The priest, his flock and his wife

[stumbler]

The Rev. Michael Scheip is a rarity: a Roman Catholic priest with a wife and children. His Sarasota parishioners praise Scheip, who is one of the church’s occasional exceptions to the vow of celibacy, but his family keeps a low profile.

By JAMES THORNER,
St. Petersburg Times Staff Writer
June 27, 2005

SARASOTA - From behind the altar at St. Patrick Catholic Church, the Rev. Michael Scheip lifts his hands in a farewell blessing, urging parishioners to go in peace to serve the Lord and one another.

It’s the cue for the dark-haired woman and her children to slip from the pews. Emerging into the morning sun outside church, the woman avoids the outstretched palm of Scheip, who’s greeting a stream of parishioners, and vanishes in her car.

Later on Sunday, Scheip and the woman will enjoy a swim at the beach and a barbecue dinner. He won’t be mocking his priestly commitment. She’s Mary, his wife of 24 years and mother of his five boys, ages 9 to 21.

Scheip represents something rare in the Roman Catholic Church since Pope Gregory VII, in a burst of clerical reform in the late 11th century, demanded priestly celibacy. . . .

---

Full article

 

[Deacon_Tony560]

We have a married priest/ convert in our diocese. He supports his family by his work as a hospital chaplain. The diocese does not support his family financially. He helps out at a parrish.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

stumbler:

The Rev. Michael Scheip is a rarity: a Roman Catholic priest with a wife and children. His Sarasota parishioners praise Scheip, who is one of the church’s occasional exceptions to the vow of celibacy, but his family keeps a low profile.

Just so you know, secular priests (also known as diocesean priests) do not take vows. They make promises.

Only religious priests (that is priests who are members of religious orders) take vows.

A married priest will always be part of the secular priesthood, never a religious priest.

 

[stanley123]

stumbler:

… a Roman Catholic priest with a wife and children.

It might be time to rethink the issue of celibacy for all priests. I went to an E. Catholic Church recently, and it turned out that the priest was a married man. His wife was very helpful at the social events and everyone had a rather high opinion of her. I thought that she was a nice complement to her husband’s priestly duties.

 

[Richardols]

With careful selection and diligent investigation of a man and his family, there shouldn’t be any reason why a married priesthood shouldn’t be an option for certain men in certain circumstances.

 

[Hildebrand]

stanley123:

It might be time to rethink the issue of celibacy for all priests. I went to an E. Catholic Church recently, and it turned out that the priest was a married man. His wife was very helpful at the social events and everyone had a rather high opinion of her. I thought that she was a nice complement to her husband’s priestly duties.

I cannot think of an instance in the entire history of the Church where a priest was allowed to marry.

That is different from the thousands of married men who became priests in the past 2,000 years.

I am almost certain if the Church “rethink(s) the issue of celibacy for all priests” it cannot allow the current deacons, priests, and bishops to marry.

 

[barnestormer]

stanley123:

It might be time to rethink the issue of celibacy for all priests. I went to an E. Catholic Church recently, and it turned out that the priest was a married man. His wife was very helpful at the social events and everyone had a rather high opinion of her. I thought that she was a nice complement to her husband’s priestly duties.

Nice story, but all of those things are irrelevant. A priest ought to have the sort of radical availability that only a celibate (i.e., not married) man can have. The salvation of souls depends on the priestly vocation, and a priest should be free of encumbrance to focus on the countless roles and responsibilities that come with his ordination, not to mention his need for LOTS of prayer time.

We must resist the Protestant temptation to reduce ordained leadership to mere “duties” as if being a priest is simply a 9-5 + occasional overtime job. It is a vocation, a way of life, and a unique role in God’s plan of salvation.

While the rule of celibacy is just that–a rule, not a dogma–and can change in the future if the Church so chooses, we need to be realistic: it’s probably not going to happen in our lifetime. We ought not waste our energy chattering on and on about “the need for optional celibacy,” or some such cry.

Right now celibacy is the rule. Period. That’s the way it is. Instead of complaining about it and trying to craft clever or warm-and-fuzzy arguments for why the rule ought to disappear, let us trust God and work with what we have.

 

[stanley123]

barnestormer:

A priest ought to have the sort of radical availability that only a celibate (i.e., not married) man can have.

The newspaper has quoted Cardinal Roger Mahony of LA as saying that a married priesthood has worked Ok in the Eastern Orthodox Churches. Are you overlooking a
problem with today’s unmarried priesthood. For one example, according to the book: The Changing Face of the Priesthood: A Reflection on the Priest’s Crisis of Soul, by Donald B. Cozzens, sources are quoted according to which the majority of priests (58 percent, soon to be 80 percent, depending on the source) are homosexual.
How do you propose to solve this problem? Or do you think the current situation is OK?

 

[AlanFromWichita]

Richardols:

With careful selection and diligent investigation of a man and his family, there shouldn’t be any reason why a married priesthood shouldn’t be an option for certain men in certain circumstances.

Actually it is that way. Not everybody knows that.

