What is the salary of a Catholic priest?

Answer 1

The average range is $18,000 to $32,000. This all depends on years of service and position. Also, priest usually get free room and board, allowance for cars, a pension, and other little benefits, like paid retreats and money for study. A typical priest can accumulate wealth, however, priest with vows of poverty can not inherit and must give away whatever money they don't need.

Another Answer:

The above is pretty accurate with certain qualifications. A priest gets "free room and board" as part of his package. Therefore "free room and board" are considered income for tax purposes. The base salary of a Diocesan Priest is within the range of 15K to 30K. 15K would of course be the low end, 30K the high end. If we add to that number the stipends, stole fees, and "free room and board" the numbers would be 20K (low end) to 35K (high end) It is also important to note that not all Dioceses allow a priest to take mass stipends or stole fees. Some Dioceses require that money to go to the parish. Of course every priest is given a 1099 for stipends and stole fees, if they receive them, along with a 1040 form for their base income. Diocesan priests contrary to popular thought do not take a vow of poverty.

The above applies to "Diocesan Priests" those who are ordained to a Diocese. It does not apply to Religious Order Priests- those who took vows to a religious order. Religious order priests take a vow of poverty and therefore do not receive a standard paycheck. They might receive a small stipend every month for personal expenses of 100 dollars if that.

Answer 2

The salary of a Roman Catholic priest depends upon many factors. In the United States, the first major factor is whether the priest is a diocesan (secular) priest or a professed (order) priest. Diocesan priests who live "in the world" and generally are responsible for taking care of parish churches receive a salary from their parish to keep for personal use (savings, retirement, automobile, vacations, charity, etc.). The diocese will set this salary and usually there will be a multiplier or other incentives for years served, the size of the parish, the oversight of a Catholic school, or other factors. In the U.S., priests pay taxes on this salary as everyone else does. (Actually, priests pay more than their share as they have to pay both halves of social security... strangely enough, they are 'employees' with respect to federal and state taxes, but 'self employed' with respect to social security.)

Individual dioceses also have policies which restrict a priest's right to receive any further remuneration from their ministerial activities (Masses, baptisms, weddings, funerals, etc.). Often these 'stole fees' are directed solely to the parish in order to pay the priest's regular salary. Often, priests are only allowed to keep gifts from ministry activities which are explicitly specified as personal gifts.

Priests generally will also receive housing or a room-and-board allowance (which they also pay taxes on), a professional allowance (books, subscriptions, retreats, and conferences), health insurance, a pension, and perhaps other allowances (depending on the diocese: mileage, auto, insurance, moving expenses, etc.) In very exceptional cases where a Roman Catholic priest might have a family or dependents (yes, this is possible), provision is usually made for a living wage on a case-by-case basis with the priest's bishop.

Order priests may also receive a salary, but as they are vowed to poverty, they are not allowed to keep the salary for their own use. Any salary they receive is put into the common fund of their religious community. If they need anything, they may receive an allowance from their parish or their community according to their needs and the particular discipline of the community.

Law obliges the Church to provide for the basic necessities of all priests (religious or secular) when both 'active' and in retirement. A priest who is not bound to community life may chose, at his own expense, to live at a higher standard (in his own apartment, home, or retirement community, etc). The only way that a priest may lose these benefits is to be dismissed from the clerical state (either voluntarily by leaving or perhaps involuntarily as a consequence of being removed). One of the provisions of the "Dallas Charter" regarding the sexual abuse scandal in the U.S. is that priests who abuse minors are to have their cases sent to Rome to have the priest dismissed (often involuntarily) from the clerical state, or "laicized". Thus, as a result of laicization when applied as a penalty, these 'former' priests are no longer entitled to any support from the Church.

