At least 60 parishioners left Good Shepherd and Anglicanism, following the Bergmans to the Catholic Church.
Posted on 04/23/2007 5:57:10 PM PDT by Claud
Deacon Eric Bergman will become one of the rarest of Roman Catholic priests today — a married one.
The former rector of Good Shepherd Episcopal Church will be ordained for the second time at St. Clare’s Roman Catholic Church today, nearly 10 years after his ordination in the Church of England.
After he takes his vows, he will be the first married priest in the history of the Diocese of Scranton, joining the 100 or so other married Roman Catholic priests in the United States.
The St. Thomas More Society, of which Deacon Bergman has been serving as executive director, was formed about the same time as the confirmations by Bishop Martino for those who left the Episcopal Church with the Bergmans.
The society is an Anglican Use group. Anglican Use refers to the liturgy used by the group and is similar to the services at Episcopal churches, approved by both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI.
....
The Bergmans and the society members hope that after his ordination, Deacon Bergman will eventually be given his own Anglican Use parish.
(Excerpt) Read more at thetimes-tribune.com ...
Ad Multos Annos!!
Roman Catholic priests take a vow of Celebacy, to bind them more fully to the One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church ... there are groups that call themselves “Catholic” ....
And here’s a recent article by Fr. Bergman for Catholic Men’s Quarterly:
“Exceptions Prove the Rule:The Pastoral Provision of Pope John Paul II and
How it Conforms to the Tradition of the Church”
http://www.stthomasmoresociety.org/TheDirectorsarticleforCatholicMensQuarterly.htm
Catholic ping for my Catholic FRiends. Although, I don’t understnad what’s going on. Can one of you explain it to me?
I thought Catholic priests were celibate for life.
There have been many converts from the Episcopalian and Anglican Church to Catholicism in the recent years.
They are “grandgathered” in as a priest after taking Catholic Theology course, etc. and are ordained as a Catholic priest.
I believe our Archdiocese has two. They do NOT always have an Anglican Use parish.
There have been several threads about these converts becoming priests — this is not the first one.
Ok. But they have to be celibate like the other priests, right?
No clerics -- deacons, priests, or bishops -- in either the Catholic or the Eastern Orthodox churches are permitted to marry after ordination.
Neither Catholics nor Eastern Orthodox ordain married men as bishops. Both ordain married men as deacons.
Almost without exception, the Latin Rite of the Catholic church (to which about 99% of Catholics belong) also does not ordain married men to the priesthood. Since they aren't married before ordination and can't marry afterwards, they're celibate -- unmarried.
However, what this article is talking about is an exception to the rules that allows married men who were previously Protestant clergymen (especially Anglicans) to be ordained to the priesthood in the Latin Rite. So, no, he's not celibate now, and won't be after his ordination.
No, they do not have to be celibate. Celibacy is for unmarried people. They do have to be chaste, which is to say, no sex with anyone other than their wife, no pornography, no self-gratification, etc. (otherwise known as the same rules of chastity for every married person).
Ah, I see. So presumably the Church is ok with that? Neato. How do other priests feel about the special treatment? I’m curious because I didn’t know the Catholic Church made any exceptions for this kind of thing.
Well, first off, let's look at the other side. Many of the Pastoral Provision provision married priests, I think, are strong defenders of clerical celibacy. If anyone ought to know how hard the alternative is, it would be them.
As far as others, there are men who left the priesthood to marry who resent the fact that these "outsiders" are able to be married and function as priests.
But the bottom line is that every celibate Catholic priest knew exactly the burden he was accepting when entered the seminary and when he was ordained.
Yep. Fr. Bergman addresses these issues in his Catholic Men's Quarterly article above (see the link at post #4). I'd definitely recommend reading that article, which gives some historical and other background.
Ok. Thanks. My knowledge of the practices of Catholicism are limited.
At least 60 parishioners left Good Shepherd and Anglicanism, following the Bergmans to the Catholic Church.
Nasrallah Peter Cardinal Sfeir - Patriarch of Antioch and all the East
Maronite Rite Cardinal defends, praises celibate priesthood, but admits can create other serious problems
Oct 15, 2005
Speaking to the 11th General Synod Fathers, gathered for their eighth meeting this morning at the Vatican, Cardinal Nasrallah Pierre Sfeir, who is Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites in Lebanon--a Catholic rite which allows for married priests--addressed the issue, which has been brought up by many, particularly in light of the U.S. sex abuse scandal, of commonly permitting married priests in the Roman rite.
Vatican City, Oct. 07, 2005 (CNA) - The Cardinal defended the practice of the celibate priesthood and discussed the beauty of the tradition, calling it the "most precious jewel in the treasury of the Catholic Church."
While pointing out that "the Maronite Church admits married priests" and that "half of our diocesan priests are married", the Cardinal Patriarch said that "it must be recognized that if admitting married men resolves one problem, it creates others just as serious."
"A married priest", he said, "has the duty to look after his wife and family, ensuring his children receive a good education and overseeing their entry into society. ... Another difficulty facing a married priest arises if he does not enjoy a good relationship with his parishioners; his bishop cannot transfer him because of the difficulty of transferring his whole family.
He noted that "married priests have perpetuated the faith among people whose difficult lives they shared, and without them this faith would no longer exist."
"On the other hand," he said, "celibacy is the most precious jewel in the treasury of the Catholic Church,"
Lamenting a culture which is all but outright opposed to purity, the Cardinal asked: "How can [celibacy] be conserved in an atmosphere laden with eroticism? Newspapers, Internet, billboards, shows, everything appears shameless and constantly offends the virtue of chastity."
Suggesting that there are no easy solutions to the problem of priest shortages in the Church--an oft brought up point during the Synod--he noted that, "Of course a priest, once ordained, can no longer get married. Sending priests to countries where they are lacking, taking them from a country that has many, is not the ideal solution if one bears in mind the question of tradition, customs and mentality. The problem remains."
It should be noted that the Maronite Catholic Church does not send married priests to the diaspora. My pastor's grandfather was a married priest; he has chosen priestly celibacy.
Jesus left the Episcopal church a long time ago. The orthodox faithful hung in there for varied amounts of time, depending on when they personally couldn't take it any more. So some of us left back in the 70s when they ordained women and changed the Prayer Book - others of us are panting to catch up various distances.
We left in 2003, on our own, and joined a wonderful Catholic parish.
I would think he would have to maintain abstinence?
<<<”no pornography, no self-gratification, etc”>>>
These would be sin whether celibate of married.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.