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Clergy Trust Wellness Coordinator Kate Marshall conducts blood pressure screenings for priests at Regina Cleri. Pilot photo/courtesy Clergy Trust

Easter collection for clergy

The honor of caring for our priests

Friday, April 11, 2025Culture

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Every day, I get to provide support and care for the priests who have dedicated their lives to serving our church and the communities in which we all live, and it is a true honor.

I have heard it said that "To care for those who once cared for us is one of the highest honors." I think this perfectly encapsulates how I feel about working as a member of the Clergy Trust's Care Team. Every day, I get to provide support and care for the priests who have dedicated their lives to serving our church and the communities in which we all live, and it is a true honor.
I joined the Clergy Trust Care Team in 2019, and it has been a fulfilling experience, to say the least. The Clergy Trust model is quite unique in many ways, but particularly because of our approach to direct and dedicated support and care for priests. Our Care Team represents the Clergy Trust's total focus on what is best for the overall wellness of our priests and how to make sure they feel supported and encouraged to live a healthy lifestyle throughout their priesthood.

One of the most surprising -- and concerning -- things I have learned working with so many different priests is how little time they leave for self-care. As a lifelong Catholic, I know well how busy priests are -- always running from this to that and that to this, yet somehow always there when it matters. But what the typical Catholic doesn't see is that the call for priests to constantly run from this to that and that to this never seems to end. There are no "workday" hours for priests -- they are not on a time clock or a 9-to-5 schedule; they're on God's clock, and they give themselves completely to that reality.
Our Clergy Trust team recently held a Wellness Workshop for our priests. There, one of the presenters cited a recent study by Michigan State Professor Dr. Richard DeShon on the overwork and unintended burnout that members of our clergy are facing. After Dr. DeShon's analysis of the role of local church pastors, he concluded he had never encountered a job that is as complex, varied, and impactful as the work of a local pastor. In fact, Dr. DeShon determined that performing all of the tasks a local pastor is called to do requires 64 different personal competencies. For some context, the average job requires 5-8 personal competencies.
Truly, it is not hyperbole when we say priests completely give their lives to serving others and bringing the presence of Christ to those who need it. However, this leaves little time and mental energy to address their own bodies, their own minds, their own lives! This is why our Care Team feels so strongly about what we do.
There are three other members of the Care Team, each of whom brings great skill, perspective, and compassion to the work we do with our clergy. Amy Nash, our senior care manager, is an incredible support for our senior priests. Sometimes, I think she must clone herself to do all the things she needs to do in order to care for those men. She travels all around the archdiocese, bringing senior priests to medical appointments and conducting wellness checks on senior priests living on their own, all while staying in touch with the families of our senior priests to coordinate care. I have the good fortune of working closely with Amy, and her calming and compassionate presence never ceases to amaze me.
Our other two Care Team members work at our Regina Cleri Residence: Stephen Gust, the director of Regina Cleri, and their director of nursing, Christine Lilley. If you haven't been to Regina Cleri, Clergy Trust's residence for senior priests, I encourage you to visit if you can. It's in downtown Boston, right next door to Massachusetts General Hospital -- a real spiritual haven tucked in one of the busiest parts of the city.
Sixty of our senior priests live there, and every time I go there, I always feel like I have a spring in my step when I leave! The men living there represent more than 3,000 years of priesthood, so you can imagine how strongly one can feel the Holy Spirit in that community! And so much of what makes Regina Cleri special is thanks to the hard work of Stephen Gust, Christine Lilley, and their staff. The residence is immaculately maintained, the priests are tenderly and wonderfully cared for, and every single person who works there is always helpful and joyful. Stephen and Christine ensure that Regina Cleri is a true home for our senior priests. Every Tuesday morning, I lead an exercise class for the residents, and it's always a highlight of my week!
Each Easter, the parish collections benefit the Clergy Trust and help us continue to care for our active and senior priests throughout their priesthood. When you make your gift this Easter, remember the great honor of "caring for those who have cared for us" and think about making your donation in honor of the priests who have cared for you and your family over the years. However you decide to give this Easter, please know how much our Care Team appreciates your generosity -- we couldn't provide the care we do for our priests without your support!

KATE MARSHALL, INHC, CPT, MA, IS THE WELLNESS COORDINATOR FOR THE ARCHDIOCESE OF BOSTON'S CLERGY TRUST.