A priest as an ordained leader in the church never retires from his priesthood but eventually must resign from responsibility for a parish or other diocesan office.

"Retirement" is about what I’m going to do, not about what I’m not going to do". In other words, "It’s not about what I have stopped being, but about what I hope to grow to be."

encourage support groups for priests

help develop a sense of cohesion with those of same age

suggest easement into a second career without an executive function, which can be continued and developed after retirement

suggest a buffer stage between full active ministry and retirement

seek ways to respond to priests preparing for retirement when they want help

encourage use of books, articles, videos and audio cassettes

encourage hobbies and new skills

encourage men to develop their resources, personal and material

encourage gently and discretely a companion for the journey, a sponsor/carer

raise the possibility of a spiritual and social companion who will challenge them

encourage the presence of women and children in older age to develop respect and reverence and counter hardness and bitterness developing

foster "grandfather" experiences with children and young adults

visit retired priests – loneliness can be very painful

encourage younger priests to visit older priests for a chat

encourage older priests not to loose interest and to come to priests’ gatherings

provide opportunities for priests to get out of solitary places and meet with others

foster attention to spiritual growth, a time to be with the Lord and with others

underline retirement as a special time to develop one’s relationship with God

encourage deeper entry into the world of prayer

encourage priests to have a vision for the future

provide assistance in finding the meaning of "being" rather than "doing"

foster human and spiritual development through specially tailored retreats for older priests

provide formation/information on the spirituality of ageing, the psychology of ageing and the physical changes of ageing

help priests maintain respect and reverence for themselves in dress and lifestyle

create pastoral contacts for retired priests

create opportunities to socialise and minister according to their giftedness

find a quasi-official way of regularly "mining their wisdom"

encourage use of senior citizen groups for learning better ways of being human

be aware of concerns in the old around "what will happen when my health goes"

make information available concerning social services available for the elderly eg fare concessions, medical assistance, house keeping assistance etc

suggest the possibility of keeping a pet

enlist help of a trained supervisor/case worker to oversee retirement process

offer helps to remain involved in life and guard against depression

get someone to show the use of a personal computer for card games, chess and other games, and for the internet packed with information and world news