Many people struggle with the idea of retirement. For some, their work is what has come to define them. For others, a job is like a comfortable old shoe – it fits and simply feels good.
After being away from full-time ministry for two years, Fr. Tony Russo, SCJ, said that he is still adjusting to the idea of being retired.
“I don’t miss the responsibilities of being a pastor,” he said. “But I miss the ministry and being a part of the on-going life of a parish.”
Professed in 1957 and ordained in 1966, Fr. Tony, 71, taught in SCJ seminaries, served in province administration, and did parish ministry in Texas and Wisconsin. His last full-time assignment before retirement was as pastor of St Martin of Tours parish in Franklin, Wis.
“I was there for 12 years,” Fr. Tony said. “After that long a place really grows on you.”
Fr. Tony still lives just a few minutes away from St. Martin of Tours and initially, he said that he found frequent excuses to be at the parish. Often, he’d come and concelebrate a weekend Mass. But slowly, the visits became less frequent as he became involved in other ministries and activities. Now, he mainly goes back only to celebrate a wedding or baptism.
“I’m finding a good balance now,” he said. “At first I was worried that I wouldn’t have enough to do.”
It was just the opposite. Soon after retirement Fr. Tony was flooded with requests for priestly help-out. Often pastors needed someone to cover a weekend Mass.
“It took a little while before I learned to say ‘no’ once in awhile,” he said. “That’s probably a problem that many people have when they retire. It’s not uncommon to feel guilty about taking time off, to simply not work as much as you did before.”
When asked if, as a pastor, he had counseled people who might have been struggling with the transition to retirement, he said no. Instead, “many of the parishioners were good examples to me of what healthy retirement can be,” he said. “So many of them were able to pursue things that they hadn’t had time for when they were working full time.”
Like many people, Fr. Tony has a number of projects that he planned to get to “when I finally have some extra time.”
When preaching at St. Martin of Tours he enjoyed putting stories into his homilies. “I’ve saved those stories and often thought of putting them together either as a resource, or as a guide to helping people develop their own stories,” he said.
And then there are the boxes of personal journals. “I’ve been keeping a daily journal since the 1970s; it would be interesting to take a look and see if there is anything that could be done with all of that.”
Retirement has also provided opportunities for trying new possibilities in ministry. “I was asked to give a retreat for a group of retired religious sisters,” he said. “I had done a few retreats before but never for a women’s religious group. I enjoyed it. In preparing for it, I got a lot out of it myself.”
How did he know that it was time to retire?
“It was a gradual realization,” he said. “I started to feel more like a grandpa at the parish. You know the joke about grandparents – they love to spend time with the grandchildren when the kids are fun but when they fuss it is time to hand them back to the parents. I didn’t have the energy for the ‘fuss’ any more.”
Now the “grandpa” enjoys traveling more, often visiting family or friends he has come to know through parish ministry. He takes more time to connect with people, meeting others for a movie or a sports event.
“That’s why I am looking forward to our new development [Sacred Heart at Monastery Lake],” said Fr. Tony. “It’s good to be with our community but I’d like the opportunities that being with a larger group can provide.”
Does he have any advice for other priests and religious considering retirement?
“You don’t have to stop doing ministry; a priest never really retires from being a priest,” said Fr. Tony. “But having the option of saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the amount of ministry is important at a certain point. Retirement doesn’t mean ‘do nothing.’
“The wonderful thing about retirement is that you can do as much or as little as you feel up to.”
After sitting down for a short interview, the next stop for Fr. Tony was to be Raymondville, Texas, where he will be helping out a classmate –– Fr. Richard MacDonald –– for a few weeks, celebrating Masses in the Rio Grande Valley.
And then it’s back to the baseball stadium for a few more Brewers’ games.
