Can a permanent deacon become a priest if his wife dies?

[Corki]

ha…a widowed deacon who goes into the priesthood just seem to me like someone having there cake and eating it too

If the deacon wants to be a priest then a question should be asked…

What was his REAL VOCATION!
To be married to someone or to the church as a priest:shrug:

A vocation is litterally “a call.” Not everyone who is called, answers “yes”. Some men, who are originally called, either don’t heed or deny the call. If those men marry, they have a new vocation to marriage. They must live thier lives with that vocation in mind. However, our God is the God of second chances and if a man hears the call in widowhood, that is a great testament to the mercy of God and the persistance of the Holy Spirit.

To say that someone who suffered through the death of a spouse is “having his cake and eating it too” seems a bit flip.

 

[bilop]

well id on’t think i vocation can change? well just my opinion

As Catholics we must believe that it is possible to have both the vocation to marriage and the vocation to the priesthood. Otherwise, we insult a large number of our Eastern catholic priests, as well as some Latin priests, by saying their vocations are not real.

Just because the Latin Church has not generally permitted a married priesthood, does not mean that there are not men within the Church who have both vocations.

God Bless

 

[sancte_joseph]

well…there you go his REAL vocation would have been to the priesthood…if only he had listened to the call…note listen not heard…some people do hear the call to the priesthood but they take it off there mind thinking that its nothing thats when people need to pray and ask God to show him what his vocation is…God knows what will makes us happier

 

[sancte_joseph]

As Catholics we must believe that it is possible to have both the vocation to marriage and the vocation to the priesthood. Otherwise, we insult a large number of our Eastern catholic priests, as well as some Latin priests, by saying their vocations are not real.

Just because the Latin Church has not generally permitted a married priesthood, does not mean that there are not men within the Church who have both vocations.

God Bless

you should refer to a previous post of mine
keep the latin tradition to the latin church and eastern to the east

 

[bilop]

you should refer to a previous post of mine
keep the latin tradition to the latin church and eastern to the east

That’s not your decision. If the Pope one day decides to change the discipline for Latins, or for Easterns, would you not go along?
In fact, many western countries did not allow married Eastern clergy for many years. Disciplines can change.

God Bless.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

you should refer to a previous post of mine
keep the latin tradition to the latin church and eastern to the east

Ok, then please explain why there are married priests in the Latin Church.

 

[sancte_joseph]

That’s not your decision. If the Pope one day decides to change the discipline for Latins, or for Easterns, would you not go along?
In fact, many western countries did not allow married Eastern clergy for many years. Disciplines can change.

God Bless.

Most of the things i say (unless i say i think or in my opinion) is that i’ve read from a saint or pope or religious…and this is one of them…if only i can remember…

o well…anyway…ok lets say that the orthodoz came into full communion and they kept their tradition of married priest…but then a pope comes along and says that tha latin tradition is to extend to the east…then it would have to change…
IM JUST USING WHAT YOUR SAYING
THEY CAN CHANGE BUT…one trad. from one lung of the church probably shouldn’t overtake the tradition of the other side…

 

[sancte_joseph]

Ok, then please explain why there are married priests in the Latin Church.

That is by permission…not because it has been brought in as a dicipline…it is sad… because a few priest who got this permission in latin america were told by the church under penalty of suspention to keep their personal (wife and kids) a secret…this just confirms that the church (latin) wants their priest to be completely devoted to her…and to its people with out having to worry about wife and kids getting in the way of their ministry…

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

Ok, then please explain why there are married priests in the Latin Church.

That is by permission…not because it has been brought in as a dicipline…it is sad… because a few priest who got this permission in latin america were told by the church under penalty of suspention to keep their personal (wife and kids) a secret…this just confirms that the church (latin) wants their priest to be completely devoted to her…and to its people with out having to worry about wife and kids getting in the way of their ministry…

Seeing that you have chosen to limit this discussion to the Latin Church (rather than the universal Church) I am going to further limit you to the Latin Church in America.

Now please explain the married men who have been ordained to the priesthood there. They have not been told to “keep it personal”. (which I doubt has even happened in latin america, unless you can provide proof but don’t bother as I am not talking about that)

 

[sancte_joseph]

Seeing that you have chosen to limit this discussion to the Latin Church (rather than the universal Church) I am going to further limit you to the Latin Church in America.

Now please explain the married men who have been ordained to the priesthood there. They have not been told to “keep it personal”. (which I doubt has even happened in latin america, unless you can provide proof but don’t bother as I am not talking about that)

Ha well…just little FYI about me I’m hispanic/latino and so occasionally watch certain news about mexico and latin america

Well those priest(just a handful) who decided after years of keeping their married life a secret decided to come out and reveal it…they were suspended so don’t offer mass anymore but one did say he hears confession occasionally

And of course i limit the discussion to the latin church because…we are talking about celebacy and vocation…

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

Ha well…just little FYI about me I’m hispanic/latino and so occasionally watch certain news about mexico and latin america

Still not proof of what you said.

Well those priest(just a handful) who decided after years of keeping their married life a secret decided to come out and reveal it…they were suspended so don’t offer mass anymore but one did say he hears confession occasionally

What priests are these? There are many married priests within the Latin Church working in the USA today. They were converts who were ministers in their protestant denominations who were married and after they converted they completed a set of instruction set forward by their bishop and then they were ordained. They are not suspended.

