My life as a married Catholic priest

Photo ~ Rev. R. Scott Hurd

My life as a married Catholic priest

In the Catholic Church today, there are over 15,000 married clergy in the United States alone.

According to an official source, they “show how the obligations of family life, work and ministry can be harmonized in the service of the church’s mission.”

These words refer to married permanent deacons, who play an increasingly important role in the contemporary church. For the past six years, I have been privileged to serve as the director of such deacons for the Archdiocese of Washington.

In recent decades, popes have waived the discipline of celibacy for a select few who are ordained priests after having been clergy in other Christian communities.

Like me, the vast majority were Episcopalians or Anglicans. Unlike other priests, we don’t promise celibacy at our ordinations. With our wives in the congregation, that might prove to be a bit difficult!

In my new role as Vicar General of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter, established on January 1 by Pope Benedict XVI, I’ll continue to serve with married clergy. This time, however, they will be married priests. I happen to be one of them. By the end of 2012, there may be as many as 140 married priests in the U.S.

Reverend R. Scott Hurd is a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington. He has recently been named as Vicar General for the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter. Fr. Hurd’s first book, “Forgiveness: A Catholic Approach,” was published in September 2011. He and his wife, Stephanie, live in Virginia with their three children.

The Washington Post

LikeShare

thelastconvert

Jan 19, 2012

This proves that the scourge of Modernism has returned to the Catholic Church. They will not let the Traditionalists, who REALLY are Catholic, be with the Church, but they allow such "actors in catholicism" "pretend" to be true Catholics. Our only consolation is that....GOD IS NOT SLEEPING.
ANONYMOUS from FatimaMore

SSPXer

Jan 19, 2012

Should your wife or you one day file for a divorce, PLEASE DO NOT PARADE your filth INTO THE CHURCH, and parade it all over for others to CHOOSE SIDE and cause DIVISION. Thank you.

freedomlives

Jan 19, 2012

Maybe the allowance of married protestants to become Roman Rite priests didn't happen, but there have always been married priests in many of the other sui juris Catholic churches. In fact, in our Slovak Greek Catholic Church, the vast majority of secular clergy are married, though a few choose celibacy.

It is clear that monastics should not marry, as how could one give oneself completely to God if they have a spouse? But is there any reason why married men shouldn't be admitted to the secular clergy in the Roman rite, other than it being an almost 1000 year old tradition? The fact that it is a tradition should be respected of course, but I suppose traditions even are open to examination?

tbswv

Jan 19, 2012

This is just another modernist novelty by a modernist pope. To my knowledge I don't recall any married presbyters from other denominations being allowed into the Catholic priesthood prior to Vatican II. I am not referring to Deacons, I am talking about married protestant presbyters who were ordained as priests into the Catholic Church. If anyone has solid credible information please post it here.