A very common expression used in these last years is that we have the whole world at our fingertips. It refers to the internet where one can use various electronic gadgets to keep updated about friends, news, articles and lots of other items.
Is it truly the whole world? Does somebody who stays inside all the time, enjoy life to the full? We know that the young of today are truly addicted to the internet. As they are connected 24/7, they wish to comment and read all the time. It’s not the first time in a restaurant to see a whole family busy texting on their mobile phone whilst not talking to each other!
Those working with the young people of today, know really well, that the virtual world, although it certainly has many advantages, it can never substitute 100% face to face relationships!
Why are we focusing on the digital world? There are some common points with our main issue: married priesthood. Like in the digital world, priests cannot discard relationships! The priest has been seen as a person who provides a service to the others. OK. But how about his need for an interactive relationship with another adult, who is not their ‘client’ to ask for his services but to be a companion in his journey of faith?
We have always insisted that when a woman falls in love with a priest, there is no carbon copy of how the story starts and unveils. Yet some common lines are found in all stories. Practically, if there is something missing in the formation of future priests is the attention given to the priest for his basic human need. Everybody needs : attention; love; personal interest; someone with whom they can interact.
God created us in this way. It’s not something to be ashamed of! We need others to be healthy from a human point of view. In other words, we are NOT islands!
Now obviously some people might explain the important use of celibacy in priesthood. Without neglecting its importance, one can theologically define that priesthood cannot be tied to celibacy. This has been written in the teaching of the church. In practical words, not every single priest has the necessary charisma to live it in his daily life! Now because celibacy has been practically imposed on all priests we tend to witness abuses of all types and sorts! This has been proved scientifically too! It’s no use to write that abuses happen in marriages too. Yes they do happen in marriages too but some priests have abused because they have never been prepared for celibacy. We can’t deny this. They have been stripped of a basic human need without their full knowledge.
Why do we insist on relationship building? Because it’s the concrete structure which builds the local parish. What makes a parish different from a large organisation if relationships disappear? If the priest lives a real relationship in a family, it is a big advantage to all the parishioners. This not only regards understanding human problems in everyday running, but as well the need to live a life to the full. A spiritually and humanly ‘charged’ priest will be in a better position to manage a parish.
A relationship is not a bed of roses! But this side of the married experience too will help the priest to face all challenges in the parish. It will help him understand a lot of aspects in a relationship where they would be otherwise left undiscovered!
We make an appeal so that new readers would publish their stories about falling in love with a priest. We promise to change name details and other aspect in order to hide one’s true identity.
I felt ashamed & embarrassed for years because I was told (by a priest in confession btw) that I was a “temptress,” a devil-like woman who didn’t deserve the forgiveness of Christ, & that I WAS the reason for my priest’s fall.
I’m quoting from a written note provided by MA111.
This is worse than torture. Priests like politicians, have the ability to play with our conscience in order to take control of what happens in our deeper self. This is the cruelty of it. A woman who has fallen in love (do we have on and off buttons?), feel as if they have committed the worst sin of them all.
Let’s take our principle from the bible and not from the twisted mind of a priest! With whom was Christ so angry? With the prostitutes? Sinners? The answer should be a big NO. He was angry with the priests of his time. He called double faced (or well camouflaged tombs actually!!).
Does this priest read the bible? By the way, has he ever been tempted in his life? How did he face this temptation?
May God Bless you all!
