Married Episcopal priest will become priest in Roman Catholic Diocese of Scanton

virtueonline ^ | Jan 4 04 | David Virtue

[churchillbuff]

ROMAN CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF SCRANTON TO RECEIVE FIRST ECUSA PRIEST

By David W. Virtue

SCRANTON, PA (1/4/2005)--For the first time in the 137-year history of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton, Bishop Joseph F. Martino will receive a married former Scranton Episcopal priest and father into the priesthood from the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem.

The Rev. Eric Bergman, an Anglo-Catholic priest at Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Scranton's Green Ridge section in the liberal ECUSA diocese, renounced his orders effective December 31st and left the Episcopal Church over the church's acceptance of homosexuality and the consecration of an avowed homoerotic bishop to the episcopacy in the person of V. Gene Robinson.

In a phone call to VirtueOnline Fr. Bergman, 34, and the father of three children said, "I think that the ordination of Robinson is the logical conclusion of the contraceptive mentality. When Lambeth approved contraception for married couples in 1930 they set the stage for the Robinson consecration in 2003. You remove the marital act from its purpose and we bless sterile intercourse. It is not a big jump to bless then sterile homosexual intercourse."

Some 60 parishioners at Good Shepherd will follow the priest and become Roman Catholics. About 275 will remain in the Episcopal parish. The group leaving the Episcopal parish also includes a small group from St. Stephen's parish in Whitehall, the former parish of Fr. William Ilgenfritz, who recently left that parish for a parish in the Diocese of Pittsburgh.

In an open letter to the congregation Fr. Bergman wrote, "The events that have unfolded within the Episcopal Church USA and across the worldwide Anglican Communion can certainly be understood to be a catalyst that precipitated action on my part. That is, the election of an unmarried and unchaste man to the office of bishop demands a response from the faithful, particularly when the institutional response on the part of the Anglican Communion to this innovation has been so feeble. Nevertheless, I now view the incidents of General Convention 2003 as the logical outcome of a flawed orientation that betrays the Anglican Communion’s ability to proclaim the Good News, especially that truth that life comes to us through sacrifice. It is this orientation, ensconced in the teachings of the Anglican Communion for the past 74 years that finally led me to renounce my orders."

Episcopal Bishop Paul Marshall knew I was going to Rome and asked me to write this letter to the congregation on why I was leaving and renouncing my orders, Bergman told VirtueOnline.

Fr. Bergman, a Bethlehem native, will be received into the Roman Catholic Church through a process known as the "Pastoral Provision Decision," and will result in the conversion, priestly formation and potential ordination of Mr. Eric Bergman, a former priest of the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem, as a member of the clergy of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton, said a press statement from the Roman Catholic diocese. Bergman and his wife, Kristina, are the parents of three children, Clara, Eric and Julia, all of whom who will become Catholic.

The Pastoral Provision Decision, rendered in 1980 by the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, came in response to a request from the North American Province of the Society of the Holy Cross, a secular institute of Anglican priests, whose married members wished to offer themselves for priestly ministry in the Roman Catholic Church, as well as lay Episcopalians who wished to enter the Catholic Church with a common spiritual and liturgical identity.

In its acceptance of former married Episcopalian clergy as clergy of the Roman Catholic Church, the Pastoral Provision Decision grants a special exception to the Roman Catholic Church's rule of mandatory priestly celibacy. However, the Decision stressed that this particular exclusion "should not be understood as implying any change in the Church's conviction of the value of priestly celibacy, which will remain the rule for future candidates for the priesthood from this group."

"I warmly welcome Mr. Bergman, his family and members of his former lay community on their new faith journey to become Roman Catholic," said Bishop Martino. "We assure them all of our prayers and complete cooperation as they take the initial steps toward full communion with the Roman Catholic Church in the Diocese of Scranton," the bishop stated.

