A Married Priest

Every time I read one of these stories about the married priests from other denominations who are allowed to waive into the Catholic priesthood while "our" guys are forced to remain celibate or leave the ministry, I feel the unfairness of it deeply. Why can this Episcopalian man become a Catholic priest while all the men in CITI, CORPUS, etc... who have been lifelong Catholics are excluded? Something is very wrong with this picture.

Anyway, a few excerpts from this story will give an idea of what I hope will be the norm some day for everyone in our Church.

A Married Priest: Archdiocese of Los Angeles to obtain services of converted Episcopalian married priest
By Lisa McKinnon,
Ventura County Star
January 19, 2007

Like all prospective Roman Catholic priests, Bill Lowe has studied for tests packed with questions on dogma, Scripture and church history.

This week, however, the Camarillo man faces a query that makes him unique among his peers: What to get wife Linda for their 44th wedding anniversary, which just happens to be today?

"I'm sure we'll be going out to dinner," said Lowe, 68, who with Linda has three grown children and five young grandchildren.

"But beyond that, I'm a little perplexed," he admitted.

Perhaps he can call on help from a higher source: A former Episcopal priest who converted to Catholicism after retiring in 2001, Lowe is in the process of becoming the first married priest to serve in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles under the guidelines of a little-known liturgical program called the Pastoral Provision.

Established in 1980 with the blessing of Pope John Paul II, the provision welcomes into the Catholic priesthood clergymen who have left the Episcopal Church, even if, like Lowe, those clergymen happen to be married.

...Discussions also swirled around the subject of what to call Linda, with tongue-in-cheek results.

"Someone suggested 'Mrs. Father.' She loves that one," Lowe said. "Her favorite, of course, is 'Linda.'"...

Anyway, Mr. Lowe is scheduled to be come Deacon Lowe on February 10th and will probably become Fr. Lowe later on this year. One more step towards the married priesthood. May that door be open to everyone someday. Go here for the rest of the story...