A 57-year-old divorced father of five, whose marriage was annulled by the church, joined three other acolytes on Saturday at St. Peter's Cathedral who were ordained as priests by Bishop Edward K. Braxton.The Rev. Dale Maxfield fulfilled a dream he has had since entering St. Henry's Seminary in Belleville at age 14 to attend high school, according to a news release by the official diocesan newspaper, The Messenger.
The newspaper's biography of Maxfield stated that his "journey to ordination has been long and filled with twists and turns."
Maxfield, who as a middle-aged, divorced parent made him an unusual candidate for the priesthood, declined an interview Monday.
"He (Braxton) did specifically tell us not to give interviews. I don't want to start off on the wrong foot by being disobedient," said Maxfield, who was a deacon before his ordination.
Maxfield is staying at the rectory of St. George Catholic Church in New Baden, where he originally lived, until he is officially assigned a parish.
Maxfield's former wife could not be reached.
Braxton, who maintains a policy of not talking with local reporters, could not be reached.
Also ordained Saturday were three men who also were deacons before being elevated to the priesthood: the Rev. Abraham Adejoh, of Nigeria; the Rev. Joseph Oganda, of Kenya; and the Rev. Sean Palas, of Detroit.
The Roman Catholic Church allows men to become priests despite being divorced if an annulment is obtained, according to the Rev. Joseph M. Champlin's article, "10 Questions about Annulment," that appears on the americancatholic.org website. An annulment has no effect on the legitimacy of children, Champlin wrote.
Frank Flinn, an adjunct professor of theology at Washington University who has been published widely, including the Encyclopedia of Catholicism in 2007, said an annulment basically means that for a particular reason recognized by the church, the marriage never existed.
Flinn, speaking in general, said an annulment can be granted for reasons that include drug addiction, mental capacity or because one of the two people in the marriage "was not competent for some reason to get married in the first place."
The reason for the annulment in this particular case is not known, and Flinn said if the veil of secrecy ordered by Braxton was meant to protect the details of the annulment, he would agree.
"That's the kind of personal information that I don't think the press has a right to," he said. In the eyes of the church, "there never was a marriage ... even if you were married 20 years."
Flinn, a Harvard graduate who received a doctorate of philosophy degree from the University of Toronto, said granting an annulment to people who have raised children and have been married for a number of years occurs from time to time.
"Actually, it's not that rare. It was not that rare at all in the '80s and '90s. It's a way of the Catholic church you know, allowing for divorce but not calling it that," Flinn said.
The Messenger's biography stated that after high school, Maxfield "became interested in the Franscican way of life" and entered a seminary in Quincy for two years.
The newspaper's article stated, "However, during his time there, an incident made him reconsider his call to join a religious order, and he decided to leave to get some 'life experience,' before choosing a path to ordination."
When he lived in Quincy, Maxfield married his wife and obtained a master's degree in theology. He returned to Belleville, where he worked in the diocesan education department.
The Messenger reported that after he was assigned as a pastoral life coordinator, "his marriage began to fall apart," and, after divorcing, came to believe the church would not take him back. However, after talking with Braxton, he renewed efforts to become a priest and attended a seminary in St. Louis and another in Wisconsin, where older candidates for the priesthood are sent.
Maxfield's route to the priesthood included spending a year as a deacon at Holy Rosary Parish in Fairmont City. He suffered a heart attack on Christmas Day in 2009 that required bypass surgery, according to the Messenger.
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