Phil and Linda Marcin met five decades ago, but he still gets a twinkle in his eye when he describes the first time he saw the "beautiful blonde" who would eventually become his wife. The only problem: He was a Catholic priest at the time.
After years of friendship and discernment on both of their parts, Phil eventually left ordained ministry, as did tens of thousands of priests worldwide in the aftermath of the Second Vatican Council, many to get married. The Marcins found support, community and an opportunity for a new ministry through CORPUS, originally founded as the "Corps of Reserved Priests United for Service."
Now, after 50 years, one of the oldest reform groups in the U.S. church is disbanding, citing the advanced age of its membership and lack of new members. CORPUS, which bills itself as the "national association for an inclusive priesthood," officially closed at the end of December 2024.