Fr. Carter Griffin: A Priest On Discovering Celibacy

Growing up Protestant, I never thought I would become a Catholic priest, let alone one who wrote a book on celibacy.

Because we moved a lot, my family was involved in various churches over the years and I got to know several of our pastors. My recollection of these men is thoroughly positive; they were kind, engaging, thoughtful people who loved Christ and took my youthful questions and problems seriously.

About Catholic priests I knew much less. I knew they were celibate. I had even met a few of them because in some of the countries in which we lived, I attended Catholic schools. Their celibacy was intriguing, something of a curiosity – but it was the curiosity of a detached tourist, not that of an interested inquirer.

Like many conversion stories, my path to Rome began with the witness of faithful Catholics, the reading of good books, and the fits and starts of a life of prayer. I was in college at the time. At the end of one of our sessions, the priest who was giving me instructions said, almost in passing, that perhaps I would join him at the altar one day. ….

Read more at catholicexchange.com/discovering-celibacy