Married Priests Available for 'Roamin' Catholics'

4/4/2003

From: Louise Haggett of CITI Ministries (Celibacy Is the Issue), 1-800-PRIEST 9, 508-872-4644, E-mail: lhaggett@aol.com or Rentapriest@aol.com

FRAMINGHAM, Mass., April 4 -- Holy Week and Easter Sunday, perhaps the highest of holy days in Roman Catholicism, are fast approaching and "Roamin' Catholics(tm)" are looking for a place to worship. Roamin' Catholics(tm) could be Catholics looking for a Church that has more than a prayer service since more than 5,000 (see note a) parishes have no priest available for Sunday Mass. Other Roamin' Catholics(tm) no longer attend Catholic Church -- 73.3 percent (see note a) or 48 million -- and want a place where they can find the rich tradition of Holy Week and Easter services provided in a nonjudgmental atmosphere.

More than 25,000 priests have married in the last 30 years in the United States and many are available for sacramental ministry including the Mass, through a free website referral service, http://www.rentapriest.com. During 2002, several hundred provided 2,400 weddings, 310 funerals, 252 baptisms and 640 anointings, not to mention the many visits to nursing homes, hospitals and prisons. Several priests have also begun a ministry to the victims/survivors of clergy sexual abuse: from helping to set up websites to testifying in their behalf regarding statute of limitations in state legislatures, to working with parents in developing healing retreats, to "just being there." In addition, several groups of Catholics have requested that local married priests worship with them at Catholic Mass whether in private homes or public venues.

CITI Ministries, Inc. (Celibacy Is the Issue) of Framingham, Massachusetts has spent 11 years locating and recruiting priests who married or partnered utilizing the Church's canon laws to put them back into ministry. For instance, Canon 290 says, "...once validly received, sacred ordination never becomes invalid." Once a priest, always a priest. Another Canon No. 843 says that a priest cannot refuse sacramental ministry (Mass or other sacraments) to anyone who makes a request. Louise Haggett, founder of CITI, says, "Priests who married rather than hide behind the collar and abuse women and children are priests of integrity and we need to find them all and open our arms to them."

For further information, write rentapriest@aol.com or call 1-800-PRIEST 9, 508-872-4644. Contacts: Louise Haggett, president, 508-872-4644, e-mail: lhaggett@aol.com; Rev. John Shuster, VP, 360-876-1603, e-mail: frjshuster@aol.com; Rev. Bob Scanlan, 630-859-2476, e-mail: bj115@execpc.com

Note a: Center of Applied Research in the Apostolate, Georgetown University 2001, 1996