NCR Online: 10% of priests in this Catholic diocese in England are married. Here’s a look inside their daily lives.

by Jonathan Luxmoore

Charlbury, England — February 10, 2025

In a quiet corner of this Oxfordshire town, the small Catholic Church of St. Teresa of Lisieux, once a local laundry, stands above a narrow roadway, overlooking ancient cottages and tucked-away gardens.

When Fr. Clive Dytor took over as priest here in 2021, it marked the culmination of a career which had seen him honored as a war hero and lauded as head of a top Catholic school.

Since he’d also previously been an Anglican priest, he could welcome his wife and family to his parish Masses.

“There were some worries initially that having married priests might cause resentment, but people have been generous and it’s seen as quite normal now,” Dytor told NCR. “Although they couldn’t run parishes at the beginning, that rule was later put aside. One of my joys now has been reconnecting with ex-Anglican friends who are now also serving as Catholic fellow-priests, many with wives as well.”

Dytor is one of many married ex-Anglican clergy who quit the Church of England in the wake of its 1992 decision to ordain women priests and other liberal changes, and have since been reordained and integrated into Catholic parish life by special papal dispensation.

Link to full article:

https://www.ncronline.org/news/10-priests-catholic-diocese-england-are-married-heres-look-inside-their-daily-lives?utm_source=NCR+List&utm_campaign=85ca91d88c-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2025_02_10_04_13&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6981ecb02e-85ca91d88c-230658942

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