www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life The Christian East & West Married in America

Dear Byzantines and Others,

What specific Eastern Catholic Churches prohibit their priests from marriage in America? When will this be abandoned and Eastern Tradition fully restored with regards to this specific situation? Thanks.

ChristTeen287

ChristTeen,

There are no restrictions on any of the Eastern Catholic Churches against the ordination of married men to the priesthood. To my knowledge, the only Byzantine Catholic Church that has not yet ordained a married man to the priesthood is the Byzantine-Ruthenian Catholic Church (the Ukrainian Catholics and Melkites have already ordained married men but I'm not sure on the Romanians).

The decision is up to each bishop as to whether he will accept married men for formation and eventual ordination. As far as I know none of the vocation directors in our Church have been directed to begin considering applications from married men. I would be thrilled if someone would post to correct me on this.

Admin

At Fr. Scott Boghosian's ordination reception, one of the speakers repeated exhorted the audience to consider the priesthood as their vocation. I thought this was singularly ill-considered, because of the hundred-odd people there, two-thirds were women, and of the remaining third, the overwhelming majority were married. Being Scott's friend, I did not indulge my first inclination to stand up and say that if only Bishop Andrew or one of his brothers in Christ would give the word, he would find plenty of men both available and willing to serve Christ at the altar. But so long as the Ruthenian Byzantine Metropolitan Catholic Church remains obdurate in its refusal to even consider the ordination of married men, I can only conclude that, like the French of 1940 (when the Nazis were ready to march into Paris), "The situation is critical, but not serious".

I had heard that in each case a married man's ordination had to be approved by the Vatican. Is this true?

Only in the particular law of the Ruthenian Metropolitan Church. No such law is binding upon other Eastern Catholic Churches, and indeed, most have begun ordaining married men without any reference to Rome at all.

The Romanians have ordained married priests.

Well personally, I think all Eastern Catholic jurisdictions should offer the choice of married priesthood.

ChristTeen287

P.S. How do Eastern Catholics understand the verse in the Bible which goes something like, "There are men who make themselves eunuchs for the glory of God." It seems Roman Catholics see this as a reference to married priesthood; what about y'all Easterners?

For us, there are two distinct charisms--sacerdotal ministry and monasticism. They are not identical, and one does not preclude the other. Those who make themselves eunuchs for the Kingdom are those who follow the monastic path.

By the way, this passage does not need to be seen as referring to sexuality at all. Eunuchs in hellenistic society were employed in high government offices because, being unable to generate progeny, they had no heirs. Not having heirs, they would be less likely to seek to usurp supreme (hereditary)power. Not having family connections, they were entirely dependent upon the monarch or prince for their welfare. Hence, one who makes himself a eunuch for the Kingdom is one who is willing to sacrifice EVERYTHING, not merely marriage, in the service of Christ.

Thanks, Stuart.

Dear ChristTeen,

But as our bishop once said, a married priest is always the most disciplined, since he has his own personal Patriarch living with him at home . . .

Alex

There are currently two married priests as pastors of parishes in the Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh.

Joe Prokopchak
archsinner

They were not ordained in the US by a Ruthenian bishop, Joe. That seems to be the line in the sand with the BCC hierarchy in the US.

There is an ex-Lutheran pastor in Tulsa, who came into the Roman diocese of Tulsa, yes, as a married priest and then was granted bi-ritual faculties by Pittsburgh and later tri-ritual faculties as he also serves a Maronite mission in Tulsa.

That's the funny thing. The Melkites, Ukrainians, and even Romans have accepted and ordained married priests in the US (the Episcopalians and Lutherans who were married and accepted by the Romans had to have a conditional ordination with their local Roman bishop).

I don't understand what the reluctance is of the BCC hierarchy, although one factor complicating matters is a critical shortage of vocations in the BCC now.

GLORY TO JESUS CHRIST!
GLORY TO HIM FOREVER!

I have a question...

What happens when a married man is ordained and he is assigned to a parish. Is it not custom to NOT assign a priest to his "home" parish?

This should prove interesting....

the least servant of the servants...
mark

It is on a case by case basis, and as parish and eparchial needs dictate. Some do end up in their home parishes, but I think that is usually the exception.

I know several married priests who have teaching jobs or bi-ritual hospital/prison chaplancies who are kept much longer in their parishes because they receive salary and benefits through their teaching/chaplain jobs, so there is little economic hardship on their parishes and eparchies.

In these cases the eparchy is much more amenable to letting the pastor stay as long as he wants and has the other income and benefits source.

There are other specific considerations. I know another priest in our eparchy (a former pastor of mine) who was granted an assignment close to his children and young grandchildren, and another who was granted an assignment close to an elderly parent.

I would consider this as untrue. I know of married men ordained in the 1990's by visiting bishops from Ukraine, and then swiftly put to work by their American bishops.

I don't think the men that Patriarch JOSYF ordained in Rome in the 1970's needed any special permissions, just a Bishop willing to do it.

With Best Wishes!
Stefan-Ivan