The Road To Priestly Matrimony

The church has been present since the first Pentecost and many married clergy have led the church community for years. “Over 39 popes have been married” (Shuster 2). When the church was de

“There is a misconception that priests get paid a lot more. Many people feel that priests receive more money. They feel this because of all the money that is tithed to the church. But really, this money goes straight to paying utility bills and people working within the church. The reason Lutheran churches can pay their ministers is since they have no school to pay for along with the church.”

On the other hand, Marriage may give priests added support from their families to enrich parish activities. “His wife, children and grandchildren were generally not a distraction but a source of additional strength, experience and wisdom.”(Hewko 1) A wife could be a great source of moral support. She may even work in the parish office. Her vested interest would definitely give support to the church and all of the related programs. A priest writes about how his life has changed because he has chosen to be a priest instead of having a family. He writes, “I told him that at least he had a son, where as I would never experience being a father. This aspect of celibacy…was much more difficult than the lack of a sexual companion.” (Albacete 3) The love and the understanding that the priests would gain from being around children would be immeasurable. “Married men know how to care for things-thus knowing how to care for children (“Celibacy and the priesthood” 2). Priests would learn more about love and understanding because they would have children of their own. They would not be afraid because they would have a great understanding of children. John Hewko feels the family of a priest would not be a distraction, but a support group (1). Families would be a source of love and support for the priest. In many cases the family would be able to help lead the parish and the kids could become vital instruments participating in youth programs. The priest’s son may also follow in their father’s footsteps by becoming a priest (Hewko 2).

On average, if the priest does not take a vow of poverty, the priest will receive around $20,000 (Fr. Kirby). This amount includes car payments and a home. This amount of money would not be enough money to support a family’s many needs. People could argue that the wife of the priest could have a job to bring in additional income. In many cases women do work. In the case of a parish priest’s wife, she would most likely feel obligated to work for the church. Working for the church would not bring in a lot of additional income to support a family unit.

Nevertheless, the Lutheran church has married ministers and their church has survived over the many years. The Lutheran church has survived with clergy that are married. A steady flow of men has entered the seminary for the Lutheran Church. Along with the Lutheran church, the Eastern Catholic Church has allowed priests to marry for a number of years. Another case where priests are allowed to be married is if they join the Catholic Church from another faith and they are already married in their previous religion. The priests are not required to divorce their wife before joining the Catholic Church. “A reason that the priests are able to marry inside the Lutheran Church is because they do not have to support their own schools” (Fr. Kirby). A lot of the money that is given to the Lutheran Church goes directly to their ministers. In many cases the pastor of a Lutheran Church can make upwards of $60,000.

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