Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

It’s not funny. Not even the first time, although I’ll likely flash a faint smile and then steer the conversation in a new direction. By the second or third time, I want to school the speaker, to explain why the phrase is hurtful, undermining, and wrong.

“I thought priests only worked one day a week.”

We’ve all heard this side comment. Some of us may have said it, joking (mostly). But like other off-handed remarks, this one stings, in part because it’s so off-base, and in part, because I wonder if deep down, some people believe it’s true.

Before we proceed, I want to assure you that this is not some rant about how priests have the hardest job, woe-is-them. Wonderful gifts of ordained ministry abound. Priests have the privilege of being present with people at some of the most joyous moments in their lives. Their schedules are somewhat flexible (although weekend trips are out), and they get to (or should) spend time in reading, reflection, and study.

The vocation of priesthood also comes with significant challenges: vacations interrupted by pastoral emergencies, bullying from certain corners of the church, paperwork and clogged pipes, night meetings, early morning breakfasts, critical audiences, and relentless expectations.

So when someone says, “I thought priests only worked one day a week,” I sometimes want to stick my foot out and trip them. I pull back the urge to shout or strangle or launch into the litany of demands piled onto my husband and other priests. 

I wonder if anyone says the same thing to a dentist at the six-month check-up: “Must be nice to only work twice a year.” Or to the tax accountant: “I thought you only worked on April 15.” Or the garbage collectors: “Must be nice to report in only one day a week.” 

These are ludicrous, of course. We give these occupations the benefit of the doubt, that they are working even when we don’t see them. Why can’t we extend the same courtesy to priests? 
I know. Some of you are eye-rolling. It’s just a joke. No harm, no foul. Except that I think when people say this, they also mean it just a little. They’re wondering what kind of bang they’re getting for their stewardship buck. 

If we are looking at the priesthood from a consumer perspective then it’s true that some weeks are pretty easy, and the money is pretty good. But other weeks are grueling, with scarcely a moment to rest, much less think about a sermon. And even on the good weeks, imagine being semi-on-call all the time. In the grocery store, picking up the kids from school, at the local pub. And in the middle of much-needed sleep, like last night, when the call from Hospice came that the wife of a some-time member was near the end. 

Most priests work hard, rarely taking real time off, committed to this work that is much more than a job. In exchange, they generally receive adequate salaries and decent benefits, plus all of the intangibles of community and relationship. 

But they deserve better than a one-off comment, even from friends, that they only work on Sundays. After all, I doubt any of them have responded in turn: “Do you only pray one day week?”