[AnAmericanMother]

That's like somebody (wish I could remember who!) on FR who said the way to tell a Good Jesuit from The Other Kind is to look at their shoes . . . Good Jesuits have beat-up, well-worn sturdy shoes.

Most of the High Church priests I have known were unmarried and celibate anyhow.

But I don't read this quite the way you do. I think he's being quite candid about the demands of the priesthood, and it may be that his experience in the Episcopal church has brought that into focus. I can tell you that even the "low church" priests I have known have had lots of family difficulties. I don't think very many Protestant churches are candid with their ministers about the stresses and demands of the ministry and the family problems it causes.

To be charitable, he just may be bringing his prior experience to bear on the problem.

[ichabod1]

That’s fine. That’s why the celibacy rule makes sense. Anyway, it’s not like all priests don’t have mothers and fathers and aunts and uncles and sisters and brothers and cousins that may need their help.

[maryz]

I don't think very many Protestant churches are candid with their ministers about the stresses and demands of the ministry and the family problems it causes

I seem to recall a spate of women's magazine articles -- maybe 20 or 30 years ago -- about the difficulties and stresses faced by ministers' wives -- little money, demands on their time and energy for church work and parish visitation and such, hypercritical attention to their children's behavior, etc.