wfn.org | Methodist Takes Priest's Vows

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"UNITED METHODIST DAILY NEWS" by SUSAN PEEK on Aug. 11, 1991 at 13:58 Eastern,
about FULL TEXT RELEASES FROM UNITED METHODIST NEWS SERVICE (3174 notes).

Note 3172 by UMNS on Sept. 17, 1996 at 16:24 Eastern (4601 characters).

SEARCH: United Methodist, Roman Catholic, pastor, priest,
priesthood, ordination, tradition, faith,  

Produced by United Methodist News Service, official news agency of
the United Methodist Church, with offices in Nashville, Tenn., New
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CONTACT: Linda Green                             457(10-71B){3172}
         Nashville, Tenn. (615) 742-5470            Sept. 17, 1996

United Methodist pastor ordained
as Roman Catholic Priest

                 by United Methodist News Service

     A retired United Methodist pastor, who said he felt there
were weaknesses in the Protestant denomination, has been ordained
a priest in the Roman Catholic Church.
     The Rev. W. Paul Jones, a member of the Missouri West United
Methodist Annual (regional) Conference, was ordained into the
Roman Catholic priesthood Aug. 24 at the St. Bernadette Roman
Catholic Church, Hermitage, Mo.
     Can a person be ordained in the United Methodist Church and
in another faith? Jones, a retired professor from Saint Paul
School of Theology, Kansas City, Mo., would like to think so. He
is aware that his Roman Catholic ordination could affect his
clergy status in the United Methodist Church. 
     Quoted in the United Methodist Review, newspaper of the
Missouri West Annual Conference, Jones said, "The Catholic Church
sees no conflict" and he has no desire to discontinue his
relationship with the Missouri West Conference.
     The Roman Catholic ordination is being addressed by Bishop
Ann Sherer, who presides over the Missouri conference, and the
Conference's Board of Ordained Ministry.
     According to Bishop Sherer, Jones' pursuit of dual membership
"presents us with challenges and opportunities." She said "as we
move to a decision, we are doing all we can to ensure that the
Discipline is maintained." 
     In the process, she said officials will be "as responsive as
possible to Paul's hopes and dreams for ministry." She said they
also want to be responsive "to Christ's command to us that the
body of Christ should be one."
     According to retired Bishop William Boyd Grove, chief
ecumenical officer of the denomination, "Paul Jones, a lifelong
friend, is committed to the unity of the Church."     
      Grove represents the United Methodist Church in ecumenical
settings and serves as head of communion in ecumenical relations.
He also is the spokesman for the denomination on ecumenical
matters and issues.
     Also past president of the denomination's Commission on
Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, Grove said, Jones
"does not see his Roman Catholic ordination as a repudiation of
his Methodist heritage but as an expression of it."
     Jones' interest in the Roman Catholic Church occurred after
he took a sabbatical at a Trappist monastery and the order and
discipline he believes are the hallmarks of Wesleyan spirituality.
Another lure was the Benedictine order's mission: "Treat everyone
as Christ."  He said the experiences at the monastery highly
influenced his decision to the path of priesthood.
     He said this spiritual quest was not intended to cause
controversy or turmoil. His decision was based not on politics,
but on a desire to "bridge" the two faiths in his life, he said. 
     Jones' definition of an ordained minister is a person that
preaches, teaches, shepherds. He defines a priest as "one who
stands in our midst as Christ."
     By holding clergy status in two faiths, Jones anticipates
using the best of both to strengthen the weaknesses of both.
     He said the primary element the Catholic church can bring to
the United Methodist Church is John Wesley.
     Wesley and Roman Catholicism, "carry a profound sense of
spiritual holiness, spiritual disciplines, community
accountability, sacramental life, a sense of the church in terms
of communion of saints, and a reaffirmation of the traditions of
the church" -- attributes that are not as strong as they could be
in United Methodism, he said.  
     Jones said the United Methodist Church also has much to offer
the Roman Catholic Church including "the priority of grace, the
importance of scripture as a foundation of our faith, a broader
openness to inclusivity in ordination and lay participation,
greater diversity in social issues and an increasing openness to
ecumenism."
     Until a decision is made by Sherer and the Conference Board
of Ordained Ministry, Jones is also Father Jones.
                               # # #

     The Rev. John Stein, editor of the United Methodist Review,
contributed information to this article.

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