Priests face anxiety, opportunity upon retirement

Published: 2004-05-21

NEW ORLEANS (CNS) -- It's a well-known scriptural passage describing the permanent nature of priestly ordination: "You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek." For retired priests and those who are fast approaching mandatory diocesan retirement age, those words resonate with both opportunity and anxiety. At a time when there are fewer active priests in the United States to handle the demands of sacramental ministry, the average retirement age for priests has crept higher over the last decade. In the Archdiocese of New Orleans, where retired Msgr. Ignatius Roppolo, 75, serves as coordinator of the more than 50 retired diocesan priests, priests are allowed to request retirement at age 70. They must submit their retirement letter to the archbishop at age 75, although the archbishop may grant priests who request it a one-year extension to remain in active ministry. Msgr. Roppolo says retirement hardly means the end of priestly ministry; in fact, he said many priests who remain in good health are almost as busy as ever, celebrating Mass in parishes that are short-handed and helping out in many other ministries.

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