Fr. Daniel,,I really enjoyed your new article story. First of all here above,,,you had nothing to be ashamed of. You were merely human and humans have needs to fall in love,,simple as this. Yes,,,We all use the internet these days…but,,only to search for articles to end man made mandatory celibacy. I post them on my fb wall for moral support. I just read on internet that the debate for optional celibacy is back on…we will never give up..until we win. Yes,,all due to sexual abuse and we all want it to end. Yes..most priests become sexually deprived. If they don’t abolish forced celibacy,,these sexual scandals will keep going..only get worse and worse. It is not fair to innocent victims!!! Forced celibacy is only unnatural and inhumane. Of course priests are humans and they need human contact..but,,the church for centuries haves used priests for their own business of making money!!! The church is only out for themselves!!!!! Definitely,,priests would be better priests if they had a wife to share their day with. Having a wife a woman by their side,,,will make the man preist whole. But,,the ignorance of the roman catholic church expects priests to forget they’re men..they want them to turn to ”robots”. This is my argument ,,,it is always the same…for if they don’t abolish man made forced celibacy,,,the church will be destroyed for good!!!!!!! Blessings to everyone!!!!!
Mary~
You are *so very right* on every account; thank you for being right to-the-point!
And, I especially liked the note, “…the Church for centuries have used priests for their own business of making money.” That was a great way to put-it… I never thought about it in those terms, and you nailed it!
Peace & Blessings
~Marshmallow
We have discussed this before, but the reality is the RCC does need to do a better job in the formation process on basic things like dealing with loneliness, sexual attraction, and coping with stress.
I imagine most priests get their “advice” on how to cope with things from other priests. In a way it is a bit like young school boys who don’t know the facts of life gathering behind a shed to hear one of the “older” boys tell them– but what that older boy tells them isn’t right. The younger boys believe him and operate from that understanding until usually their first girlfriend sets them straight on what is what.
In my Diocese the priests gather all as a whole group twice a year. One for a “spiritual retreat” the second time for “study days”. In all the years I have known Peter, he will not tell me what was said and done during those times. If they were speaking about God why cannot I know? It makes me wonder if these retreats and study days are just the grown up version of boys gathering behind the shed.
When I read some of the stories on this blog and elsewhere I am truly perplexed why any of these men wanted to be priests in the first place. Where is their love for God? What happened to their conscience? How did a young man so devoted to his Catholic faith that he willingly sold himself into indenture servitude (not marriage, you cannot marry an institution) to become a priest, turn into a man so devoid of human understanding and compassion that he could repeatedly use women for his own pleasure, or else be so fearful of her that he will treat her like a leper for doing nothing more than loving him?
I have a hard time believing these men went into their ordination service with the intent on being like that. Something happens along the way, and sometimes what happens is some really bad advice and misguided notions being passed along the pipeline of the brotherhood of priests. It would be like an apple trying to tell another apple what an orange is based solely on what another apple told them what an orange is– when none of the apples ever ate an orange to know the reality of it.
And all of it could be lessen if the RCC would allow proper non Catholic professionals teach their priest some basic realities and how to cope with real life correctly. If they are going to require celibacy and isolate their priests then should give them something more than the words, ” The Holy Spirit will guide you”.
Otherwise you will keep getting priests who at “study days” will have this conversation. Fr A- I am very attracted to a woman in my parish what should I do? Fr. B– well what Fr. C told me, was you can send her secret messages in your homilies. She will hear them, but there won’t be any proof that you actually meant them for her. If she likes you back she will respond to your messages, if not, then you know she isn’t interested in you. But if she is, here is how you can flirt with her without crossing any lines…….. and in year’s time, there is another woman on this blog telling the us what a jerk Fr. A was. Is he a jerk or just greatly misinformed? Maybe a bit of both.
You have another priest explaining why did he leave…https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/jonathan-morris-my-decision-to-leave-the-catholic-priesthood
Now there’s a priest filled with the holy spirit. Good on him for making the decision to leave following years of struggle with his vocation. Such courage!
Christina~
Good point about the Holy Spirit, Christina. Healthy man and a great message to those *on the fence*.
~Marshmallow
The above link was very informative. And although Jonathan was speaking honestly, one could tell he was still using spin to direct the narrative. And although his Superior might be very supportive in his decision to leave, I suspect this is because Jonathan has access to many friends in media, so they are probably treating him better than most priests who want to leave.
