In a message dated 4/27/01 11:07:34 PM, sokar@earthlink.net writes: << Be a little careful. That is certainly true for the last 400 years but prior to that married parish priests were moderately common even though it was highly discouraged and even "illegal" in the eyes of Rome. If memory serves it is only after the Council of Trent (1540?) that married RC priests almost totally disappear. BTW; Our local bishop commented recently that there are some 130 in the US currently. All converts who were married and ordained prior to conversion. >> Ooops, you're right! Of course there were married priests in the Church and probably later in Ireland than many places, but I kind of assumed we were talking post-1600 or so. And how could I forget!!! Already married men were sometimes ordained. In fact, I have a friend who was an Anglican priest and converted to Roman Catholicism. After a few years he applied to become a Catholic priest. He had to pass a few tests and study up a little, but then he was ordained a Catholic priest, and of course, he still had his wife and lived in his own home, not in a rectory. (Yes, they re-ordained him, so there would be no doubt about the validity of his Orders.) They wouldn't assign him to parish work though (afraid it would "catch on." :-) Thanks for correcting me! Janet