Celibacy is to not be married, which must now be explained to be between one human male and one human female.

Chastity is to not sin with regards to sex, both inside and outside of marriage.

Continence is to not engage in the marital embrace.

Sodomite priests often snarkily claim that they are not breaking their vows of celibacy because they are not married, and that sodomy is therefore licit for them. They often say this to their victims when they are grooming them. “The only vow I took was to not marry a woman. No problem! Eeew!”

“Chaste sodomy” is an ontological impossibility, as is “homosexual marriage” (pseudogamy).

The only way for a celibate to be chaste is to not engage in any genital activity whatsoever. Period. No spouse, no sex.

Married couples are called to chastity by only engaging in licit sex with each other which is open to the transmission of life. Sexually active married couples should be and are expected to be chaste.

Continence is to not engage in the marital embrace. Married couples can together choose to be continent, either for a phase or season, or perpetually.

All of the Apostles except St. John were almost certainly married, but upon being ordained priests and bishops by Our Lord immediately entered into perfect perpetual continence with their wives. Thus only St. John was celibate, but all of the Apostles were chaste and continent.

All married priests were understood to be perfectly and perpetually continent. It went without saying, because it was obvious that a man who offered the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was espoused to Christ and His Church. It is a testament to how far gone a culture is that clerical continence is not instantly understood and naturally assumed with married priests and deacons, and even elicits rage when mentioned.

These terms, especially “celibacy“, are misused today almost as a rule across the board. Words have meaning and are not interchangeable. We should use these words correctly ourselves, and charitably correct others when they misuse them.