Ever since Cardinal Egan’s eyebrow-raising remarks on celibacy earlier this month, there’s been more discussion about a married priesthood. (Shameless plug: Part of that discussion will take part Sunday night on The NET, on a program I produce called “In the Arena,” where we’ll talk to a married priest from Connecticut and hear — surprisingly — why he’s opposed to changing the celibacy rule. You can watch a live stream of that at this link at 7:30 ET.)

Anyway, the Detroit Free Press has the following interesting look at married men who are also priests — and who are increasingly being accepted by other Catholics:

There are few women who can say they are married to a Roman Catholic priest. And few people who can say their dad is the man whom Catholic churchgoers address formally as “Father Steve.”

But Cindy Anderson and her three sons can, and they were among the rush of congregants who gathered for 10 a.m. mass on a recent Sunday at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church in Goodrich.

The parish priest is Cindy’s husband and the father of Austin, 24, Steven Jr., 14, and Christian, 11. The Rev. Steve Anderson has been a Catholic priest since 2003, when he became the second priest in Michigan to be ordained under an exception to the Catholic Church’s celibacy rule for married ministers serving some Protestant denominations.

About 100 married men, mostly ministers in Episcopal churches in the United States, have sought permission from the Vatican to be ordained as Catholic priests since Pope John Paul II allowed it in 1980.

“It does take some explanation, for sure,” said Austin Anderson, an automotive engineer. “People think I don’t know what I’m talking about, at first. ‘Maybe you mean deacon,’ they say. ‘Maybe you mean another denomination.’ “

Then there’s the joke he hears whenever he explains what Dad does for a living: “Do you call him ‘Father father’?”

For Cindy Anderson, being a priest’s wife has meant a rare and challenging role.

“I’ve heard good response,” the 49-year-old said. “I hear … we’d like to see more of this. I’ve been well-received. Some say, ‘We’ve been ready for this.’ “

Laura Sullivan, a Kettering University mechanical engineering professor, is one of them. She followed Anderson from his previous parish, Holy Family in Grand Blanc, to his current posting.

“This is somebody my kids could talk to. Somebody married people can relate to. He brought such a fresh breath of air,” Sullivan said after Sunday mass.

Kathie Trombley, another St. Mark parishioner, concurred.

“He inspires us all. I don’t know of anybody who had a problem with” his being married, said Trombley. “As far as his preaching, having a wife has just enhanced it.”

Michael Diebold, a spokesman for the Diocese of Lansing, which oversees Anderson, acknowledged that parishioners have welcomed the novelty of a married priest, a concept that flies counter to the Vatican’s unwavering support for priestly celibacy.

“If there are people who find he’s more approachable because of that reason, then that’s a good thing,” said Diebold. “Not to denigrate all the single priests who are out there, but if there’s a segment of the population that finds that to be a positive in their lives, that’s a good thing.”

Both Anderson and the Rev. William Lipscomb, a Traverse City parish pastor who in 1997 was the first married Episcopalian minister in Michigan to be ordained a Catholic priest, say they are not campaigning for an end to Rome’s celibacy requirement.

“I’m a priest. I’m not a policy-setter,” said Anderson, 50.

He carefully avoids taking sides, but he doesn’t believe his marriage and family have impeded his ministry.

“As a married man, you see the fruitfulness and legitimacy of a married priesthood,” said Anderson. “The ancient way is for priests to have been married. … That’s not the way it’s done now.”

You can read the rest at the link.

And tune in for the NET discussion on “In the Arena” right here at 7:30 pm ET.

PHOTO:The Rev. Steve Anderson stands with his family: daughter in-law, Katie, 27, far left, son, Austin, 24, wife Cindy, 49, sons Steven, 14, back, and Christian, 11, at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church in Goodrich. In 2003, Anderson became the second priest in Michigan ordained under an exception to the celibacy rule. Photo by Mandi Wright/Detroit Free Press.