www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life The Christian East & West Numbers of Maried Priests

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
At a party this afternoon, someone made the assertion that here in the United States, there are more married Roman Catholic priests (former Protestant clergy ordained as an exception to the general rule) than there are married Eastern Catholic priests (whose patrimony allows for ordination of married men as priests).
At first glance, I think I probably agree with that assertion; I know several married RC priests, and only two married EC priests. I am looking for is a more firm foundation to the assertion. Does anyone have any good source of numbers of of married priests, RC and EC?
Thanks for the help!
Reader Joseph

Are you referring to married Byzantine priests ordained in the U.S., or who come from overseas, and were ordained in another country? It seems like the first category would obviously be very, very small.

MK

Regardless of the numbers it is my opinion that there are not nearly as many married priest as there should be. I for one would become a married priest if the Metropolitian would accept me in a heart beat!

I have always believed that I have had a vocation. I believe the call to a vocation is a gift from God. Further, the call to celibacy is a gift from God. However, to say that God must give the gift of a vocation and the gift of celibacy is a selfish position. My humble opinion.

God Bless!

How about becoming a Byzantine Catholic first?

Lemko Rusyn,

Other than doing an official rite change I have been attending a Byzantine Church for almost 3 years now. Haven't been to a Latin Church liturgy except for the once in awhile out of town mass.

In addition, my wife is Byzantine Catholic.

God Bless!

[ 06-30-2002: Message edited by: aRomanCatholic@Work ]

[ 06-30-2002: Message edited by: aRomanCatholic@Work ]

Michael, Thanks for the question and resulting clarification.

I am looking for the number of all married Eastern Catholic priests, of the Byzantine Rite (in any of the four Churches) or of any other ECC. If anyone had a breakout of how many had been ordained in the USA compared with how many had been ordained overseas and then returned to the USA to serve, that would be interesting also.

I am also looking for the number of married RC priests who are serving/have servedd in the USA.

All the best!

Reader Joseph

>>>I am also looking for the number of married RC priests who are serving/have servedd in the USA.<<<

I do not have an exact figure for this, but several sources have stated that there are approximately 100 married Latin priests, all former Anglican or Lutheran ministers, serving in the United States. Initially, they were prohibited from serving as pastors of parishes, but that appears to have changed, at least in a few dioceses. What is interesting is that there are more married Latin priests in this country than there are married Eastern Catholic priests, yet the Latin bishops in the USCCB refuse to this day to publish a statement similar to that of the Australian bishop's council, which said that the Latin bishops of Australia have no objections to the ordination of married men to the presbyterate by the Eastern Catholic Churches in Australia.

minor amendment, several married former Methodist clergymen have been ordained as well.

Axios

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Axios:
[QB]minor amendment, several married former Methodist clergymen have been ordained as well.

That is interesting. I was not aware that the Methodists actually understood priesthood to be a sacramental order, at least not in the way that we do.

But they're not Methodists anymore, they're Catholic now.

In Christ,
mikey.

As far as I know, there are the following married priests in the Ruthenian/Pittsburgh Metropolia:

1 born & ordained in Hungary;
1 American-born & ordained, now widowed and retired;
1 former Orthodox;
and maybe a former Protestant, not sure.

The dispensation was originally granted because the Anglican and Lutheran denominations at least nominally retained the notion of a sacerdotal priesthood, whereas, to the best of my knowledge, the Methodists do not. That some married Methodist ministers are being accepted into the Latin presbyterate fills one with hope that the barriers against married priests is coming down in the Latin Church much more quickly than anticipated. Of course, on the day that Latin seminaries open their doors to married presbyteral candidates, Eastern Catholic Churches will still have to go to Rome for the "Mother May I?".

Stuart,

Aaah, okay, I see now. I was not aware that only Anglican and Lutheran ministers were orginally allowed the dispensation.

In Christ,
mikey.

I think they call it "the thin end of the wedge".

Stuart,

I once knew a former presbyterian minister who was given the option of becoming a married RC priest. After contemplating the sacrfices involved, he decided against it.

What saddens me is that so many our Eastern Catholic young men are never given such an option.

Anthony