A Call for More Married Priests

We have a severe shortage of priests, that’s not news, but it is time to do more about it and I think one viable option is to allow more married priests.  We have over 100 in the United States today and it is neither unbiblical nor untraditional, unlike certain German synods who advocate for same-sex married priests and the ordination of women which is clearly neither.

It’s easy to poo-poo the idea when one comes from a large church in a major city with ample shepherds; they have no need.  Those of us in more rural locations, however, have painfully contracted for lack of priests when churches are full, like mine.  Our local church has gone through numerous changes in only a few years.  Once we had a resident priest, but then we did not and found our parish joined to another five all serviced by one priest.  That was not easy, but it got worse.  Last fall our bishop visited and told the people our only priest and faith formation director had resigned; they are having a baby.  We have a wonderful “loaner” priest, but he will be leaving us too as the entire diocese is reshuffled this year.  But there is hope, if our Church would actively pursue more married priests.  Allow me to make a few points.

First, we already have married priests, so the precedent exists.

Second, married priests are perfectly biblical and traditional. Sacred Scripture (1 Timothy 3:2) tells us that the bishop (overseer/pastor) is to be “without reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, soberminded, orderly, given to hospitality, apt to teach.” And in Titus 1:5-7 the apostle Paul writes, “I left you on the island of Crete so you could complete our work there and appoint elders (presbyters) in each town as I instructed you. An elder must live a blameless life. He must be faithful to his wife, and his children must be believers who don’t have a reputation for being wild or rebellious.  A church leader is a manager of God’s household, so he must live a blameless life. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered; he must not be a heavy drinker, violent, or dishonest with money.” The Church as late as the 4th century had married priests, and the Greek Orthodox Church still has married priests and bishops. Saint Basil and his brother Gregory of Nyssa (both bishops) were sons of bishop Basil the Elder and Nonna (saints in the Catholic and Orthodox Church) and Nyssa married a woman named Theosebeia.  Gregory Nazianzus was the son of the married bishop Gregory the Elder.  All the sons followed in their father’s footsteps, like the Levitical priests of the Old Testament (who were also married).

Third, virginity was considered the highest calling second only to martyrdom.  Virgins, both male and female, were highly prized in the early Church and even called “crown jewels” by Saint Cyprian. It is still an ideal, just ask the apostle Paul, but perpetual virginity (or celibacy today since virgins are scarce) in lieu of holy matrimony was never a prerequisite to priesthood.    

The answer to the shortage of priests is there, but we must work toward it embracing both Sacred Scripture and Tradition.  Why not allow well-formed and reputable deacons to become ordained to the priesthood?  According to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA)  there are over 14,000 active deacons in the United States. Maybe they only serve as assistant pastors, but if that were an option – and gleaned 10% - that would be an additional 1,400 active priests in a shorter time than waiting for young men to enter seminary. And speaking of seminary, do we really need our young men to spend 8 years total in school to prepare for the priesthood?  I would be happy with a priest who had a bachelor’s degree in theology or pastoral studies…let them work on higher degrees later.  It should not take as long or cost as much to educate a priest as it does a medical doctor.

The sheep need to be fed, and the contraction of parishes due to a priestly shortage, and I would argue more so than a shortage of parishioners, will only result in fewer Catholics being served and less lights shining in the world.