For retired priest, the Mass remains central

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Father John Hart, who served as a parish priest in the Diocese of Salt Lake City for 50 years, is now retired, although he still celebrates Masses in parishes and missions all over Utah.

SALT LAKE CITY – For many, the dream of retirement includes long, lazy days on the beach in the sun, but that’s not how the golden years are unfolding for Father John Hart, who retired two years ago after 50 years as a parish priest in the Diocese of Salt Lake City. He can be found traveling from his Salt Lake home to Magna, or perhaps to Kanab or Ogden, wherever there’s a parish in need of a priest for a Sunday Mass.

“Priests retire from pastoral administration and responsibilities; priests do not retire from being priests. That is a lifelong vocation,” said Monsignor J. Terrence Fitzgerald, vicar general of the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City. “Father Hart is most generous in offering Masses in parishes to help cover when we are short on priests. He dedicated himself to cover Holy Family Parish in Ogden for months between pastors. He covered Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Magna for most of four months when the pastor was away. He is a model of lifelong dedication in Utah as a faithful priest.”

For Fr. Hart, celebrating the liturgy is a way to keep in contact with people in the diocese, and also to stay active. “It is nice for me to have the opportunity to say a Mass,” said Fr. Hart, who lives in an apartment close to the Cathedral of the Madeleine and walks every day. “My hearing is pretty bad, but as long as I am able to walk and talk, I’ll keep on. I feel very honored to have the opportunity to continue to say Mass for the different parishes. To cover is not a big deal for me; I enjoy it.”

When diocesan priests retire, they live independently and can no longer rely upon a parish for support. In other words, with retirement, the room and board stops. And because they were paid a very modest wage in active ministry, they receive a minimal Social Security benefit. To supplement the retirement for priests like Fr. Hart, the Church annually takes up a Priests’ Retirement Collection.

“It is important to remember that the priests give their lives to serving the needs of Utah’s people,” Msgr. Fitzgerald said. “They sacrifice having their own family so as to care for the church family. The salaries of the priests are quite moderate so that they can’t save much money themselves.”

The retirement collection allows the diocese to provide monthly checks to retired priests, who otherwise would have little else to support them, Msgr. Fitzgerald said. “It is the responsibility of the Catholic people of Utah to provide for the care of their priests when age or illness prevents them from full-time active ministry,” he said.

The Priests’ Retirement Collection of the Salt Lake City Catholic Diocese this year is Sept. 12. The money collected will go into the Priests’ Retirement Fund, which was established to provide retirement support for clergy so the retired priests can be able to meet everyday needs like food, housing, transportation and health care. The collection will take place in each Salt Lake City Catholic Diocese parish during the Masses.