Many people think that priests say  Mass, sit in the rectory and prays all day long.  Outside of his vocation, he has no life.  Besides that being far from the truth, most priests have something outside of their daily “work” to help them relax and to express their creativity.  Like all people, priests have their own likes and dislikes, their dreams and joys, they also have hobbies that range their own unique personalities.  Here are ten priests and their hobbies:

1.  Fr. Andrew Trapp who was ordained for the Diocese of Charleston in 2007 enjoys playing poker.  He used his hobby to help the fundraising project to build a new church in his assignment at St. Michael’s.  Read more about the poker star priest here.

2. Fr. Michael Drury’s passion is in wood working.  The priest has many of his creative works in churches and homes across Montana.  His specialty is carving images of the passion of Christ.  You can see some of Fr. Drury’s work here.

3. Fr. Gary Pennings, a priest of the Greenbay Diocese was ordained in 2001.  Fr. Pennings’ hobby is hiking and backpacking in the Colorado mountains.  Something that helps capture the beauty of his hiking is his love for photography.  Backpacking http://kckvocations.com/father-gary-pennings

4. Fr. Leo Patalinghug is a priest that many of us know.  Fr. Patalinghug was ordained for the Archdiocese of Baltimore in 1999.  Father Leo has a passion for cooking and is the host of the popular show, Grace Before Meals.  To learn more about the cooking priest click here.

5. Friar Gabriel Cortes belongs to the Friars of the Immaculate.  I’m not really sure if Friar Gabriel is a priest or not, but this was too good to pass up.  One might be surprised to see a Friar in habit coming at you on his skateboard, but don’t be shocked by the skateboarding Friar, he is totally devoted to Our Lady and the Church.  The good Friar’s hobby helps spread the good new in his ministry to youth.  Check out this video of Friar Gabriel doing his thing, here.

6. Fr. Matthew Munoz the surfing priest.  The picture and article might freak you out, but this is what another priest is doing in his spare time.  Fr. Munoz was quoted as saying “I am not Jesus.  I need a surfboard to walk on water”.  This one will raise a few eyebrows when you see it, but you can check it out here.

7. Fr. Jean-Marie Mouchet, an Oblate of Mary Immaculate likes to ski.  We might not be shocked by this, since even our late Pope John Paul, II loved to ski.  You can read about Fr. Mouchet here.

8. Fr. Bill Moore is a member of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary.  His hobby is abstract expressionism.  Fr. Moore has a studio in Pomona, CA.  the Painting Priest  You can learn more about Fr. Bill’s painting here.

9. Msgr. Victor Vieira is a priest of the Diocese of Providence.  Msgr. Victor is my former pastor, my friend and mentor.  You might be shocked to see this pius 67 year old Msgr. Vieira coming down the road on his Honda motorcycle.  I don’t think he’s managed to talk Bishop Tobin into a ride yet.  When the Bishop first heard of Msgr. Victor’s hobby, he warned him “Please be careful Msgr. Victor, we need you!”.  You can see Msgr. Victor blessing a fleet of motorcycles here.

10. Last but not least, I had to share my own passion.  I’m what they call a Live Steamer.  We build and run fully operational miniature replicas of Live Steam locomotives.  If you want to see more about my hobby, visit SteamingPriest.com.

This all goes to show you that we men at the altar in the service of Our Lord need to find creative ways to relax and keep our minds clear so that we can faithfully serve the Church for many years to come!