{"id":4488,"date":"2010-06-07T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2010-06-07T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/deaconsbench\/2010\/06\/the-priest-and-his-mrs.html"},"modified":"2010-06-07T06:00:00","modified_gmt":"2010-06-07T06:00:00","slug":"the-priest-and-his-mrs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2010\/06\/the-priest-and-his-mrs.html","title":{"rendered":"The priest — and his Mrs."},"content":{"rendered":"

\"20100606_inq_ppriest06z-b.JPG\"<\/a><\/span>
\nThese cases seem to be coming more common.<\/p>\n

Another Protestant converts and becomes a priest — and makes a little news<\/a> in the process: <\/p>\n

\nAfter 19 years as a Lutheran pastor, the Rev. Philip Johnson had grown disenchanted with Protestantism.<\/p>\n

“There comes a time, if you’re Catholic, to be Catholic,” the newest priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden said Wednesday at his home in Sewell.<\/p>\n

Dressed in his 11-day-old Roman collar and black clerical garb, Johnson, 59, was explaining the appeal of Catholicism’s traditionalist ways when a middle-aged woman emerged from the kitchen.<\/p>\n

“Here you go, Hon,” said Johnson’s wife, Janet, handing him a glass of Coke.<\/p>\n

“Thanks,” said the priest, smiling as she eased down next to him on their living room sofa.<\/p>\n

It was a familiar scene for the Johnsons. Married 38 years, with four grown children and four grandchildren, they spent nearly two decades in a Lutheran parsonage in Jersey City, N.J., before converting to Catholicism four years ago.<\/p>\n

Men sporting both Roman collars and wedding rings are a rarity in the Catholic Church; it banned married clergy eight centuries ago. In 1951 it made an exception for married clergy who convert, but on a case-by-case basis.<\/p>\n

The church has ordained only a few hundred since. “Mr. Johnson’s ordination does not indicate a change of celibacy norms for Latin Rite priests,” the Camden Diocese noted when it announced his May 22 ordination.<\/p>\n

In fact, the Johnsons had no clue he would be accepted for ordination when they converted. But priesthood was their fervent hope. “He was just horrible sitting in the pews,” Janet Johnson, 60, said Wednesday, and laughed. Her husband, a serious man, shrugged. “I just couldn’t imagine not preaching,” he said.<\/p>\n

It was not until four months after converting, as Johnson was studying at the Catholic University of America in Washington, that Camden Bishop Joseph Galante learned of his situation and invited him to be a candidate for priesthood.<\/p>\n

Galante has named Johnson parochial vicar at St. Bridget’s parish in Glassboro, where he will also serve the Catholic community of Rowan University. Both Johnsons will conduct marriage-preparation classes around the six-county diocese.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

You can read more at the link.<\/a> Congratulations, Padre!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

These cases seem to be coming more common. Another Protestant converts and becomes a priest — and makes a little news in the process: After 19 years as a Lutheran pastor, the Rev. Philip Johnson had grown disenchanted with Protestantism. “There comes a time, if you’re Catholic, to be Catholic,” the newest priest of the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4488","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-vocations"],"yoast_head":"\nThe priest - and his Mrs. - 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\/2010\/06\/the-priest-and-his-mrs.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The priest - and his Mrs. - The Deacon's Bench\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"These cases seem to be coming more common. 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