Ordination of a married man to the priesthood

[ADiosgracias]

Because the vocation/call of a deacon is separate and different from that of a priest.

And the vocation/call of the married man isn’t different from the catholic priest?

Its seem here that we can have two call at the some time

 

[SonCatcher]

And the vocation/call of the married man isn’t different from the catholic priest?

Its seem here that we can have two call at the some time

Correct. However, the Latin discipline is to only ordain celibate men to the priesthood. The exception is only being made for married men who discerned a ministerial calling before becoming Catholic - and subsequently discerned the genuineness of that call. They were deprived of the ability to discern properly before marriage since they were not then Catholic.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

And the vocation/call of the married man isn’t different from the catholic priest?

Its seem here that we can have two call at the some time

Correct, as said above but more.

They are not mutually exclusive calls.

One can be called to religious life and the priesthood.

The discipline in the Eastern Churches is to ordain married men.

The issue of celibacy for the secular clergy is a matter of discipline, not doctrine/dogma as has been stated many times in this thread and on CAF.

 

[dixieagle]

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.

Just recently, an extremely prominent, well-respected, long-time Presbyterian pastor in our city converted to Catholicism; this was quite the bombshell, as there is still residual anti-Catholicism in this Bible-belt community. I have no idea if he is discerning the priesthood, but would not be surprised.

 

[anp1215]

Just recently, an extremely prominent, well-respected, long-time Presbyterian pastor in our city converted to Catholicism; this was quite the bombshell, as there is still residual anti-Catholicism in this Bible-belt community. I have no idea if he is discerning the priesthood, but would not be surprised.

awesome!!

 

[Alfonsus]

And we need to remember, those Protestant minister which converted and pursue discernment in the Catholic Church, has no guarantee that their application will be approved.

Also they convert not because they aim to be priest, but because they believe the Catholic Church is the true Church, and willing to lose everything, including job, stability, family relationship, money, friends, for the sole purpose embracing the Catholic faith.

If their application to priesthood are accepted, they glad and a new struggle begin. If not, they accept the Church decision with obedience.

Their calling is authenticated trough their ministry experience and in the end trough their submission to whatever the Church decide. They are indeed exemplary Catholics.

 

[machine86]

I happen to belong to St Aloysius, in Pee Wee Valley, KY, which is where Father Dave Harris is the Assistant to the Pastor. All who know him, I’m sure, would agree that there is no doubt that he is truly, in every meaning of the word, a Catholic.
As to whether or not his wife and children have converted, I have no idea. I know that I have never seen his wife. I’m guessing, when I say that, she probably stays away from our parish to keep things simple for him in his role as our priest.
One draw back to being a married priest is that he can only ever be the Assistant to the Pastor. He’ll never lead his own church as Pastor.
On a side note: In addition to all of his other life accomplishments, Father Dave is a Fourth Degree Knight of Columbus, which not that many people attain.

 

[anp1215]

I happen to belong to St Aloysius, in Pee Wee Valley, KY, which is where Father Dave Harris is the Assistant to the Pastor. All who know him, I’m sure, would agree that there is no doubt that he is truly, in every meaning of the word, a Catholic.
As to whether or not his wife and children have converted, I have no idea. I know that I have never seen his wife. I’m guessing, when I say that, she probably stays away from our parish to keep things simple for him in his role as our priest.
One draw back to being a married priest is that he can only ever be the Assistant to the Pastor. He’ll never lead his own church as Pastor.
On a side note: In addition to all of his other life accomplishments, Father Dave is a Fourth Degree Knight of Columbus, which not that many people attain.

Is there an exception for Anglican priests joining the Ordinariate? Because I thought that the pastor of the Anglican-Use parish here is married…but I could be wrong.

 

[machine86]

Is there an exception for Anglican priests joining the Ordinariate? Because I thought that the pastor of the Anglican-Use parish here is married…but I could be wrong.

I don’t know anything about that. I was just speaking up for Father Dave as someone who actually knows him.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

One draw back to being a married priest is that he can only ever be the Assistant to the Pastor. He’ll never lead his own church as Pastor.

I do not believe that this is explicitly spelled out in canon law so it is only a very small discipline that could be changed very easily.

As for the Anglican Ordinate, it is not true.

 

[anp1215]

I do not believe that this is explicitly spelled out in canon law so it is only a very small discipline that could be changed very easily.

As for the Anglican Ordinate, it is not true.

Thanks, I was pretty sure I had heard of Anglican Ordinariate pastors who were married.

 

[jannes]

The Canadian priest I mentioned was also the parish priest of Corpus Christie… I have been told at the time he was ordained about 12 years ago he was one of about six married priests in Canada.I have also heard that in wildeness or geographical regons where safety and loneliness, health can be a big issue priests are given a dispensation to marry

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

The Canadian priest I mentioned was also the parish priest of Corpus Christie… I have been told at the time he was ordained about 12 years ago he was one of about six married priests in Canada.I have also heard that in wildeness or geographical regons where safety and loneliness, health can be a big issue priests are given a dispensation to marry

Priests may never marry. No dispensation has ever been given that I am aware of. This is a theological matter not a matter of discipline.

