A Cohort of Married Roman Catholic Priests, and More Are on the Way

[Anna_Scott]

essentially the Anglicans were a part of the Latin Rite. The Catholic Church does not see them as a separate church the way they see the Eastern Churches. What the Catholic Church has done was arrange for the Anglican Church to rejoin the communion with the Latin Rite by allowing them to preserve their traditions.

Many of the priests entering the Ordinariate and those in the Anglican Use have up to 9 children. I am sure that they live a simple life, but are willing to sacrifice, that includes their wives to follow Christ in His Church.

This is more than many people in any denomination would be willing to do. There are Catholic priests who come from families with wealth and there is nothing the Church states that the priest can’t inherit money.

I have great respect for priests who have lilttle and devote their lives to God and the Church. My pastor is one of those and he is a very holy man.

As has been pointed out by one poster, Anglicans come from the Latin Church and will be Latin Rite Catholics with their own Patrimony and liturgy.

Yours in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary

Bernadette

vsedriver & BernadetteM,

I appreciate your comments. Basically, when Henry broke away from Papal authority, England was Catholic without the Pope. So, I would see Anglicans as returning to Communion with Rome.

Even prior to the Ordinariate, Anglo Catholics have reclaimed much of the Catholic heritage, abandoning many of the Protestant influences.

Thanks,
Anna

 

[Anna_Scott]

Depends on who is asking and the specific person/group which replies.

Nicea,
In this case, I am asking. Do you think there is a mixed reaction among Catholics? Would you elaborate a bit?

Thanks,
Anna

 

[Tony888]

A Cohort of Married Roman Catholic Priests, and More Are on the Way
Link: nytimes.com/2012/01/07/us/married-roman-catholic-priests-are-testing-a-tradition.html?pagewanted=all

This New York Times article raises many questions about Catholic Priests and marriage–especially in light of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter (usordinariate.org/), through which married Episcopal Priests can enter the Catholic Church and continue to be Priests.

Does this open the door a bit wider for the option of marriage for all Catholic Priests?

What say you?
Anna

Excellent article, thanks for sharing.

I expect now that more married priests are actually leading a parish, the experience will crack open the door.

Before reading your article I was not aware that earlier married priests were not allowed to have a Parish.

 

[KathleenGee]

I am getting off here…but…for me, seeing the Anglican priests back is wonderful and their being married is a non-issue for me…but I am now just wondering about the parishes and dioceses supporting their families…that is the duty now of the Church. And the Church wants women to care for their own children and not the secular state.

 

[po18guy]

Excellent article, thanks for sharing.

I expect now that more married priests are actually leading a parish, the experience will crack open the door.

Before reading your article I was not aware that earlier married priests were not allowed to have a Parish.

Excuse me, but what interest do you have in eroding the right of the Catholic Church to require a discipline to be observed by clergy? A discipline that Priests knowingly agree to? A discipline that is biblically based? Really…

 

[ConstantineTG]

I am getting off here…but…for me, seeing the Anglican priests back is wonderful and their being married is a non-issue for me…but I am now just wondering about the parishes and dioceses supporting their families…that is the duty now of the Church. And the Church wants women to care for their own children and not the secular state.

I think we’re having an overly romanticized view of the married priesthood. Secular priests are “employees” which get paid for their service. They are allowed to accumulate wealth, what they own does not belong to the Church. So if Father A has a rich brother who gives him a BMW 5-series, the BMW 5-series belongs to Father A and not Diocese X.

Now in terms of family, I don’t see why it would be any different with how secular priests are handled today. The priest gets the same salary, the family can live in the living space attached to the parish, if there is one. And if the parish has an attached school, the kids would probably be given free education as a complement. Other than that, I don’t know why things need to be different. The relationship of the priest to the diocese will remain the same. Currently, the diocese doesn’t “own” the priests or take care of the priests aside from how they compensate them as employees (salary and benefits like healthcare and retirement funds).

 

[manualman]

Anna, you might be misreading some of these accounts.

