The priest do not save us. However, if they do their job right, they can be useful in pointing us to God.
I had no pastor or priest or church to lead me to Christ. I asked God to reveal Himself in some way to me and He did. He told me to read my bible and I did. At that moment the Holy Spirit lead me to understand what I was reading. Believe me....you can not really understand the bible....no matter how much to read it until the Holy Spirit opens your eyes. You will be able to see things that others do not see or understand. I know this to be true because I had tried to read and read the bible and I was frustrated because it didn't help me understand any better. It wasn't until I had more faith, that the Truth stood out within scripture. It was amazing. You can't find this truth from an intellectual stance. One can be the dumbest sheep on the block and with the help of the Holy Spirit, have great wisdom.
There is great Love in sharing this with everyone.