There certainly is no Biblical prohibition against it, but tradition holds there are Biblical reasons that celibacy is to be preferred. Other than that, it’s completely up to da man…

http://wordsfree.org/benedict.jpg

Alan

 

[Catholic_Heart]

****Our Pastor came to the priesthood late…He is a widow, who has kids and sevearl grandkids…We LOVE the man, and are pleased that he has a family. It is really strange to go into Father D.'s office and see all those family pictures!

---

However…Contrary to what you might think, Father D. does not think priests should be married…He says that he has experienced both, and knows that each has its own pressures, that could often be in conflict.

---

There is a rather high divorce rate among Protestant ministers. The pressures are enormous…And, in many congregations the wife is expected to be a sort of co-pastor, something that some wives have no interest in being. PK’s, (that’s Precher’s Kids) have their own problems…They are often the wild ones in college…I went to a small Methodist college, where there were lots of PK’s , so I know!

---

Although I lean toward a celibate priesthood, I also believe that the call to the priesthood and the call to celibacy may not be the same call at all for some men…

 

[barnestormer]

stanley123:

The newspaper has quoted Cardinal Roger Mahony of LA as saying that a married priesthood has worked Ok in the Eastern Orthodox Churches. Are you overlooking a
problem with today’s unmarried priesthood. For one example, according to the book: The Changing Face of the Priesthood: A Reflection on the Priest’s Crisis of Soul, by Donald B. Cozzens, sources are quoted according to which the majority of priests (58 percent, soon to be 80 percent, depending on the source) are homosexual.
How do you propose to solve this problem? Or do you think the current situation is OK?

Your point is not clear, but are you trying to use the author’s supposed statistic to paint some kind of link between the celibate life and homosexual inclinations? If so, that’s absurd. Allowing married clergy isn’t going to “solve the problem.” Screening out homosexuals from the seminary, however, is a good step in the right direction.

I’ve spent time with diocesan seminarians and religious student brothers, and I assure you that most are healthy young men with a thorough understanding of and appreciation for their own sexuality and the celibate life they are embracing. While the media drones on and on about the decline in priests, they mostly ignore the upsurge in seminarians, and the majority of priestly vocations these days are young men who embrace celibacy not simply as a radical sacrifice for God and the Church but also as a positive affirmation of God’s gift of human sexuality (read JPII’s Theology of the Body for starters).

Just because something works in the Eastern Orthodox Church doesn’t mean it would work in the Roman Rite. They’re comparing apples and oranges. God bless His Emminence Cardinal Mahony, but his opinion is nothing more than an opinion. I take more seriously the countless bishops, priests, and seminarians who joyfully accept their celibate lives and move forward in God’s work instead of whining about it.

 

[barnestormer]

I also believe that the call to the priesthood and the call to celibacy may not be the same call at all for some men…

Well, right now under the regime of a celibate priesthood, unless one is coming in as married clergy from another denomination (and not all who apply are ordained), the call to priesthood and the call to celibacy go hand-in-hand. Do you think God is on the sidelines twiddling His thumbs waiting for the Church to remove mandatory celibacy so that all the people for whom “the call to the priesthood and the call to celibacy may not be the same call” can become priests? Hardly.

Right now, if you’re a Roman Catholic male called to be a priest, you’re called to be celibate.

 

[Richardols]

barnestormer:

Right now celibacy is the rule. Period. That’s the way it is. Instead of complaining about it and trying to craft clever or warm-and-fuzzy arguments for why the rule ought to disappear, let us trust God and work with what we have.

Not “Period.” It is a discipline, not a doctrine and as such Catholics can “complain about” it, and press for change without being heterodox.

 

[barnestormer]

Richardols:

Not “Period.” It is a discipline, not a doctrine and as such Catholics can “complain about” it, and press for change without being heterodox.

Notice I said “rule,” not “doctrine” or “dogma.” Yes, it can change and one day it might. But this change isn’t going to come about because people complain. Thankfully the Church is wiser than that.

My point was (and is) that we laity ought to focus our energies and talents towards OUR vocation, which is the sanctification of the world. Instead of griping perhaps we should channel our time towards things like proper Catechesis, orthodox youth programs and formation, promoting vocations, helping the poor and downtrodden, visiting the sick and homebound, pro-life activities, and on and on. There are a million more important things to do than complain about mandatory priestly celibacy.

Rome will change when Rome changes. But the Church leadership is well aware of what’s going on in so many seminaries, dioceses, and orders in the world today—lots of healthy young men considering the priesthood who are committed to celibacy and embrace it as a positive good. In light of that and other factors we aren’t likely to see a change for a long time. When it comes, it comes. In the meantime, let’s band together and do OUR job—bringing the Gospel to all facets of daily life. This is where our energies need to be.

 

[wabrams]

barnestormer:

We must resist the Protestant temptation to reduce ordained leadership to mere “duties” as if being a priest is simply a 9-5 + occasional overtime job. It is a vocation, a way of life, and a unique role in God’s plan of salvation.

