Thank you for this informative article. The Ukrainian Catholic church in the western USA I have attended for fifty years has had several married priests, one ordained in Canada and the others in Ukraine. Two of the celibate priests had homosexual problems (not necessarily underage abuse.)
Patrick, I would be interested in knowing how the Ukrainian priests were allowed to function in the US before 2014. I know that the Canadian bishops, unlike the US bishops, did not enforce the unjust Vatican decrees that were a violation of the 1646 Union of Uzhhorod, but I didn't know that was happening where you lived in the US. An example of an abuse case involving a so-called "celibate" Ukrainian priest of the Stamford Eparchy can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZGU4EwL47U Best wishes, Gene 619-203-8911
I know only that the second pastor here arrived in about 1955, long before my time, with his wife. I began attending in 1974, and have known at least five other married priests, including the current one. I guess the rules were not being enforced, and I am happy that they weren't. Understand, all of these priests, except one, were married and ordained back in Ukraine. The exception was ordained in Canada. He told me that Rome at that time, the mid-80s, gave "tacit approval" to such ordinations there. He also said that at least half of the Ukrainian Catholic priests in Toronto, where he was ordained, were married.
I have a good Ukrainian Catholic priest friend from Philadelphia with whom I studied in Rome who left the seminary to become a married deacon in Belgium because he did not want to return to the US where he could not be a married priest. He was later ordained a priest in Ukraine and then moved to Canada where he now lives in Ottawa. You were lucky that the RC bishops in your area did not enforce the unjust prohibition against married Eastern Rite priests.
I live in Denver, and I have been impressed with the several married priests who have served here. In the very early 1900s there was an Eastern Rite parish, perhaps Slovakian here. The Latin Rite bishop, Nicholas Matz, wanted nothing to do with a married priest (and I suppose the Eastern Rite priest was more or les under his jurisdiction.) The upshot was that the priest became Orthodox, and the parish was lost to Rome. Whom do I blame, the bishop, the pope? Cute little church, two miles away, still very Orthodox. (My Ukrainian Catholics, married priest and wife and two of his four children, are a half mile away -- thank You, Lord.)
Absolutely outstanding piece!
Father Gomulka,
Thank you for this informative article. The Ukrainian Catholic church in the western USA I have attended for fifty years has had several married priests, one ordained in Canada and the others in Ukraine. Two of the celibate priests had homosexual problems (not necessarily underage abuse.)
Patrick O'Brien
Patrick, I would be interested in knowing how the Ukrainian priests were allowed to function in the US before 2014. I know that the Canadian bishops, unlike the US bishops, did not enforce the unjust Vatican decrees that were a violation of the 1646 Union of Uzhhorod, but I didn't know that was happening where you lived in the US. An example of an abuse case involving a so-called "celibate" Ukrainian priest of the Stamford Eparchy can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZGU4EwL47U Best wishes, Gene 619-203-8911
I know only that the second pastor here arrived in about 1955, long before my time, with his wife. I began attending in 1974, and have known at least five other married priests, including the current one. I guess the rules were not being enforced, and I am happy that they weren't. Understand, all of these priests, except one, were married and ordained back in Ukraine. The exception was ordained in Canada. He told me that Rome at that time, the mid-80s, gave "tacit approval" to such ordinations there. He also said that at least half of the Ukrainian Catholic priests in Toronto, where he was ordained, were married.
I have a good Ukrainian Catholic priest friend from Philadelphia with whom I studied in Rome who left the seminary to become a married deacon in Belgium because he did not want to return to the US where he could not be a married priest. He was later ordained a priest in Ukraine and then moved to Canada where he now lives in Ottawa. You were lucky that the RC bishops in your area did not enforce the unjust prohibition against married Eastern Rite priests.
I live in Denver, and I have been impressed with the several married priests who have served here. In the very early 1900s there was an Eastern Rite parish, perhaps Slovakian here. The Latin Rite bishop, Nicholas Matz, wanted nothing to do with a married priest (and I suppose the Eastern Rite priest was more or les under his jurisdiction.) The upshot was that the priest became Orthodox, and the parish was lost to Rome. Whom do I blame, the bishop, the pope? Cute little church, two miles away, still very Orthodox. (My Ukrainian Catholics, married priest and wife and two of his four children, are a half mile away -- thank You, Lord.)