Reflections on Celibate Chastity and Religious Life

The topic of celibate chastity is usually addressed from only one angle: giving up sex. In living the life of a Capuchin friar, I've thought about different ways to introduce the topic to share with other people. My fellow novice Matt Janeczko (pronounced: juh-NES-co) wrote an article about celibate chastity in the religious life for a friend of his just recently. He writes:

Now, I know immediately what you’re probably thinking, if, at least, you’re anything like me. Celibacy equals no sex. How can that be any fun at all? Isn’t everyone supposed to get married, have kids, and grow old watching their grandkids play with the dog on the front lawn? Well, I’m writing to tell you that isn’t all there is to life. There are some people who are called by God to live celibate – unmarried – lives as a part of their ministry in the church. Before you think that this sounds boring, I want to introduce to you three different people and tell you a bit of their stories. Two of them have lived long, happy lives doing amazing things for the church. The third story is of a guy who is just starting out on his celibate journey.

You can read his entire article at his blog here. Be sure to let him know if you enjoy or have questions about the article. As a NY Mets fan, I'm sure he can handle any criticism you send his way!