catholicinsd Posted May 25, 2006 Share Posted May 25, 2006 In my diocese, that of Sioux Falls, we're preparing ordain, as a priest, a widower in his 60's. I think its really cool that a person can be called to more vocation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OLAM Dad Posted May 25, 2006 Share Posted May 25, 2006 What a blessing for all you Sioux Fallsians. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC IMaGiNaZUN Posted May 25, 2006 Share Posted May 25, 2006 St. Rita of Cascia wanted to be a nun in her early teens. Her parents didnt let her (probably because she was the only child, and they were allready old). She got married, and was widowed before she turned thirty (her husband was murdered just after the conversion of his heart), and after her two sons died. She is the patroness of hopeless and impossible cases. Thats probalby why she is my patroness also. It was her feast day, i might mention last monday. BTW, one of the priests at my parish, Fr. Jack Hancier CMF is a widow. He is also very elderly. He was a psychotherapist prior to his priestly vocation. And i admit, he was a little hard to understand on the microphone saying mass, but once you got to know him, wow, he inspires me in my vocation. SHALOM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheOliverOrder88 Posted May 25, 2006 Share Posted May 25, 2006 Its like getting the best of both worlds.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charms717RM1 Posted May 25, 2006 Share Posted May 25, 2006 That's great! By the way, i was born in Sioux Falls. This summer I'm coming back on kinda a vacation/pilgrimage to the Cathedral because it's where i was baptized. I love that place (hence the avatar). Maybe we'll bump into each other this summer at mass! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charms717RM1 Posted May 25, 2006 Share Posted May 25, 2006 (edited) We have a guy down here in Fort Worth. He's a widower and i think he was ordained at 72 or something crazy like that. Edited May 25, 2006 by Charms717RM1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alicemary Posted May 25, 2006 Share Posted May 25, 2006 How wonderful to have such a man in your diocese. I find it funny that they will ordain priests over the age of 40, but a women is too old to enter the convent at age 30. Why the double standard?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThyWillBeDone Posted May 25, 2006 Share Posted May 25, 2006 It is pretty cool. Actually there is a seminary somewhere in New England specifically for older vocations it called Blessed John XXIII Seminary. Many of the guys there are widowers other just are what are called "delayed vocations" men who were out in the working in the world but never got married. God Bless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norseman82 Posted May 25, 2006 Share Posted May 25, 2006 We've had a couple widowers ordained for the Chicago archdiocese recently. Additionally, a year or two ago, a [i]divorced[/i] man was ordained for the archdiocese! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThyWillBeDone Posted May 25, 2006 Share Posted May 25, 2006 I assume you mean divorced and annulled, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OLAM Dad Posted May 25, 2006 Share Posted May 25, 2006 [quote name='alicemary' post='990125' date='May 24 2006, 10:40 PM'] How wonderful to have such a man in your diocese. I find it funny that they will ordain priests over the age of 40, but a women is too old to enter the convent at age 30. Why the double standard?? [/quote] [b]There is no double standard.[/b] Denise was 35 when she entered the PCPAs and DonnaMarie (Passionheart) will be entering, God willing, this summer at 44 years old. Sister Mary David was 65 when she becamed professed at OLAM. Also, there are many male communities/dioceses that won't accept 'older' gentlemen. There are standards, depending upon the community, but no sex related double standards that I can see. There are a lot of female communities mentioned in [url="http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/index.php?showtopic=35082"]this thread[/url] that accept 'older' women. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uruviel Posted May 25, 2006 Share Posted May 25, 2006 how wonderful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC IMaGiNaZUN Posted May 25, 2006 Share Posted May 25, 2006 [quote name='ThyWillBeDone' post='990258' date='May 25 2006, 08:31 AM'] I assume you mean divorced and annulled, right? [/quote] cannonically i don't think that religious orders and dioceses can accept divorced people who have no annullment. When i was applying, that was one of the things required (It however, obviously didnt apply to me). Some communities like the LC don't accept older candidates (I heard like over 25 years), but i could bet that they have so many youngins allready. Some other communities may get an older man, and find themselves suddenly responsible for massive amounts of health finances as a result. It almost seems uncompassionate to a person like that, but it is also not very compassionate to the members of the community to not have the benefit of a fruitful member. SHALOM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zunshynn Posted May 25, 2006 Share Posted May 25, 2006 [quote name='alicemary' post='990125' date='May 24 2006, 08:40 PM'] How wonderful to have such a man in your diocese. I find it funny that they will ordain priests over the age of 40, but a women is too old to enter the convent at age 30. Why the double standard?? [/quote] I don't think it's a double standard. I think part of it is that it's important for those in religious communities to be in pretty good health, and to have certain vitality because of the demands of religious life. It is probably harder to adjust to the change of lifestyle the older one is. Diocesan priests don't have a community that bears the burden if they fall ill or something like that, and it's not quite as dramatic a change. And yeah, some communities do accept older women. It kind of depends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alicemary Posted May 25, 2006 Share Posted May 25, 2006 I do not mean to take this off topic, however, it is VERY difficult for a women over age 35 to find a convent to accept her. 35 is not old by any stretch of the imagination. I know several women, in good health, who are profesionals, that are turned down because of age. Ask Lauren what she has gone through, and she is only 30. Certainly the adjustment is more difficult the older one is, but it is not an impossiblity. Yet they will accept a priest into the seminary well into his 50's. Yes, there is a double standard,and no, no one wants to admit it. By belated vocations they mean age 35-40. And to bring up Sr. David, God rest her soul, is not comparitable. She was the foundress' mother, hardly anyone would refuse her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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