|
Psalm 109:4
"The Lord hath sworn, and he will not repent: Thou art a priest for ever
according to the order of Melchisedech."
John 20:19-23 "Now when it was late that same day, the first of the week,
and the doors were shut, where the disciples were gathered together, for
fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them: Peace
be to you. And when he had said this, he shewed them his hands and his side.
The disciples therefore were glad, when they saw the Lord. He said therefore
to them again: Peace be to you. As the Father hath sent me, I also send you.
When he had said this, he breathed on them; and he said to them: Receive
ye the Holy Ghost. Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them;
and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained."
Acts 6:3,6 "Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of good
reputation, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this
business...These they set before the apostles; and they praying, imposed
hands upon them."
II Timothy 1:6 (St. Paul to Timothy, whom he ordained) "For which cause I
admonish thee, that thou stir up the grace of God which is in thee, by the
imposition of my hands."
St. Francis of Assisi (later quoted by St. John Vianney): "If I saw an Angel
and a priest, I would bend my knee first to the priest and then to the Angel."
In the Latin Church, there are seven clerical orders, all mentioned together
1 in the Historical record by Eusebius
(b. A.D. 260) in the 43rd Chapter of the 6th Book of his "Church History."
The lowest 5 are ecclesiastical in origin; the higher two are of divine origin.
The seven orders are, in descending rank:
-
The 3 Major
or "Sacred" Orders:
-
I:
Priests:
-
Bishops: The
First Degree of the Priesthood:
Bishops have the greatest authority and jurisdiction (aside from Popes and
Patriarchs), and have the powers to ordain men into the diaconate and priesthood,
and to offer the Sacrament of Confirmation (this last power they can delegate
to a priest), to dedicate churches and altars, to consecrate chalices and
patens and bells, and to preside at the benediction of abbots. They are said
to exercise the fullness of the priesthood. The symbol of this office is
the mitre.
-
Priests: The
Second Degree of the Priesthood
The duties and powers of the priest are to confect the Eucharist at the Mass;
offer the Sacraments of Penance, Communion, and Unction; to preside
at the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony; to solemnly baptize; to preach;
to teach, guide, and sanctify his sheep. With ordination to the priesthood,
a man has received the fullness of the Sacrament of Order. The symbols of
this office are the stole, the chasuble, a paten with bread on it, and a
Chalice filled with wine.
-
II:
Deacons:
The duties of the deacon are to handle the sacred vessels, to be of service
to the priests and Bishops (inside and outside of the liturgy), to read the
Epistle and Gospel at the Mass, to be general stewards, and to serve the
widows and orphans. This Order is Sacramental, and the first of the three
divinely-instituted grades of the hierarchy of Orders, the others being the
priesthood and the episcopate. The symbols of this office are the dalmatic,
the stole (worn over the left shoulder, as opposed to around the neck as
priests wear them, and under the dalmatic), and the Book of the Gospels.
-
III:
Subdeacons:
The duties of a subdeacon are to serve the deacon at Mass; to prepare the
bread, wine, and sacred vessels for the Sacrifice; to present the chalice
and paten at the Offertory, and pour water into the wine for the Eucharist;
to chant the Epistle; and to wash the sacred linens. This office is
non-sacramental, but it is now that the vow of celibacy is taken. The symbols
of this order are the empty Chalice and the paten, basin and towel, two little
cruets, and the book of epistles.
-
The 4 Minor
Orders:
-
IV: Acolytes:
The duties of the acolyte are to light the Altar candles, carry the candles
in procession, prepare the water and wine for the Mass, and assist the priest
during the Mass The symbols of this order are the candle, the cruet, and
a linen bag. (Note that altar boys are sometimes designated "acolytes" and
fulfill the duties of the acolyte during the Mass.)
-
V:
Exorcists:
In the early Church, the duty of the exorcist was to cast out demons. Now
that duty belongs to the priest alone, but this minor order is kept in
traditional priestly societies nonetheless. The symbol for this order is
the book containing the Rite of Exorcism.