It will soon be a year since I have been posting on this blog, but I had read it for years before doing so. I would encourage anyone who has been doing that as well to come forward with their stories.
I know there was a conversation on the previous thread about “positive vs negative” stories, but I do not see the need to describe our experiences in such black and white terms.
There was and still are a lot of positive aspects to my relationship with Peter. If anyone cares to go back in the archive to read my first postings about my relationship they will see there was a lot of love in those words.
What changed in the last year was the realization that I had been romanticizing the spiritual relationship I had with Peter. How did I come to that understanding. Well it wasn’t through the voices of Marsh Mallow or Paula– it was through hearing the love stories that were authentic, like Cat’s, Morning Star, Original A and B. Why these ladies felt the need to go silent is hard for me to understand because it was hearing what a real relationship should be like, that I was able to discern I didn’t really have that anymore with Peter, and hadn’t had it for a long time.
Without your voices to compare with, those who come to these pages will either not see their truth and move on, or might have the seeds of real love with a priest but become so discouraged by those whose relationships are not working they never give their priest a chance.
Yes some priests are grooming woman and that reality needs to be shared so those who might be in that situation can see it sooner and protect themselves. However a lot priests, and I do include Peter in this situation, are truly lonely souls who need and deserve love like the rest of us. And if some of you found a way to do that, to have that relationship even in secret, and the two of you are both at peace with it, and both are getting their true needs met– then I think that is wonderful.
I will always believe in terms of promoting a married priesthood these relationships that are authentic and working for the two involved if secret only enables forced celibacy, but that doesn’t mean as a woman I do not understand and get the love the two of you share or why you chose to keep it between the two of you.
It was hearing your stories that made me realize how limited my relationship was with Peter. I wasn’t jealous of your stories, but I did envy them to the point I knew, I wanted more than what Peter was prepared to give– your stories helped me break through the rose colored lens I had built around my relationship– so please if any of you still are out there, if you are reading my post, because I know some of you decided to not to read my posts–do not stay silent. but even if you are not one of the ladies I mentioned, if you have a true love story- please share it. It does help.
Also you need the support of one another, only another woman whose relationship is working can support you in the way you need. So if you won’t come back for us whose relationship didn’t work, come back for each other.
If you are truly in love and there is no problem with your priest, then I do not see why anyone should get defensive when others disagree with you. I found in life, I get defensive, only when someone strikes a nerve. I was defensive with Cat, for that reason. I knew what she had was her priest was real love. I heard negative things in her responses to me, not because she was saying them, but my own mind was. I was fighting an inner truth I did not want to face, that Peter might love me, but he was never in love with me.
You have helped me so much, so even you never come back, I just want to say thank you. May God bless you for through you He has helped me free my heart to be ready to embrace real love, my true love wasn’t my priest, but if your priest is yours– may God help you to grow and mature in that love so others will benefit from it too.
Promise CAN~
I read your comment (12 June 2019; 2:48p) and my take-away is you have back-paddled! Your advocating secrecy for seemingly self-serving purposes doesn’t align to what you have previously written these past months. Am I mistaken?
Secrecy: What good comes from it? Can *anyone* assure me because I am open to learn, but from where I am sitting, no good comes from it~ secrecy is a euphemism for covering something that is wrong, no?
Personally, I have had to learn it is difficult to determine what level of abuse or deceit come from attractions to priests. I have, in part, shared the emotional and spiritual abuse from *my* priest, but I have had to realize my wounds cannot be fully embraced by others, nor should I expect them to be like I had been searching for. Nor can my wounds be measured by others for their authenticity.
Conversely, it is difficult for us to accurately assess the authenticity of love as a bystander. While I said *no* to my priest~ a no to being his secret companion~ I also experienced the nuances of the few “love stories” that come into this blog. I had months of enjoying my priest; enjoying him in many realms, but I did not cave-in to sex. Was that authentic love? At the time I believed it to be. I didn’t cave-in to a clandestine relationship that was well on its way to sex not because he is a priest, but because history at age 66 told me secret relationships and uncommitted sex are not healthy on many levels. No matter who the partner is.
