Posted on 07/26/2008 1:30:09 PM PDT by NYer
p>For the first time in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee’s history, a married Roman Catholic priest with children will be serving the faithful in southeastern Wisconsin.
Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan asked his priests and deacons this week which of them would be willing to accept the man - a former Lutheran minister - as an associate pastor at their parish.
The priest and his wife, who have juvenile and adult sons, are moving from the Diocese of Venice, Fla. She has accepted a job here.
Although no married priest has served here, about 100 married priests have been ordained in the United States since the late Pope John Paul II created an exception in 1980 that allows married Lutheran and Anglican or Episcopal priests who have converted to Roman Catholicism to become priests, Dolan wrote in a letter to priests and deacons this week.
The priest, Father Michael Scheip, entered Catholicism in 1988 and was ordained in 1993 for the Archdiocese of Newark, N.J., by now-retired Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington, D.C., Dolan's letter says.
Dolan welcomes Scheip and his family and is working on a placement for him, archdiocesan spokeswoman Julie Wolf said Friday afternoon.
In his letter, which some priests received via e-mail on Thursday and others in regular postal deliveries Friday, Dolan says Scheip asked to be considered for a pastoral assignment here. His wife, Mary, has accepted a position at a Waukesha company, and his sons are enrolled in Catholic schools for the fall term, the letter says.
"I have spoken with Father Scheip, and he has met with the vicar (Father Curt Frederick, vicar for clergy) and we were both impressed with his sincerity," Dolan writes. "He comes with a genuine desire to be of service to the church here in Milwaukee. . . . I am writing to you to elicit your help in welcoming Father Scheip to the archdiocese. Would any of you be willing to accept his service to your parish as an associate pastor? How can I, as your archbishop, be of help to you and to your people in this regard?"
Many of the married Protestant priests who have become Roman Catholic priests were Episcopalians. Pope John Paul II's granting of the exception for converted, married clergy came after a significant number of Episcopal ministers and their parishioners converted to Catholicism after the Episcopal church decided to ordain women, a church law professor at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., told the Journal Sentinel in 2003.
The arrival of a married priest is expected to raise questions among the estimated 680,000 or more Catholics in the 10-county archdiocese. Not only are they accustomed to the Western church's requirement of celibacy for priests, which went into effect in the 11th century, they also have been dealing with parish mergers and other effects of a worsening priest shortage.
In his letter, Dolan says area Catholics will need catechesis, or religious education - especially in whatever parish Scheip is assigned - and he provides as an attachment a series of questions and answers that the archdiocesan chancery office prepared.
The first question is: "We were always taught that married men could not be ordained Catholic priests. How is it possible that we could have a married Catholic priest here in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee?"
The answer notes that celibacy has never been required of priests in the church's Eastern rite, though it is practiced universally in the West.
"Although it is highly valued, Pope Paul VI states that celibacy 'is not, of course, required by the nature of the priesthood itself. This is clear from the practice of the early church and the traditions of the Eastern rite churches,' " the answer says. "Much has been said about practical reasons for celibacy, such as giving the parish priest more time to dedicate to the children of God, etc. When all is said and done, however, we must understand it as a powerful sign of the presence of the kingdom of God. It is not essential to the priesthood, but it is a radical witness to the reign of Christ in the world."
Wolf had no biographical information available about Scheip, including what branch of Lutheranism he came from.
The St. Petersburg Times of Florida reported in June 2005 that the Scheips have five sons, then ages 9 to 21. The feature story describes the priest's arrival at home after leaving St. Patrick Catholic Church in the Sarasota area.
"He unhooks his priestly collar as he enters the house," the story says. "Sophie the boxer erupts in barks, and Scheip's three boys, those still living at home, gather around. 'How's vacation?' Scheip says as he is enveloped by the noise of the family room TV."
Scheip, who wears secular clothes when he goes out with his wife, plays a Washburn electric guitar at family rock 'n' roll jam sessions in the home, with one son playing bass and another drums, the story says.
Anticipating the usual comments and remarks.
It's certainly not going to become common. It's more of a rescue effort than anything else.
Married priests are long overdue in the Catholic Church.
Married priests are long overdue in the Catholic Church. .................. Could mean that the altar boys will be a bit safer too.
Has there ever been a study comparing the married priests of th Eastern Rite Churches with the non-married clergy of the Roman Rite?
Ought to save the Archdiocese a ton on insurance too.
A rescue effort for who?
First of all, there is a big difference between west and east. More than 50% of marriages in the west end in divorce. This is not so in the east. For a married priest to divorce would be scandal for Catholics.
Secondly, the average RC priest in the west receives a salary of approximately $21,000/annum. To support a wife and children would require additional financial support from the congregation. If you follow the news, you already know that many Catholic Churches are closing due to poor attendance. If we cannot support a celibate priest, how could we afford a married one?
The closest we can come to a 'study' on married vs celibate priests, is the testimony made by Nasrallah Cardinal Boutros Sfeir, Patriarch of the Maronite Catholic Church.
During the 2005 Vatican Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist, Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir, the Maronite patriarch of Antioch in Lebanon, said that half of his diocese’s priests are married. “It must be recognized that if admitting married men resolves one problem, it creates others just as serious,” he told the synod members.
The priest’s duty to care for his wife and children, ensure their education and oversee their entry into society are among the problems Cardinal Sfeir mentioned.
“Another difficulty facing a married priest arises if he does not enjoy a good relationship with his parishioners,” he said. “His bishop cannot transfer him because of the difficulty of transferring his whole family.”
