Married Roman Catholic Priest (2009): Fr. Martin Carter and wife Annie of Prince Edward Island, Canada

In 2009, married Catholic priest Father was 63.  That was 17 years ago, at the time of this writing in 2026.

Whether Father (and his wife) are retired or no longer walking the Earth at age 80, thank you to this married priest and his wife for their witness to the Catholic Faith and married men in the Catholic priesthood.

"Roman Catholic priest Martin Carter, 63, poses with his wife Annie during a reception after his ordination in St. Dunstan’s Basilica in Charlottetown Aug. 9, 2009. He is a father of three children and former Anglican clergyman."

Source: https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/married---and-now-a-priest/article_d89e5891-e7e1-5179-8f30-9373d2765533.html

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AI Search (2026): 

Service: He served as an assisting priest at St. Pius X Parish and later as Parish Administrator for St. Francis of Assisi, St. Martin of Tours, and St. Anne. He was also listed as Rector of St. Dunstan’s Basilica.

Retirement: Carter retired from active ministry in 2020 while serving as Pastor of Our Lady of Assumption Parish in Stratford and St. Joachim’s Parish in Vernon River.

Married priest martyr, missionary Orthodox Father, St. John Kochurov, married to wife Alexandra, and also son of a married priest, pray for us.

Married priest martyr, missionary Orthodox Father, St. John Kochurov, married to wife Alexandra, and also son of a married priest, pray for us.  

Pray for the restoration of full communion between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches, pray for Orthodox-Catholic relations, and pray for the healing of the Great Schism of 1054.  

Ut unum sint!

Source: Orthodox Church of America https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1573236691505145

Married Roman Catholic Priest: Father Bart Stevens is married to wife, Becky, and raising kids.

Married Latin Rite Priest Father Bart Stevens, married to wife Becky and raising kids, was ordained under the Pastoral Provision pathway for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Great Falls - Billings, Montana (USA).

Leo XIV acknowledges priest shortage: "...and I am going to tell you something that you must listen to, even if it worries you a little: The shortage of priests in France is a great misfortune! A misfortune for the Church." - Leo XIV (Aug 2025, during a gathering of altar servers)

The Bishop of Rome recognizes that there is a serious priest shortage and that this is a misfortune for the ENTIRE Church.

Previous Roman Pontiffs have seen this as well.  Noteworthy here, however, is that even local priest shortages have universal impact.  It isnt enough to say, "Oh, well, in this country or that country these are localized priest shortage situations, but in other parts of the world there is no priest shortage, so everything is fine since the priest shortage is just here or there."  This downplays the situation.

"Here or there" becomes gradually everywhere when "here or there" becomes "here or there" over and over and over.  Here or there can drain the places where it is not here or there.

As universal pastor, Leo observed for the whole Church:

"...and I am going to tell you something that you must listen to, even if it worries you a little: The shortage of priests in France is a great misfortune! A misfortune for the Church." - Leo XIV (Aug 2025, during a gathering of altar servers).(1)

Thank you, Leo, for not being blind to the grave pastoral situation before us.  At least the problem and neglect in the Church is being named.

So yes "here or there" may worry us a little.  Jesus, send us shepherds after Your own Heart, whether married or celibate. We trust You in this time of misfortune for the Church.

(1)Source: https://www.romereports.com/en/2025/12/08/data-shows-more-catholics-but-less-priests/

If you have not felt the priest shortage, you will. Wake up, Catholics! You need priests.

'Grateful for the +425 priest increase (+<1%) in 2023, but it is a pitiful <1% increase from the previous year. 

The bigger picture however is that, on top of this staffing crisis, the Catholic population almost DOUBLED from 650M in 1970 to 1.4B in 2020, while priests have stagnated/declined since 1970. 

 AND on top of all that, seminarians have a -2.7% decline (almost 3,000 drop) for 13 continuous years. 

 Even TLM/Trad societies dont have the numbers for the needs of the universal Church either. 

If you have not felt the priest shortage, you will. Wake up, Catholics! You need priests.

Hundreds of FAKE priests emerge with severe priest shortage: 1 priest per 7000 Mexican Catholics (1 per 1800 in USA where there is more money to brain-drain Mexico's priests), but hey mandated celibacy, +425 (+0.001% increase) more priests in 2023 in the world of 8 billion people (with a DOUBLING! number of world's Catholics), and status quo, right? RIGHT?!?! That's what God's People want, right?! But, but, but mandated celibacy... Fake priests administering hundreds of Sacraments should ANGER Catholics!

 

1 priest per 7000 Mexican Catholics (1 per 1800 in USA, by comparison, where there is more money to brain-drain Mexico's priests), but hey mandated celibacy, +425 (+0.001% increase) more priests in 2023 in the world of 8 billion people (with a DOUBLING! number of world's Catholics), and status quo, right? RIGHT?!?! That's what God's People want, right?!

But, but, but mandated celibacy...

Fake priests administering hundreds of Sacraments should ANGER Catholics!

