One priest married to another brings change and challenge, delight and demands.

“The biggest challenge for me is the calendar maintenance, making sure we know when the other is called to be at their parish for an event and knowing if the other’s presence is needed,” said The Rev. Phyllis Bartle, rector of St. Jude’s, Orange City.

“I agree with Phyllis as to the challenges, especially trying to calendar events,” said her husband, The Rev. Ed Bartle, associate rector, St. George, The Villages.

“We may make plans to do something, only to have one or both of us called to handle a parish need,” he said. “But we have learned to handle the calendar with faith and a smile.”

While they each have their own parish now, the couple did serve in the same parish for a few months. “I was ordained to the vocational diaconate in 2004 and served at St. Jude’s until entering seminary,” explained Rev Ed. “We were without a rector, and I took on some additional duties until Phyllis was called to become the rector. After being ordained to the priesthood, I returned to St. Jude and assisted Phyllis for a few months before being called to St. Edward’s in Mt. Dora.”

But their 37-year-union has only been a two-priest marriage for 11 years. For the first 26, the two had other careers. “I served God in another manner in law enforcement,” Rev. Ed explained.

Rev. Phyllis was an accountant and youth leader. “My vocation was numbers, and my avocation was the kids,” she said.

Her call to ordination came in 2001, but Rev. Ed’s happened much earlier. “I believe I have always been called to the priesthood,” he said. “Life just got in the way. I probably felt the call in my early adolescence.”

While they face heavy schedule demands during Advent, Lent, Christmas week, Holy Week and Easter, the couple said Holy Week presents the most challenges because services are taking place nearly every day.

“Holy Week, in my estimation, is the most important week in the church calendar,” said Rev. Ed. “Although it becomes an exhausting time for clergy (and the parish), it brings together everything the church has journeyed toward throughout the year.”

For the Bartles, the best part of being married to another priest is just that: being married to another priest. “The best part for me is that my best friend is also the one to whom I can pour out my joys and frustrations in ministry,” Rev. Phyllis said. “He is someone who understands and can offer a good listening ear.”

“I’ll add one more thing,” said Rev. Ed. “Almost nightly when we get home, we’ll take a beverage, sit out in our screened-in porch and talk about our day.”