Our fathers: What Australian Catholic priests really think about their lives and their church

The purpose of this book is to present the views of priests working in parish ministry on a range of issues of vital interest to the Catholic church and community in Australia. In the course of their everyday parish work, priests have to deal with problems ranging from the mundane to the frustratingly bureaucratic, to the challenging and often plain bizarre. Even more than this, however, they have dedicated themselves to a lifelong commitment to the church and a lifelong exploration of its teachings and how these impact on Catholics and non-Catholics alike. By surveying every priest engaged in parish ministry in Australia (of which 542 responded - approximately one-third) and interviewing 50 priests across the country we capture the insights gained from this wealth of experience and make them available to a wider audience.