Old lady as it sounds, there is a distinct reason the covenant of marriage was instituted. Not just for procreation, but for security, mutual growth in sharing daily life; opportunity to live fully as love mates. And, *fully* is the key piece.
To live fully in love one must be authentic, and secrecy prevents it no matter if the man one is attracted to is married, engaged or an avowed celibate; a secret relationship with either has severe limits to authenticity. Just as my whining about the brutality of emotional and spiritual abuse I experienced from *my* priest has its limits.
That is what I wish to impart.
All the best to women in love with a priest.
~Marshmallow
I can see where you might be confuse about my stand on priests having secret relationships. As I said in the above post, I still and will always maintain secret relationships only enables celibacy and does not promote a married priesthood. As I stated before if these priests who are in healthy and happy monogamous relationships would come forward and use good old fashion civil disobedience against Canon Law, perhaps that might shake things up.
However I am realist. I know the likely hood of this happening is slim. I believe priests like every human being deserves love and if a priest has found real love with someone and the only way they can be together is in secret- then yes personally I don’t have a problem with those situations.
I do have a problem when secrecy is use to cover up evil like when the leadership covered up sexual abuse, of minors and adults– like all evil it flourishes in the bosom of secrecy. This is where it is important to shine light into that darkness- force it out of the shadows. I am against those priests who use their vocation to take advantage of vulnerable women for their own needs. All this needs to be exposed.
Where you and I differ is you believe every priest/woman relationship that isn’t leading to marriage is not authentic thereby abusive while I believe it is possible to love someone without wanting to marry them. I do not see marriage as the “holy grail” all relationships are meant to end in. I personally do not know too many long term committed relationships that didn’t eventually end of marrying, but I believe they can and do exist.
In a way, some not all, but some priest/woman relationships are like gay couples in the past. There was a time same sex couples, or mixed race couples had to be careful and hide their relationship- otherwise the consequences to their life and livelihood were too great. Then some brave souls refuse to hide and eventually it become more acceptable, and until today, most gay couples are free to be open with their relationships without worrying about being killed, although that still happens.
My point is, idealistically yes, I believe if priests who are authentically in love, like those brave gay men and women who refuse to hide would come forward with their love I think eventually in the RCC world a priest in love would not be this shocking thing it is today.
But do I blame or condemn those who need to stay hidden? — no. As long as both parties are okay with it, and he isn’t using it as an excuse to take advantage. In the end it is up to the woman involved with priest to determine the line for herself.
As I said before since Peter and I never really had a relationship in the way most would define it, I cannot say what my line would have been. I do know I never wanted to marry Peter even if he were to leave today or the rules changed tomorrow. All I ever wanted was a chance to date him, like a normal person but instead because of celibacy it became so much more complicated than it had to be. So I am not so much back peddling as I am open to accepting there is more than one reality out there and wanting those who are living that reality to know I do understand why they are.
Not so certain Jonathan is getting special treatment; severing active priesting seems to be treated differently in each diocese.
Leaving priesthood in my region is not a scourge; departees get support from other clergy. And assistance from Dio to transition. Last year we had five priests leave who are under age 50.
If you haven’t read the story of former Catholic priest Albert Cutie, it will show that despite his deeply entrenched ties to media and an international presence across a variety of media platforms including TV, he was slaughtered. But, went on to a beautiful life as an Episcopalian priest, husband and father. And, he IS a *cutie*!
Francis has alleviated much of the shame previous Popes (JP II and Benedict who we have [barely] lived through) stalked priests with and held them hostage.
So much for pro-life, pro-family Catholicism. Sigh.
~ Marshmallow
My problem with Albert Cutie is this: did he make his relationship public because he was caught or was it a couple’s journey?
