Is it Impossible for Me to be a Priest?

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wjp984:
Well the Eastern Rite outside the US is the the only sect of Catholicism that allows marired priests but I think they do let episocpaleans who convert become priests. However the diferences between the two are minimal so it is probably diferent than other protestant sects.
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The Byzantine Churches in the US have married priests, most of them were ordained in the “old country” but the Ukrainian and Melkite Churches have even ordained a few married men to the priesthood inside the US and Canada. This has been done with out much fanfare as it is within both our traditions to do so and spelt out in our Canon Law that we may do so.

The Latin Church has ordained married converts who were working as ministers in protestant groups, mostly episcopalian but some from other groups. I know of a minister from the Assemblies of God who was ordained.

That being said, I have not heard of anyone who was not working as a minister being ordained in this manner.
 
I should have mentioned in my earlier post that the Byzantine priesthood is different from the Latin priesthood in that the Byzantine tradition has a significantly, though not entirely, different ideal than the Latin tradition as to what a priest should be and do. In addition, Latin parishes nowadays and in most cases have higher membership than do the Byzantine parishes. If a Latin priest has 500 families to care for, whereas a Byzantine priest has only 50 families, the Latin priest will, statistically speaking, encounter more sacramental and spiritual requests than will the Byzantine priest. This is not to say that Byzantine priests are less-hard-working than Latin priests. They too work hard to sustain their flocks.

It is also important to lay stress on the fact that Byzantine priests offer Divine Liturgy in less frequency than do Latin priests (many of whom offer Mass daily). Unless Divine Liturgies are offered daily in private by the Byzantine priests, I have not heard of daily Divine Liturgy as being the norm of Byzantine parishes. In many cases, though certainly not all, but one Divine Liturgy is offered each Sunday, in addition to Saturday Vespers and any Divine Liturgies offered on important feast days during the week.

So, I think that one has to look at the issue of celibacy from a different angle when one considers the Byzantine priesthood and the duties related to it.
Originally Quoted by OhioBob:
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Regarding married priests, my understanding is that such priests are either converts from eastern catholicism or converts from anglicanism. This information is from EWTN :
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I think you mean Eastern Orthodoxy, not Eastern Catholicism. Eastern Orthodoxy refers to those Eastern Churches which are not in communion with the bishop of Rome, whereas Eastern Catholicism refers to those Eastern Churches which have re-established communion with Rome or which claim to never have left Roman communion (the Maronites).
Originally Quoted by Billy…:
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Many, many, many Eastern Catholic priests serve extraordinarily well as both pastors as well as husbands and fathers. The belief that Priests somehow cannot handle both the Church and home life is simply a claim that does not have merit. Celibacy is a wonderful choice, and celibacy is held in very high regard by both the West and the East. Remember, only celibates become Bishops in Eastern Catholicism and Orthodoxy. But the vocation of celibacy is a very specific call, and it does not necessarily go hand in hand with ministerial priesthood. Most monks and, of course, nuns, aren’t Priests, but they are celibate. Celibacy means total devotion to God, but Priests can be very much devoted to God and Church, and Family concurrently.
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Celibacy is the norm in the West, and it is a beautiful and virtuous thing, but so is the tradition of a married priesthood as well.
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Well written 👍
 
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ByzCath:
The Byzantine Churches in the US have married priests, most of them were ordained in the “old country” but the Ukrainian and Melkite Churches have even ordained a few married men to the priesthood inside the US and Canada. This has been done with out much fanfare as it is within both our traditions to do so and spelt out in our Canon Law that we may do so.

The Latin Church has ordained married converts who were working as ministers in protestant groups, mostly episcopalian but some from other groups. I know of a minister from the Assemblies of God who was ordained.

That being said, I have not heard of anyone who was not working as a minister being ordained in this manner.
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really. I want to repsectfully disagree. In America Byzyntine Catholic priests are not allowed to be maried. They changed the rule in I think 1929 by order of the pope that in the USA priests are to remain celibate regardless of their rite in the US. I was baptized in a Ruthenian Byzyntine Catholic church and not once have I heard of a case of there being a modern day married priest in the diciese or any of the four dioceses in the country.

Oh also, I don’t know if they still do it since out of convenience and location I almost always go to a Latin Rite church, but it was mentioned that they don’t offer divine liturgies each day. It was my understanading that they did since my grandma went to daily mass or liturgy as they call it. I am so used to the word mass that I consitently call the litugy mass when I go to it and I usually get corrected. .
 
