A married man with six children has just been ordained as a Latin-rite (Roman Catholic) priest in Montreal.
Robert Assaly (59) was ordained by Archbishop Christian Lépine last Sunday after 10 years’ preparation. His wife Nancy and children assisted with the Mass.
Assaly and his wife were formally admitted into the Catholic Church in 2015, when Assaly ceased to be an Anglican priest.
The former millionaire-athiest who was ordained an Anglican priest in 1991. He was doing a doctorate on the fathers of the Church at McGill University when he decided to become a Catholic priest.
He says asking God for direction and listening to his answers led him to this decision.
“Ten years ago I walked into the archdiocese’s offices … and said I have a calling, I think, to be a Catholic priest, not even knowing there was such a thing as a married Catholic priest.”
He was unaware that in 1980, it became possible for an Anglican priest to become a Catholic priest while remaining married.
This initiative of Pope John Paul II aimed to promote the unity of Christians.
St John Paul’s successor Pope Benedict XVI expanded the process in 2009, allowing Anglican parishes to join a Catholic “Ordinariat”.
There are only a few married Catholic priests in Montreal, according to the archdiocese.
The Archdiocese of Montreal has spoken out positively about Assaly’s ordination and are linking it to to John Henry Newman’s canonisation next month.
They note Newman was an Anglican priest when he converted to the Catholic faith in 1845.
He was later made a cardinal.
The archdiocese also says it has a few other married catholic priests.
These include Catholic priests of the Eastern rite who can marry before being ordained priests.
There are also Catholic priests in Montreal who were ordained after the death of their wife and have children.
In addition, the archdiocese notes it is also possible for an Orthodox priest to become an Eastern Catholic while remaining married.
As Assaly says, there is “one, holy, catholic and apostolic church”.
Speaking of his feelings about becoming a Catholic priest he says:
“As difficult and challenging as it is, it’s been more joyous, more hopeful, more fulfilling, more meaningful than I could have asked to imagine.”
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