Fr Daniel~
Cutie and his now wife were very visible publicly, and my guess is he pretty much set it up to be caught with her… as they were sun-tanning on a public Florida beach. It ended honorably.
Just my take on it.
~Marshmallow
Fr. Jonathon must be independently wealthy, or have people who will take care of him. He seems totally unconcerned about money and getting a job. You can kind of tell that he has been taken care of for a long time. He seems to have no worries about having to be on his own and start a new life. He seems kind of “soft.” I am not judging him, but I wonder if he is prepared for the harshness of the real world. It’s pretty tough and cruel “out here.”
wow…that’s what I call attentive and mature readers! Well on spot! I did think on the same lines especially as I couldn’t find a job for the first six months out of my comfortable zone!! Living on a small country makes it more difficult as most people are simply curious about your change but no wish to help you! Others who used to confess to me simply turned their face away. For others I was then non-existent! Once I cried out aloud in the street [maybe they thought I was a mad man], “I’m invisible – I’m invisible”
He doesn’t seem to carry on any visible worry about where to go and what to do……….!!!
WHAT CAN I/WE DO TO SERVE THOSE WHO LOVE A PRIEST?
Understanding our attraction to a priest is messy (at the least) how can I~ as your sister-in-faith~ help you in your journey or support you?
I had a horrible experience with a priest, but I believe there is now a call for me to “let it go”, and focus on what those in the throes of these relationships need. I do not want to be preachy, or a nagging mom, and the Lord knows I am tired of whining about my past with a priest which has nothing to do with your *present* with a priest.
And, I would guess everyone knows the Church’s position, the risk of duplicity. So no more from me on these pieces; I became a broken record!
Whatever I can do to make this a safe and healthy place for women loving priests, please be
free to share.
And, please know I fully understand the complexity of these attractions.
Peace & Blessings~
~Marshmallow
Fr. Daniel, your experiences with trying to find a job made you more humble!!! It was good for you, and I am sure you are a better person now than when you were in the monastery. I think most priests are a little narcistic and proud since they are given so much attention and admiration and are put on a pedestal compared to lay people. Lay people are ignored, and I think that it helps keep us all more humble.
In fact I had to wait in a queue when asking for a job. There was no ‘earthly saint’ to ask for special attention. I wrote my CV to several job opportunities. Very few of them replied [less than 1%]. Obviously it was putting a little bit of tension in our relationship because I didn’t want to ‘use’ my wife. Finally the job arrived. The first few days I was really exhausted [who says that priests can’t have a wife because of ‘hard’ work?]. Now I was truly employed and I had to obey somebody’s orders. I wasn’t in control of the situation anymore. Besides I had professional inspections to see how I was working…this was totally new although in the friary some people used to report me to the Superior previously.
Fr. Daniel. Priests really are “lucky” to not have to worry about a lot of the things we lay people have to worry about. But at the same time, they don’t understand a lot of what we go through in life. What really annoys me, is when priests want lay people to do a lot in the parish, but the lay people have full time jobs, a house, family etc and don’t have the time. Since the parish is the priest’s job, he doesn’t understand when lay people have to work all week at a different job. That has been my experience anyway. I have learned to say no without feeling guilty, otherwise I would be run ragged with doing volunteer work at my parish and would have no time to pray or relax. Also, I feel so resentful having to constantly give money to my pastor, when he makes more than I do. We have to give money on his anniversaries, his birthdays, and a lot of other things. It makes me kind of sick to see everyone fawning over him, paying for his meals, and treating him like a king. No wonder priests don’t want to leave to marry the women. Where else would he ever be treated so well?
I read Father Cutie’s story, and he too had deception in his relationship. He pretended to be a “friend” and misled her son, by not acknowledging that he was the boyfriend. He felt badly about that, but there it is. Moreover, he left the catholic church in order to continue his role for our Lord. She followed suit. I don’t want to leave my church, warts and all. They have built a life with children, and I wish them well.
