Level of Pastoral Satisfaction among Catholic Priests in Eldoret Diocese, Kenya

Pastoral satisfaction is an important indicator of clergy work-related psychological wellbeing because it reflects the extent to which priests experience ministry as meaningful, effective, appreciated, and personally fulfilling. Although Catholic priesthood is grounded in vocation and spiritual commitment, the daily experience of ministry is also shaped by workload, institutional relationships, available resources, community expectations, and opportunities for rest and renewal. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the level of pastoral satisfaction among Catholic priests serving in Eldoret Diocese, Kenya. The study was anchored on the Self-Determination Theory (SDT). A cross-sectional descriptive survey design was employed. The target population comprised 145 Catholic priests, yielding 70.3% response rate. The study used census sampling determination because of the small size of the target population. Pastoral satisfaction was measured using the Satisfaction in Ministry Scale (SIMS), which demonstrated high internal consistency in the study (Cronbach’s α = .92). Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. The findings revealed that more than half of the priests (55.9%, n = 57) reported low pastoral satisfaction, 29.4% (n = 30) scored moderate satisfaction, while 14.7% (n = 15) were at high level of pastoral satisfaction. Thus, 85.3% fell below the high-satisfaction category. The study concludes that pastoral satisfaction among Catholic priests in Eldoret Diocese is generally low, with few priests experiencing high fulfilment in ministry. The study recommends that the Diocesan administration should strengthen supportive leadership, priestly fraternity, recognition, continuing formation, psychological services, adequate resources, meaningful participation, and opportunities for renewal.

Pastoral satisfaction, Catholic priests, clergy wellbeing, Satisfaction in Ministry Scale

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