I wrote recently that the shortage of priests is a fixable problem. I advocated elevating deacons to the priesthood.

Well, this could very well come to pass.

I recently learned of an episcopal priest that converted and is becoming a RC priest. He is married with two daughters. Susposedly, he was accepted into the seminary to become an RC priest under new "Orders" issued from the Vatican. He will be a diocesan priest, cannot be a pastor (only an administrator) and cannot ever be considered for a position as a Bishop.

Before you say, "That's been done before." Look at the situation: This is very similar to the eastern rite churches.

This is under special "Orders" from the Vatican.

All deacons could be eligible to enter the Priestly Orders under this new modification of Orders.

My theory is that the wide acceptance of these Orders may be granted after a plenary Council of Bishops (currently in the works) makes the recommendation.The Church as an institution works a lot on a committee basis (with the clergy).

If this happens, this will solve the problem of the shortages of priests.

Very interesting.

God Bless,

-- john placette (jplacette@catholic.org), July 22, 2003

Answers

Dear John,

This assumes (1) that men who have become permanent deacons did so simply because they could not become priests, and (2) that a large percentage of permanent deacons, if allowed to do so, would want to return to the seminary for additional years of study, and become priests. Most, I think, would not, though some undoubtedly would.

-- Paul (PaulCyp@cox.net), July 22, 2003.

paul,

-everything is relative -in my opinion "elevating deacons to the priesthood" is really "lowering the priesthood to the deacons" AND it would just further distill an already weakened message regarding truth...

-- Daniel Hawkenberry (dlm@catholic.org), July 22, 2003.

Deacon is already a transitional step to priesthood. A man studying for the priesthood is first ordained a deacon. So "elevating deacons to the priesthood" is already the standard procedure. What is being proposed here though is elevating (ordaining) PERMANENT deacons to the priesthood, which of course raises the issue of married priests, since most permanent deacons are married. Even if that issue were resolved, such "elevating" could not and would not take place by simple decree, nor could it be mandatory. The most that could be done is to offer permanent deacons the chance to return to school, to continue studies for the priesthood. However, this is already available to unmarried permanent deacons, with the permission of their bishop. So really, the only issue at stake here is whether to allow married Latin Rite priests, in which case they could be obtained either from the permanent deaconate or from other sources.

-- Paul (PaulCyp@cox.net), July 22, 2003.

Is there such a thing as priests fulfilling duties that are outside of the mass and instead having other roles that would limit them performing mass?

Rodrigo.. ..

-- rod (elreyrod@yahoo.com), July 22, 2003.

Celebrating Mass and administering the sacraments are the principle functions of a priest. These are the specifically priestly ministries. Priests provide many other services, as we all know; but those services could be provided by someone else if necessary. The Mass, the Eucharist, the sacrament of Reconciliation, do not exist without the priesthood. Therefore, no other functions of a priest can take precedence over these ministries. I'm not sure if this is what you were asking - your question isn't too clear.

-- Paul (PaulCyp@cox.net), July 22, 2003.

I don't like the idea of perminant deacons becoming priests. What would become of the perminant deacons that had to stay that because they were turned down from being a priest. I had a deacon at my parish that was going to be a priest but the Bishop cancelled his ordination twice sighting maturity. What would become of these deacons? Are deacons that are turned away from being a priest for various reasons allowed to marry or do they have to remain celibate perminant deacons?

Also is this really something that the church would want? Because this could become a problem if the plan of bringing all perminant deacons to the priesthood. Would it be a safe bet to say that people that wanted to be priests would get married, become a deacon and then decide to become a priest? You wouldn't need a special council to decide on married priests because it could happen anyway. Let us pray that this doesn't happen though. The celibate priesthood is an extremely great gift that God has given us.

The Church doesn't have a vocations problem. It has a hearing problem.

-- Scott (papasquat10@hotmail.com), July 22, 2003.

It is very unusual for a bishop to deny priestly ordination once a candidate has already progressed as far as deaconate ordination, except of course in the case of some serious disciplinary action. There are very few men in that situation. Almost all permanent deacons started training with the conscious intent of becoming permanent deacons. A few may have dropped out of seminary after deaconate ordination, choosing to remain as deacons, rather than progress to priesthood. Deacons, transitional or permanent, cannot marry after ordination. Even married men who are ordained as deacons, if their wife dies, cannot remarry. (A dispensation is occasionally granted for a young deacon with small children, whose wife dies). Married priests are possible only by the decision of the Church. There is no way to sneak around Church policy on that.

-- Paul (PaulCyp@cox.net), July 22, 2003.

Paul, I should have addressed this in my first post:

Of course, some deacons would not want to be priests, many would. Additional study would have to happen.

This would not be a weakening of the priesthood by any stretch of the imagination. This would just bring the western rite in line with the eastern rite.

We have married priests now. Episcopal, Anglican and Charismatic Episcopal converts that were priests, converted, and were, after additional studies, ordained as RC priests. So the concept is nothing new.

Even if one fourth of the deacons were elevated, it would help.

The only other solution to the shortage, which will get critical in the next 10 years, is to have mega-churches like some protestant denominations. One priest could handle the sacraments. All other duties would have to be handled by deacons and the laity.

I am no fan of that solution.

God bless,

-- john placette (jplacette@catholic.org), July 23, 2003.