On one of the first days of classes last year, I ran into the Catholic campus chaplain here at the University of Victoria. As we chatted, he mentioned his wife was homeschooling their sons. I didn’t think anything of married Catholic priests until I told my husband about it later that day. He commented, “Hmmm, he must be a convert.”
As we got to know the chaplain, we found out that he is indeed a convert from the Anglican church. Under Pope Benedict in 2009, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith announced new procedures through which entire congregations of Anglicans can be reunited to the Catholic Church. Married Anglican priests who convert are allowed to receive Holy Orders and serve as Catholic priests.
Why Can’t Catholic Priests Get Married?
Of course, the fact that some Catholic priests are married raises the question—Why can’t all Catholic priests get married? As Scott. P. Richert says, “A married priest is not a priest who got married; he is a married man who was later ordained to the priesthood.” He adds,
“This is an important distinction. There have been married priests throughout the history of Christianity, starting with the Apostles. But there is no evidence that priests have been allowed to marry after receiving the Sacrament of Holy Orders. Indeed, if an unmarried man is ordained a deacon (not simply a priest), he must remain celibate; he cannot marry, because he has already received Holy Orders.”
Going back to the Apostles, we know Peter was married because Jesus healed his mother-in-law (Matt. 8:14-15). The Apostle Paul, on the other hand, remained unmarried. In his first letter to the Corinthians, he tells his fellow Christians,
“I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs—how he can please the Lord. But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife—and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband. I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.” (1 Cor. 7:32-35)
Similarly, the Catholic Catechism states, “People should cultivate [chastity] in the way that is suited to their state of life. Some profess virginity or consecrated celibacy which enables them to give themselves to God alone with an undivided heart in a remarkable manner” (2349). Thus a priest makes a vow of celibacy in order to give himself completely up in service to God.
Priests actually made this vow when they are ordained as transitional deacons, not when they are ordained as priests. Recently, the Church re-instituted the order of permanent deacons. A permanent deacon may be married, but will never be ordained a priest, unless his wife dies and he feels called to pursue Holy Orders.
When my husband and I lived in northern Alberta, we knew another married Catholic priest. He and his wife were Lutheran converts like me. They were both in their 60s now and he served as the assistant to the bishop. While the Church recognizes married priests, these priests are usually given roles such as chaplain or assistant pastor (never head pastor), where they are better able to fulfill both their vocations.
Do you know any married Catholic priests? What do you think of the Church’s teachings on priests and marriage?
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