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The Lost Art of Walking on Water: Reimagining the Priesthood
With bursting congregations, shrinking ranks and a priest sexual abuse scandal in the headlines, no group seems more beleaguered of late than Roman Catholic priests. This book of essays by a priest is candid, thoughtful, honest, sometimes funny and filled with hope and practical suggestions for parish priests today. Facing such challenges as prayer, obedience, celibacy, depression and church leadership, he offers a call to greater transparency and trusting faith. Even turbulent times are graced. Father Heher believes priests can do more than survive this difficult time; they have the capacity to grow more resilient, relaxed, effective and loving. ―there are many books about priests but few to priests themselves by one of their own ―engagingly written ―insightful reading for lay people †
192 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 28, 2025
A LONG-TERM PARISH PRIEST DISCUSSES ISSUES AND QUESTIONS
Michael Heher is a retired Pastor Emeritus. He wrote in the Introduction to this 2004 book, “These essays try to show how our ministry is crucial to the life of the everyday church… By wrestling with my own odd life as one parish priest, I am trying to find our priesthood. I am a man in the middle. I no longer have the enthusiasm of my earlier days, and the years have disabused me of most of my romantic illusions about life in the church and the priesthood…
“I am squinting at the horizon to chart how we got where we are and in which direction we ought to proceed. If I dare… to ask some daring and personal questions, it is because I address them at much to myself as to you. You will hear my convictions at times, the ways I hope we might move forward together, as well as what I think we should stop doing; but please do not think I have an agenda worked out. My essays tend to raise more questions than they answer… Do others, despite the daunting exigencies, still love the priestly life as much as I do?” (Pg. 2-3)
He observes, “Since every scandal is presumed to conceal a deeper, hidden narrative… the sexual misconduct by our confreres threatens to sink us all. If once people were willing to think of us as innocent, others now are possessed of a … willingness to believe only what is sinister and horrifying. Even though most of the alleged incidents occurred decades ago and the relative number of priests involved is small, some… now suspect that the individual sins of some are but the tip of the iceberg… Because of this, one can wonder if the priesthood itself has been discredited… have we lost our right to speak out as any kind of moral compass?” (Pg. 12)
He continues, “we speak of how these circumstances will be a ‘purification’ for all of us in the clergy. We remind people of what the newspapers don’t seem to mention: that the vast majority of priests are doing exemplary work and that only a small percentage of priests are pedophiles. We argue that the typical pedophile is more likely to be a married man than a sexually repressed priest…. We hear those zealots who … say, ‘Well, maybe this will finally force the church to make the changes it should have made long ago; to celibacy, to the top-down, male-dominated leadership, to secrecy masking itself as confidentiality.’ Or… you say, ‘Well, maybe this will finally force the church to go back to the tried-and-true’ and no more of this ‘wink-and-nod’ complicity with those who aren’t keeping their promises of celibacy.’” (Pg. 13)
He states, “I think priests generally recognize how tough it is to be a bishop, particularly a diocesan bishop. They come in for lots of criticism---not all of it undeserved, mind you---and they find themselves frequently under both the gun and the microscope, with the same people wanting them to solve their problems and stop telling them what to do… the job exacts a heavy cost, which most bishops pay without complaining… When a priest I know was named bishop, he told me he received from the clergy as many offers of condolence as cheers of congratulations.” (Pg. 73)
Of a priest friend of his who reads lots and lots of books, he comments, “I offer him as an antidote for the anti-intellectualism for which we parish priests have too often prided ourselves. Some of us gloat about how we have not cracked a book since the seminary and won’t even bother to do those quickie one-day workshops the diocese puts on. Under duress, we’ll scan the occasional article or submit to diocesan-mandated study days… but we protest that everything priests need to know can be learned in the parking lot and the confessional. We are the guys in the street, it is argued, not theoreticians perched in some think tank. To me, this is a completely specious contention…” (Pg. 116)
He summarizes, “The church is going through what everybody on earth is going through. The real overarching issue of our times is that the way of life which we have lived for centuries is ending; societies across the globe are all in various states of fragmentation… We are most certainly … caught in the mix. Few of us live in the same world that we were ‘given’ at birth. Since we are only at the beginning of this age, whatever it may turn out to be can’t be seen yet, at least not to me.
