Married Maronite Catholic Deacon Ordained to Priesthood in USA After Serving as Deacon For 8 Years; Half of Lebanese priests are married; "I guess we're finally catching up to the old country" (ordination attendee)

Maronite Catholic Bishop Elias Zaidan ordains married Deacon Wissam Akiki to the priesthood (at age 41) at St Raymond's Maronite Catholic Cathedral in St. Louis, MO, USA, on Feb. 27, 2017 (photo credit: Erin Stubblefield, AP).

Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/02/28/missouri-married-man-maronite-catholic-priest/5897431/ (22 Nov. 2019)

Excerpt:

The ordination ceremony featured several bishops from within the Maronite rite. Many members of the St. Raymond's congregation are of Lebanese descent, and many of the prayers, hymns and readings were in Arabic.

Members of the church said they were ready to welcome the new priest.

"He'll be a wonderful priest," said 54-year-old Linda Hill. "The fact that he's married will be exciting for the church. It's tradition in the old country. I guess we're finally catching up to the old country."

Excerpt 2:

Peters said that in the most recent Maronite Patriarchal Synod, the church reaffirmed its position in support of allowing married priests, a tradition that, worldwide, dates back centuries.

In a statement, the Archdiocese of St. Louis congratulated Akiki.

"The Archdiocese of St. Louis values its strong relationship with the Maronite community in St. Louis," the statement read in part.

Those attending the ordination applauded the new priest several times, which clearly left him moved.

"It is a day of grace and of joy," he said.