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" For you, coming from an Orthodox background, it must seem odd that a Roman Catholic would scoff at a married priesthood"

Not really. The power of "tradition" is very great in the East so when it pops up in the West, I don't find it odd. You know, this is absolutely, first last and always the call of the Roman Church for the Latin Rite. The Orthodox won't throw rocks at your head for establishing your own disciplines. In any event, I have two cousins on the paternal side who are Latin Rite priests, so I've been around this discussion for a very long time. One is a Jesuit! Spooky, huh?! More revelations in the interests of full disclosure! :)

As for schedules, you know, the practice of saying four masses a day is a relatively recent innovation in the Roman Church. Within my own memory, a Roman priest, like an Orthodox one now, could only say one liturgy a day. Our present proiestamenos (pastor) was in a 1200 family parish before coming here. He left home at 7:00 AM and didn't return until 10:00 PM. Its a tough job, no question about it. It is so hard on the wives that the Archdiocese has a special organization for priests' wives and does its best to let women know what they are getting into before they marry. The wives have a "Sisterhood" which provides them with much needed mutual support. In the end, though, the deal is the Church comes first. The wives understand this, at least most of them, in the same way the wife of a busy doctor, lawyer, businessman or soldier does.

NYer; A.A. Cunningham; sinkspur; sitetest

Absolutely on the money -- no more than one liturgy a day was the Church standard in the East and the West. The multiple services is an innovation of a recent date in the West.

My priest used to drive three hours every Saturday to another town so the parish there could have a liturgy. He would have the regular Sunday service in his home town. Sometimes all he could do is Vespers in the other town. He would visit the sick in hospitals and nursing homes, bless the houses of the deceased, marry, bury, always found time to listen to our trivial nagging, visited parishoners in jail, helped organize humanitarian drives to help recently arrived refugees, and so on. His day started at o-dark-thrity and ended at o-dark-thirty. His wife and two children understood that God comes first. She gave others strength. Oh, sure, the priest was married -- to the Church first and foremost. It makes you want to just hug him and say "thank you and your family."