“So far the experience has been almost entirely one of dislocation. That is why what is going on in our church is less about pre- and post-Vatican II ideologies than about the experience of being disoriented… It may get expressed in ways theological and psychological, but it is primarily a cultural phenomenon… We Catholics get into fights because each of us wants to believe that there is just one Catholic culture, by which we mean our own native one, of course. ‘By the standards of my Catholic culture, the church nowadays has got it wrong. The value must be this, not that, just the way it was when I was growing up or when I came into the church.’ Like their burgers, Catholics want their religion ‘their way.’” (Pg. 163-164)
He concludes, “our parishioners need us to be poor before them, to be ourselves, and to explore the life of faith in front of them, and with them… At this moment, the church may need priests who are … a community of transparent ministers ready to be honest in communication and willing to let ourselves be seen as the apostles let themselves be seen…
“As has often been the case in the history of the church, the baptized trust more those leaders courageous enough not to hide their fears and mistakes, those who let themselves be seen drowning and worse. I think our parishioners want fewer of our bright ideas and more of our empathy and honest response to life. In short, they are attracted to priests who know how to take chances…. They perceive they are prompted by the Holy Spirit; from such priests parishioners will find the guts to be courageous and docile disciples themselves.” (174-175)
This book will appeal to Catholics looking for a ‘pastoral’ perspective on current events.
Michael Heher is a retired Pastor Emeritus. He wrote in the Introduction to this 2004 book, “These essays try to show how our ministry is crucial to the life of the everyday church… By wrestling with my own odd life as one parish priest, I am trying to find our priesthood. I am a man in the middle. I no longer have the enthusiasm of my earlier days, and the years have disabused me of most of my romantic illusions about life in the church and the priesthood…
“I am squinting at the horizon to chart how we got where we are and in which direction we ought to proceed. If I dare… to ask some daring and personal questions, it is because I address them at much to myself as to you. You will hear my convictions at times, the ways I hope we might move forward together, as well as what I think we should stop doing; but please do not think I have an agenda worked out. My essays tend to raise more questions than they answer… Do others, despite the daunting exigencies, still love the priestly life as much as I do?” (Pg. 2-3)
He observes, “Since every scandal is presumed to conceal a deeper, hidden narrative… the sexual misconduct by our confreres threatens to sink us all. If once people were willing to think of us as innocent, others now are possessed of a … willingness to believe only what is sinister and horrifying. Even though most of the alleged incidents occurred decades ago and the relative number of priests involved is small, some… now suspect that the individual sins of some are but the tip of the iceberg… Because of this, one can wonder if the priesthood itself has been discredited… have we lost our right to speak out as any kind of moral compass?” (Pg. 12)
He continues, “we speak of how these circumstances will be a ‘purification’ for all of us in the clergy. We remind people of what the newspapers don’t seem to mention: that the vast majority of priests are doing exemplary work and that only a small percentage of priests are pedophiles. We argue that the typical pedophile is more likely to be a married man than a sexually repressed priest…. We hear those zealots who … say, ‘Well, maybe this will finally force the church to make the changes it should have made long ago; to celibacy, to the top-down, male-dominated leadership, to secrecy masking itself as confidentiality.’ Or… you say, ‘Well, maybe this will finally force the church to go back to the tried-and-true’ and no more of this ‘wink-and-nod’ complicity with those who aren’t keeping their promises of celibacy.’” (Pg. 13)
He states, “I think priests generally recognize how tough it is to be a bishop, particularly a diocesan bishop. They come in for lots of criticism---not all of it undeserved, mind you---and they find themselves frequently under both the gun and the microscope, with the same people wanting them to solve their problems and stop telling them what to do… the job exacts a heavy cost, which most bishops pay without complaining… When a priest I know was named bishop, he told me he received from the clergy as many offers of condolence as cheers of congratulations.” (Pg. 73)
Of a priest friend of his who reads lots and lots of books, he comments, “I offer him as an antidote for the anti-intellectualism for which we parish priests have too often prided ourselves. Some of us gloat about how we have not cracked a book since the seminary and won’t even bother to do those quickie one-day workshops the diocese puts on. Under duress, we’ll scan the occasional article or submit to diocesan-mandated study days… but we protest that everything priests need to know can be learned in the parking lot and the confessional. We are the guys in the street, it is argued, not theoreticians perched in some think tank. To me, this is a completely specious contention…” (Pg. 116)
He summarizes, “The church is going through what everybody on earth is going through. The real overarching issue of our times is that the way of life which we have lived for centuries is ending; societies across the globe are all in various states of fragmentation… We are most certainly … caught in the mix. Few of us live in the same world that we were ‘given’ at birth. Since we are only at the beginning of this age, whatever it may turn out to be can’t be seen yet, at least not to me.
