Laicization of priests?

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angell1

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I think it’s actually called something different now right? suspension of clerical state or something like that?

but my question is, under what circumstances does this usually happen? that is the obvious one is when npriests are punished for abuse of some sort?

what about if a priest chooses to leave the priesthood? for what reasons do they normally do that? I realize once a priest, always a priest. and they normally need a dispensation if they wish to marry, correct?

how is this viewed on a spiritual level? I have heard many people at my parish say that this is abandoning one’s vocation or comparable to a divorce, however, I am not sure if this is really accurate.

any thoughts or clarifications??
 
Sometimes, priests are laicized if they want to get married. They retain the permanent mark on the soul that ordination gives and can still act as a priest in extremis, for instance a laicized priest could hear a dying man’s confession and give a valid absolution. They simply have chosen to give up their priestly ministry.
 
angell1 said:
I think it’s actually called something different now right? suspension of clerical state or something like that?

but my question is, under what circumstances does this usually happen? that is the obvious one is when npriests are punished for abuse of some sort?

what about if a priest chooses to leave the priesthood? for what reasons do they normally do that? I realize once a priest, always a priest. and they normally need a dispensation if they wish to marry, correct?

how is this viewed on a spiritual level? I have heard many people at my parish say that this is abandoning one’s vocation or comparable to a divorce, however, I am not sure if this is really accurate.

any thoughts or clarifications??
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Reasons for leaving are profound, and deeply personal.
I don’t think anyone should try to second guess their decisions. It’s often a very painful choice. Comparing it to divorce is not a good comparison, I think.
Just my 2 cents.

Hopefully a priest will give a better answer.
 
My husband hadn’t met his first wife at the time he was laicized, so it wasn’t exactly to get married, but to be free to marry. The priesthood was something he was pushed into by his mother because he made the mistake of telling her, when he was a teen, that he might want to be a priest. Once he started at the minor seminary (high school), he felt stuck. Since that was the late '50s, no one felt the need to “un-stick” him.

I’m glad potential priests go thru a lot more scrutiny then they did in the past. They’re probably a lot happier in their vocation.
 
Bonnie said:
My husband hadn’t met his first wife at the time he was laicized, so it wasn’t exactly to get married, but to be free to marry. The priesthood was something he was pushed into by his mother because he made the mistake of telling her, when he was a teen, that he might want to be a priest. Once he started at the minor seminary (high school), he felt stuck. Since that was the late '50s, no one felt the need to “un-stick” him.

I’m glad potential priests go thru a lot more scrutiny then they did in the past. They’re probably a lot happier in their vocation.
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Yes, I think now their are vocation directors (as I’ve read here anyways) that help those thinking of vocations.

Mary.
 
angell1 said:
I think it’s actually called something different now right? suspension of clerical state or something like that?

but my question is, under what circumstances does this usually happen? that is the obvious one is when npriests are punished for abuse of some sort?

what about if a priest chooses to leave the priesthood? for what reasons do they normally do that? I realize once a priest, always a priest. and they normally need a dispensation if they wish to marry, correct?

how is this viewed on a spiritual level? I have heard many people at my parish say that this is abandoning one’s vocation or comparable to a divorce, however, I am not sure if this is really accurate.

any thoughts or clarifications??
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Most priests that choose this route move to a different location to avoid the scrutiny, and never mention they were ever ordained.
 
It would make sense for laicized priests to relocate. Has anyone else met a laicized priest, other than Bonnie?
 
EqualinHim said:
It would make sense for laicized priests to relocate. Has anyone else met a laicized priest, other than Bonnie?
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Besides the one I married, I’ve met several. I’ve met a dozen or so priests who found the process daunting & just simply left. I know Cardinal George made it a priority to reach out to these priests & get them laicized & their marriages made valid.
 
EqualinHim said:
It would make sense for laicized priests to relocate. Has anyone else met a laicized priest, other than Bonnie?
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While I haven’t seen them since they’ve been laicized, I know two. One taught at my high school, the other taught me at different times, both a facilitator with the North American Forum on the Catechumenate and at summer courses on liturgy offered by a school of theology.

