What makes religious men and women so happy?

Of Peter Laffin

National Catholic Register, November 28, 2024 / 08:28

Some may be surprised to learn that religious work leads to greater personal fulfillment than any other profession. But not Monsignor Stephen Rossetti.

“Priestly happiness is one of the great secrets of our time,” said Rossetti, associate research professor at the Catholic University of America. “And I’m glad it’s coming out.”

Last week, a Washington Post column brought the news of happiness among religious workers to a secular audience. Citing studies from the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, it found that religious work elicits a greater sense of satisfaction than any other profession.

“It’s counterintuitive,” said 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 these are not the basic factors that promote happiness.”

The Post article was based on workers’ responses to statements designed to measure job fulfillment, such as “I am proud to work for my employer” and “I contribute to the community through my work.” Workers who fell into the “clerical” category answered “strongly agree” to these questions more than any other type.

What is hidden behind religious happiness?

The article’s findings echo other studies in recent years. A 2014 study by the UK’s Office for National Statistics also found that clergy reported the highest level of job satisfaction among 274 others.

Other professions that offer high levels of fulfillment include outdoor jobs such as forestry and construction, and education workers. Meanwhile, jobs in food, care roles and engineering and software developers reported low levels of happiness in their work.

While the idea of ​​a “happy priest” might seem counterintuitive to a secular culture that prioritizes self-interest over service, a deeper dive into the happiness data makes it seem obvious. According to the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, cited in the article, “religious activities” finish the best of all activities in terms of happiness and meaning, while “personal care” activities finish at the bottom.

But for devout Catholics, statistics like this are not surprising. It’s the Gospel message in a bar graph, the Cross in a pie chart.

“What makes your life happy? What are the underlying factors?” asked Rossetti. “People who spend their time helping others tend to be happier people. People who give of themselves to others find that they not only help others, they help themselves. The thing about happiness is that it’s elusive. If you try to be happy, if you try to understand it yourself, it doesn’t work. But when you seek the well-being of others, you find, ironically, that it helps you too.”

Rossetti went on to mention other factors known to foster personal happiness, all of which are abundant in religious life: having solid friends, having a rich spiritual life, enjoying what you do for work, and being part of a community. These indicators of personal fulfillment have declined since the COVID-19 pandemic, which explains the decline in morale among the general population.

But, as Rossetti noted, the opposite effect sets in among the religious.

“We’ve done a study several times that finds that happiness and morale numbers are going up among priests,” he told the National Catholic Register, CNA’s news partner. “Priests like being priests. Over 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, despite some struggling with burnout.

“No Greater Happiness”

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Sister Carolyn Martin, vocations coordinator for The Little Sisters of the Poor, believes there is more at play here than sociological factors.

“I think it’s because our work, regardless of ministry, is specifically related to eternal values,” she said. “Our employer is God himself. And what we do is rooted in it and bound by eternal values. That is what makes us truly happy: to be part of his kingdom work.”

The popular saying “do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life” seems particularly apt for the religious. Available statistics confirm this. In addition to finding that “religious activities” bring more fulfillment than any other type, the Bureau of Labor Statistics also finds that a “place of worship” is more likely to bring happiness and meaning than any other place, including one’s own home , outdoors and restaurants or gyms.

“My day-to-day work is such a joy that I find it problematic to even call it work,” Martin said. “It’s deeply meaningful. It is not just a social service. It is not only what I am called to do the work of my hands, but it is what I am called to be, which is a witness to the hope and joy that people seek and long for in their hearts.”

Martin’s average “work” day is highly structured and full of challenging tasks that include caring for the elderly and disabled, as well as time in community and silent prayer. That such a way of life should bring 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 sisters, it’s the perfect recipe for fulfillment.

“Nothing can give us more consolation than every moment of the day when we gave ourselves,” she said. “To be tired because you have poured out all your energy and strength for God and His poor, there is no greater happiness.”

“I like to go to bed, tired,” she added. “This makes me happy”

This article was originally published by the National Catholic Register, CNA’s news partner, and was adapted for CNA.

Peter Laffin is an editor 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.