Priests may have 'extra' sources of income, such as a position teaching in a school or college, or income from other academic pursuits (book royalties, speaking engagements, etc). They may receive an income for military service or chaplaincy elsewhere. If they had a previous career, they can receive retirement benefits from this. They may also receive or inheirit wealth from their family. There is a Canon in Law which prohibits priests from owning or running an outside business without their bishops (or other superior's) permission. Whether the priest keeps this income depends, again, on whether the priest is 'secular' or 'order'.

Catholic priest salaries are very low compared to other professionals who spend at least 8 years in post-secondary education. Whether vowed to poverty or not, priests are to live a life without an excessive concern for the goods of this world. A typical monetary compensation package for a parish priest in the U.S. might run somewhere between $15k-30k (before taxes) with health insurance and a pension included. Bishops often take a salary commisurate with that of a similarly-tenured priest, with other provisions made by the diocese for the greater expenses of episcopal ministry (travel, vesture, office, etc.).

It is a most laudable practice and a good example to their people for priests who do receive a salary or other income to tithe to their own parish and/or to their diocesan operating fund.

The answer to the question depends on the type of priest, and his assignment. There are two types of priests: Religious Order Priests and Diocesan Priests. Religious order Priests are priests who are part of a religious order, such as the Jesuits. They take a vow of poverty and do not directly receive a salary. They receive a small monthly stipend perhaps of 100 dollars to take care of personal expenses. The institution they work for will pay out a salary for the work they perform, but that salary is paid to the community.

Diocesan Priests are priests who are ordained for a particular Diocese. Another name for them is "Secular Priests" because unlike religious order Priests they live and work in the secular world among their people. They do not unlike religious order priests focus on one specific ministry such as teaching, or hospital work, but rather do every kind of ministry.

Diocesan Priests do not take a vow of poverty, though many people erroneously attribute such a vow to them. They receive a set salary just like everyone else for the work they do.

The salary of a Diocesan Priest usually ranges from between 15K a year at the low end to 30K a year at the high end. If we add in the stipends, and the fact that priests do not pay rent for housing, the range is 20K a year at the low end to 35K a year at the high end. Priests pay taxes on their salary just like everyone else, and the fact that they receive housing from the parish is considered income. Thus priests must pay taxes on that as well. Each priest must "impute" the worth of the housing on their income taxes. Thus, if the going rate in the area where the priest lives is 500 per month, the priest must "impute" 6K a year to their taxes as income even though they do not receive 6K a year in real cash.

Priests also receive like most people a health care package. The salary for the priest comes from the priest's assignment. If a priest is assigned to work for the Diocese in some capacity, the Diocese assumes the cost of the priest's salary. If a priest is assigned to a parish, the parish assumes the cost. If a priest is assigned to a school the school assumes the cost. If a priest is assigned to a parish and school, or pastors more then one parish, the salary is split between the assignments. Priests in general do not get paid extra for taking on extra assignments, though I speak generally. Each diocese sets their own policy, and each diocese sets the salary of a priest.

There are exceptions to this as there are to everything. For example, Diocesan priests on special assignment, such as professor at a university might make the the salary of a professor. Diocesan priests assigned to the military will make the military salary for the position. Generally speaking however, the salary will range from (including stipends, housing, etc) 20K at the low end to 35K at the high end.

The above answer represents the pay grade as it is in the United States of America.

Answer 3

Priests like any other worker have to rely upon wages for the service that they give. They are paid by the body of the church, which in turn has to rely upon donations from the members of that church, or by investments which the church has invested interests in.
"Religious Order" priests (monks - those who live in community (monasteries) ie: Franciscans) take vows of poverty and "share" everything in common. [ie: cars]Usually received in forms of donations to the order. It is also common for them to receive a small "stipend" for personal needs. "Secular" priests (also knows as "worldly" priests) are usually parish priests who live in communities (cities / villages) who receive a set salary, (determined by the diocesan bishop)... the salary is derived from the Sunday Collection. Unlike the "religious" priest, the "seculars" own and pay for their own needs [ie: cars and insurance.]

Answer 4

It really depends on the church. In actuality, clergy should not be getting paid by the church. They should have their own set jobs.

