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So, as a non-catholic, can deacons be married? If so, why not Priests? Not to push a point, but allowing Priests to be married would solve some of the problems. There is nothing Biblical that requires a leader of a church (priest) to be celibate. The Bible suggests that if a person can be celibate, be celibate, otherwise marriage is acceptable.

Educate me ... please.

As a convert to the Church, I’d be more than happy to “educate you.” ;-) In the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church (i.e., the Roman Catholic Church, with which you are, no doubt, most familiar), the tradition is for deacons to be drawn from the married or single men of the Church, while priests and bishops are drawn from the single (and widowed) men of the Church.

In practice, the Latin Rite does allow (as an exception) the ordination of a few married men to the priesthood, but these men are given a special papal dispensation from the normal priestly promise of celibacy. This happens when a married man who has been ordained in another Christian church (usually from an Anglican/Episcopalian or Lutheran church) converts to the Catholic Church and specifically asks to be allowed to seek ordination as a Catholic.

On the other hand, the tradition in the Eastern Churches (read Eastern Catholics, Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Churches) is for deacons and priests to be drawn from the married and single men of the Church while bishops are chosen solely from among the single (or widowed) men.

Hope that helps!

“Biblical evidence for the discipline of celibacy can be found in both the Old and the New Testaments. In the Old, Jeremiah was forbidden by God to take a wife in order to enable him to fulfill his ministry better. “The word of the Lord came to me: ‘You shall not take a wife, nor shall you have sons or daughters in this place’” (Jer. 16:1-2).

Also in the Old Testament, God asked even married couples to practice celibacy on certain occasions. For example, Moses asked the Israelites to abstain from marital intimacy while he ascended Mount Sinai (Ex. 20:15), and Jewish tradition attests that he remained celibate for life following the command of Exodus 9:15 and Deuteronomy 5:28. The Lord also asked that the priests refrain from sexual relations with their wives during their time of service in the temple. In yet another example, the priests ordered King David and his people to abstain from marital relations on the occasion of eating the holy bread (1 Sam. 21:4).

In all these instances, there is a theme of abstaining from marital relations due to the presence of something very holy. It is not that the marital act is sinful, but that when one is in such proximity to God, it is right to offer him an undivided mind, heart, and body. If it was fitting under the Old Covenant to serve the temple, to approach God, and receive the holy bread with a consecrated body, it is no surprise that permanent celibacy is fitting for a Roman Catholic priest, since his priestly service is continual.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus states, “Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some because they have renounced marriage for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it” (19:12 NAB). This is an invitation from Christ to live as he did, and there can be nothing unacceptable in that.

Paul recognized the wisdom in this, and encouraged celibacy in order to free a man to be anxious about the things of the Lord and to serve him undividedly (1 Cor 7:8,32-35). In his words, “To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is well for them to remain single as I do. . . . I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to please the Lord; but the married man is anxious about worldly affairs, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided. And the unmarried woman or girl is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit; but the married woman is anxious about worldly affairs, how to please her husband. I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord. . . . he who marries his betrothed does well; and he who refrains from marriage will do better” (1 Cor. 7:8, 32-35, 38).”

you are so right re biblical data.

Yes, deacons can be married. However, if a wife dies, the deacon cannot remarry. At that time if the deacon would like to pursue the priesthood he may.

The diaconate is the first in a series of Holy Orders in the Catholic Church — ordained positions.

diaconate — deacon
presbyteral — priesthood
epicopate — bishop

OK, another thing on the education.

Deacons can perform the Sacraments of Baptism and marriage. They can also preside at a funeral severice.

Priests alone can perform the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Annointing of the Sick, Holy Eucharist and Confirmation. (along with the other three, of course.)

So deacons can not say a Mass. What they can do is preside at a Communion Service and distribute the hosts already consecrated by a priest. So a priest still has to visit these parishes.

