Clergy Need Counseling

From the Associated Press:

Clergymen struggling to comfort the afflicted in New Orleans are finding they, too, need someone to listen to their troubles.

The sight of misery all around them — and the combined burden of helping others put their lives back together while repairing their own homes and places of worship — are taking a spiritual and psychological toll on the city's ministers, priests and rabbis, many of whom are in counseling two years after Hurricane Katrina.
....

Almost every local Episcopal minister is in counseling, including Bishop Charles Jenkins himself, who has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Jenkins, whose home in suburban Slidell was so badly damaged by Katrina that it was 10 months before he and his wife could move back in, said he has suffered from depression, faulty short-term memory, and difficulty concentrating or sleeping.

Low-flying helicopters sometimes cause flashbacks to the near-despair — the "dark night of the soul" — into which he was once plunged, he said. He said the experience felt "like the absence of God" — a lonely and frightening sensation.

This is a serious problem not only for pastors, but for all in the helping professions. Please pray for them.

Roman Catholic priests have not reported any unusual counseling needs, said the Rev. William Maestri, spokesman for the Archdiocese of New Orleans. He said one possible reason is that priests do not have wives or children to support and protect.

Despite the seriousness of this article, I burst out laughing at the reason the Rev. Maestri gave for his priests' apparent superiority in mental health.

Yes! Celibacy is best! The Roman Catholic celibate priests are strong and stand up to life's adversities on their own, without any need of outside help. Or could the Rev. Maestri be in denial?

Since Fr. Maestri is the spokesman for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans, he is often quoted in the media. On several occasions, I have found that his remarks indicate that he is somewhat clueless on various subjects. He has a history with me.

Please include the Roman Catholic priests in your prayers. I believe they may need prayer as much as the others.