@PromiseCan – thank you for your kind words. I am happy to hear that our stories have had an effect on you, and that it helped you discern regarding your own life path with Peter.
We are all encouraged on here to share our stories because we just never know if someone will be relating to what we are saying, thus helping them along the way. Too bad that we don’t hear too often of the male perspective on here too, hence getting a glimpse of the male psyche and what their heart is also going through when loving a woman or breaking up with one… Would be interesting to get some understanding of what goes through their mind when they suddenly go silent, or break up when things are going well….
@Marshmallow – what you have written is full of wisdom too. I agree with the part ” it is difficult for us to accurately assess the authenticity of love as a bystander ” .
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We all have our lives to live, our paths to walk. What is someone’s version of relationship and love, may not be what someone else considers a relationship and love, and it’s ok. We are all our own unique person, there are no wrong or right answers. We share with each other, we support as humanly possible each other, we may relate to what someone has said, maybe we don’t relate at all what someone else has said, but it’s ok.
A community is made up of a variety of people with varieties of life experiences, views, thoughts, etc. Wouldn’t that be boring if everyone thought the same??!!? Felt the same??!!? Everything would be way too predictable… We wouldn’t even need to ‘get to know someone’, or ‘ask their opinion’, since we’re the same. It’s a blessing, in fact, that we are all different. I thank God that from all the 7.7 billion people on Earth, I am happy that no one else is like me!! 🙂 I would hope we are all happy to be uniquely made by God! I sure am! And I want to be “me”. 😀
Even if a priest and a woman have a positive, beautiful relationship, the fact remains that they are sinning and deceiving everyone. The priest made a promise to be celibate, and he is supposed to be an example to his parishioners and the Catholic church. He can’t celebrate Mass and then go to be with his girlfriend, no matter how much they love each other. He has to either leave and get married, or break off the relationship.
Once again I remind people that in the RCC celibate only means unmarried. They vow never to marry, not never to have sex. Some orders both male and female require a vow of chastity, in these cases they do vow to keep themselves sexually pure both body and mind.
However according to Christian teaching it is a “sin” to engage in premarital sex, called fornication. If you are married and engaging in sexual activities not with your spouse, that is breaking the commandment “do not commit adultery” also a sin. So yes you are right they would both be sinning– but here is the thing about sin. If human beings were able to control their sinful nature just by choosing not to do it, then the Second Person of God, didn’t need to come to earth, become man, ( Jesus) died on the cross and rise from the dead.
The fact is we are not sinners because we sin, we sin because we are sinners, it is in our fallen nature. The only “cure” for this is swapping our human nature for the God’s nature, which we can do when we make Jesus our Lord and Savior invite him to live in our hearts. Then He will with the Holy Spirit begins the transformation process ( becoming new creation in Christ as St. Paul puts it). Which is now available to all because Christ paid the price for our sins– so now by Grace God isn’t letting sins slide, He is forgiving them.
So it depends where one is at in this spiritual process how much sin one will be able to live with in their life. If the priest and the woman are completely Spirit filled with the presence of Christ living in their hearts, I can bet you a million dollars they will either not engage in sexual activities or if they did it would not be too long before they both repent and stop, or they would to use an old fashion term, make each other honest by marriage.
But unless that is case I do not hold anyone to a standard that is impossible to do on one’s own accord. I suspect the majority of unmarried Catholics are fornicating. I suspect the majority of the remaining are not only involuntarily, meaning if they had a chance to have sex they would. It is probably a very tiny fraction of Christians who actually stay within the boundary God set by clear and moral choice– and those who are — might be “sinning” with their minds or engaging in self pleasure, which are also technically sins.
So l personally give priests a break about the sex thing– unless they are harming others then it is not really my business if he is having sex, just like anyone else’s sex life is none of my business. I get they are suppose to be Spirit filled, Christ like figures simply by their ordination, but it is only in the heart this happens. It cannot be given to others via a religious ceremony.
