Many people, whether born Orthodox or simply drawn to the faith, eventually wonder about priesthood or monasticism. What does it take to become a priest? Do monks need studies? Can a priest marry? What does the daily life of a monk or bishop look like? Let’s walk through these questions step by step, with clarity and respect for how the Orthodox Church lives and orders its life.
Priest or Monk?
First, it is important to understand that the two paths are distinct. A priest serves the Church through the sacraments, preaching, and pastoral care of a parish. A monk lives a life of prayer, obedience, and often silence within a monastery. Both serve Christ and His Church, but in very different ways. A man must carefully discern (usually with the guidance of a spiritual father) which calling God is giving him.
Do You Need Studies to become a Monk or a Priest?
Priests generally attend a seminary where they study Scripture, liturgy, Church history, theology, and pastoral care. A degree is not always required in every jurisdiction, but training is. Monks do not need university studies; their "school" is the monastery itself, where they learn obedience, humility, and prayer under an elder.
Ordination and Marriage
In Orthodoxy, a man may be ordained as a priest if he is either married (before ordination) or celibate. If he chooses marriage, it must be before ordination. Once ordained, he cannot marry. If his wife dies after ordination, he may not remarry - he remains celibate for the rest of his life.
Monks, of course, do not marry. They take vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience. A monk can later be ordained as a priest, but he will still live as a monk within his monastery or wherever the bishop assigns him.
Ranks in Monastic and Clerical Life
Monastic ranks:
- Novice - a period of testing and learning under obedience.
- Rassophore Monk - receives the monk’s robe but not full vows yet.
- Stavrophore Monk - takes full vows of monastic life.
- Schema Monk (Great Schema) - the highest level of monastic commitment, with greater ascetic strictness.
Clerical ranks:
- Deacon - assists the priest at the altar and in the services.
- Priest (Presbyter) - celebrates the sacraments, leads the parish, hears confessions, preaches, teaches.
- Bishop - oversees a diocese. Only celibate men (monks or widowed priests) may become bishops.
- Metropolitan/Archbishop - higher-ranking bishops over larger regions.
- Patriarch – the head bishop of an autocephalous Church (e.g., Patriarch of Constantinople, Patriarch of Moscow).
The Role of Each
- A Monk: Life of prayer, fasting, work (gardening, writing, icon painting, hosting pilgrims). Their main role is to intercede for the world in prayer.
- A Priest: Celebrates liturgy, baptisms, weddings, funerals, confessions, and provides pastoral care for his parishioners. His life is bound up with his flock.
- A Bishop/Metropolitan/Patriarch: Carries the burden of the wider Church. Oversees priests, ordains new clergy, manages diocesan matters, and guards the faith in his jurisdiction. Their lives involve much travel, administration, and constant pastoral responsibility.
- A Schema Monk: Dedicates his entire life to unceasing prayer and asceticism. Rarely leaves the monastery and is seen as a hidden support of the Church.
Daily Life
- Monk: Services at night and early morning, fasting, manual labor, long hours of prayer. Silence is common.
- Priest: Prepares and celebrates services, visits the sick, counsels parishioners, deals with parish administration, often late nights and early mornings.
- Bishop/Metropolitan/Patriarch: Meetings, correspondence, travel, services in many parishes, ordinations, synods, and constant demands on time.
Responsibilities and Practical Questions
- Vacations - Priests do sometimes take a few weeks of rest, but always with the blessing of their bishop, and usually with another priest covering their parish. Monks generally do not "vacation"; their life is continuous prayer and work.
- The Matushka (priest’s wife) - She is a pillar of parish life. Inside the church, she is often active in choir, teaching, or hospitality. Outside, she is the priest’s support, sharing in his struggles and responsibilities, often quietly and sacrificially. Her vocation is unique and honored, though without ordination.
Should I Become a Priest or a Monk?
One does not "choose" the priesthood or monasticism as a career; rather, the Church recognizes and confirms the calling that God has already placed in the heart.
Other things to know
The Difference Between Priesthood and Priest’s Rank
Not every priest is equal in role. Some priests are parish priests, some are assigned to cathedrals, others to missions.
A priest can also be elevated (by the bishop) to archpriest or protopresbyter as a mark of service - not as a higher sacramental power, but as honor and responsibility.
Why Bishops Must Be Monks
In the Orthodox Church, bishops are always chosen from the monastic or celibate clergy. This protects the Church from dynasties (passing bishoprics from father to son) and keeps the episcopacy focused on celibate dedication.
How Monastic Communities Differ
Not every monastery is the same:
- Cenobitic - everything in common (meals, prayer, labor).
- Idiorrhythmic - monks have more personal independence (less common now).
- Sketes - smaller communities, often more ascetic.
Priesthood is Never Self-Chosen
A man does not "apply" to be a priest. His bishop calls him, often after many years of service in the parish. Sometimes the greatest sign of a true priest is that he did not want the honor, but obeyed.
The Role of Deacons
Deacons are not "mini-priests". They serve at the altar, preach, read the Gospel, help distribute Communion, and assist the bishop - but they cannot consecrate the Eucharist or hear confessions.
In many places, deacons are the link between priest and people.
Retirement and Old Age
Monks generally remain in their monastery until death.
Priests may retire from active parish duties, but remain priests forever. Many continue to serve as long as their health allows.
Financial Support
Monks live by the labor of the monastery (farming, icon painting, baking, candle making).
Priests usually receive a small salary from the parish. Some also work secular jobs (especially in mission parishes).
The Hidden Role of Prayer
A monk in silence and a priest at the altar are both keeping the world alive in prayer. The Church sees them not in competition, but as complementary vocations.
Can Someone Leave Priesthood or Monastic Life
Can a Priest Leave His Priesthood?
No. Priesthood is a sacrament, and once given it is permanent, just like baptism and chrismation. A priest can be suspended or defrocked (for serious sin, disobedience, or heresy), which means he loses the right to serve at the altar. But the grace of ordination itself is not "erased". He remains a priest forever, though forbidden to act as one.
If defrocked, he returns to the lay state for the rest of his life.
He cannot simply resign like a secular job.
Can a Monk Leave Monasticism?
Technically, yes, but it is seen as a grave spiritual tragedy.
At tonsure, a monk makes lifelong vows (poverty, chastity, obedience). To abandon them is considered breaking a sacred promise to God.
A monk who leaves may attempt to live as a layman, but he carries the wound of that broken vow.
The Church generally does not "release" someone from monastic vows the way the state dissolves contracts. It’s permanent in intention, though sometimes monks fall away.
What Happens if He Does?
A defrocked priest may live as a layman, but he will answer before God for abandoning his calling.
A fallen monk may return to lay life, but it is always with spiritual consequences. Some repent and later return to monasticism, others do not.
In short: both priesthood and monasticism are lifelong commitments. The Church can forbid someone to exercise them, but it cannot simply erase them as if they never happened.
Conclusion
The priesthood and monastic life are not earthly professions. They are vocations - ways of dying to oneself in order to live entirely for Christ and His Church. Whether in the silence of a monastery or the busy life of a parish, both paths are crucifixion and resurrection. What matters most is not the "rank" you hold, but faithfulness to Christ in whatever calling He gives.
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