Posted on 08/12/2013 1:19:43 PM PDT by EinNYC
I was shopping in a Target last night, when I spotted an unusual looking couple, with a bunch of little kids, in the school supplies area. They were stocking up on school supplies.
The man was in his 30s or very early 40s, clad in a close-fitting black button-up religious garment which extended from his neck to his ankles. It flared out at the bottom and seemed to be made of some sort of shiny material, like satin. It certainly looked like some sort of official priest garb. He did not seem to have a white priest collar, nor did he wear anything on his head. He did have a large prominent cross hanging around his neck. The woman he was with was just dressed casually.
I was just wondering if anyone could tell me what denomination of priest this may have been, as I have not seen someone dressed like this before. I definitely do not think it was just a costume! He looked like any other dad buying his kids school supplies with his wife--except for the way he was dressed.
Could be an Anglican or Episcopalian.
Not a broadway show costume, but a nut who likes to be different and stand out
Eastern Orthodox priests are permitted to marry (as long as they do so before Ordination).
Orthodox, must marry before they’re ordained.
Episcopalian but walking around in a cassock is very high church indeed.
Catholic, a convert if already married and previously a priest in a church sharing the apostolic succession like Episcopal but he probably wouldn’t mess with people’s heads by wearing a cassock in public with his family.
Eastern Rite Catholic.
Any priest with his sister and her children.
Maybe it was Neo and Trinity.
I didn’t see any white collar in a notch. Do those denominations have that?
IIRC, African RC priests are allowed to marry because a single man has little to no status in may of those countries.
What?
They aren’t allowed to. Some do anyway. It might be prudent to create an African Rite Catholic church and allow them but then there is the whole polygamy issue.
I know Kung Fu...
“...but then there is the whole polygamy issue.”
You mean like with Barack Obama, Senior?
Bishops and abbots - in every rite of the Catholic Church, Latin or Byzantine or other - are chosen from among unmarried men.
While this person could perhaps have been Anglican, he was probably not Catholic or Orthodox.
The cross was about 3” and about 1/4” thick. It was on a sturdy chain, not attached to the garment.
That sounds like a pectoral cross as typically worn by Catholic bishops. About the size of one’s palm, on a longish neck chain reaching to about where the lapels would meet on a sport coat.
As I understand it, they fall under the management of Rome as well. They answer to the Pope. Under the banner of Catholicism, there are sects that allow priests to be married. This has always confounded me.
John Paul II had some things to say about it as well (though I'd have to research it).
(I am Catholic, btw)
Catholic Deacons can be married as well.
I’m not sure of their dress code, however.
Sounds very much like an Egyptian Coptic Christian, whom I see regularly in a local restaurant.
I also sometimes carry an unlit cigarette to scare the fat chicks out of the candy aisle.
He did not look Egyptian. He looked like any average white guy. He was very slender, about 5’7 or 5’8, with smallish silver-rimmed glasses. He had nondescript brownish straight hair.
Maybe it was his sister...
He mighta been Flashy Amish.
An Orthodox or Eastern Rite priest can marry prior to ordination but cannot remarry if his wife predeceases him, nor will he be considered for elevation to the rank of bishop.
Married Episcopalian priests who wish to join the Roman Catholic Church are considered on a case by case basis. If accepted, the same restrictions apply.
IIRC.
“Eastern Rite Catholic”
Not in the US AFAIK.
Could be Coptic Orthodox - not only may they marry, they are actually required to be married to be ordained. They dress roughly as you describe.
Orthodox priests are allowed to be married before ordination, up to the level of Arch Priest, IIRC.
The white notch? From what I’ve seen most Orthodox priests do not have them, but ours does. I don’t know why.
I never saw a Priest in Black Satin robes.
Conservative Episcopalian priests who were married and then joined the Catholic church get to keep their wives. But unmarried men who become Catholic priests cannot then marry.
Eastern orthodox can become priests as long as they have had a family before becoming ordained, however, they cannot attain a higher position than priest.
My girlfriends father is a priest, he was ordained 15 years ago. Prior to that he had a Masters in Physics and was(and still is) a physics teacher. He refuses any sort of compensation for his duties and does not take any money from the parish. He does get many gifts sent to him though. In fact just last week 10 lbs of Baklava was delivered to his house from a family for whom he performed a baptism. (He has been offering me and everyone who visits him baklava for the past week :P) He also has a little farm, and gives out everything that is surplus to his families needs to people in the area he knows can use some help. Great man!
Restatement for clarity - Eastern Orthodox priests and Eastern Right Roman Catholic Priests may not marry but a married man may become a priest and stay married. and Eastern Right Roman Catholic Priests. Neither is likely to be religiously robed away from church territory. An Anglo-Catholic (Anglican) might be robed in public but likely only for a religious-related activity such as a Life Chain demonstraton.
Not true at all for eastern orthodox!!!
He was clean shaven. He had on a 1-piece black dress-like garment (a cassock??). The big cross on a chain is the same, however. The garment looked very expensive, not like from a costume shop.
Only those that’s preaching for it.
Roman catholic priests in Africa are not allowed to marry.
but there are several heretical churches in Africa that use the word “catholic” in their title, that allow them to marry, and follow various African customs. similar “African” churches have protestant or Anglican roots.
These splinter groups are all over the world but are not considered part of the catholic church because usually they quickly morph into Protestantism or worse, cult like churches.
As for “African culture”: which tribe are you referring to? There are a lot of different cultures and tribes in Africa.
Priests in the Old Catholic Church and in the Polish National Catholic Church may marry. Neither denomination is very large so the chances of running into one of their priests may not be that high.
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