It is a one thing to allow a married man who obeyed what he perceived as his calling to ministry while outside the catholic church to be ordained as a catholic priest after his conversion. It is quite another to “allow priests to marry.” The latter is NOT being allowed, even in the Anglican ordinariate.

It is a pastoral exception for those who, through no fault of their own, discerned the call to priesthood BEFORE discerning the unique qualities of catholicism as opposed to those groups that have split off from her. And it is available only to converts, not those who will grow up in the ordinariate.

 

[ConstantineTG]

Excuse me, but what interest do you have in eroding the right of the Catholic Church to require a discipline to be observed by clergy? A discipline that Priests knowingly agree to? A discipline that is biblically based? Really…

While celibacy is given praise in Scripture, nowhere in scripture is it made mandatory. It should be up to the person themselves to choose a celibate life or not. St. Paul certainly did not close the door on married clergy. In fact he even writes about a bishop having one wife (which means the bishop hasn’t married more than once or isn’t polygamous).

 

[Leegal]

A Cohort of Married Roman Catholic Priests, and More Are on the Way
Link: nytimes.com/2012/01/07/us/married-roman-catholic-priests-are-testing-a-tradition.html?pagewanted=all

This New York Times article raises many questions about Catholic Priests and marriage–especially in light of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter (usordinariate.org/), through which married Episcopal Priests can enter the Catholic Church and continue to be Priests.

Does this open the door a bit wider for the option of marriage for all Catholic Priests?

What say you?
Anna

No. The Pope has said he will not consider allowing Catholic Priests to marry.

 

[Tony888]

No. The Pope has said he will not consider allowing Catholic Priests to marry.

It’s all in the timing of the marriage. Will he allow married men to become priests?

 

[Nicea325]

Nicea,
In this case, I am asking. Do you think there is a mixed reaction among Catholics? Would you elaborate a bit?

Thanks,
Anna

Yes I think the reactions are mixed amongst Catholics. Well I am not an expert on the subject matter,but as a lay employee for the RCC, I do expect an increase of priests who will be married. The Diocese I work under, I believe there is six married priests who belonged to other faiths before converting to the CC. As you know the Eastern Rites do allow their priests to marry in comparison to the Latin were celibacy is a discipline.

Now the question remains: Will Rome ease and allow its Latin Rite priests to marry? I can say yes and others might say never will happen. With the average age of priest nearing 60 and many men not going into the priesthood,who knows? Might happen or may not? Perhaps Rome should ease up and see what happens? I am not saying a priest has to marry,but allow celibacy as discipline for those who feel its their calling to remain celibate.

Peace

 

[Tony888]

Excuse me, but what interest do you have in eroding the right of the Catholic Church to require a discipline to be observed by clergy? A discipline that Priests knowingly agree to? A discipline that is biblically based? Really…

Excuse me, but why do you object to my reading the OP and responding with my thoughts?
From your tone is seems you have no respect for the eastern rites that already allow married men to become priests.

 

[manualman]

Now the question remains: Will Rome ease and allow its Latin Rite priests to marry?

You’re not listening. Not even priests of the Anglican ordinariate will be allowed to marry AFTER ordination. It’s only for converts already married before they convert.

If Rome has not intention of allowing priests in the Anglican ordinariate to marry after ordination, why on earth would they allow priests in the Latin rite to do so?

 

[Nicea325]

You’re not listening. Not even priests of the Anglican ordinariate will be allowed to marry AFTER ordination. It’s only for converts already married before they convert.

If Rome has not intention of allowing priests in the Anglican ordinariate to marry after ordination, why on earth would they allow priests in the Latin rite to do so?

I am sorry, but I was not clear. I am not talking about after ordination,of course they cannot. The question is: Will the church allow a married man to become a priest?

Are married men allowed to become permanent deacons?