And finally, many of the ladies here who spoke of being in love with their priest never had a sexual relationship with them– so in these cases, neither the priest or her are “sinning” because loving someone is not a sin.
But those who do have sexual relationships, if both are committed to it, if both are not cheating on the other, in the old Biblical view, they would be considered married in God’s eyes.
At the end of the day, when I face God, I will only be accountable for my own choices. The Grace I hope God extends me, is the the Grace I try to extend to others. I believe like you that most priests who are truly Spirit filled,will chose to leave the priesthood rather than continue in a state of hypocrisy, of projecting one image while living another. But for those who don’t depending where they are at in the sanctification process God will continue to work His Grace to lead them to a better place– and sometimes the includes letting them suffer the consequence of their own choices.
Missing piece: Our clergy make a very public promise to the celibate state on Ordination Day (or vow as the Religious) a promise foundational to his profession. Failure to maintain that state is not levelled as *sinning* but, it becomes a violation of Canon law~ the expectations of Catholic clergy by his employer. Secondary are parish stability and the risk for civil litigious actions. Litigation not being the least of parish or papal concerns. (Scandal, spurned women or men, pregnancy, STDs…)
Civilly, the same comparison can be made; the POTUS makes an exacting oath on inauguration day: to defend the Constitution of the USA. And, the president who breaks this becomes impeachable. Not much else can impeach him. Our elected leaders are tasked with the work of keeping a president accountable; his actions are not considered sins even if he were adulterous, but a fracture to Constitutional law. A fracture that divides a nation as we lived through Nixon, Clinton and now tRump.
And, clergy not upholding their public oath divide the faithful whether they are Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran… sins of cheating are not palatable no matter how we dress it.
PC: I wasn’t offended by the “p” word; surprised since I never read it here. Frankly, penises do not offend me in the right context, not sure what that means, but certainly a call for censorship was not intended.
Plus, I’ve seen more than my share 🙂 Fornicatingly so.
~Marshmallow
Paula~
Agree. 100%.
But, we humans tend not to learn from the mistakes of others. All my friends, my sibs, my church-mates told me I was in for heartache, but I did not listen.
Their common message: A man you cannot share with your kids and grandkids is not a man to be had.
Oh, how I wish I could go back!
~Marshmallow
https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/world-europe-48620284
Found this today… Wow….
It seems there is a group “Children of Catholic Priests” in the USA as well. My former husband’s sister is a *love child* from his mother and the parish priest… seventy years ago. The priest was willing to leave, she said no… she had a husband with whom she had seven other children.
This entire saga bankrupted my sister-in-law out of a life of fatherly love and commitment to her~ the pain of seeing him each Sunday at Mass as its celebrant and knowing the choices her mother made. Choices that included her mother being devoted to the priest until he drew his last breath at age 95. Not cutting it off with the priest was unconscionable with a child involved, a child known but not recognized.
This *love child* is the one who *truly* suffered. Immensely. To this day. It might have been better if she had not known any of the pieces rather than growing up under such circumstances.
~Marshmallow
:O I am so sorry to hear this. 😦
If it’s Fathers Day in your part of the world, Happy Fathers day to you if you are a father, male role model for kids, were a dad but lost a child or children, or a single mom who plays the role of mom and dad. To those of us who no longer have our dad to celebrate with, special thoughts for you on this day. Daniel, is it Father’s Day in Malta too? If it’s not, it’s ok, sending you my wishes anyway. 🙂
Yes and I celebrated it with my family. I have just returned back home after a half day out. Thanks for your kind greetings for Father’s Day.
Ah, awesome! 🙂
Original A~
You’re sweet and savvy. It’s wonderful you are here… salve to broken spirits! We need that here; genuine, authentic Christian love. I have *not* been the best example!
~Marshmallow
Some good news: https://religionnews.com/2019/06/19/synod-of-bishops-to-discuss-ordaining-married-men/