-
VI: Lectors
(Readers):
The duty of the lector is to chant the Epistle when Mass is sung without
a deacon and subdeacon. The symbol of this order is the Book of the
Epistles.
-
VII: Porters
(Doorkeepers or Ostiaries or Sextons):
The duties of the porter are to ring the bells, to open the church and sacristy,
and to open the book for the priest. Most of these duties have passed to
the laity, such as sacristans, etc., but in traditional priestly orders,
this clerical order is kept as an office and stepping-stone toward the
priesthood. The symbol for this order is keys.
A man who is to become a priest first receives the "tonsure" -- i.e., he
is received into the clerical state by being given a surplice and having
hair shorn away at the crown of the head (over the last 400 years or so,
the hair-shearing has passed out of use due to Protestant persecutions).
With the tonsure, he becomes a cleric, but still has not received the Sacrament
of Orders.
The tonsured cleric is then ordained to each of the Orders above, one at
a time, receiving the power of each office, and ascending up through the
ranks until he is raised to the dignity of the priesthood, at which time
he receives the fullness of the Sacrament of Holy Orders.
Those of the Minor Orders are not obligated to pray the Divine Office or
bound to the rule of celibacy (but if they marry they lose their office);
however, once the Major Orders are entered into, there is no going back,
and from the level of deacon on up, the actual Sacrament of Orders is received.
Deacons receive partial fruits of the Sacrament, priests receive the totality
of the Sacrament, with only Bishops having more authority.
The Sacrament Itself
Here I will focus
on the elevation of men to the dignity of the priesthood.
Holy Orders is the Sacrament by which men become priests and are given a
sacred power
(sacra potestas)
to act in total sacramental identification with Christ (i.e., to act in
persona Christi) in order confect Christ's Body and offer it up to the
Father at the Mass for the remission of sins; to forgive sins through the
Sacrament of Penance; to solemnly baptize; to preside during the Sacrament
of Holy Matrimony; to offer Unction to the dying; to preach; and to otherwise
teach, guide, and sanctify their sheep. With -- and only with -- the permission
of his Bishop, he may be delegated to offer the Sacrament of Confirmation,
but to the Bishop alone is reserved the power to ordain other priests (though
a priest may be delgated to ordain men to the sub-diaconate and the minor
orders).
As in Baptism and Confirmation, the Sacrament of Holy Orders leaves an indelible
mark on the soul of the recipient and can never be repeated once validly
received; once a priest, always a priest (even if a priest is laicized and
removed from his office, this mark remains).
As said, the minister of the Sacrament of Holy Orders is the Bishop, and
the matter of the Sacrament is the imposition of hands, which takes place
during the beautiful ceremony of ordination. The form of the Sacrament is
the words:
Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty
Father, to these Thy servants, the dignity of the Priesthood; renew the spirit
of holiness within them, so that they may hold from Thee, O God, the office
of the second rank in Thy service and by the example of their behavior afford
a pattern of holy living.
Latin:
Da, quaesumus, omnipotens Pater, in hos famulos tuos presbyterii dignitatem.
Innova in visceribus eorum spiritum sanctitatis, ut acceptum a te, Deus,
secundi meriti munus obtineant; censuramque morum exemplo suae conversationis
insinuent.
The recipient of the Sacrament
must be a baptized, healthy male, at least 25 years of age, who has a vocation
from God, a strong Catholic faith, intelligence, a good moral character,
and a life marked by sanctity. He must be committed to living a celibate
and chaste life, and to prayer (especially the Divine Office, which he is
obligated to pray), and must have been properly formed in seminary.
Traditional priestly formation, such as that undertaken by seminarians of
the S.S.P.X., lasts for 6 years and includes a thorough study of Latin, liturgy,
liturgical chant, philosophy, Theology, Church History, moral Theology, dogmatic
Theology, and Canon Law. During the first year, they receive the cassock;
during the second, the tonsure; during the third and fourth, they are ascend
through the minor orders; in the fifth, they are ordained to the sub-diaconate
and then the diaconate; and after the sixth, they are ordained priests. The
seminarian's days are heavily scheduled, much like a monk's, with daily Mass,
the Divine Office, classes, private study, and community devotions.
