Roman Catholic Priests

Roman Catholic priests serve as either diocesan priests (sometimes called secular priests), leading individual parishes within a certain diocese, or as religious priests, living and working with other members of their religious order. The primary function of all priests is administering the church's seven sacraments: baptism, confirmation, confession, holy communion, marriage, holy orders, and anointing of the sick. Diocesan priests also visit the sick, oversee religious education programs, and generally provide pastoral care to their parishioners. Religious priests often serve as educators and missionaries, or they may be cloistered in a monastery. There were approximately 39,600 Roman Catholic priests in the United States in 2013, most of whom were diocesan priests.