Bearded Priests

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BenjaminD

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I just had a random question pop into my mind.

Is it actually forbidden for a Priest to have a beard? Seminaries I have looked into say you cannot grow facial hair during your studies and I have heard that it is banned for Priests by many people.

But what is the background of this? The only Priest I know of that has had a beard (Besides Eastern Catholics) is Father Corapi.

I haven’t really paid attention to this until recently haha.
 
I’m sure that’s news to Fr. Mitch Pacwa. 🙂 Oh, and I’m pretty sure that two other minor priests… I think their names were Peter and Paul… never felt the touch of a razor 😃 😛 And, of course, Our Lord wore a beard extremely well himself, and if it was good enough for the Son of God… 😉

But seriously, I doubt there’s any sort of beard code for priests outside the usual “keep it neat and not too eccentric”.
 
I understand that the SPPX discourages the practice of beards etc although I do not know why that this is so.

Having said this I know of one Australian priest who has a beard and I understand that it is because of skin cancers that have been excised. Certainly there are the priests and male religious in countries in the Asia District and no doubt elsewhere, that permit beards for cultural reasons…ie a beardless man is seen tobe effiminate or some such thing.
 
In the Seattle Archdiocese, many parish Priests have beards. They are especially popular amongst the Jesuits - which may be their tradition.
 
Hm…why should that not be allowed? I think seminars that disallows this are making a mistake.

Look at the person and his values, not his facial hair. That is my humble opionion on this matter.
 
BenjaminD said:
I just had a random question pop into my mind.

Is it actually forbidden for a Priest to have a beard? Seminaries I have looked into say you cannot grow facial hair during your studies and I have heard that it is banned for Priests by many people.

But what is the background of this? The only Priest I know of that has had a beard (Besides Eastern Catholics) is Father Corapi.

I haven’t really paid attention to this until recently haha.
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Canon John Redford:

youtube.com/watch?v=jUzqJnJEf3k
 
Padraig1972 said:
Hm…why should that not be allowed? I think seminars that disallows this are making a mistake.

Look at the person and his values, not his facial hair. That is my humble opionion on this matter.
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While I agree with what you say here, I can think of one reason why seminaries might not allow beards - Discipline.
A person entering religious life must learn humility and obedience. This can be done in many ways and most of them might be small like particular codes regarding dress, deportment, habits, and yes, even whether facial hair is acceptable, not acceptable, or maybe even required…

Just my thoughts on the matter.

Peace
James
 
All of the Franciscans of the Primitive Observance have beards. You can actually tell the newer Brothers due to their scant facial hair!
 
The traditional rule was that if a priest is visiting the Holy Land he can grow beard and he can keep it afterward until it is cut completely.
 
JRKH said:
While I agree with what you say here, I can think of one reason why seminaries might not allow beards - Discipline.
A person entering religious life must learn humility and obedience. This can be done in many ways and most of them might be small like particular codes regarding dress, deportment, habits, and yes, even whether facial hair is acceptable, not acceptable, or maybe even required…

Just my thoughts on the matter.

Peace
James
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James, somehow I knew that you’d nail it. 👍
 
Hi all.
An interesting topic.
I would have thought that a priest who sports a beard would be a good sign because it would say that this man does not value vanity. He is more rightly concerned with spreading the faith. I am uneasy with priests who are too well-groomed.
Just my tuppence-worth.
God Bless,
Colmcille.
 
colmcille1 said:
Hi all.
An interesting topic.
I would have thought that a priest who sports a beard would be a good sign because it would say that this man does not value vanity. He is more rightly concerned with spreading the faith. I am uneasy with priests who are too well-groomed.
Just my tuppence-worth.
God Bless,
Colmcille.
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I don’t think this is a particularly good sign. Of course if the beard is scraggly and unkempt you could make surmise that he is not vain, but many who sport beards spend a great deal of time keeping them nicely trimmed etc…Where-as those who shave daily may be doing it precisely NOT to draw any attention to themselves personally.

Peace
James
 
Seminaries banned beards not because they are wrong but because they are trying to set discipline and a rule. It’s just like the police academy, you have to have a certain hair cut, but once you are in your police department that hired you you go by the department rules. The same thing for seminaries, you are not a priest and they are trying to instill discipline and uniformity. It’s not about judging someone.
 
Pat_Payne said:
I’m sure that’s news to Fr. Mitch Pacwa. 🙂 Oh, and I’m pretty sure that two other minor priests… I think their names were Peter and Paul… never felt the touch of a razor 😃 😛 And, of course, Our Lord wore a beard extremely well himself, and if it was good enough for the Son of God… 😉

But seriously, I doubt there’s any sort of beard code for priests outside the usual “keep it neat and not too eccentric”.
Click to expand...
Paul did feel the touch of a razor. He took a nazarite vow and so shaved his head.

*Then at the entrance of the meeting tent the nazirite shall shave his dedicated head, collect the hair, and put it in the fire that is under the peace offering. After the nazirite has shaved off his dedicated hair, the priest shall take a boiled shoulder of the ram, as well as one unleavened cake and one unleavened wafer from the basket, and shall place them in the (Numbers 6:18-19)*Reference Acts 18:18 and Acts 21:23-34.

So do what we tell you. We have four men who have taken a vow. Take these men and purify yourself with them, and pay their expenses that they may have their heads shaved. In this way everyone will know that there is nothing to the reports they have been given about you but that you yourself live in observance of the law. (Acts 21:23-24)

Paul remained for quite some time, and after saying farewell to the brothers he sailed for Syria, together with Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had his hair cut because he had taken a vow. (Acts 18:18)"Nazarite" at wikipedia if anyone is interested.

-Tim-
 
Both my pastor and parochial vicar have beards. When my brother was in the seminary, he had a goatee and was told to shave it. After he was ordained , he grew it back.
 
Not only the SSPX but the FSSP as well during seminary discourage beards. Not sure why though. Like someone mentioned earlier it might just be a disciple thing. Nothing more or less.
 
Styles and practices have differed over time. A glance at the Pontificale Romanum, (Book containing the rituals preformed by Bishops) from before Vatican II had two rituals for Tonsure, one for the tonsure of the hair, which was a rite that a man went through to enter into clerical life before Minor Orders, and another for tonsure of the beard.
 
BenjaminD said:
I just had a random question pop into my mind.

Is it actually forbidden for a Priest to have a beard? Seminaries I have looked into say you cannot grow facial hair during your studies and I have heard that it is banned for Priests by many people.

But what is the background of this? The only Priest I know of that has had a beard (Besides Eastern Catholics) is Father Corapi.

I haven’t really paid attention to this until recently haha.
Click to expand...
Here’s what I understand from it from a discussion with our subdeacon (Eastern parish) when I asked himi about the beard of Eastern priest. The original tradition was priests were to be bearded, one reason was to ensure those who are given Holy Orders are men. Also another is they have unkept beards, which means they do not desire to look clean and well shaven and attractive so as not to draw attention to themselves, its an act of humility.

Eventually in the West, there was concern about spilling the Precioud Blood on the beards, so Western priests started shaving and it became the tradition of the West. But today there is no rule against it. My favorite RC priest is bearded. And many Eastern priests, while bearded, have them trimmed and kept.
 
Truth to tell, it is quite possibly shaving that has become vanity in the modern age. It exposes the entire face and hides the grayness or scraggliness of a man’s beard. Those who expose their gray and/or scraggly beards may be demonstrating a form of humility.
 
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