{"id":1333,"date":"2008-12-18T06:53:00","date_gmt":"2008-12-18T06:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/deaconsbench\/2008\/12\/australia-welcomes-another-married-man-to-the-priesthood.html"},"modified":"2008-12-18T06:53:00","modified_gmt":"2008-12-18T06:53:00","slug":"australia-welcomes-another-married-man-to-the-priesthood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2008\/12\/australia-welcomes-another-married-man-to-the-priesthood.html","title":{"rendered":"Australia welcomes another married man to the priesthood"},"content":{"rendered":"

From our Down Under Desk, news<\/a> of a married man (and convert) being ordained a Catholic priest:<\/p>\n

<\/a>Former Anglican priest Bavin Clark, a married father of four, is to be ordained as a Catholic priest for the Brisbane archdiocese.<\/p>\n

The Wynnum Herald reports the novice deacon is living proof times are changing, when he becomes the third married Brisbane man to become a Catholic priest.<\/p>\n

At an age where most men are planning their retirement, Mr Clark, 62, plans to continue working as Queensland University of Technology’s chaplain once he is ordained.<\/p>\n

He said he had no quibble with the Anglican church, where he spent more than 20 years as a priest.<\/p>\n

“It’s a very personal journey … the Catholic Church has developed an open and generous spirit and this is not a back door way in,” Mr Clark said.<\/p>\n

The self professed philosopher and theologian said the Church was prepared to make an exception on its centuries old celibacy ruling for priests.<\/p>\n

Mr Clark spent three years studing theology, without any guarantee he would be accepted into the priesthood, before Brisbane Archbishop John Bathersby requested the Vatican accept him.<\/p>\n

It could explain his excitement for his ordination ceremony at St Brigid’s Church, Red Hill on December 18, where many of his Anglican former colleagues are expected to share in celebrations.<\/p>\n

“My feet haven’t touched the ground yet … I think I’m enormously privileged … it’s not a right.”<\/p>\n

Auxiliary Bishop of Brisbane, Brian Finnigan, said Mr Clark would bring his qualities of the Anglican tradition to the Church.<\/p>\n

“He will be a welcome addition to the ranks of the Catholic clergy which he will share with the priests and the thirteen married permanent deacons,” Bishop Finnigan said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From our Down Under Desk, news of a married man (and convert) being ordained a Catholic priest: Former Anglican priest Bavin Clark, a married father of four, is to be ordained as a Catholic priest for the Brisbane archdiocese. The Wynnum Herald reports the novice deacon is living proof times are changing, when he becomes…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":365,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1333","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-vocations"],"yoast_head":"\nAustralia welcomes another married man to the priesthood - The Deacon's Bench<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2008\/12\/australia-welcomes-another-married-man-to-the-priesthood.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Australia welcomes another married man to the priesthood - The Deacon's Bench\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"From our Down Under Desk, news of a married man (and convert) being ordained a Catholic priest: Former Anglican priest Bavin Clark, a married father of four, is to be ordained as a Catholic priest for the Brisbane archdiocese. 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