Can a Monk become a Parish Priest?

[chicago]

Once you become a bishop, you are released from your vows. While many still hold on to the charism of their order, they become, canonically speaking, secular clergy. The two most important changes are the necessity to own property (the bishop officially owns all of the churches property in his diocese), and his obedience is to the Pope directly. We have a bishop from our province, and while he remains a member of the order (still uses O.Carm. after his name) he is no longer under vows. Which for us means that he cannot vote or even speak without permission in our Chapters. When we do convene for our Provincial Chapter, he is officially a guest, even though he is still a brother to us.

I hope this helps,

In Carmel,

Br. Allen

Indeed, it has been more common of late for the pope to appoint to the episcopate men who are religious. (That sounds like an ironic, cruel joke, but no pun intended.) There have even been abbots who got selected to be a bishop. An good example of this was Archbishop Emeritus Weakland of Milwaukee, a Benedictine.

 

[Drilling4Truth]

One of the things I love about Catholicism is that the answer to so many questions about the Church usually contains an exception

I may have interpreted the original post incorrectly, so forgive me if I do.

Like so many looking into the religious life, people often want to get the best of two worlds. Or three or four. What’s important about discernment is that one should be searching with humility. If you are interested in being a monk, look into what it takes to be a good and humble monk. If you want to be a parish priest, look into what it takes to be a good and humble parish priest. Don’t look so far ahead into the future or into what could be your role in a community that you neglect to meditate on what it means to be one vocation or another. A monk priest can be asked to serve as a parish priest, but it would be presumptuous to expect such a scenario.

This is why at every conclave you will hear the old saying, “Any Cardinal who enters conclave a Pope comes out a Cardinal.”

 

[bpbasilphx]

What are the differences between friars and monks?

**“Friar” comes from the Latin word “frater,” which means “brother.”

St. Francis and his followers called themselves “brothers” because their whole schtick was an apostolic and missionary, rather than contemplative, live. They were NOT monks, but something different.

Then Domingo Guzman, Simon Stock, and others adopted the model of the mendicant friars for their orders, as they were the in thing.**

 

[Trilor]

Monks take vows of stability, so that would be the Benedictines and their offshoots. Friars do not.