Also no one can keep a “married life” secret. To be married in the Catholic Church is a sacrament and must meet certain requirements. If they were priests before their “marriage” then there is no marriage as an ordained man can not validly enter into a marriage.

And of course i limit the discussion to the latin church because…we are talking about celebacy and vocation…

Here you are making a false dichotomy as celibacy has a place within the whole Church. In the Eastern Churches it is expressed within both religious life (were it is the only option), and the secular priesthood (here it is an option along with the married life).

And as it is only a discipline in the Latin Church, one that has been dispensed from in recent times, it is also an option.

 

[Mary_Gail_36]

I know that permanent deacons are only allowed to be married once. If a permanent deacon’s wife dies, is he allowed to go back to seminary and become a priest if he so desires?

If a permanent deacon is widowed, of course he can go on and become a priest, if he has the calling. Any man whose wife dies can be a priest, if he has a calling.

A permanent deacon, must marry prior to his ordination to the diaconate. He is not permitted to marry after his ordination.

 

[sancte_joseph]

since your talking so much about proof…how can you proove their are working priest in the US…come on huh come on proove it come on huh?

and i don’t really think i can proove it other than you believing my word because it was in a spanish news channel

all i know is they were married priest that the church said they must keep it a secret…but when they didn’t after many years of obeying they were suspended and were not allowed to offer mass…the bishop in those cases (as would be the case) didn’t talk to the media…

 

[sancte_joseph]

ANYWAY…does it matter…i sometimes get into these threads and end up think…why am i stll arguing about this

anyway…i would support any widowed deacon that wants to become a priest if they feel that strong desire to serve the Lord in that way then why shouldn’t they…it would be more beneficial for us to have more priest…but what do i know

 

[Nanny_PK]

My sister’s husband is in the Air Force. One of their neighbor’s dad was a priest. After the neighbor’s mother died, the dad decided to follow a calling to the priesthood. So this particular priest had kids and grandchildren.

On a different note, the priest of the parish that I grew up in was from Ireland and had adopted some children that still lived there. I thought it was neat that my priest had kids.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

since your talking so much about proof…how can you proove their are working priest in the US…come on huh come on proove it come on huh?

Other than it being a well known, undisputed, fact here in the USA, here are two news articles, one from the USA and one from Europe.

Married man ordained as priest, celibacy requirement waived

Married man ordained as priest

I can see there is no discussing this with you. As you wish to set the rules of the discussion with out accepting any from us and you wish to put up dubious information as fact while denying what is already known as fact.

 

[sancte_joseph]

byzcath

what i don’t get is what are you arguing about…that i set my own rules or something…tell me then…and like i said does it matter i would support a widowed deacon become a priest…but its a different matter when a “priest” (protestant minister) from another church such as episcopalian has a wife and wants to become a priest…that i think is loosening up the rules a bit to much…and furthermore i havn’t discussed the eastern church because…that part of the catholic church has different rules which are irreleventd if your talking about married priest…because its nothing new in the eastern church

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

byzcath

what i don’t get is what are you arguing about…that i set my own rules or something…tell me then…and like i said does it matter i would support a widowed deacon become a priest…but its a different matter when a “priest” (protestant minister) from another church such as episcopalian has a wife and wants to become a priest…that i think is loosening up the rules a bit to much…and furthermore i havn’t discussed the eastern church because…that part of the catholic church has different rules which are irreleventd if your talking about married priest…because its nothing new in the eastern church

Yes, you attempted to set the rules of this discussion by not allowing other traditions to be brought into it.

Yes, you now say that you would support it but didn’t you also say this?

ha…a widowed deacon who goes into the priesthood just seem to me like someone having there cake and eating it too

If the deacon wants to be a priest then a question should be asked…

What was his REAL VOCATION!
To be married to someone or to the church as a priest:shrug:

 

[sancte_joseph]

Yes, you attempted to set the rules of this discussion by not allowing other traditions to be brought into it.

Yes, you now say that you would support it but didn’t you also say this?

NOTE i didn’t say a widowed deacon should not become a priest…i was just saying as i still do…what is his vocation a married deacon or a priest…would a such a widowed deacon have thought to become a priest if his wife was still alive…

basicly would he want to become a priest because his wife died or because it was his vocation all along or other???

 

[Bro_Joshua]

Most replies show that this would be the exception, not the norm. My thoughts are that if a widower (as would ussually be the case) discerned the possibility of becoming a Priest, then a new and extended period of seminary type training is needed. This is a new vocation related to, but apart from that person’s original vocation calling and acceptance by the Episcopal Ordinary when that person began the process and vocation of Deconate.
I think most of us Catholics relate Deaconate as a stepping stone in a greater or lesser degree to priesthood. This has a slight tendancy to downplay the true role and spirituality of what a Peranent Deacon is about. I often compare that to why some folks (kindly enough) will ask me why I am “just” a Brother and did not “go all the way” to becoming a priest. The thoughts are good, and I accpet the question as sincere and welcome the opportunity to speak about Brotherhood – but at the same time the particular roles each of us have as Baptized Catholics are not taken with the fullness of gratitude we can have for our vocations as lay, married, singled, vowed lay religious or as clergy.
I am all for the possibility of a Deacon becoming a Priest.