Work in Rome expands Fr. Reilley’s perspective

Fr. Patrick Reilley waited at a Roman bus stop, praying silently while also considering how to say he was leaving the Roman Curia after barely getting started.

“I was telling God, ‘I don’t think this is for me, I don’t belong here, I don’t want to deal with this anymore,’” he said. “In my mind, I was also writing the letter of resignation, telling Bishop Kemme I was coming home.”

An earlier, relatively sheltered stint spent studying canon law in Rome among many fellow Americans had not prepared him for Italian bureaucracy. Now the effort to obtain an Italian driver’s license had plunged him into the country’s baffling process for obtaining official residency. His surreal plight would be characterized by delays, dead ends, and requirements that were, if not absurd, then at least outside his control.

When another visit to the ID card office failed to secure the credential, Fr. Reilley apparently looked so stricken that the Italian bureaucrats offered a suggestion.

“There must have been something about the look on my face, because they took pity on me,” he said. “They told me to go to another office and explain the problem.”

And so, Fr. Reilley found himself at that bus stop talking with God and composing his letter to the bishop.
Although he assumed any further steps would prove as futile as the previous ones, when the bus arrived, Fr. Reilley climbed aboard. He went to the recommended office, waited his turn, reiterated his problem, and sat in the waiting area.

“They didn’t tell me what they were doing, but they finally called me up and said, ‘You are now a resident, would you like an identity card?’” he said. “Right then and there, I got everything I needed.”

As he left, Fr. Reilley acknowledged the providential help.

“I said, ‘Well, okay, Lord, I guess I am supposed to stay a while,” he said.

For the Universal Church
Fr. Reilley has worked for the Holy See since August 2023 as an official in the Dicastery for the Clergy, which assists the Holy Father with issues relating to priests and deacons, as well as seminaries and seminarians. Other functions involve parishes and acts of extraordinary administration for certain financial transactions.

“We cover a wide variety of areas,” he said. “My five-year contract runs until August 2028. It is possibile for that to be renewed, but that is a question for down the road.”

Fr. Reilley said his department includes only about 30 people. “That’s not a lot, considering the number of priests and seminarians across the world, but we do the best we can,” he said. “I am surrounded by very competent people who love the Church, by good priests who were also in parishes with no idea that they would be working in the Roman Curia, but who have given very generously of their time and their talents to serve the universal church.”

Although many might consider his job a plum assignment, Fr. Reilley said he never envisioned it. That is not only because he often would gladly trade the impressive Italian cuisine for some American barbecue or meatloaf but because he enjoys serving the faithful in the Diocese of Wichita.

“I never expected to be doing something like this,” he said. “It was not part of my vocational discernment, nor part of my plan for life as a priest. I was very happy as a parish priest.”

Nevertheless, he said the role was an outgrowth of his training, which he undertook out of an interest in serving on the diocesan marriage tribunal.

“I volunteered to the bishop that I might want to study canon law, eventually got that license and came back to the diocese to work in our marriage tribunal,” he said. “I was expecting that and parochial work would be my life from then on, but the Holy See had different plans.”

That is because canonists are in short supply, Fr, Reilley said, even in the Vatican. “Evidently I came to the attention of some people in Rome. That started another round of discernment, and led to me realize the Lord was calling me to this kind of ministry right now.”

Moreover, he added, even if he never envisioned such an occupation, he still appreciates it. “I really enjoy the work, which has been really fascinating,” Fr. Reilley said. “It’s a different kind of ministry, but a very necessary one.”

A deeper understanding
According to Fr. Reilley, the time in Rome also has helped expand his perspective. He pointed to the example of living in a part of the world where the culture has been so shaped by a Catholic heritage.
“All the reference points are Catholicism, which is so openly represented, in contrast with the United States, where it is more private,” he said. “It’s beautiful to see how openly Catholic Italy is.”

Nevertheless, he said he also had come to better appreciate the active and robust American approach to parochial life.

“The parish is a center of activity, a place where people go to encounter the Lord and one another,” he said. “That is not so much the case in Rome, where parishes are very, very close to one another and people go wherever they feel like and find community in other ways.”

Fr. Reilley said he also had encountered numerous people who admired American Catholics’ heritage of taking the initiative to build and strengthen Catholic schools, parishes, and other institutions. He added American Catholics were renowned for practicing the faith more than in many places, and that the Diocese of Wichita’s reputation was particularly well-regarded among those in Rome.

“They are really fascinated and find it very attractive, but it’s very foreign to them,” he said. “I get a sense of pride when so many people say ‘You’re from that diocese with all those vocations,’ or ‘You’re from the stewardship diocese.’ It’s a wonderful gift that we must continue to cultivate. Although we are proud of our accomplishments, we cannot be complacent.”

Living in Rome has helped Fr. Reilley better appreciate American efficiency, he said, but episodes such as his predicament with Italian bureaucracy also have helped him understand how bewildering it can be to live in a foreign land.

“I am getting an immigrant’s experience,” he said. “There are countless things people take for granted that are very difficult for someone who is not a native speaker of the language and does not have a frame of reference for what to do. Now I have a lot more sympathy for people who are trying to do that in our country.”

Fr. Reilley said he would continue to endure – and offer up – such frustrations as part of God’s plan. “I get little confirmations that I am doing what I am supposed to be doing,” he said. “Yes, the Lord is taking care of me along the way, but it definitely has been an interesting experience.”