Celibacy, in fact, is “the most precious jewel in the treasury of the Catholic Church,” the cardinal declared, contrasting the practice against an impure culture. “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.
“If Jesus Christ wanted priests to be married,” he continued, “he would have gotten married himself.”
That last statement really sums it up.
This remark is uncalled for
What a pathetic and ignorant comment.
The three companies that insure the majority of Protestant churches in America say they typically receive upward of 260 reports each year of young people under 18 being sexually abused by clergy, church staff, volunteers or congregation members.
The figures released to The Associated Press offer a glimpse into what has long been an extremely difficult phenomenon to pin down — the frequency of sex abuse in Protestant congregations.
Religious groups and victims' supporters have been keenly interested in the figure ever since the Roman Catholic sex abuse crisis hit five years ago. The church has revealed that there have been 13,000 credible accusations against Catholic clerics since 1950.
Protestant numbers have been harder to come by and are sketchier because the denominations are less centralized than the Catholic church; indeed, many congregations are independent, which makes reporting even more difficult.
Report: Protestant Church Insurers Handle 260 Sex Abuse Cases a Year
This is one issue on which I disagree with our Great Pope John Paul II. Married is married, no matter what religous affiliation a person has. Why should priests who converted from Lutheran, Anglican or Episcopalian and are married be allowed to become Catholic priests because they comverted to RC? IMHO, isn’t that a disservice to Roman Catholic priests who are not allowed to be married? It should be one way of the other with no exceptions.
You're going to see a lot of them coming over in England, probably in the next six months to a year, since the Anglican church there has decided to ordain women and 'bless' homosexual 'marriages'.
Its all the power of the Catholic Church rather than about how the death of Jesus Christ on the cross.
I think it was Archbishop Sheen, a very good man and a holy priest, who noted that most folks who hate the Catholic Church don't actually hate the Church, but rather a fictitious entity built up from misinformation and confused ideas they have acquired about Catholicism.
If you would find a good, orthodox parish, attend Mass, and visit with the parishioners, I think you'd find that much of what you have been told is untrue.
Its just not consistent to accept married priests of other faiths upon conversion and then to expect your own to remain celibate.
And why affirm the Nicene creed? Its a man made saying not words from God.
The Nicene Creed as a statement of faith is accepted by not just the Catholics, but also by the Orthodox, Lutherans, Episcopalians, and just about every Protestant denomination, including the Presbyterians, Methodists, and Reformed Churches. So it isn't like it's confined to Catholics or anything.
The married priests are a rare exception that acknowledges an emergency situation. They also can't be assigned to a regular parish as a general rule, because they can't support a family. So they are going to be doing chaplaincies and administrative positions mostly. Again, it's an emergency accommodation for a few folks who found themselves orphaned.
From what I understand, each one who expresses an interest in becoming a Catholic priest, is subjected to an intense and scrupulous examination. Only a handful make it. The 'survivors' are then sent to seminary. For the most part, the 'married' priests are generally assigned to work in hospitals, schools, and universities. The number of married priests that are assigned to parishes is very limited. You will note that even this particular priest has been assigned only as an associate.
As Mar Nasrallah Cardinal Boutros Sfeir commented to the bishops assembled at the Vatican synod, married priests pose unique problems since their primary vow is to their wife and family, as well it should. BTW - the Maronite Cathoic Church does not send married priests to the diaspora. My pastor is celibate and has himself justified the argument for celibacy, especially in the west. His grandfather, however, was also a priest. Father's desire to serve as a priest began with the witness of his grandfather.
There are pros and cons but one thing my pastor has adamantly defended is that here in the west, married priests pose problems and are very difficult to accept, as evidenced by your comment ;-).
My pastor is an awesome priest - very orthodox in his Catholic homiletics. His has a degree in ancient languages and speaks 8 languages fluently, including - Latin, Koine Greek, Aramaic, Hebrew, Arabic, Spanish, English, French, German, Italian and has a good understanding of Portuguese and Swedish (he has 3 brothers living in Sweden). He is also bi-ritual - Maronite and Latin rite. His bible study classes rival those at a university level. If anything, he should also be a university instructor. Perhaps, one day.
Is there some part of the Nicene Creed with which you disagree?
That's a fatuous claim. There is nothing to base his opinion on since there have not been married priests.
“Another difficulty facing a married priest arises if he does not enjoy a good relationship with his parishioners,” he said. “His bishop cannot transfer him because of the difficulty of transferring his whole family.”
Companies do it all the time. How would it be any different. Also, judging by the problems of the past the Church doesn't do a whole lot of priest moving anyway.
Secondly, the average RC priest in the west receives a salary of approximately $21,000/annum. To support a wife and children would require additional financial support from the congregation. If you follow the news, you already know that many Catholic Churches are closing due to poor attendance. If we cannot support a celibate priest, how could we afford a married one?
Jewish congregations do it. When they contract a Rabbi and he's married that's taken into account. Or, they could simply use more of the money collected at the church instead of sending off to the Bishops and their pet causes.
Do you seriously expect me to believe that a Catholic congregation would NOT contribute to a priest and his family when the Church begs them every week to contribute to every other cause and they give?
“If Jesus Christ wanted priests to be married,” he continued, “he would have gotten married himself.”
That last statement really sums it up.
What does it sum up? That the cardinal is making things up? Christ was not a priest. He is the Son of God. Equating the two is pure sophistry.
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