A place for celibacy, but it's not for all priests

Married priest and CITI member Fr. Gregory Zimmerman has a letter in today's Morning Sentinel. You can find out more about Fr. Gregory and the services he provides on his Web site.

Thank you for bringing the issue of celibacy among priests into publication.

We need more exposure and debate on this topic of celibacy.

Having served in the Church, five years in the Guatemalan missions and five years in parish ministry, I am a firm believer in optional celibacy.

Yes, there is a place for celibacy for the few who feel called to this life.

The vast majority of priests are not!

Witness that one in three priests in the Roman Catholic Church are married priests!

In Chicago, one of the largest Catholic dioceses in the United States, the ratio of married to unmarried is almost one to one, with 800 married priests and 850 clerics (celibates).

My ministry has been so much more real and vibrant since my marriage and four children 34 years ago.

It's time the Vatican recognizes this.


(Fr.) Gregory Zimmerman
Downers Grove, Ill.



Photo: Fr. Greg celebrating a wedding.