Ordination of a married man to the priesthood

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I watched the Journey Home program featuring the former Southern Baptist, Father Dave Harris and was puzzled by what was left out of his conversion story.

He told us he was married with two small children when he decided not to pursue being a Baptist minister and instead work at the airport to support his family. This is the last we hear about his family. Marcus asked him how his (Father Dave’s) family reacted to his conversion to Catholicism and Father Dave mentioned his mother as having the hardest time. No mention of his wife or children. Evidently they did not convert with him.

Although I listened to the program/interview carefully, I could not figure out how Father Dave got from being a married man to an ordained Catholic priest. What happened to his family? How did he get a dispensation from being a married man to being a celibate Priest? I thought the special ordinariate was only for Episcopalians/Anglicans. This was a frustrating interview.

When I queried The Journey Home website, I was told Father Dave Harris had special dispensation from his bishop to be ordained a Priest.

If Father Dave can be dispensed from celibacy, why can’t other married men? Why are there different standards for the priesthood? He was, apparently, ordained into the Roman tradition, not the Eastern rite. He is not part of the Anglican ordinariate from what I can tell as he was not an Anglican priest to begin with, he was a Southern Baptist.

I am very confused.
 
While originally only former Anglicans/Episcopalians priests were allowed to be ordained, this has been extended to ministers of other ecclesial communities such as Baptists, Lutherans, etc.

Since the requirement for celibacy is only a discipline of the Church, not dogma, it can be dispensed by the Pope. It’s not a given that it will happen and sometimes it takes years, but it is happening.

I doubt that anything happened to his family, but they aren’t the focus of the story.

wdrb.com/Global/story.asp?s=8964870&clienttype=printable
 
I just wanted to add that I feel this is a truly wonderful story.
 
The ordination of married men is prohibited under a disciplinary rule, not a theological one.

Several Eastern Catholic Churches, which are part of the Catholic Church, regularly ordain married men to the priesthood. In the countries where the Eastern part of the Catholic Church is the predominant one, it is considered unusual for a parish priest NOT to be married.

In the Western part of the Catholic Church, there is a prohibition on ordaining married men that is not, as I mentioned, theological in nature.

Therefore, in certain circumstances, the Pope may grant a dispensation that would allow a bishop to ordain a particular married man.

The requirement of celibacy is also dispensed with, however the man may not marry again if his wife passes away, as there IS a theological prohibition on a man in Sacerdotal Holy Orders entering into Marriage.
 
I have the some feeling. There are too much dispensation from Evangelican, Anglican,Episcopal, Baptist… Its seems not fear for the catholic ones. Why they don’t became a deacons instead of married priest?
 
In Hamilton Canada at Corpus Christie RC.We had a United church pastor ordained to the priest hood.For his privacy I will not mention is name.He is the father of four grown children.He has been ordained for years .He bacame Catholic in his younger years and his family supported him through the long journey to when he was finally given the dispensation to become a Catholic priest.In my opinion he is among the best priests I have encountered and he was the guidance I needed after returning to the Church myself .He is now in ill health and is taking things a bit slower but I’ll always remember him as being the person God sent to me when I needed guidance God Bless all
 
Go to Coming Home Network International at

www.chnetwork.org

Marcus’ website for protestant ministers. You may well find more information there. I believe Father Dave has appeared on the show previously.
 
ADiosgracias said:
I have the some feeling. There are too much dispensation from Evangelican, Anglican,Episcopal, Baptist… Its seems not fear for the catholic ones. Why they don’t became a deacons instead of married priest?
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Because the vocation/call of a deacon is separate and different from that of a priest.
 
ADiosgracias said:
I have the some feeling. There are too much dispensation from Evangelican, Anglican,Episcopal, Baptist…
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You are, of course, entitled to your opinion. If the person’s bishop and the Holy Father disagree, they are free to act otherwise
. Its seems not fear for the catholic ones. Why they don’t became a deacons instead of married priest?
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Because the Church has both found a pastoral need for the man in question to be ordained, and the Church has discerned that his is, in fact, being called to the Priesthood.
 
jannes said:
In Hamilton Canada at Corpus Christie RC.We had a United church pastor ordained to the priest hood.For his privacy I will not mention is name.He is the father of four grown children.He has been ordained for years .He bacame Catholic in his younger years and his family supported him through the long journey to when he was finally given the dispensation to become a Catholic priest.In my opinion he is among the best priests I have encountered and he was the guidance I needed after returning to the Church myself .He is now in ill health and is taking things a bit slower but I’ll always remember him as being the person God sent to me when I needed guidance God Bless all
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I believe I’ve met this priest several years ago, when he came to provide ministry to my diocese over the Easter period. He’s the only married priest I’ve met.
 
