17. Holy Orders

Our Questions

The sex-abuse scandal has destroyed any confidence I have in the leadership of your church.  Why don’t you just elect people you can trust?

What to read

    Chapter 20 US CATHOLIC CATECHISM FOR ADULTS, pp.261-275

    In the Bible

        Matthew 19:12

        John 20:22-23

        Hebrews 5:10; 6:20; 7:26; 10:14

        Acts 1:8; 2:4

        1 Tim 4:14

        2 Tim    1:6-7

Glossary

abbot = the superior of a community of monks.

active orders = religious orders or congregations whose field is the spiritual and corporal works of mercy.

Antipope= one who claimed to be pope in opposition to the truly elected pontiff.

Archbishop = a bishop of an archdiocese who has canonical role over the bishops of a province, occupying the metropolitan see. The bishops of the other dioceses are known as suffragan bishops.

Archdiocese =  among the dioceses of a province it is served by an archbishop who holds immediate and exclusive jurisdiction only over his own archdiocese.

Bishop = one who has received the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders.  Only bishops have the power to administer Holy Orders and consecrate other bishops.

Coadjutor = a bishop who is appointed to administer a diocese because the residential bishop is incapacitated, or one who is appointed to assist but is granted the right of succession.

Canon = a priest who is a member of a cathedral chapter appointed by the bishop.

Cardinal = and adviser to the pope who serves on a college of electors when the Holy see becomes vacant.  a cardinal often serves on the curia which is the administrative bureau of the church.

Catechist = an instructor of Christian doctrine.

Cenobite = an ancient word for monk, opposed to an anchorite (one who lives alone.)

chancery =  the administrative office of the diocese, headed by the chancellor.

Chapter = a canonical meeting of delegates of a religious order.

Clergy = persons who have received the power of Holy Orders, singularly known as a cleric.

Clerical dress = a black cassock with a roman collar.

Curate = an obsolete name for a parochial vicar, or assistant priest.

Deacon = the first of the major orders.

Dimissorial =  a letter given by a bishop to his subject allowing him to serve or be ordained outside his territory by another bishop.

Discalced = a religious order whose members go barefoot.

Episcopacy = the bishops of the church as a whole.

Eremite =  a hermit

Exorcist = one who performs the ceremony of exorcism to expel the devil;  formerly a minor order.

Extern = member of a cloistered order who lives outside the cloister.

Ordinary = a bishop of a diocese who exercises ordinary jurisdiction.

Province = an administrative district consisting of an archdiocese and several dioceses that has several designated functions.

Religious = member of a religious order who lives under the vows he or she has taken.

Suffragan = a bishop of a diocese other than a metropolitan.

Checking My Understanding

do the self-correcting on-line quiz  <Quiz 20>

Catholic Practice

Catholics from overseas are oftentimes seen kissing the hand of a priest or pressing it reverently to their foreheads.  After the ordination of a new priest, Catholics typically ask for his first blessing and kiss his hands.

Going Deeper

Although the early church had deaconesses, there is no clear record that there were female bishops or priests. Do you have an opinion about women in ministry?

Branching Out

Books

     CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH  #1536-1600

Videos

    Romero (1989) The story of a priest from El Salvador who ministered to the wealthy and how he underwent a profound conversion when he was appointed bishop.

     I Heard the Owl Call My Name (1973) a young Anglican vicar named Mark Brian who has not long to live, and who learns about the meaning of life when he is sent to a First Nations parish in British Columbia.

Music

    Servant Song

    Here Am I Lord

Supplementary

Ordained Ministry

The expression "Holy Orders" comes from the Letter to the Hebrews, where we read, "You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek." (Heb 5:6)

The New Testament uses three Greek words to refer to the various ordained ministries:

+ episcopoi (Acts 20:28)

+ prebyteroi (Acts 14:23)

+ diakonoi (Acts 6:1-6)

From these words we get our English words episcopate ("bishops"), presbyterate ("priests"), and diaconate ("deacons").

Ordination confers on bishops, priests and deacons the power and the responsibility to exercise pastoral leadership in the Church.

Ministry of Bishops

Bishops are the direct successors of the Apostles.  Ordination confers on them the role of leadership in the ministry of word, work and worship that Jesus left to His church.

The bishop of Rome is the leader.  Among the apostles the leadership role was held and exercised by Peter.

Peter heads all lists of the apostles (Lk 6:14)

He acts as spokesman (Acts 2-5)

He holds the keys of the kingdom (Mt 16:19)

He heals many people (Acts 3:7; 5:15)

He instructs other leaders (Gal 1:18)

Just as Peter held a special leadership role among the apostles, so his successor, the Bishop of Rome, holds a special leadership role among the bishops.  In the 11th century, Christians gave him the special title: pope  which means "father of the fathers."

What about infallibility?

One of the awesome responsibilities of the pope and bishops is to pass on, free from error, the teachings of Jesus entrusted to them (Mt 28:16-20)

Jesus told Simon, "You are Peter (Rock), and  upon this rock I will build my Church.  I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.  Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven.  Whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."  (Mt 16:18-19

Just before ascending to his Father, Jesus commanded Peter and the apostles to teach all nations.  To help them in this awesome task, Jesus gave them the Holy Spirit (Jn 16:13) and promised to be with them in their work (Mt 28:20)

Infallibility means that God will not allow his Church to depart from the teachings of Jesus in matters relating to salvation when it teaches with the authority that Jesus gave it.

Ministry of Priests

The apostles ordained assistants to help them.  Called presbyters (priests), they were put in charge of smaller units (parishes) of the bishops' assigned territory (diocese).

The custom of remaining unmarried goes back to the New Testament but did not become universal practice in the Western Church until the 12th century. 

Celibacy takes its inspiration from Jesus who remained unmarried.  Celibacy also serves the practical purpose of permitting greater freedom for service (1Cor 7:32-34)

2 kinds of priests: diocesan (who work under the direction of a bishop) and religious (living in community under vows).