Not all priests work in dioceses. Typically, those who do are called "secular
priests" or "diocesan priests," and most of these work in parishes and, so,
are also called "parish priests." Secular priests make promises of chastity
and obedience to the local Ordinary (no promise of poverty is made). Other
priests belong to religious orders (e.g.,
the Carmelites, Dominicans, Franciscans, etc.) and offer Mass for the people
of their religious order. These men are called "religious priests" (though
sometimes a "religious priest" might work for a parish in some cases). Religious
priests make the solemn vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience to the superiors
of their religious community that all members of their Order make.
The Rite of Ordination
The Rite of Ordination,
which you can watch
online in video here (will open in new browser window),
is as follows (taken from the Catholic Encyclopdia):
All the
candidates...present themselves in the church with tonsure and in clerical
dress, carrying the vestments of the order to which they are to be raised,
and lighted candles. They are all summoned by name, each candidate answering
"Adsum". When a general ordination takes place the tonsure is given after
the Introit or Kyrie, the minor orders after the Gloria, subdiaconate after
the Collect, the diaconate after the Epistle, priesthood after Alleluia and
Tract. After the Tract of the Mass the archdeacon summons all who are to
receive the priesthood. The candidates, vested in amice, alb, girdle, stole,
and maniple, with folded chasuble on left arm and a candle in their right
hand, go forward and kneel around the bishop. The latter inquires of the
archdeacon, who is here the representative of the Church as it were, whether
the candidates are worthy to be admitted to the priesthood. The archdeacon
answers in the affirmative and his testimony represents the testimony of
fitness given in ancient times by the clergy and people. The bishop, then
charging the congregation and insisting upon the reasons why "the Fathers
decreed that the people also should be consulted", asks that, if anyone has
anything to say to the prejudice of the candidates, he should come forward
and state it.
The bishop then instructs and admonishes the candidates as to the duties
of their new office. He kneels down in front of the altar; the ordinandi
lay themselves prostrate on the carpet, and the
Litany of the Saints is chanted or recited.
On the conclusion of the Litany, all arise, the candidates come forward,
and kneel in pairs before the bishop while he lays both hands on the head
of each candidate in silence. The same is done by all priests who are present.
Whilst bishop and priests keep their right hands extended, the former alone
recites a prayer, inviting all to pray to God for a blessing on the candidates.
After this follows the Collect and then the bishop says the Preface, towards
the end of which occurs the prayer, "Grant, we beseech Thee etc." The bishop
then with appropriate formulæ crosses the stole over the breast of
each one and vests him with the chasuble. This is arranged to hang down in
front but is folded behind. Though there is no mention of the stole in many
of the most ancient Pontificals, there can be no doubt of its antiquity.
The vesting with the chasuble is also very ancient and found already in Mabillon
"Ord. VIII and IX." Afterwards the bishop recites a prayer calling down God's
blessing on the newly-ordained. He then intones the "Veni Creator", and whilst
it is being sung by the choir he anoints the hands of each with the oil of
catechumens...
...The bishop then hands to each the chalice, containing wine and water,
with a paten and a host upon it. This rite, with its corresponding formula,..
[signifying] the power which has already been received, is not found in the
oldest rituals and probably dates back not earlier than the ninth or tenth
century. When the bishop has finished the Offertory of the Mass, he seats
himself before the middle of the altar and each of those ordained make an
offering to him of a lighted candle. The newly-ordained priests then repeat
the Mass with him, all saying the words of consecration simultaneously. Before
the Communion the bishop gives the kiss of peace to one of the newly-ordained.
After the Communion the priests again approach the bishop and say the Apostle's
Creed. The bishop laying his hands upon each says: "Receive ye the Holy Ghost,
whose sins you shall forgive they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall
retain, they are retained." ...The chasuble is then folded, the newly-ordained
make a promise of obedience and having received the kiss of peace, return
to their place.