 

[Anna_Scott]

**Charity please. Try to avoid this: **:slapfight:

Thanks,
Anna

 

[rsantos]

Pope John Paul II said that catholics may not receive Eucharist from Episcopal priests for this reason: (from “Ecclesia de Eucharistia,” No. 30):
“The Ecclesial Communities separated from us lack that fullness of unity with us which should flow from Baptism”

So
Faithful RC priests who have shared that fullness of unity with the catholic church since birth and baptism are not welcome to celebrate Eucharist after they marry but

Episcopal priests who have not shared that lifelong fullness of unity can???

 

[ConstantineTG]

Pope John Paul II said that catholics may not receive Eucharist from Episcopal priests for this reason: (from “Ecclesia de Eucharistia,” No. 30):
“The Ecclesial Communities separated from us lack that fullness of unity with us which should flow from Baptism”

So
Faithful RC priests who have shared that fullness of unity with the catholic church since birth and baptism are not welcome to celebrate Eucharist after they marry but

Episcopal priests who have not shared that lifelong fullness of unity can???

Remember the parable on the workers of the vineyard, where people came to the vineyard at different times of the day and were paid the same? And those who came early complained that those who came late got paid the same? Its like that. Lifelong RC “agreed to the wage offered” and thus will be paid accordingly. While those who came late (converts) have agreed to the wage offered to them. We should be happy what is given to us, we were happy when it was first offered, why sour up later on?

 

[Anna_Scott]

Remember the parable on the workers of the vineyard, where people came to the vineyard at different times of the day and were paid the same? And those who came early complained that those who came late got paid the same? Its like that. Lifelong RC “agreed to the wage offered” and thus will be paid accordingly. While those who came late (converts) have agreed to the wage offered to them. We should be happy what is given to us, we were happy when it was first offered, why sour up later on?

ConstantineTG,

That is a kind and charitable response to the Anglican Priests who are entering the Ordinariate. Though I certainly understand why rsantos feels the way he does.

The other rather surprising factor in this whole process is that Anglican Priests, whose orders have long ago been deemed invalid by the Catholic Church, still perform the Sacraments while awaiting entry into Communion with the Catholic Church. Technically, their orders are still invalid, since they have not yet entered the Ordinariate.

Needless to say, it’s complicated.

Peace,
Anna

 

[Anna_Scott]

Actually, it does not. And, the Pope has reiterated this numerous times. There will be no change to the discipline of celibacy in the West.

There is a “shortage” of priests in Western countries. Vocations overflow in many other countries. This shortage in Western countries extends not only to Catholic priests but to Protestant ministers in mainline churches and to the Orthodox. It cannot be concluded that celibacy in the Catholic Church is a cause of a shortage when shortages parallel geographically within those denominations and Churches that allow married clergy and, in some cases, female clergy.

1ke,

I appreciate our comments. I’m not saying anything about Catholic statistics vs. Protestant statistics.

It seems the Catholic Church is facing a serious issue with the declining numbers of Priests. According to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (Copyright © 2012), there is a significant downward trend in the number of Catholic Priests in the U.S. See link: cara.georgetown.edu/CARAServices/requestedchurchstats.html

**Year: Total priests **
1965: 58,632

1975: 58,909

1985: 57,317

1995: 49,054

2000: 45,699

2005: 42,839

2011: 39,466

The same study shows the Catholic population on the rise. So, that could present a serious problem for the Sacramental life of Catholics.

Back in 2005, Fr. Robert J. Levis on gave a rather ominous answer on EWTN to a question about what will happen if there are “hardly any priests to go around. . .” See his answer at this link: ewtn.com/vexperts/showmessage.asp?number=442668&Pg=Forum6&Pgnu=1&recnu=8

Any comments?
Anna

 

[Anna_Scott]

1ke,

I appreciate our comments. . .

I meant “your” comments.

. . .Back in 2005, Fr. Robert J. Levis on gave a rather ominous answer on EWTN. . .

That “on” should be deleted. :takethat: (Actually, the computer isn’t the problem, but I’ll give it a few whacks anyway.)

Sorry. I’ve been a bit off for days. Need some sleep.

Anna