AnswerSome parish clergy live on very modest incomes, in cash and kind, whereas some bishops live extremely well even by secular standards, and Catholic cardinals can live quite lavishly if they choose. Successful televangelists receive millions of dollars as a share of donations and can be quite wealthy.

Answer 5

The amount a priest is paid varies from diocese to diocese. A priest's salary is suplimented by the 'stipends' he receives when he offers a Mass.

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Catholic AnswerDiocesian priests are paid a salary to cover their expenses by the diocese. Religious priests take a vow of poverty (or a vow of conversio morum if they are Benedictine, which amounts to the same thing) and may not receive a salary.

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Answer

They do get paid but with meager amounts, only enough to buy food and other necessities.

Answer

I once worked at a bank as a teller for ten years. I saw repeatedly every day how much money every customer had in his accounts. The one thing that always shocked me the most was the balances that Catholic priests had in their money market accounts. I never saw the first priest whose balance was less than $100,000.00!!! I swear by it, God as my witness. They'd come in wearing old clothes, drive off in a clunker, people would praise them on their "oath of poverty" and being so humble. I even had a Catholic nun ask me if I could give her .25 cents to buy a sanitary item from the ladies room. Most people that work all their lives never have this money in a MM Acct. If this is an "oath of poverty" maybe more people should look into this profession! Seems pretty lucrative to me.

A Catholic Answer

The above answer certainly presents a stunning contradiction: who among us owning personal wealth in the amount of $100,000 would "wear old clothes" and "drive a clunker"? If we owned that kind of money - if it was ours to do with as we liked - why wouldn't we dress with a bit more taste, a bit more style to present a better image, and purchase more reliable transportation? I think most of us reading this would, in a heartbeat. I know I certainly would.

Unless. . . unless the money isn't actually ours, unless, say, for example, all that money had been entrusted to us by the parishioners of the church to pay for the running of the church and the parish school. Then we might have on deposit in our name large sums of cash in a money market account, which is interest-bearing, and on which checks can be written or funds quickly transferred into a regular corporate checking account. But we wouldn't be spending it on ourselves.

Instead we would be spending the money to pay for maintenance and repairs to a two-acre parking lot, outdoor lighting, a one-acre church/school roof; repairs to the plant boiler, maintenance and repairs of the heating and air-conditioning systems for the school, church, and rectory; maintenance and repairs of all ducts and vents; maintenance and repairs of windows and doors, paint, glazing, installation and repair of Plumbing fixtures, maintenance and repairs of the church's furnishings such as kneelers and pews, the salaries of the building engineer and maintenance crew, cleaning supplies and equipment, electric bills for the church, school, rectory, water bills for the church, school, rectory, gas bills for the church, school, rectory, the rental of school busses for the school children, and the drivers' salaries, gasoline; automobile insurance, liability insurance; property insurance; alarm and security system; food service equimpment and supplies for the school kitchen; the teachers' salaries; school supplies, and equipment; equipment and supplies for the school and parish offices, including photocopiers, telephone systems, computers, and faxes, . . . as well as something left over each month to help needy families and individuals who knock at the rectory door and ask for financial help.

That might explain the presence of all that money, and so little to show for it in the way of personal possessions.

AnswerHello there.. I just wanted to say that its very important to make sure all facts are Straight... ..Matthew 10:8 says You received free, give free.

Answer 6

Jesuits are bound by a vow of personal poverty, meaning that they do not earn anything individually. Whatever income is generated by their work is paid directly to the local province of their order. The order then provides for the needs of its individual members.

That income varies according to the job, and would be the same as it is for any other person holding the same job.

Answer 7

The depends entirely on his job, where he works, and who he works for. Diocesan priests are paid according to a scale set by their diocese. Religious priests may get a living allowance, but any salary would go to their Order, etc.

Answer 8

$18,000 to $40,000. This all depends on their position.

Answer 9

£37,000 per year