Widowed Patriarchs: can they still serve?

Dear Friends,

In the Patriarch's manual, "Information and Suggestions for Patriarchs", page 8, is the statement, "He must be married". Would widowhood preclude a Patriarch from functioning?

Thank you.

It would be better to direct that question to your stake president.

Handbook 1/2: 0.3:

Leaders who have questions about information in the handbooks or about issues that are not addressed should direct the questions to their immediate presiding authority.

If the stake president has questions, he can refer to the area authority or whoever the next step up is.

Personally, I'd say "no". I notice the phrase is "married", not "sealed". I don't know of any verbiage in the church that considers a widower who is sealed as "married". He would be considered a Single Adult. (See the first sentence in Handbook 2: 16).

However, I'm not seeing anything that suggests that once called that his status would change when/if his wife dies.

The stake president will counsel with the Office of the Quorum of the Twelve. I lived in a stake where the stake patriarch served many years after his wife died, but he had family members living at home and was never alone when giving blessings. In other stakes, a new patriarch was called and ordained shortly after the change. I think it depends on the individual circumstances in each case.