The issue of discipline is the ordination of married men.

Ordaining married men to the priesthood and allowing priests to marry are two totally different things.

 

[Irishgal49]

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.

Your comment raised something I thought I read, but for the life of me cannot recall where I read it. I read somewhere that a deacon whose wife dies and they have very young children can be allowed to remarry because it is thought that the well-being of the children would considered and their need for a mother. Does anyone else recall this? That being said I am not sure I’ve ever head of it and just wondered about it. I’m going to try to find that source.

Lorrie

 

[RyanBlack]

Priests may never marry. No dispensation has ever been given that I am aware of. This is a theological matter not a matter of discipline.

The issue of discipline is the ordination of married men.

Ordaining married men to the priesthood and allowing priests to marry are two totally different things.

I believe it’s a matter of canon law, rather than a matter of faith and morals. Otherwise, how could it be that the Church, in some cases, has laicised priests (they remain priests, but do not celebrate the sacraments, except that they can hear the confession of a dying penitent) and allowed them to marry? If ordination were an absolute impediment to marriage, how could the Church do this?

As to dispensations being given to priests who were not laicised, I have heard of that among the Orthodox in the case of widowed priests with young children. I do not know if any Eastern Catholic bishops ever do that.

 

[RyanBlack]

I believe it’s a matter of canon law, rather than a matter of faith and morals. Otherwise, how could it be that the Church, in some cases, has laicised priests (they remain priests, but do not celebrate the sacraments, except that they can hear the confession of a dying penitent) and allowed them to marry? If ordination were an absolute impediment to marriage, how could the Church do this?

As to dispensations being given to priests who were not laicised, I have heard of that among the Orthodox in the case of widowed priests with young children. I do not know if any Eastern Catholic bishops ever do that.

I would add to this that I am certain that the Roman Catholic Church does not dispense priests to marry and allow them to remain in the clerical state. Some Orthodox bishops have permitted widowed priests with young children to marry and continue serving as priests; I simply do not know whether there is any history of this being done by Eastern Catholic bishops.

 

[whipp711]

On a humorous side note, we had a visiting priest at our parish one time. He had been married, had 5 kids, and wife passed away (tragically) early. He joined the seminary afterwards.

I asked him about family reunions. Do his kids call him “Father Father” or just plain “Father.” He got a chuckle out of that one.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

I believe it’s a matter of canon law, rather than a matter of faith and morals. Otherwise, how could it be that the Church, in some cases, has laicised priests (they remain priests, but do not celebrate the sacraments, except that they can hear the confession of a dying penitent) and allowed them to marry? If ordination were an absolute impediment to marriage, how could the Church do this?

As to dispensations being given to priests who were not laicised, I have heard of that among the Orthodox in the case of widowed priests with young children. I do not know if any Eastern Catholic bishops ever do that.

Priests marrying is a matter of faith and morals. Theologically a man within major Holy Orders can not validly contract a marriage.

The Catholic Church does not allow this. For the Orthodox it may be done in very limited circumstances, the young children case, they would never do so out of loneliness.

The ordination of married men is an issue of Canon Law.

 

[RyanBlack]

Priests marrying is a matter of faith and morals. Theologically a man within major Holy Orders can not validly contract a marriage.

The Catholic Church does not allow this. For the Orthodox it may be done in very limited circumstances, the young children case, they would never do so out of loneliness.

The ordination of married men is an issue of Canon Law.

It is a matter of canon law, not faith and morals. It is not the case that theologically a man within major Holy Orders cannot validly contract a marriage-it is a matter of Canon Law that he cannot validly contract a marriage. Otherwise, it would be impossible for the Church to permit priests to marry under any circumstances whatsoever. A dispensation can be granted (and such has in fact happened) by the Pope alone from the relevant canons and in such cases, a priest can validly contract marriage. When the Roman Catholic Church does grant dispensations from the canons and permits a priest to marry, the priest is removed from the clerical state, although sacramentally, he remains a priest. In such cases, the priest is not permitted to exercise the priestly ministry, except in the case of hearing the confession of a dying penitent.

 

[SonCatcher]

It is a matter of canon law, not faith and morals. It is not the case that theologically a man within major Holy Orders cannot validly contract a marriage-it is a matter of Canon Law that he cannot validly contract a marriage. Otherwise, it would be impossible for the Church to permit priests to marry under any circumstances whatsoever. A dispensation can be granted (and such has in fact happened) by the Pope alone from the relevant canons and in such cases, a priest can validly contract marriage. When the Roman Catholic Church does grant dispensations from the canons and permits a priest to marry, the priest is removed from the clerical state, although sacramentally, he remains a priest. In such cases, the priest is not permitted to exercise the priestly ministry, except in the case of hearing the confession of a dying penitent.

The term is laicization. The priest’s faculties for celebrating the sacraments are completely removed. He could only baptize under the same conditions as any lay person (danger of death). The remaining priestly character (which only Latin Catholics believe) does keep him in Persona Christi in the sense of ability to hear deathbed confessions but any other attempt hearing confession would be mortally sinful for him as willful disobedience.

Permission for the laicized priest to contract marriage is a separate petition.