Some may be surprised to learn that religious work leads to greater personal fulfillment than any other profession, but not so Monsignor Stephen Rossetti.
“Priestly happiness is one of the great secrets of our time,” said Bishop Rossetti, a priest and associate research professor at the Catholic University of America. “And I’m glad it’s coming to light.”
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Last week, a column in the Washington Post brought to a secular audience the news of happiness among religious workers. Citing studies from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, it was concluded that religious work causes a greater sense of satisfaction than any other profession.
“It’s contradictory,” said Bishop Rossetti, who has written numerous books on the subject over the past 20 years. “Everyone says that priests are unhappy, but they are not. “They are stressed, they are under pressure, but those are not the underlying factors that promote happiness.”
The Post article was based on workers’ responses to statements intended to measure professional fulfillment, such as “I am proud to work for my employer” and “I contribute to the community through my work.” Workers who fell under the category of “clergy” responded “strongly agree” to these questions more than any other type.
What is behind religious happiness?
The paper’s findings echo other studies in recent years. A 2014 study by the Office for National Statistics in the United Kingdom also found that clergy reported the highest level of satisfaction labor among 274 other occupations.
Other professions that provide high levels of satisfaction include outdoor jobs, such as forestry and construction, and education workers. Meanwhile, food service jobs, janitorial roles, and engineering and software developers reported low levels of happiness in their work.
While the idea of the “happy priest” may seem counterintuitive to a secular culture that prioritizes self-interest over service, a deeper dive into happiness data makes it seem obvious. According to the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics cited by the article, “religious activities” finish first among all activities in terms of happiness and meaning, while “personal care” activities finish at the bottom.
But for committed Catholics, statistics like this are no surprise.
“What makes a happy life? What are the underlying factors?” asked Bishop Rossetti. “People who dedicate their time to helping others tend to be happier. People who give of themselves to others discover that they not only help others, but they help themselves. The thing about happiness is that it is elusive. If you try to be happy, if you try to achieve it by yourself, you fail. But when you look out for the well-being of others, you discover, ironically, that it also helps you.”
Bishop Rossetti cited other factors known to foster personal happiness, all of which are abundant in religious life: having strong friends, having a rich spiritual life, liking what you do for work and being part of a community. These markers of personal fulfillment have declined since the COVID-19 pandemic, explaining the declining morale among the general population.
“I have done several studies that show that happiness and morale rates are increasing among priests,” he told the National Catholic Register. “Priests like to be priests. More than 90% say they like it and would choose it again.”
A 2022 study by The Catholic Project also found that priests experienced high levels of well-being, even though some struggled with burnout.
“There is no greater happiness”
Sister Carolyn Martin, vocations coordinator for the Little Sisters of the Poor, believes there is more at play than sociological factors.
“I think it’s because our work, regardless of ministry, is specifically connected to eternal values,” he said. “Our employer is God himself. And what we are doing is rooted in Him and connected to eternal values. That is what really makes us happy: being part of the work of His Kingdom.”
The popular saying “do what you love and you will never work a day in your life” seems particularly apt for the religious. The available statistics confirm this. In addition to the conclusion that “religious activities” provide more satisfaction than any other type, the Bureau of Labor Statistics also finds that a “place of worship” is more likely to provide happiness and meaning than any other place, including one’s own home. , the outdoors and restaurants or gyms.
“My day job is so joyful that I find it problematic to even call it work,” Martin said. “It is deeply significant. It’s not just social service. It is not just what I am called to do with the work of my hands, but it is what I am called to be, which is a testimony to the hope and joy that people are searching for and their hearts are longing for.”
Martin’s average “work” day is highly structured and filled with challenging tasks that include caring for the elderly and sick, as well as community time and silent prayer. That such a way of life brings high levels of happiness seems curious to the modern secular mind, which values material wealth, freedom from responsibility, and individual autonomy.
But for Martin and her colleagues, it is the perfect recipe for satisfaction.
“Nothing can give us more comfort than in every moment of the day having given to ourselves,” she said. “Being tired because you have poured out all your energy and all your strength for God and his poor, there is no greater happiness.”
“I love going to bed tired,” she added. “That makes me happy.”
Translated and adapted by the ACI Prensa team. Originally published in National Catholic Register.
Peter Laffin
Peter Laffin is a staff writer for the National Catholic Register and a contributor to the Washington Examiner. His work has appeared in The Catholic Herald, The Catholic Thing, and RealClearPolitics.