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What do priests do? 

Individual priests have a very wide variety of tasks within the Church. There are many specialized ministries such as being a chaplain, working at the diocesan offices, or teaching in a seminary. But the majority of priests serve in parishes. Their duties include:

  • celebrate Mass and preach the Gospel
  • lead a parish of Catholic Christians
  • bring new members into the Church through baptism
  • hear confessions and provide spiritual direction
  • help teens and young adults come to know Christ
  • prepare couples for marriage and counsel married couples
  • teach people how to pray
  • feed the poor, visit prisons, and advocate for justice
  • counsel people going through difficult times
  • visit the sick in hospitals and anoint them for healing
  • perform funerals and bury the dead
  • manage the temporal affairs of the parish
  • pray daily for the People of God
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