Bishop Martino said that the Diocese of Scranton and Mr. Bergman have taken initial steps to begin the conversion/ordination process established through the Pastoral Provision Decision. The steps include preparation and submission of a dossier, or report, containing required documents which will accompany Mr. Bergman's petition to the Holy See for priesthood and incardination, or service to the Diocese of Scranton.

Fr. Bergman told VirtueOnline that his new congregation will use the Book of Divine Worship published in 2003 in which elements of the Book of Common Prayer are revised and adapted according to the Roman Rite for use by Roman Catholics coming from the Anglican tradition.

On January 2, Bishop Martino announced that Mr. Bergman will become Executive Director of the newly-formed St. Thomas More Society of St. Clare's Church in the Green Ridge section of Scranton. Members of the St. Thomas More Society of St. Clare's Church will provide for the temporal needs of Mr. Bergman and study with him in preparation to enter the Catholic Church. Mr. Bergman said that membership in the St. Thomas More Society is open to all former Anglicans or Episcopalians.

To date, the Holy See has permitted the ordination of a number of former Anglican or Episcopal priests who have become Catholic in the U.S., Canada and Great Britain.

Episcopal Bishop Paul Marshall was in Africa and could not be reached for comment.

[SuziQ]

You and I will not agree on this, likely, but I believe that mandatory celibacy is depriving the Church of some fantastic men who would be outstanding and dedicated priests.

Quite possibly, but these men now have the Permanent Diaconate to which they can turn. The only problem with the PD from what I've seen is the reluctance of some Bishops to actually give them something to DO!! My late f-i-l and my b-i-l (sister's husband) were both ordained PDs.

My Daddy in law was in a Diocese where the Bishop, and his own Pastor, didn't use the Deacons in any meaningful way, so he was continually frustrated My b-i-l, on the other hand, in the other Diocese in the state, has been doing good work since he was ordained. He worked in my b-i-l's (Sir SuziQ's brother) Parish for many years. He has been the Coordinator of the Diaconate program for his Diocese in MS the last few years. He has made sure that these men are doing important work that is worthy of their time, efforts and sacrifice. And it IS a sacrifice, as you well know, of time away from family in cases where the Bishop is serious about the program. Fortunately, for him, his Bishop has always been supportive of the program, especially the new, younger Bishop appointed a few years ago.

[Graymatter]

That's very interesting. So...what would happen if a woman priest had a matter of conscience and a discernment?

For the record, that's a rhetorical question.

[Aquinasfan]

"I think that the ordination of Robinson is the logical conclusion of the contraceptive mentality. When Lambeth approved contraception for married couples in 1930 they set the stage for the Robinson consecration in 2003. You remove the marital act from its purpose and we bless sterile intercourse. It is not a big jump to bless then sterile homosexual intercourse."

Amen brother.

[Aquinasfan]

I think it would reduce the number of child molesters, and homosexual priests.

If priests were molesting young women, your argument might have more force. But 90% of the abuse cases involve priests molesting boys --molestation by homosexuals. Additionally, the rate of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy is slightly lower than it is among other clergy.

The big idea of have celibacy is nonsense

1 Corinthians 7:8-9

Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

Matthew 19:12

"For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage [ Or have made themselves eunuchs] because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”

[Aquinasfan]

The innovation of mandatory celibacy was documented and condemned in the 22nd Article of the Confession of Augsburg, A.D. 1530

Where's the Confession of Augsburg in the Bible?

I found this in the Bible, from the mouth of our Lord:

Matthew 19:12

For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage [ Or have made themselves eunuchs] because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”

[Aquinasfan]

Married men can become deacons in the Catholic Church, and I think it would be great to see more men who retire at 65, with 20 or 30 years ahead of them, become active deacons.

Me too. I've often thought about it. But it can put a strain on a marriage. If I become a widower, I'll definitely go for it.

[Aquinasfan]

The Orthodox church has some priests who are married, and others who are celibate. Only the celibate ones can get promoted to bishops.

The same is true in many Eastern Rites of the Catholic Church.

[Aquinasfan]

I know several men who are willing to make that commitment, but have been blackballed from the seminaries because the required psychological profile they had marked them as "rigid" or "intolerant" etc. in their attitudes and therefore unfit for pastoral service.