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Goblin_Taters:
It is not impossible. In fact, I know of at least one convert who is now studying for the Catholic priesthood. However, he went from Protestant to Latin Rite Catholic to Byzantine Rite Catholic, and he is presently studying in a Ruthenian seminary.

The Latin Rite normally does not allow for married men to be ordained (although some married converts from Anglicanism have been ordained). If your wife dies before you, and you are again single, there is a greater possibility for ordination.

Considering your present situation, you may want to seriously look into the diaconate program of your diocese. Many dioceses across the country are reinstating permament diaconate programs. In the Latin Rite, deacons must be married and, once made a deacon, cannot remarry, even if their spouse should pass away. Deacons assist the priest in ministering to the members of the parish, and the deacon will often give homilies and partake in other aspects of the liturgy.

So, it is not impossible for you to become a priest. The Eastern Rite churches would be the most possible way of becoming one, but I think that one should not become Eastern Catholic simply to become a priest, especially if one does not agree with or does not understand to some degree Byzantine theology (which is different from Latin theology). Besides, you would have to petition Rome to change rites. Becoming a priest in the Latin Rite may be quite difficult, if not near impossible–except in the case, may God forbid, that your wife passes before you. However, the diaconate is probably fully open to you, if you but explore it more deeply with your diocese.

🙂
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In all of the years I have been Catholic, I still don’t understand why Rome has put up all these barriers as to who can be ordained and who can’t. I guess just being a faithful Catholic layman, who happens to be married just isn’t enough for entry into Christ’s priesthood in the Latin rite, but is in the Eastern rite, so I wonder what gives?

And the whole Byzantine theology being different from Latin theology thing, does that make Byzantines still Catholic or does God’s graces work differently in the varying rites? However for what I know, you may not be representing the facts yourself, though I have no proof. But whatever the case, it is idiosyncracies like these that make me doubt Catholicism among other things.

I was once a defender of the faith on this forum, but after all I have read here I am becoming less convinced of Catholicism and of Christianity on the whole. I am well aware most of you won’t agree with me, but I feel I should make public my stance as it relates to particular aspects of the faith.
 
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Goblin_Taters:
If your wife dies before you, and you are again single, there is a greater possibility for ordination.

🙂
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That is true. Have you talked to wife about your desires? What does she say?
 
And the whole Byzantine theology being different from Latin theology thing, does that make Byzantines still Catholic or does God’s graces work differently in the varying rites? However for what I know, you may not be representing the facts yourself, though I have no proof. But whatever the case, it is idiosyncracies like these that make me doubt Catholicism among other things.
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The Byzantine tradition has a different understanding of grace than does the Latin tradition, so each tradition tends to see the operation of grace in the Church differently. However, at least in the Roman Catholic Church, the Byzantine Catholics, while maintaining their own understanding of grace, do not consider the Latin Catholics in their understanding of grace as totally off the mark; their understanding of grace, while not perfect, is not heretical in Byzantine Catholic eyes. The Latin Catholics should think the same of the Byzantine understanding of grace.

In the good olden days, religious orders used to have very different perspectives on everything from the sacraments to the Immaculate Conception of Mary. Cluniacs differed from Carthusians, Franciscans from Dominicans, and Jesuits from everyone. They agreed on matters of central, creedal importance, while agreeing to disagree on matters often of only a secondary importance. I like to view the Byzantine tradition similiarly, although it is to be admitted that there is a greater difference in belief between a Franciscan and a Dominican than there is between a Latin Catholic and a Byzantine Catholic
I was once a defender of the faith on this forum, but after all I have read here I am becoming less convinced of Catholicism and of Christianity on the whole. I am well aware most of you won’t agree with me, but I feel I should make public my stance as it relates to particular aspects of the faith.
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What is a viable alternative to Christianity?
 
Could you recommend a website with a quick overview of the different understanding of grace?
 
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Everyman:
I am in RCIA, finally convinced of the truth claims of the Catholic Church. I’ll be recieved by Easter. I love the Church, its traditions, customs, etc., but I still have one problem.

I entered college after working for a couple years with the motivation of becoming a pastor. I am married, but, of course, as a Protestant that was not an issue. In fact, that is usually preferred. Now that I am becoming Catholic, I realize that my vocation may have to change.

But I know that if one was a Protestant minister already, then you can become a priest, but you’ll just be placed in a small parish or something like that.

Is a situation like mine the same or completely different?
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If you enter the Faith as an Eastern or Byzantine Catholic, you could become a priest as they have married priests.
 
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