Source #1:

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1472372221492527/?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v

Source #2:

"Researchers and church officials blame a shortage of priests and a widening gap between cultural Catholicism and the institutional church."

https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/mexico-church-fake-priests/

Obrigado, Eminência! His Eminence Cardinal Américo Manuel Alves Aguiar (left) of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Braga, Portugal (2026) receives married Ukrainian Catholic missionary priest, Father Nazar (right), and his wife in audience. Obrigado! Para mais recursos sobre como os padres casados no Rito Latino têm trabalhado, estão trabalhando atualmente e podem crescer mais no futuro com a bênção da Igreja Católica, siga-nos no Facebook, x, nosso site e/ou nosso blog marriedpriesthood.blogspot.com

Obrigado, Eminência! His Eminence Cardinal Américo Manuel Alves Aguiar (left) of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Braga, Portugal (2026) receives married Ukrainian Catholic missionary priest, Father Nazar (right), and his wife in audience.

Obrigado! Para mais recursos sobre como os padres casados no Rito Latino têm trabalhado, estão trabalhando atualmente e podem crescer mais no futuro com a bênção da Igreja Católica, siga-nos no Facebook, x, nosso site e/ou nosso blog marriedpriesthood.blogspot.com

Photo credit: Cardinal Aguiar's FB page

Young married priest and wife are sent on mission to Portugal.  No doubt, Lay Catholics are sent on mission today.  Religious Sisters have served as missionaries, too.  Lay Faithful that serve as missionaries are not as widely know.  Protestant married missionaries are known to exist, and in fact many are known to have been martyred.  But here is a case of Catholic priest and his wife sent on mission.

Some people will say that married missionaries are not possible, but Jesus did send His Apostles out two by two.  What is more two by two than a married couple.  And, with all the talk about the role of women in the Church, in this case, a wife of a priest is part of the mission to Portugal.

Obrigado, Your Eminence.  And thank you for posting this on your Facebook page.

Comment on Video by Kenny Burchard (Former Protestant Minister) & Catholic Apologist Dave Armstrong

Source: 

https://youtu.be/ftNSNxsXTWo?is=cSdL6gtg3FNvBYYc

Thank you, Kenny and Dave, for this beautiful discussion on celibacy. The proposal to restore married priests in the Latin Church for cradle Catholics isn't for younger 20-something married men that haven't experienced life yet, but rather to open the priesthood to older married men (like married deacons) by way of dispensation in Canon 1047. Its not celibacy as such but it's *obligatory/mandated* character that started in the 12th Century (until Pius XII in the 20th Century allowed married priests to return to the West) that is being discerned since the Council.

BTW, since Kenny is a former Protestant pastor, he may still be qualified to be a married (Latin Rite) Catholic priest.

Support Kenny's work here: 

https://kennyburchard.com/about-kenny/

He would make an excellent married Latin Rite Catholic priest.

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Side note: Many, if not most, of the FB comments seem to actually favor married priests.

Beyond Left v. Right (2019): Left & Right Can Agree on Married Priests

Of the many issues being debated in the Church these days, the married priests issue is the main doctrinal/disciplinary issue where both "Left" and "Right" can and does agree.  Theologically, having married priests in the Latin Rite is the common "orthodox" position.

"This was the first time I had ever heard Catholic conservatives — as opposed to spirit of Vatican II progressives or ex-priests — say that they thought the Church of Rome would need to return to the ancient pattern — with married priests as the norm, and bishops being drawn from among celibate monastics. Since then, I have heard similar remarks from some Catholics on the right."

Source: https://www.getreligion.org/getreligion/2019/6/22/thinking-about-married-priests-has-this-issue-outgrown-old-left-vs-right-framework

Anonymous Catholic Bishop in Kenya (2023): "'I think this matter is being handled by our teams at the synod,' said an African Catholic bishop who did not wish to be named, 'but I don’t see how one can break the rules and at the same time demand a change.' The former priests point out that Catholics in many places are expressing support for married priests by moving to their dissenting churches, while still recognizing the supremacy of the pope."

Why should we lose a part of the Church over the *mandated* celibacy discipline?

It's one thing to split in the Church over doctrine, but it is another to split over mere discipline.

And why does this Catholic bishop wish to remain anonymous?  Remaining anonymous is for those that do not want negative backlash especially or retaliation of any type.

Is it too insulting to say that African Catholics are "catching up" with the West, and by catching up this means secularization, modernization, break down of the family, etc.?

African bishops and African Faithful are open to married priests.  

Excerpts:

“I think this matter is being handled by our teams at the synod,” said an African Catholic bishop who did not wish to be named, “but I don’t see how one can break the rules and at the same time demand a change.” 

"The former priests point out that Catholics in many places are expressing support for married priests by moving to their dissenting churches, while still recognizing the supremacy of the pope."

Source: https://religionnews.com/2023/10/25/in-kenya-married-ex-priests-follow-vatican-synods-discussion-of-clerical-celibacy/

St. Olga Michael of Alaska (matushka / wife of Orthodox Priest Fr. Nicolai Michael, village storekeeper and postmaster), pray for us.

Orthodox Feast Day: Oct. 27