I’d take a guess and say just as many Protestant pastor’s treat it as a 9-5 job + overtime as due Catholic Priests: a handful or less. Kinda a slap in the face to Protestant’s.

 

[Richardols]

wabrams:

I’d take a guess and say just as many Protestant pastor’s treat it as a 9-5 job + overtime as due Catholic Priests: a handful or less. Kinda a slap in the face to Protestant’s.

From my experience with Protestant pastors, they are generally as hard pressed to keep up with their pastoral duties as are Catholic priests.

Indeed, this is an argument for a celibate priesthood because a hard-working minister has to fulfill all his duties to his church and then is expected to fullfill his duties as head of a family.

 

[barnestormer]

Richardols:

a hard-working minister has to fulfill all his duties to his church and then is expected to fullfill his duties as head of a family.

You hit the nail on the head. I look at the workloads of priests in my diocese and know there’s no way they could have a family AND live their priestly vocation to the fullest extent possible. Under most circumstances, one would have to come at the expense of the other, and that’s unacceptable for both vocations. A married man owes his fullest to his wife and children, and a priest owed his fullest to his flock. What happens when circumstances arise where he is forced to choose between the two? What about having to pick up and move every few years? In my diocese newly ordained priests can be moved around every few months for a few years until they are made pastor. Think that’s the ideal situation for a family? What about when the diocese wants to send the priest to lands afar for advanced education? What about getting that 2am phone call that a parishoner needs last rites ASAP…oh no, the wife’s out of town–“sorry I couldn’t be there for last rites, there was no one to watch my kids.” What about the parishes and dioceses that struggle to support a single priest’s meager living stipend? Shall I go on?..

The few married Catholic priests who somehow manage to “make it work” are the exception and not the rule. Most of them are placed into pastoral situations where extreme priestly demands can be shifted to other priests in residence–i.e., large parishes with 2 or 3 priests.

 

[barnestormer]

wabrams:

Kinda a slap in the face to Protestant’s.

Take a look at the countless Protestant churches where the minister works a full-time job plus ministry. Often this is because the ministerial duties are minimal. This was not meant to slap the Protestants in the face, only to point out that the theologically-defined roles of many denominations’ ministers are very different than the roles of a Catholic priest. We’re talking about churches that don’t have 7 sacraments, churches where the minister is not ordained In Persona Christi, etc. Treating it like a 9-5 + occasional overtime job or even less than that is not the result of laziness or apathy, but simply that for so many Protestant ministers there just isn’t that much work to do, by virtue of their job description. Obviously there are exceptions to this.

Many in the Catholic Church today are attempting to laicize the clergy and blur the distinction of role and vocation, with the end goal of reducing the clergy to nothing more than figurehead leaders who simply administer some sacraments. That is what I meant by taking a more Protestant view of ordained ministry.

 

[wabrams]

barnestormer:

Take a look at the countless Protestant churches where the minister works a full-time job plus ministry. Often this is because the ministerial duties are minimal. This was not meant to slap the Protestants in the face, only to point out that the theologically-defined roles of many denominations’ ministers are very different than the roles of a Catholic priest.

I agree with you here. But I was thinking along the lines of mainline Protestant denominations (i.e. Lutheran, Episcapalion, Methodist, etc.). It is a 24 hour a day job for them.

barnestormer:

We’re talking about churches that don’t have 7 sacraments, churches where the minister is not ordained In Persona Christi, etc. Treating it like a 9-5 + occasional overtime job or even less than that is not the result of laziness or apathy, but simply that for so many Protestant ministers there just isn’t that much work to do, by virtue of their job description. Obviously there are exceptions to this. .

You really need to clarify this for me, b/c right now it seems like your saying that if the church doesn’t have 7 sacraments, there isnt much to do.

barnestormer:

Many in the Catholic Church today are attempting to laicize the clergy and blur the distinction of role and vocation, with the end goal of reducing the clergy to nothing more than figurehead leaders who simply administer some sacraments. That is what I meant by taking a more Protestant view of ordained ministry.

Again, if you look at mainline Protestant denominations, it is a 24 hour a day job.

 

[barnestormer]

Well, I guess it’s a regional perspective. I look at the Lutheran and Episcopalian churches in my area (even the large ones), and their ministers simply don’t have a full day’s work each day. It’s a matter of 1) volume, and 2) breadth of responsibility. Granted, they must be available for their ministry 24 hours per day.

As for the 7 sacraments line, I simply spoke in terms of volume. A Catholic priest has to be available for Confession, Last Rites / Annointing of the Sick, infant Baptism, marriage preparation, and these things simply add to the sheer volume of what he must do on a daily basis. I’ve seen many priests who could spend the better part of each day running around taking Holy Communion and Annointing of the Sick to nursing homes, the homebound, etc., in his parish.

My point is that, all things being equal, much more is expected of a Catholic priest (quantitatively speaking) than many other Christian church ministers. Again, this conclusion comes from observation in my diversely-churched area, and the mere definition of ministerial capacity.

There are always exceptions.