It is customary
for those who attend the priest's Ordination and/or first Mass to kiss the
palms of his hands which have been consecrated by holy oils. Palm-kissing
at either time results in an indulgence of
100 days under the usual conditions. An indulgence of 7 years, under the
usual conditions, was traditionally received for piously attending a priest's
first Mass -- the indulgence having been plenary if the one attending is
related to the third degree to the newly-ordained priest. Indulgenced or
not, kissing a newly-ordained priest's hands is the traditional practice.
To do so, kneel on the left knee (or bow profoundly if kneeling is not an
option) and kiss the palm of each hand.
Changes in the Rite
In the Novus Ordo
rite, the minor orders have been done away with and the diaconate has been
changed from a "transitional diaconate" (a stepping-stone on the way toward
the priesthood) to a "permanent diaconate" which can include married
men. It is my opinion that this will harm the priesthood horribly by
getting people used to seeing married men in the sanctuary, encouraging calls
for a married priesthood ("Why not? You let deacons marry now!"), and, at
the least, turning clerically-minded men away from the priesthood and toward
the "permanent diaconate" where the sacrifices one must make are less
severe.
Priestly formation is generally scandalous, often overseen by radical Modernists
and homosexualists. Orthodox seminarians are often intentionally weeded out
by those who've assumed "gate-keeper" positions in "vocational ministries."
Latin is not stressed at all, Gregorian chant is forgotten, and the very
nature of the priesthood is treated differently than in traditional seminaries,
mostly stemming from an animus against the very existence of hierarchy, and
a changed definition of the Mass (i.e., from an unbloody Sacrifice -- the
Offering of the Son to the Father for the remission of sins -- to a "celebratory
meal" as per the new "Paschal Theology").
In addition, there has been a change of sacramental form in the new rite:
the removal of the Latin "ut" -- "so that" -- in the words of ordination,
a change that, at the least, fails to convey the idea of a sacramental
effect. Also, the prayers, admonitions, and blessings included in the ordination
ceremony reflect a new idea of the priesthood itself, even to the point that
the priest's hands are no longer consecrated and the prayer, "Receive the
Holy Ghost. Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose
sins you shall retain, they are retained" has been abolished.
The Saints on the Priesthood
Please read these
words of the Saints on the most glorious topic of the priesthood:
 St. John Chrysostom: Treatise on the Priesthood
(excerpt)
St. John Vianney, Patron of Priests: Catechism
on the Priesthood
St. Alphonsus Liguori: The Dignity &
Duties of the Priest (excerpt)
Finally...
Pray for vocations
and encourage any priestly vocation your sons might have. Teach your children
to have the utmost respect for priests, by word and your own behavior. Don't
call a priest by his first name; he should be addressed as, for example,
"Father Manzione" or simply "Father." He should enjoy the place of honor
(barring the presence of higher ranking hierarchs) at social gatherings.
Kiss his hands to show reverence for the Eucharist. Let your sons see that
to be a priest is to answer God's highest calling, and that the fruits of
the priesthood are His merciful gifts to us. In this way vocations are nurtured
and God's people can continue to be nourished with the very Body of Christ.
And pray for priests, who give us so much!
O God, Who hast
appointed Thine only-begotten Son to be the eternal High Priest for the glory
of Thy Majesty and the salvation of mankind; grant that they whom He hath
chosen to be His ministers and the stewards of His Mysteries, may be found
faithful in the fulfillment of the ministry which they have received. Through
the same Christ our Lord. Amen. |
Deus, Qui ad maiestatis
tuae gloriam et generis humani salutem, Unigenitum Tuum summum atque aeternum
constituisti Sacerdotem: praesta, ut quos ministros et Mysteriorum suorum
dispensatores elegit, in accepto ministerio adimplendo fideles inveniantur.
Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen. |
Footnotes:
1 Eusuebius, born in A.D. 260, is actually quoting
a letter written by St. Cornelius to the future Pope St. Fabian. Pope St.
Fabian was martyred on 20 January, A.D. 250, so the reference to the 7 Clerical
Orders is older than that date. After the martyrdom of Pope St. Fabian, St.
Cornelius became Pope until he, too, was martyred in A.D. 253.
 |
|
