text: There's a lot of value in what you are saying. My church (I'm Orthodox) has a long ascetic tradition and does not prod people to get married! Marriage is obviously undergoing a revolution. Fewer people are getting married, and more are staying unmarried longer. This is a separate issue from the fate of marriage (and divorce). The church could definitely step in here and talk about the vocation to be single. Not only that, but Catholics have plenty of room to consider how some of these folks might consider becoming parents. The Church allows priests to adopt, for God's sake. I have always believed that some people are intended to bypass marriage but still parent. This how we should be talking about people's charisms--not in a fundamentalist way as male/female, single/childless, married/fruitful.