Have no idea where the first one ended up. The second has not gone anywhere. He’s the catechetical coordinator for the archdiocese where he was once a parish priest.
 
Phemie said:
The second has not gone anywhere. He’s the catechetical coordinator for the archdiocese where he was once a parish priest.
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I’m glad to hear that. I don’t like the idea that laicized priests should slink away & hide in shame.
 
Bonnie said:
My husband hadn’t met his first wife at the time he was laicized, so it wasn’t exactly to get married, but to be free to marry. The priesthood was something he was pushed into by his mother because he made the mistake of telling her, when he was a teen, that he might want to be a priest. Once he started at the minor seminary (high school), he felt stuck. Since that was the late '50s, no one felt the need to “un-stick” him.

I’m glad potential priests go thru a lot more scrutiny then they did in the past. They’re probably a lot happier in their vocation.
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this makes me think of another question.

how come there isn’t a process to determine if the ordination was valid in the first place? like with decrees of nullity for marriages?

for example, in this case, it’s intirely possible he wasn’t called to the priesthood in the first place but felt like he had no choice, by the sounds of it
 
I know 3. All in their early 40s. Each of them were parochial vicars at my parish – and they were outstanding priests.

Each left to get married. In each case they met their future wives through their vocations as priests.
 
EqualinHim said:
It would make sense for laicized priests to relocate. Has anyone else met a laicized priest, other than Bonnie?
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Yes, I have known a number of laicized priests. While they do not continue to reside in the parish in which they ministered, they do not necessarily move out of the city (if a large one), let alone the state.
 
angell1 said:
this makes me think of another question.

how come there isn’t a process to determine if the ordination was valid in the first place? like with decrees of nullity for marriages?

for example, in this case, it’s intirely possible he wasn’t called to the priesthood in the first place but felt like he had no choice, by the sounds of it
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Perhaps if for no other reason, there was not a question as to the validity of their ordination.
 
angell1 said:
this makes me think of another question.

how come there isn’t a process to determine if the ordination was valid in the first place? like with decrees of nullity for marriages?

for example, in this case, it’s intirely possible he wasn’t called to the priesthood in the first place but felt like he had no choice, by the sounds of it
Click to expand...
I’ve wondered that, too. Marriage can be declared invalid, so why not ordination? In my husband’s case, he didn’t want to go thru with it, but didn’t know how to back out at the last minute without upsetting his family & the priests he knew. He went thru seminary on a scholarship because the family couldn’t afford it, so he felt obligated.

And I understand exactly how he felt. I couldn’t figure out when we got married if my cold feet & fears were just temporary or if I should pay attention to them & not marry. It’s hard to quit either a wedding or an ordination at the last minute without people judging. They are so public!
 
Well it’d be pretty bad if an ordination was found null. All those invalid Eucharists, Confessions, Marriages without the proper wtiness, and Annointings of the Sick would be a big blow to their former parishes.
 
mVitus said:
Well it’d be pretty bad if an ordination was found null. All those invalid Eucharists, Confessions, Marriages without the proper wtiness, and Annointings of the Sick would be a big blow to their former parishes.
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But children from an invalid marriage aren’t considered to be born out of wedlock (can’t use the more plain term here). Tho that’s a common fear. So there’s no reason for the sacraments to be invalid. There are enough lawyers in the Church I’m sure they could come up with a way to work around that!
 
Bonnie said:
But children from an invalid marriage aren’t considered to be born out of wedlock (can’t use the more plain term here). Tho that’s a common fear. So there’s no reason for the sacraments to be invalid. There are enough lawyers in the Church I’m sure they could come up with a way to work around that!
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Not the same thing. If you aren’t really a priest there is no way you can confect the Eucharist or impose any of the other sacraments.

I don’t think marriages would be affected since a lay person can witness a Catholic marriage with the proper authority from the bishop. No question that they had the proper authority.
 
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