion that should be used. A priest probably shouldn't play at a night club Saturday night. The first reason is that he has to celebrate Mass in the morning, and the second being that it probably just isn't a good idea for a priest to be playing at a night club for moral reasons. Like Fr. Kevin, you can also direct your musical talent to aid in your ministry. If you are a good singer, you can sing the Mass parts, or you can start a children's choir from your parochial school.

Thanks for the question. I hope I answered it adequately. May you remain close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary.