Ordain Married Men
The pastoral provision applies now to a male minister from another faith tradition who wishes to become a priest. He can be ordained, and remain married, while married men born Catholic are denied the same opportunity. Voice of the Faithful supports a new pastoral provision that would extend this opportunity to married Catholics.
How Can You Help?
Use our Petition paper, Action Steps, and Talking Points to organize a committee prepared to meet with your bishop. Use the Bishop Letter template to develop a personalized request to your bishop, and then use the Tips as well as the Talking Points to prepare for the meeting. Also review the work we support on addressing the problems of clericalism.
Petition to Ordain Married Men
Action Plan: Petition to Ordain Married Men
Talking Points: Priesthood for both Married and Celibate
For more information on the practice of mandatory celibacy and its history, here are additional resources:
A Brief History of Celibacy: a condensed summary, with bibliography
Celibacy: Suggested Readings — a short bibliography
Crisis in the Priesthood: Conversations About Celibacy with Revs. Richard McBrien and Don Cozzens and Prof. David O’Brien (Study Guide 1 for VOTF DVD “Conversations About Celibacy”)
Crisis in the Priesthood: Conversations About Celibacy with Fr. Don Cozzens (Study Guide 2 for VOTF DVD “Conversations About Celibacy”)
Mandatory Celibacy and the Priesthood (a history outline) and Nine Parish Models (for an era with fewer priests)
Mandatory Celibacy: Time to Discuss Its Flaws: an essay by Edward J. Greenan