I might point out that while married men can become priests, once a man is ordained, he can never marry again,unless he is laicized.
 
Scoobyshme said:
I might point out that while married men can become priests, once a man is ordained, he can never marry again,unless he is laicized.
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Never is a strong word and should :Dnever:D be used.

There are cases from the Church were a deacon who was widowed was allowed to marry.

I am not sure if this has happened with a priest but I would not say that it never has.
 
We have one from the Anglican church who is married and now a Catholic pries. He came and spoke to our youth group. I asked him how he balances both vocations and he said he doesn’t do that well. If his wife wasn’t understanding, then it just would not happen. He said having two vocations is extremely difficult. It sounded painful.

So those who think it is just something we should do as a blanket thing, think again. Not everyone would be up for the mental, spiritual challenge.

This man is also a military chaplain, so he is gone on TDY as well when it is his turn.
 
From the Coming Home Network:

Father Dave also holds degrees in mechanical engineering and business administration as well as a Master of Divinity degree from a Southern Baptist seminary. He has been married 35 years to his beautiful wife Pam. They have two wonderful sons, David Jr., a pharmacist and Grant, a doctoral student in Psychology. His hobbies are gardening and reading.

This is a new development allowing converted Protestant pastors from non-liturgical traditions to discern the priesthood. It may well open the door for more to discern coming home.
 
ByzCath said:
Never is a strong word and should :Dnever:D be used.

There are cases from the Church were a deacon who was widowed was allowed to marry.

I am not sure if this has happened with a priest but I would not say that it never has.
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The only deacon I know who remarried had to be laicized, first. :sad_yes:

I understand the only exception allowing a deacon to remarry and keep his orders are when he is widowed with small children still at home.
 
SonCatcher said:
The only deacon I know who remarried had to be laicized, first. :sad_yes:

I understand the only exception allowing a deacon to remarry and keep his orders are when he is widowed with small children still at home.
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The case I have heard of did not involve laicization though it was not all that recent.
 
ADiosgracias said:
I have the some feeling. There are too much dispensation from Evangelican, Anglican,Episcopal, Baptist… Its seems not fear for the catholic ones. Why they don’t became a deacons instead of married priest?
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They are hopefully responding to an authentic call from God to be a priest. If their call to be a priest is an authentic vocation, then they would be unwise to become a deacon, just as one who is called to the diaconate would be unwise to become a priest. The call is from God, and our job is to correctly discern it.

It seems to me that the liberality with which the Church has permitted some of the mainline protestant Church members, and now even some evangelical Christians into communion with Rome is simply a wide gate with a large “Welcome” sign posted. If they are called to the priesthood and the Holy Father discerns that, then so be it.

We have to be careful about being like the brother of the prodigal son who complained that his lost brother came home. I will celebrate with all of my lost brothers, and it will be a great day when seventeen million Bible thumping, God fearing Southern Baptists come into the Church and all start praying the Rosary and singing Tantum Ergo in front of the Blessed Sacrament.

-Tim-
 
TimothyH said:
They are hopefully responding to an authentic call from God to be a priest. If their call to be a priest is an authentic vocation, then they would be unwise to become a deacon, just as one who is called to the diaconate would be unwise to become a priest. The call is from God, and our job is to correctly discern it.

It seems to me that the liberality with which the Church has permitted some of the mainline protestant Church members, and now even some evangelical Christians into communion with Rome is simply a wide gate with a large “Welcome” sign posted. If they are called to the priesthood and the Holy Father discerns that, then so be it.

We have to be careful about being like the brother of the prodigal son who complained that his lost brother came home. I will celebrate with all of my lost brothers, and it will be a great day when seventeen million Bible thumping, God fearing Southern Baptists come into the Church and all start praying the Rosary and singing Tantum Ergo in front of the Blessed Sacrament.

-Tim-
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👍

(although, I’d personally have no problem with them preferring the Jesus Prayer to the Rosary)
 
Here is an article on the ordination of Fr. Scott Caton in Rochester last June.

catholiccourier.com/news/local-news/bishop-ordains-father-scott-caton/?keywords=scott%20caton&tag=&searchSectionID=

It doesn’t say what exactly his background was, just that he was a “Protestant minister” and married with six children.

I personally love hearing stories like this. It takes a lot of courage to convert to Catholicism as it is. Often the convert is the only Catholic in their family and group of friends, who are not receptive to their conversion. But being a Protestant pastor on top of that? Leaving your entire congregation to completely “start over?” What a leap of faith.
 
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