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John Cornelius, a former Episcopalian priest became a Roman Catholic priest this past weekend. As part of the deal, Cornelius, who has been married for 33 years, has taken the vow of celibacy.<\/p>\n
John Cornelius will be ordained a Roman Catholic priest this weekend \u2014 and with the blessing of his wife they’re giving up their sex life.<\/p>\n
Cornelius, a father of three, will become the first married Roman Catholic priest in New York \u2014 and Sharyl, his wife of 33-years, has agreed to the whole celibacy thing.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\u201cWe have decided to do that voluntarily,\u201d Cornelius told WGRZ-TV. \u201cI have always had friends that are Roman Catholic priests and I appreciate what they’ve given up to serve God and the priesthood.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\nCornelius, 64, is a former Episcopalian priest who converted three years ago to Catholicism. He said his old church had gotten too liberal for him.<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\nThe issues he had with the Episcopalian denomination seems to revolve around homosexuality.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThere was the ordination of the homosexual priest in New England,\u201d he said. \u201cThen it came time for women’s ordination. … It may have been okay for other people, but it was just too much for me.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\u201cI needed someplace where there was order,\u201d he added.<\/div>\n<\/div>\nCornelius had retired from the Episcopal priesthood after 20 years in 2010, and said there was a big void in his life.<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\nI can’t help but wonder if there will be a new “void” in his life.<\/p>\n
After his ordination, Cornelius will tend to a flock of other former Episcopalians at the Fellowship of Saint Alban in Henrietta, N.Y., a suburb of Rochester.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n