“So far the experience has been almost entirely one of dislocation. That is why what is going on in our church is less about pre- and post-Vatican II ideologies than about the experience of being disoriented… It may get expressed in ways theological and psychological, but it is primarily a cultural phenomenon… We Catholics get into fights because each of us wants to believe that there is just one Catholic culture, by which we mean our own native one, of course. ‘By the standards of my Catholic culture, the church nowadays has got it wrong. The value must be this, not that, just the way it was when I was growing up or when I came into the church.’ Like their burgers, Catholics want their religion ‘their way.’” (Pg. 163-164)
He concludes, “our parishioners need us to be poor before them, to be ourselves, and to explore the life of faith in front of them, and with them… At this moment, the church may need priests who are … a community of transparent ministers ready to be honest in communication and willing to let ourselves be seen as the apostles let themselves be seen…
“As has often been the case in the history of the church, the baptized trust more those leaders courageous enough not to hide their fears and mistakes, those who let themselves be seen drowning and worse. I think our parishioners want fewer of our bright ideas and more of our empathy and honest response to life. In short, they are attracted to priests who know how to take chances…. They perceive they are prompted by the Holy Spirit; from such priests parishioners will find the guts to be courageous and docile disciples themselves.” (174-175)
This book will appeal to Catholics looking for a ‘pastoral’ perspective on current events.
March 1, 2022
This is a book for priests by a priest who has served in a number of different ministries to be able to speak to priests of different generations. This is not some pie in the sky DisneyWorld that Fr. Heher describes; it is the real world in which priests work day after day. He describes some of the problems we face but does not hold himself aloof from them. His message is most often a "we" and "us" message rather than "they" and "you". We're reading this book in my book club which comprises priests of different education, background, and age. All of us find something to which we can relate which spurs us on to the discussion. Fr. Heher writes in a simple style that is readily understandable. He might throw in a Latin word or phrase here or there, but it is easily understood and he doesn't do it to show off his erudition. He also uses other authors from other disciplines to illustrate his point.
Running through the whole book is the image from whence he takes his title. The Apostle Peter was able to walk on water by keeping his focus on Jesus. When he lost his focus, he began to sink. It's like the fact that according to the laws of aerodynamics a bumblebee cannot fly, but nobody told the bee, so it does. The same is true for us; once we focus on ourselves and lose sight of Jesus we too begin to sink. In keeping our focus, we can and will do great things, like walk on water.
Running through the whole book is the image from whence he takes his title. The Apostle Peter was able to walk on water by keeping his focus on Jesus. When he lost his focus, he began to sink. It's like the fact that according to the laws of aerodynamics a bumblebee cannot fly, but nobody told the bee, so it does. The same is true for us; once we focus on ourselves and lose sight of Jesus we too begin to sink. In keeping our focus, we can and will do great things, like walk on water.
March 5, 2023
A thoughtful and informative book that helps even lay members of the church. It brings to light issues facing the clergy. This is a respected source and can enlighten the general population in ways to improve relationships between clergy and parishioners.
January 24, 2012
I loved this book! It gave a very honest and realistic portrait of the day-to-day life of the priest, beyond the outward appearances, and outlined some of the common struggles and pitfalls of that vocation.
As a lay woman, it gave me an insight into their life and led me to have an increased sense of empathy toward my priests and a renewed desire to support them however I can, especially with my daily prayers.
Not only does Fr. Heher outline some common pitfalls, but he also makes some great suggestions for overcoming these (or even just to recognize them in the first place) to his brother priests.
I would definitely recommend this book to any priest I know, and also to anyone with a heart for our shepherds. :)
As a lay woman, it gave me an insight into their life and led me to have an increased sense of empathy toward my priests and a renewed desire to support them however I can, especially with my daily prayers.
Not only does Fr. Heher outline some common pitfalls, but he also makes some great suggestions for overcoming these (or even just to recognize them in the first place) to his brother priests.
I would definitely recommend this book to any priest I know, and also to anyone with a heart for our shepherds. :)
May 25, 2012
Highlights some of the issues of priesthood for a contemporary U.S. diocesan priest. The chapter on Near Enemies was the most interesting to me. His perspective is an interesting one but not one I share.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews