Sunday, May 03, 2009
<http://adorotedevote.blogspot.com/2009/05/married-priesthood.html>A Married Priesthood? http://adorotedevote.blogspot.com/2009/05/married-priesthood.html In my last job, I worked with a man who was an Evangelical Pastor - part time. He had once had his own community, of which he was the Pastor, and was very candid with me with regard to some of the struggles he and his family endured. At the time of these conversations, I was in the beginning of my conversion back to the Church, had fallen in love with Christ, and was happy to have a friend with whom I could speak of theological and spiritual things. He had been raised Catholic himself, but had left the Church in favor of an Evangelical belief system, and still had a great deal of respect for the Catholic Church. Of course, he clearly disagreed with many of the teachings, especially that of Jesus Christ present in the Eucharist, but supported a celibate clergy. Why? In the Catholic worldview, it comes down to the meaning of Vocation, and, in the Latin Church, the discipline of a celibate clergy. There are many who take the position that ending this discipline would also end the "vocations crisis". I've said it before and I'll say it again; the bigger crisis is that of catechesis and, even more greatly still...logic. My friend described to me why he was no longer in full-time ministry. He loved his wife. He loved his family; he was vowed to them and dedicated to them. Yet, as Pastor, he was also dedicated to his church. His flock needed him, often at all hours of the night. It put a strain on his family, it put a strain on him, and finally he realized he had to make a choice between being a Pastor to his flock, or being a Father to his family. He chose his family. In the Roman (Latin) Catholic world, we explain it thus: Marriage and family is his Vocation. Everything is secondary to that. He disagreed with that assessment, of course, but it's all semantics. After all, he was Evangelical. If he agreed, he would have returned to the Catholic Church. But I digress. This afternoon, <http://frpelletier.blogspot.com/2009/05/married-priests-and-priest-shortage.html>Fr. Pelletier directs us to<http://soli.inav.net/%7Ejfischer/jan99/patriciadixon.html> an article written by Patricia Dixon, now Catholic, but writing to us from her perspective of her time as a Protestant Pastor's wife. She doesn't just address the oft-cited financial considerations, but the spiritual and emotional impact as well. I suspect that the issues she addresses would have my friend nodding right along, and perhaps even our Eastern Rite Catholic brothers and sisters might agree. If I have any Eastern Catholic readers, especially clergy, I'd love their take on Mrs. Dixon's words. Here is an excerpt from her article: On top of this, a pastor's wife and children are themselves without pastoral care. No man, however talented or dedicated, can be pastor and husband or father to the same people. The objectivity required of the pastoral role is missing. But the minister's family cannot seek spiritual direction and sustenance elsewhere; loyalty and the need to avoid the appearance of a split in the family require that they remain at his church. When the father's career and the family's spiritual life are one and the same, the spiritual life suffers badly. A priest or minister is seldom off duty. Any family activity is likely to be interrupted, often for the most trivial of reasons. A vacation at home is impossible for a clergyman's family; if he's around, he's assumed to be available to his flock. The bum-out rate among Protestant pastors is very high. If relaxing the celibacy rule increases the number of priests, it will have to increase it enough to make up for the large number who will leave the priesthood when they, like so many of their Protestant colleagues, find the toll it takes on the families impossible to accept. Now, I will address one thing, because if I don't, guaranteed it will come up in the combox: she takes a parish that is non-typical as her example, no doubt to be able to provide for the most obvious and most difficult situation, although under the premise that it is already an affluent parish. I actually attend a parish that matches her scenario to some degrees, (affluency...not too sure about that. Not in my city), and as I know that only 49-51% of ALL REGISTERED FAMILIES actually contribute to the parish...the prospects of providing for a married Priesthood gives me shivers. If we allow a married priesthood, we can kiss all of our beloved parish homes goodbye. <http://soli.inav.net/%7Ejfischer/jan99/patriciadixon.html>Please read her article, ESPECIALLY if you are in the camp that thinks a married priesthood is the way to go. Please consider the words of a woman who has been there, look beyond the political view you might hold, and see the reality of the impact upon the priest, the family, and the parish if the Church were to drop the discipline of celibacy. If we truly love our priests, if we truly pray for them, then we should be desiring their good, as they desire ours. It seems to me that a married priesthood as the norm would be destructive to us all. Today is the world day of prayer for Vocations. Pray. <http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ysbqAK-74JE/Sf4T_7U7MhI/AAAAAAAABoQ/lV7O-N6FNF8/s1600-h/Cincinnativocations-InterviewWithArchbishopSchnurrAndFrLenPlazewski844.jpg> [] If we want more priests, the answer is not to change the discipline, but to pray, fast, and sacrifice for those who may have a Vocation to answer that call so that they may offer the Sacrifice of the Mass on our behalf. <http://www.mpdinc.org/_prayers.jsp>Pope John Paul II's Prayer for Vocations Holy and provident Father, You are the Lord of the vineyard and the harvest and You give each a just reward for their work. In your design of love You call men and women to work with You for the salvation of the world. We thank You for Jesus Christ, your living word, who has redeemed us from our sins and is among us to assist us in our poverty. Guide the flock to which You have promised possession of the kingdom. Send new workers into your harvest and set in the hearts of pastors faithfulness to your plan of salvation, perseverance in their vocation and holiness of life. Christ Jesus, who on the shores of the Sea of Galilee called the Apostles and made them the foundation of the Church and bearers of your Gospel, in our day, sustain your people on its journey. Give courage to those whom You call to follow You in the priesthood and the consecrated life, so that they may enrich God's field with wisdom of your Word. Make them docile instruments of your love in everyday service of their brothers and sisters. Spirit of holiness, who pour out your gifts on all believers and, especially, on those called to be Christ's ministers, help young people to discover the beauty of the divine call. Teach them the true way of prayer, which is nourished by the Word of God. Help them to read the signs of the times, so as to be faithful interpreters of your Gospel and bearers of salvation. Mary, Virgin who listened and Virgin of the Word of God made flesh in your womb, help us to be open to the Word of the Lord, so that, having been welcomed and meditated upon, it may grow in our hearts. Help us to live like You the beatitudes of believers and to dedicate ourselves with unceasing charity to evangelizing all those who seek your Son. Grant that we may serve every person, becoming servants of the Word we have heard, so that remaining faithful to it we may find our happiness in living it. Amen. Posted by Adoro at <http://adorotedevote.blogspot.com/2009/05/married-priesthood.html>Sunday, May 03, 2009<http://www.blogger.com/email-post.g?blogID=15170815&postID=6671826394651385792> <*}}}>< <http://www.holypostage.com/>Custom Faith-based U.S. Postage <*}}}>< + <*}}}>< <http://astore.amazon.com/halthekin-20>Catholic on Amazon <*}}}>< <*}}}>< <http://www.halfthekingdom.org/on+allposters+today.html>on AllPosters today <*}}}>< + <*}}}>< <http://www.holypostage.com/>Holy Postage <*}}}>< <*}}}><<http://www.halfthekingdom.org/>Half the <http://www.halfthekingdom.org/>Kingdom!<*}}}>< + "A person is a person, no matter how small." 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