Me too. Two, to be exact.

[wtc911]

If the RC church had allowed this in the 70s I am certain that a good number of Catholics would have left the church, become Episcopalian ministers, married and then gone back. I know some who would have in a heart beat.

[.45MAN]

I would like to see the celibacy rules relaxed but not abandoned

Ok, how would you go about this?

[ArrogantBustard]

Welcome aboard!

[csbyrnes84]

I don't think that a person in that senario can become a Catholic priest. If you were previously Catholic and then converted to Episcopalianism to become a minister, I don't think the Vatican willl allow you to be ordained as a Priest.

[HamiltonJay]

Roman Catholic will ordane an already married priest from some other religions if they become Catholic and were married before doing so.

Its not umprecidented, and certainly not new. Not sure when the rule was created, but its been around for a LONG LONG TIME.

[NYer]

In 1980, His Holiness Pope John Paul II granted a Pastoral Provision for the establishment of parishes composed of former Episcopalians which could use a modified liturgy from _The Book of Common Prayer_. There are, at present, six parishes in the USA now using the Anglican Use liturgy. (There are other groups now forming. Canonically, any groups seeking permission to use the Anglican Use liturgy must be composed of former Episcopalians. But once permission is given any Catholic may participate.) These parishes are in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church, but permitted to have their own distinctive liturgy and also permitted to follow their own customs at Mass.
The Anglican Use Liturgy in the Roman Catholic Church

Catholic Ping - please freepmail me if you want on/off this list

[Military family member]

And why is it that Protestant ministers seem to do both effectively?

my youngest brother--RC like me--married the daughter of the former rector of Trinity Church in Boston. This man is about as spiritual and Holy as anyone I have ever met.

Much of the reasoning behind a rule of celebacy centered around preventing bishops and cardinals from handing down these titles to their sons.

Furthermore, I believe that even if these married men come into the church as priests, they are required to take vows of celebacy to become bishops.

[george wythe]

The Orthodox church has some priests who are married, and others who are celibate. Only the celibate ones can get promoted to bishops.

On this issue, I wish the Roman Catholic Church would be more like the Eastern Orthodox Church.

On the other hand, the more we import married priests, the more we will look like the Orthodox Church. The continuing attack on the Episcopalian and Anglican Churches by liberal activists will keep sending conservative priests to other denominations.

[Thorin]

The celibate priesthood has served the Roman Catholic Church well for centuries; there is no reason to abandon it. Those agitating for its removal also are generally the same ones agitating for contraception, women priests, and the like.

[Reo]

"Fr Richard John Neuhaus, a noted conservative Roman Catholic priest, was accepted into the priesthood after having a distinguished career in the Lutheran Church, and yes he has been married for many years. Like this Episcopalian, he left the ELCA as a matter of conscience, and responded to what he discerned to be a call. "

Shortly after his move (some 12 or 14 years ago), Father Newhouse discussed his motivation and reasoning in an article in his journal "First Things". One very strong factor was his recognition that Luther intended his movement to be corrective rather than separatist. Over the intevening centuries, the Catholic Church has addressed and made most of those corrections, especially following the Vatican II conference. Father Newhouse felt it was now time for reconciliation, and his move to Catholicism was true both to Christ and to Luther's original corrective intent. I recall the article well, as it began a process of thought and prayer which resulted in a similar move that my wife and I made a few years later. Now, over 10 years later, we continue to blessed by the fruits of that move. Because of our own experience, we are quite concious of many ,many others who are being led by the Spirit to Catholicism from Protestant denominations.

[wtc911]

I don't know.

[sinkspur]

The celibate priesthood has served the Roman Catholic Church well for centuries; there is no reason to abandon it. Those agitating for its removal also are generally the same ones agitating for contraception, women priests, and the like.

Nobody would be abandoning celibacy; the Church would simply expand the number of married men who could enter ministry, reserving the episcopacy for celibates.