Q. How are priest salaries determined?
A. For the Levitical priest of the Old Covenant, “The Lord is [their] portion and cup,” (Ps 16), meaning their inheritance came not from their own undertakings but were provided out of the gifts offered to the Lord. In addition to tithes, they took a hind quarter of certain animals offered in sacrifice (Lev. 7:31-34).
At the time of Jesus, Josephus recounts 256,500 lambs being offered at Passover, with each lamb coming in at 20-30 denarii (about a month of a poor laborer’s wages). If we say they take a quarter of that and divide it among the 20,000 priests serving at the time, it comes out to about 80 denarii per priest (not a bad Passover bonus). Though the math and particulars are inexact (e.g. it is doubtful they would have taken this portion from the Passover lamb), this does go to show that the people of God supported their priests through their sacred offerings.
Jesus envisions something similar for his priests and missionaries serving the Word of God. In Matthew 10, he tells his disciples not to provide for their own means via money bags or satchels, but that “the laborer deserves his wages,” meaning they must trust in the generosity of God who will provide for them through the hospitality of the home which they enter as bearers of the Word.
St. Paul reechoes this in 1 Tim 5:8 and 1 Cor 9:9 – “You shall not muzzle a treading ox.” I always loved this line; the image comes from Deuteronomy. An ox treading grain is doing the work of the harvest and must be allowed to eat freely of the grain at its feet to keep its strength. The Temple was built on one such threshing floor where this harvest work would have taken place, so the priests can be viewed as ox/harvesters in the Lord’s barnyard – something Jesus himself suggested: “the harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few…” (Mt 9:37).
The people of God participate in this sort of sacrificial economy when they generously offer stipends to their parish priests for Masses offered in their parish. The $10 suggested offering goes toward the daily care of their priests. Additionally, each diocese must discern how much of the offerings are to be rationed to priests so that they may be provided for in order to fully serve the Word of God while at the same time live in the spirit of evangelical poverty toward which they have been called.
I thank all who have sustained the priesthood in our diocese through their offerings. Though I’ve never received the hind quarter of a lamb like the old Levites, I’ve always felt well supported in my ministry (though, I suppose, the occasional gift of a roast has been an acceptable biblical alternative).
This question was answered by Father Joseph Wahlmeier, pastor of St. Mary Parish in Davey and instructor at St. Gregory the Great Seminary.
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