Like Father, Like Son

A certain Fr. Dominic Cosslett, 36, a Briton, has been ordained a Catholic priest in January of this year.

His ordination liturgy was presided over by The Most Reverend Vincent Nichols, Metropolitan Archbishop of Birmingham.

What is unusual in this event is the fact that during Fr. Cosslett’s ordination ceremony, Fr. Ron Cosslett was present together with some sixty (60) priests.

And who’s Fr. Ron Cosslett? He is Fr. Dominic’s biological father!

Aside from being ordained by the same bishop and besides undergoing formation under the same seminary formators, the father-and-son priests are now even serving in very proximate communities. The newly ordained has been assigned as assistant pastor to St. George’s Church in Worcester, while his father is ministering to a nearby Darlaston Church.

Such event would not have been plausible since 1123 with the First Council of Lateran declaring clerical marriages as invalid. In effect, as we knew, the Council has imposed the obligatory celibacy to the Catholic clergy.

Does the event indicate that Rome is relaxing its celibacy rule? Not so.

The historical Catholic event was made possible by a get-out clause introduced by the Vatican allowing Anglican clergy to convert to Catholicism. We can recall that Pope John Paul II introduced an exception for the Anglican priests (who are married) and then converted – or defected to Rome following the Church of England’s decision to ordain women to the priesthood — to Catholicism at a later date. While they were allowed to keep their wives, they are equally expected to remain celibate.