No worries, mate: Survey finds Australian clergy flourishing

The majority of Australian priests and deacons value their ministry, feel well supported, and believe they are adequately remunerated, a major new survey of clerical wellbeing has concluded.

The 150-page report, “Thriving (and Surviving) in Ministry,” released Nov. 18, found that most priests and deacons had a positive sense of wellbeing, but also suggested ways the Church could further enhance their welfare.

The vast majority of clergy (95%) said they appreciated the value of their work. Most (73%) felt they received adequate support from others, while a slightly lower proportion (64%) believed they were appropriately provided for financially.

The results echo studies of priests recently published in France and the U.S., which also found high levels of happiness and personal flourishing.

The new study, carried out by the National Centre for Pastoral Research and the Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office, sought insights into the physical condition, mental health, and spiritual wellbeing of the country’s priests and deacons.

The report was based on an initial online survey of 825 priests and deacons — around 27% of all Australian clergy. A second phase included one-on-one interviews with 78 priests and deacons.

Of the clergy surveyed, 53% were born in Australia, while almost 13% were born in India, 6% in the Philippines, and 4% in Vietnam.

Most priests evaluated as either “good” or “extremely good” their relationships with their parish community (90%), peers (68%), family (87%), and bishop (60%). Those most likely to term their family relations as “extremely good” were deacons (74%), who tend to be married, followed by religious (49%) and diocesan priests (46%).

A large proportion of clergy also described as “good” or “extremely good” their relationship with God (79%) and ability to make time for prayer (63%). A minority (39%) said they currently had a spiritual director, while 53% reported having one in the past.

Around 70% of clergy said they had no difficulties regarding confession. But some acknowledged problems accessing the sacrament because they lived in remote areas. Australia has one of the world’s most unevenly distributed populations, with around 90% of its 27 million people living within 60 miles of the coast, leaving the vast interior, known as the Outback, lightly populated.

However, the report also noted that a small handful of clergy reported that they did not frequent confession at all, either because they were not aware of any serious sin or believed personal confession to God sufficed, despite Church teaching to the contrary. The need for and discipline of individual sacramental confession previously emerged as an issue during the 2022 plenary council of the Church in Australia, during which the council identified a need for “a sustained program of catechesis of the Sacrament of Penance to promote an understanding of the conditions for and appropriate practice of each of the three forms of the Rite of Penance.”

Asked to assess their mental state over the past 30 days, most clergy described themselves as hopeful (72%) and joyful (61%) “a lot” or “all of the time.”

But the survey also detected negative feelings, with 12% saying they had felt anxious “a lot” or “all of the time.” The under-40s were considerably more likely to highlight anxiety than those aged 70 and above.

“Australian-born religious priests (5%) and permanent deacons (9%) were least likely to feel anxious ‘a lot’ or ‘all of the time,’ while local diocesan priests (15%) were the most likely to indicate that they felt this way ‘a lot’ or ‘all of the time,’” the report said.

The study also found that 65% of respondents had experienced stress in the previous 12 months, while 48% suffered from a lack of sleep, and 43% from loneliness or isolation.

Some of the anxiety and stress may be related to increased workloads for clergy due to declining numbers. The number of priests in Australia fell by 11%, from 3,158 to 2,813 between 2003 and 2024. The number of deacons more than quadrupled in the same period, from 48 to 204, though three of the country’s dioceses have no permanent deacons.

One respondent said he had presided at 57 funerals in six months, which, he said, “takes a toll.”

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Clergy also reported feeling negatively affected by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, which issued a final report in 2017 that was highly critical of the Catholic Church.

“These included personal negative impacts, a diminished value of priestly identity, false claims and unjust accusations, and an ever-increasing safeguarding workload,” the report said.

The study identified eight common difficulties faced by Australia’s priests and deacons. They were strained relationships with the bishop and other clergy; challenges in pastoral ministry; experiences of loneliness, isolation, alienation, and loss of identity; heavy workload burdens; physical and mental health concerns, including sexual problems; uncertainty around retirement and future planning; challenges in faith formation and evangelization; and gaps in clergy training and mentoring.

Asked how they could be better supported, clergy said they would like bishops to show more personal interest in them and better leadership. They also hoped to see greater assistance from their peers, more administrative help, and improved formation and training, among other suggestions.

Despite their daily challenges, a majority of clergy gave a rating of “good” or “extremely good” for their self-confidence (75%), energy levels (55%), ability to eat healthily (66%), and rest well (61%). But only 41% considered themselves “good” or “extremely good” at getting daily exercise.

Most priests said they engaged in regular physical activity, with hobbies including golf, kickboxing, pickleball, and dragon boating.

Clergy worked an average of 8.6 hours a day, exceeding the typical Australian 7.6-hour workday. Almost half (49%) of priests and deacons under 40 worked more than 10 hours per day.

Almost three-quarters of respondents (73%) said they were able to take at least one rest day per week, while 14% said they were not. A large majority (83%) said they spent between four and seven days a year attending retreats or reflection days.

Just over half of respondents (52%) said they used social media. Most used it for less than an hour a day, but 3% said they spent four or more hours a day on social media platforms. A few acknowledged addictions such as pornography or internet overuse.

The clergy’s main form of relaxation was watching movies and television series at home (74%), followed by reading (73%), music, radio, and podcasts (69%), and outdoor activities (64%). Other common indoor activities included board games such as chess and carrom, puzzles such as sudoku, and card games.

The study’s authors said their work underlined “the urgent need for targeted pastoral strategies to support clergy in areas of wellbeing, mental health, and spiritual care.”

“It is recommended that specialists be identified to provide clergy with practical coping mechanisms and ongoing support,” they wrote.

The report was commissioned by the Australian Bishops Commission for Evangelization, Laity, and Ministry, chaired by the Archbishop Christopher Prowse of Canberra and Goulburn.

In an introduction to the study, Prowse said: “I encourage dioceses to read this report carefully and for clergy particularly to reflect with their bishop and others on the significance of these findings for the ongoing pastoral care of our priests and deacons.”

“For priests themselves, it may be an opportunity for us to have somewhat of an ‘examination of conscience’ on our ministry with our people. Some of the findings you will see are very complimentary and show signs of great joy in the priesthood by so many.”

“Other conclusions are more worrying and could well be the subject of the ongoing formation of clergy and their pastoral care.”

Australia’s bishops decided at their November plenary assembly to establish a working group on improving support for clergy.

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