The 164-page report was commissioned by the bishops and conducted by the National Centre for Pastoral Research and the Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office.
Its observations are based on responses from an on-line questionnaire which captured the views of 27 per cent of Australian clergy and from in-depth personal interviews with 78 priests and deacons from a range of backgrounds.
Archbishop Christopher Prowse, chair of the Bishops Commission for Evangelisation, Laity and Ministry, said that the report could prompt an examination of conscience for priestly ministry in Australia.
“Some of the findings you will see are very complimentary and show signs of great joy in the priesthood by so many,” he wrote. “Other conclusions are more worrying and could well be the subject of the ongoing formation of clergy and their pastoral care.”
Based on the survey data and informed by research from overseas, “Thriving & Surviving in Ministry” presents a largely positive view of clergy well-being in a challenging and sometimes hostile environment.
Australia’s clergy are increasingly diverse.
At the end of 2023, there were 1,810 diocesan priests in Australia, 1,003 religious priests and 204 permanent deacons. About 53 per cent were born in Australia and 41 per cent in a non-English-speaking country.
This contrasts with the ethnic make-up of Australian Catholic lay people, of whom 72 per cent are Australian-born, and only 21 per cent born in a non-English-speaking country. Only 1.2 per cent said that they identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.
On many metrics Australian clergy are thriving. About 75 per cent reported that they had “good” or “very good” self-confidence. About two-thirds had a healthy diet, 61 per cent were getting enough rest, and 55 percent had high energy levels.
Most were very positive about life, with 71 per cent feeling hopeful and 61 per cent feeling joyful frequently, especially those from non-English-speaking backgrounds.
And by and large, Australian priests are working hard – an average of 8.6 hours daily. Half of the priests under 40 are working more than 10 hours. Paper-pushing was the main activity, but 80 per cent spent up to two hours a day administering the sacraments and 69 per cent on pastoral activity.
Nearly all of them – 95 per cent – valued their work. Many highlighted the central role of the Mass in their ministry, especially celebrating the Eucharist, preparing homilies, and “breaking the Word open”.
On the spiritual side, nearly 80 per cent described their relationship with God as “good” or “very good”. They valued prayer routines like daily Mass, spiritual reading, the divine office, retreats, and theological podcasts. Almost four out of ten had a spiritual director.
This generally sunny panorama has been achieved despite an overcast environment for the Catholic Church in Australia.
The revelations flowing from Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse have left deep scars. Many priests knew offenders or victims or relatives of victims. Many reported that they felt stress, anxiety, and shame; many felt that their priestly identity and credibility had been harmed; many fear unjust accusations; many struggle with the workload of assuring adequate safeguarding.
However, despite these challenges, says the report, “a few clergy saw opportunities for deeper trust in God and renewed ministry commitment.”
This was not the only difficulty. Despite the broadly positive picture, priests reported issues like strained relationships with bishops and their fellow priests, loneliness, overwork, uncertainty about retirement, an increasingly secular society, and mental health.
Underlying these stresses is the shortage of priests and vocations. Between 2003 and 2024, the number of priests fell by 11 per cent from 3,158 to 2,813. Often the gaps have been filled by overseas priests, but they sometimes struggle to adapt to Australian ways.
The report hints at occasional tensions between older, more “progressive” priests and young, more “conservative” priests. “We get along but have different outlooks and sometimes [are] theologically divergent,” commented one of the respondents.
All surveys, especially on-line ones, have limitations and Thriving & Surviving is no exception. “A study such as this one has the potential for bias and underreporting, particularly in sensitive areas such as mental health,” the authors point out.
Nonetheless, they continued, “many participants expressed gratitude for their ministry and a profound sense of vocation, even in the face of adversity.”
Inevitably this deep dive into the well-being of the clergy has exposed knotty problems for Australia’s bishops.
But Archbishop Prowse cited encouraging advice that Pope Leo XIV gave to seminary staff in July. “Cultivate friendship with Jesus… we need personally to experience the closeness of the Master, to know we have been seen, loved and chosen by the Lord by pure grace and without merit on our part, because it is above all our own personal experience that we then exude in our ministry.”
The pope’s words and “this unprecedented survey”, says Archbishop Prowse, should “engender even greater joy in the ministry of priests and their well-being for many years to come.”