Priesthood and Adoption

[ChristIsTheWay]

I remember watching a film about Father George Clements, who adopted a child some years ago. I am wondering, is this a unique case or can a Catholic priest adopt children? I have never known a priest who has done it, nor I have heard of any priest besides Fr. Clements who has adopted a child.

 

[vocatio]

One of the Army Chaplains, Fr. “G” as we called him, had adopted 2 boys, and put them through school. He was a very wealthy man. He paid for a group of tickets at the Moulon Rouge when we went to Prais, where I first saw Andre the Giant. Ironically, I met his daughter not to long before that at school before joining the Army.

The military is in great need of Catholic Chaplains…The pay is good and they get promoted very fast.
This is also a good place for Orthodox priests with families. I for one would like to see the Anglicans that convert to fill those shoes. They can actually support their families with officer pay. Expect to be a captain within 2 years and a major within 5 to 8 years.

 

[Cran]

Our parish priest has an adopted son. It is rather funny to watch the faces of new parishioners when his son comes visiting and his children are screaming for grandpa
But he was already in his teens when he was adopted, in Germany children are usually not adopted from single parents (not counting exceptions like adopting a child out of another country), so it won’t become a regular for priests here to have adopted children, and I daresay the diocesis wouldn’t be so fond of it in most cases (no mother to raise the child, more time spend with family, less with parish and so on and so on, basically the arguments in favor of celibacy).

 

[vocatio]

I thought I was finished…Now the rest of the story…

This priest had problems…he was not very reliable for seeking spiritual direction from even though he was a fulltime priest. I have issues with diocesan priest anyway. Many of them, because of the nature of not having orders in a religious organization, seem to tend to not be there for you when you need them. However, our Franciscan Friars seem to make themselves available. They also do not retire…as do diocesan priests.

I could tell very easily that this priest’s adopted sons had relationship issues with him. It was written all over the place. Sure they probably came from a difficult background…but there’s more to it. They despirately needed an unconditional loving parent esepcially a mother. No…I do not like the idea of a priest adopting a child…if you justify that then youi must justify allowing married men to be priests. another topic for another day.

 

[ChristIsTheWay]

So, it appears that it was not a unique case. Does anyone know of rules that govern this practice? I mean, Church rules?

 

[ChristIsTheWay]

They also do not retire…as do diocesan priests.

Not to get my thread off-topic but don’t most religious eventually enter into some kind of “senior ministry,” which is similar to semi-retirement?

 

[Norseman82]

I remember watching a film about Father George Clements, who adopted a child some years ago. I am wondering, is this a unique case or can a Catholic priest adopt children? I have never known a priest who has done it, nor I have heard of any priest besides Fr. Clements who has adopted a child.

Fr. Clements is a priest for the the Chicago archdiocese. From what I understand, another Chicago archdiocesan priest, Fr. Micheal Pfelger, also adopted at least one son, so perhaps it all depends on diocesan rules.

 

[Brain]

It is exceedingly rare, especially now since we are still on a hair trigger about the Church and kids. I know in one of the Washington Dioceses (or was it Oregon?) one of the most notorious abusers had adopted multiple children and so in the Pacific Northwest the policy is probably “never in a thousand years”.

Priest adoptions are pretty rare anyway and from what I know, its usually due to some emergency or extenuating circumstance.

 

[CB_Catholic]

We had a priest in our diocese (he is now deceased) who adopted a young boy after his family was killed in an auto accident (they had been close friends). He raised him into a fine man who is now married with children of his own.

But I think this is rather rare.

 

[ASimpleSinner]

I for one would like to see the Anglicans that convert to fill those shoes. They can actually support their families with officer pay. Expect to be a captain within 2 years and a major within 5 to 8 years.

I have wondered for years why we don’t promote that with our pastoral provision priests. Granted, military life could be tough on the families as well.

As to the OP - this is generally a RARE thing that is made notable by how rare it is when it does happen… The Catholic Church encourages - whenever possible - two-parent homes… and also expects a lot out of her celibate priests.

Additionally some diocese will not ordain men with children to the priesthood at all. In the diocese I grew up in we had a man ordained to the priesthood - a widower - in his 70s who had adult children. He came to our diocese because his diocese would not ordain a man with children, even grown ones, to the priesthood.