Married Priests?

[pelc24u]

I attended what I beleived to be a Roman Catholic church in Northern New Mexico. During mass on Sunday, the priest introduced a new deacon who was a convert to Catholicism. He had been an Episcopalian minister prior to becoming a Catholic. As the priest went on however, I was slightly taken aback when he announced that this deacon who was married and had 5 children would soon be ordained a Catholic priest. How can this be? I had never in my 50 years of being Catholic heard of such a thing. Please inform me how this married man could be ordained a priest by the bishop of the the arch-diocease.

 

[Tim_Kirchoff]

Protestant ministers from certain denominations are allowed to be ordained as priests after they have converted, even if they have families. Celibacy is not a requirement for priests, it is a discipline enforced by the Church hierarchy at this time. There are others on this forum who can explain it better, but I hope that I’ve at least helped a little.

In short, the requirement for priests to be unmarried is a discipline which the Church could change if it watned to. It has chosen in certain circumstances to allow ministers from other denominations to be ordained as priests once they have converted. OK?

 

[Rolltide]

As mentioned above, a celibate priesthood is only a discipline in the Latin branch of the Catholic Church, and can change at any time. Exceptions may also be made on a case-by-case basis. Currently, there are about 100 married priests in the US, all of whom are former Episcopalian, Lutheran, Methodist, and Baptist ministers who decided to convert to Catholicism.

You should also be aware that the Eastern branch of the Catholic Church has always permitted married priests, although there aren’t many in the United States. In the eastern branch, NO special exemptions are necessary. Married men may be ordained without restriction.

Also, it’s important to note that while married men can become priests (under certain circumstances), priests CANNOT get married once they’ve actually been ordained. The only exception to this rule is if a married priest’s wife happened to die while they had very small children. In this exceptionally rare case, the pope himself could approve an exception.

 

[Milliardo]

I am not sure if Eastern Catholics enforce it, but there are restrictions as to who can be ordained as priests, at least in the Orthodox Church there is: men who are divorced and remarried cannot of course be ordained, as well as widowers who have decided to marry again.

 

[Eli4n4]

You know…I’ve heard of this and somewhat understand it…but if anyone can go a little more into detail about how a priest can be married to the church and his wife at the same time that would help. And does this work for nuns and brothers as well or just priests?

 

[Milliardo]

You know…I’ve heard of this and somewhat understand it…but if anyone can go a little more into detail about how a priest can be married to the church and his wife at the same time that would help. And does this work for nuns and brothers as well or just priests?

I haven’t heard of married nuns, not even in the Orthodox Church. The minor orders like the Reader and Sub-deacon can have married men, of course. Bishops are chosen from the ranks of monks–that is true for both Eastern Catholics and Orthodox.

 

[countertenor]

You heard right. This does happen. In fact my parish priest is in that boat. He was a former presbyterian minister and he converted and was later ordained a priest. He is married and has adult children, I think some grandkids too.

 

[Phemie]

You know…I’ve heard of this and somewhat understand it…but if anyone can go a little more into detail about how a priest can be married to the church and his wife at the same time that would help. And does this work for nuns and brothers as well or just priests?

You have to realize that these married men would only be ordained as diocesan priests and not as religious priests, since religious priests take vows which these men obviously can’t take. The same applies to nuns and brothers: their vows would preclude them being married.

 

[Eli4n4]

You have to realize that these married men would only be ordained as diocesan priests and not as religious priests, since religious priests take vows which these men obviously can’t take. The same applies to nuns and brothers: their vows would preclude them being married.

That makes a little more sense…but I’m not sure I’ve heard of diocesan priests…either that or I haven’t heard of a difference between diocesan priests and religious priests.

 

[bpbasilphx]

** I haven’t heard of a difference between diocesan priests and religious priests.**

Religious priests belong to one or the other religions orders: Benedictine, Jesuit, Franciscan, et al. They are also sometimes called “regular priests” because they are under the rule (regula) of an order.

Diocesan priests (aka secular priests) are NOT a member of an order, but are directly under the bishop’s jurisdiction, and are NOT bound to poverty. They are the vast number of priests in the Catholic Church.

 

[Ignatius]

I attended what I beleived to be a Roman Catholic church in Northern New Mexico. During mass on Sunday, the priest introduced a new deacon who was a convert to Catholicism. He had been an Episcopalian minister prior to becoming a Catholic. As the priest went on however, I was slightly taken aback when he announced that this deacon who was married and had 5 children would soon be ordained a Catholic priest. How can this be? I had never in my 50 years of being Catholic heard of such a thing. Please inform me how this married man could be ordained a priest by the bishop of the the arch-diocease.

Deacons can be married. Also, there are married priests in some of the Sui Juris Churches of the Catholic Church.

 

[Isa_Almisry]

As mentioned above, a celibate priesthood is only a discipline in the Latin branch of the Catholic Church, and can change at any time. Exceptions may also be made on a case-by-case basis. Currently, there are about 100 married priests in the US, all of whom are former Episcopalian, Lutheran, Methodist, and Baptist ministers who decided to convert to Catholicism.

You should also be aware that the Eastern branch of the Catholic Church has always permitted married priests, although there aren’t many in the United States. In the eastern branch, NO special exemptions are necessary. Married men may be ordained without restriction.

Actually not true. They have been banned in the “diaspora.”

 

[Isa_Almisry]

You know…I’ve heard of this and somewhat understand it…but if anyone can go a little more into detail about how a priest can be married to the church and his wife at the same time that would help. And does this work for nuns and brothers as well or just priests?

This “married to the Church” is something invented as eisogesis for I Timothy, because it says the bishop etc. can be the husband of only one wife. Saying he was married to the Church is the eisogesis used to justify mandated clerical celebacy.

I notice that the Protestants have come up with their own creative eisogesis, saying that “must be the husband of one wife” means the cleric MUST be married.

 

[Rolltide]

Actually not true. They have been banned in the “diaspora.”

The way I understood it was that the Vatican has asked that no married Eastern Catholic priests are ordained within the US, but that many get around that rule by going to the Middle East to be ordained and returning. I know for a fact that there are at least some married Eastern Catholic priests in the US…

 

[Eli4n4]

This “married to the Church” is something invented as eisogesis for I Timothy, because it says the bishop etc. can be the husband of only one wife. Saying he was married to the Church is the eisogesis used to justify mandated clerical celebacy.

I notice that the Protestants have come up with their own creative eisogesis, saying that “must be the husband of one wife” means the cleric MUST be married.

So it has nothing to do with the book of revelations and how everyone in the church will someday be married to the Trinity at the end of time? I always thought that religious (priests/nuns/brothers) are living their lives here on Earth as a witness to the way we all will live in Heaven. So the priest, being a stand in for Jesus, would be married to the church as Jesus is/will be married to the church… and then nuns would be married to Jesus as they are part of the church. I feel like I sound like I’m babbling…so I’ll stop now.

 

[Isa_Almisry]

The way I understood it was that the Vatican has asked that no married Eastern Catholic priests are ordained within the US, but that many get around that rule by going to the Middle East to be ordained and returning. I know for a fact that there are at least some married Eastern Catholic priests in the US…

Yes, a couple years back though the Melkites ordained one here.