Posted on 02/02/2013 10:48:10 PM PST by Brian Kopp DPM
Not sure I am following you. The Maronite Church does allow married me to be ordained to the priesthood but ONLY celibate clergy are sent to the diaspora. If anything, Cardinal Sfeir, the former Patriarch, praised priestly celibacy at a General Synod of Fathers, convened at the Vatican in 2005. Inevitably, this topic usually surfaces with Western clergy who suggest that allowing for married priests will prove to be the elixir in resolving the shortage of priests. The Cardinal's response is quite astute.
Vatican City, Oct. 07, 2005 (CNA) - The Cardinal defended the practice of the celibate priesthood and discussed the beauty of the tradition, calling it the "most precious jewel in the treasury of the Catholic Church."
While pointing out that "the Maronite Church admits married priests" and that "half of our diocesan priests are married", the Cardinal Patriarch said that "it must be recognized that if admitting married men resolves one problem, it creates others just as serious."
"A married priest", he said, "has the duty to look after his wife and family, ensuring his children receive a good education and overseeing their entry into society. ... Another difficulty facing a married priest arises if he does not enjoy a good relationship with his parishioners; his bishop cannot transfer him because of the difficulty of transferring his whole family.
He noted that "married priests have perpetuated the faith among people whose difficult lives they shared, and without them this faith would no longer exist."
"On the other hand," he said, "celibacy is the most precious jewel in the treasury of the Catholic Church,"
Essentially, while allowing married priests resolves one problem, it creates new ones. First off, the married priest must be matched with a parish that can financially support the wife and children. If for some reason it does not work out, the cost of relocating the entire family is far greater than that of a celibate priest. FWIU, the married priests are also employed to cover additional costs. More importantly, divorce in Lebanon is rare, whereas here in the west, it is more common. It would be scandalous for the church to have a priest who divorces his wife.
For these reasons, only celibate priests are allowed to serve outside of Lebanon. Our bishop here in NY, draws additional priests from a monastic community. These priests are young missionaries who live to serve God through His Church. Our pastor is only 35 years old and delivers Christ centered homilies. If you have the opportunity, I would encourage you to attend a Maronite Divine Liturgy. You will be moved by the depth of spirituality and reverence.
I happened onto that piece of information last night a while after leaving my comment. Had read a little on the issue in the past, but apparently had stopped before getting to the distinction between Lebanon and the rest of the world.
Perhaps on a future trip to Portland, OR, my family might get an opportunity to visit the Maronite parish. That would be quite the treat!
Just as well, I suppose.
A North Carolina vanity license plate saying ‘CATZ’ would stand out around here, and not necessarily in a good way!
Should you go, please freepmail me ahead of time and I will provide you with more detailed information on the liturgy. Our parish recently moved across the Hudson River from Troy to Watervliet. Since the move, several local area catholics have begun to join us. When I see a new face, I make time to explain some of the differences they will experience, for example, the sign of peace. Unlike the Latin Church, the Maronite approach is very reverent. The altar represents Christ, who is Peace. The priest places his hands on the altar, then transfers that peace to an altar server who brings it to 4 "peace bearers", usually children. These children then "carry" the peace from one pew to the next where it is passed along.
Another interesting element of the liturgy is the consecration of the chalice. The Maronite Church in its liturgy is fortunate in being the heir of at least two rich traditions, those of Edessa and Antioch. The Church of Edessa traces its origins to the preaching of the liturgical contributors including St. Ephrem and James of Saroug. The first Christian converts to the Church of Edessa included the earliest Jewish-Christians. Some of those traditions are preserved in the Maronite liturgy. For example, at the consecration of the cup, the priest tips the chalice in the 4 directions of the world, indicating that Christ spilled his blood for all mankind. This is a carryover from the ancient Jewish tradition where the priest sprinkled the blood of the sacrificial lamb on the four corners of the altar.
The Divine Liturgy of the Maronite is more ancient than that of Rome. The Church of Antioch was the ancient See of Peter and developed its liturgy with influences from the Church of Jerusalem. The Maronite Anaphora of the Twelve Apostles represents the oldest tradition of the Church of Antioch. St. John Chrysostom took this Anaphora with him to Constantinople and became the basis of the Byzantine liturgy. As heir to the Patriarchate of Antioch, the Maronite Church represents the Antiochene liturgy in its fullness. Thus, the Maronite Church, in its prayer life, preserves the way of worship of the Apostles and their earliest disciples.
Thank you for the additional info, including what sounds to be a very appealing version of sign of the peace. Now if the Latin Novus Ordo had gone with that, and not introduced numerous errors, liturgy in the post-conciliar period might be much less contentious than it is!
I think it’s close to a certainty we will make the trip eventually, but I will still have to twist tax-chick’s wing to get that van out here if the trip is going to be anytime real soon!
I’ll tell Fr. Pro you need an extra-large vehicle and see what happens ... or maybe there’s a patron saint of semi-trucks ...
We “migrated” to the Maronite Rite a couple of years ago. Thank God in Heaven for leading us there.
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