Esra Erdogan/Life! Editor
When you conjure up the image of a priest, the last things that come to mind are alcohol and sex.“People think that because I want to be a priest I don’t have sex or drink,” said senior Natalie Blasco. Blasco is a religious studies student who will be attending seminary after graduating this spring.
She belongs to the Episcopal Church, the American counterpart to the Anglican Church. The theology of the church is very similar to Catholicism, but they are not led by the pope nor have anything to do with Rome as evidenced by the ability for women to join the priesthood.
Although there are similarities, there are also many distinct differences. The issue of transubstantiation (when taking communion, the body and blood of Christ is not figurative but literal), for example, is treated different from church to church. While many Episcopal churches believe that when taking communion the body and blood of Christ is spiritually there, other churches wholly believe in transubstantiation.
This is OK and normal under the Episcopal hierarchy because each church is governed by its own people, and followers are free to make their own beliefs.
“It’s OK [to have different ideas]. You don’t stop believing because you have a different belief,” said Blasco.
Because of their democratic system of beliefs, Episcopal churches across the nation have made many notable decisions that would raise more than the eyebrows of other church communities.
“Our priests are allowed to get married, and we have female priests and homosexual priests and bishops,” said Blasco.
She will soon hold the title of priest herself, an unlikely position for anyone, let alone a 39-year-old woman, but not unlikely if you look at her life.
Blasco grew up in the rectory—literally. The Hialeah native’s father served the Episcopal Church as a priest since before she was born. Growing up, she was very close with her father. And when she was 25, she confided in him that she was considering joining the priesthood in the church.
“He thought I was going into it for the wrong reasons. Our church was going through trouble, and he was serving them while being retired. He thought I wanted to take over so he could fully retire,” she said.
Blasco never brought up the subject again. Her father passed away in 2003. After his death, she took over leadership in her church. Eventually, after working closely with the diocese, her bishop asked her the question she had been asking herself for years.
“He asked me, ‘Why don’t you go to seminary? I feel that you have a calling.’ At the time, I was not really enthusiastic about the decision, but after time, I realized it was what I was meant to do,” said Blasco.
After her mind was made, Blasco knew she would have a tough time telling her family about her decision, especially her mother and husband.
She has been married to her husband, Antonio Buehler, for 15 years this February
“The first day that we met we sat down and talked for hours. He asked me to marry him that day and I said yes. We’re very close,” said Blasco.
At first, Buehler needed time to weigh Blasco’s decision. He eventually pledged his support to her after he saw how happy she had been after deciding to join the priesthood.
“We share our experiences, and it makes us closer. If going to the seminary and becoming a priest makes her happy, then it makes me happy,” said Buehler.
Although she did not have to study anything in particular for her bachelor’s degree before applying for the seminary, she chose religion because she wanted to be well-rounded.
“All the religions that I have studied since I’ve been here I [have] found really interesting. I find a lot of religions to be beautiful and just misunderstood because they haven’t been studied,” said Blasco.
Despite her dedication to her church, don’t expect Blasco to proselytize in class.
“I would never want to make anyone think I want them to think how I think,” said Blasco.
She has applied to three seminaries in the northeast and will be attending for three years.
“I am excited but there’s also this fear. I’m not sure what I’m afraid of, being homesick or not succeeding,” said Blasco.
After graduating, she plans to come back to South Florida.
“I think the South Florida diocese needs highly qualified bilingual clergy,” said Blasco.
Blasco projects the opposite image of a priest, so it is no wonder she has a drink now and then. “I won’t get drunk, but I’ll go to a bar and have a few drinks,” said Blasco. After all, she is a college student.
About Post Author