A married man can receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders. That is true in both Eastern and Latin Christianity (whether the particular church is in communion with Rome or not). A man, once he has been sealed with the Sacrament of Holy Orders, may not receive the Sacrament of Matrimony. Again, both in Eastern and Latin Christianity.

As far as whether this is Biblical or not, I would ask you to show me a Biblical example of where a man who is identified as a deacon, presbyter (priest), or bishop, has been married after he has been ordained.

OK, so we agree on that so far, right?

As far as a married man receiving the Sacrament of Holy Orders, that is a matter of practice. You’ve already in earlier posts seen guidance suggesting that being single is the best way for somebody to live in the life of full-time service.

To the best of my knowledge, nobody may be ordained into the episcopate (bishop) who is married. That applies to both Eastern and Latin Christianity.

To the best of my knowledge, married men may be ordained into the diaconate (deacon) in both Eastern and Latin Christianity.

To the best of my knowledge, married men may be ordained into the presbyterate (priest) in both Eastern and Latin Christianity; however, as a matter of practice, the Latin Church does not send married men to seminary and strongly supports single men for the priesthood. As others have pointed out, though, there are dispensations granted when deemed necessary allowing married men to be ordained into the presbyterate.

But the above is a matter of practice. It is not directed in either Holy Scripture or Holy Tradition. It is a good practice, though. In fact, if you were to check with ordained people in both the Eastern and Latin Churches, I believe you’d find that it is considered a gift.

As others have pointed out, the reason why there is a shortage of priests is not celibacy, but is a narcissism that has taken over our society, including many Catholic families. This narcissism causes parents to neither display nor encourage self-sacrifice...and the one thing that is required for ordination and to have a successful ministry after ordination is a complete abandonment of self to and for Christ. It’s sort of hard to do that when one has a family to deal with.

Educate me ... please. As an ex-protestant I can tell it doesnt work. the pastor at my church was hard to get a hold of when I needed him. Trying to balance shepharding your flock and raising 4 kids is hard by yourself. Also - as a Catholic priest you act as Christ and take the church as a bride.

Hello,
Married Men can be Ordained Deacons, but they shy away from Ordaining married men in the Latin Rite. Among the obvious practical reasons: such as increased Salaries, 24 hr availability and the like there are several Theological Reasons, such as the ancient Jewish Purity requirements.

While I don’t know if it is still enforced, (one of the myriad of reasons) Celibacy developed in the Latin Rite because Clergy were required to abstain from relations for a period of time prior to confecting the Eucharist (kind of like the old pre-V2 midnight Fast) and as the custom of daily Liturgy Developed it became basically impossible (or I would hope undesirable) for a married man to maintain this abstinence.

I fully support a Celibate presbyterate but there are many “Chancery jobs” that married Priests could fill, especially since they need not say their own personal Mass daily.

This is overall a good discussion to have, but the Permanent Deacon argument doesn’t hold water, as it is a seperate and distinct Vocation.

So, as a non-catholic, can deacons be married? If so, why not Priests?

DogwoodSouth gave a good response. To take it one step further, here is a commentary made by Nasrallah Peter Cardinal Sfeir, Patriarch of the Maronite Catholic Church.

Speaking to the 11th General Synod Fathers, gathered for their eighth meeting 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 their 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."

Since these men take a marriage vow before ordination, their first responsibility is to their family. This, as the Patriarch points out, poses a new set of problems when assigning them to parishes. In the Maronite Catholic Church, only celibate priests are assigned to the diaspora - USA, Canada, Europe, Mexico, Africa and Australia. Their total commitment of service to our Lord is evidenced by the work they accomplish. My Maronite pastor, who is bi-ritual, also assists the RC Diocese by saying Mass at priestless parishes and serving as Chaplain at a local area hospital. His total dedication and devotion to serving God keeps him active in ministry, 7 days per week. He has often said he could never do this with a wife and children. BTW, despite the fact that his grandfather was a married priest, he chose the celibate priesthood.

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