67. Holy Orders
There are two sacraments—Holy Orders and Marriage—whose end is the salvation of others. They contribute to the building of the People of God.
In these two sacraments, those who were consecrated through Baptism and Confirmation for the common priesthood of all the faithful may receive a particular consecration. Those who receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders are consecrated “to nourish the Church with the word and grace of God in the name of Christ.”1
78. The Priesthood of Christ
The chosen people were constituted by God as “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Ex 19:6; cf. Is 61:6). However, God chose one of the twelve tribes of Israel—the Levites—for liturgical service (cf. Nm 1:48–53). The priesthood of the tribe of Levi was instituted to announce the word of God and offer sacrifices on behalf of the whole people. Their sacrifices, however, could not achieve definitive salvation (cf. Heb 5:3; 7:27; 10:1–4ff), which can be achieved only through Christ’s sacrifice. The Levitical priesthood was a prefiguration of the priesthood of the New Covenant.2
The redeeming sacrifice of Christ is one and unique; it was accomplished once and for all; it becomes present in the Eucharistic sacrifice of the Church. Similarly, the priesthood of Christ is one and unique; it becomes present through the ministerial priesthood. “Only Christ is the true priest; the others are his ministers.”3
There are two ways of participating in the one priesthood of Christ:
i) The common priesthood of the faithful, which is conferred through Baptism and Confirmation
ii) The ministerial priesthood of the ordained minister, which is at the service of the common priesthood of the faithful4
79. The Hierarchical Nature of the Church
By divine institution, the Church is hierarchical; the sacred power is transmitted though the Sacrament of Holy Orders.5 “By divine institution some among Christ’s faithful are, through the sacrament of order, marked with an indelible character and are thus constituted sacred ministers; thereby they are consecrated and deputed so that, each according to his own grade, they fulfill, in the person of Christ the Head, the offices of teaching, sanctifying and ruling, and so they nourish the people of God.”6
In order to approach this subject properly, we should keep the following principles in mind:
· All the Christian faithful are radically and fundamentally equal.
· All the faithful are radically called and empowered to participate in the mission of the Church, which is the sanctification of all her members. This call and power is received in Baptism and perfected through Confirmation.
· Additionally, there are other priestly functions, primarily related to the Holy Eucharist, the pardon of sins, and the other sacraments. These functions include authoritatively preaching the word of God and governing the faithful in all that refers to the Kingdom of God.
· For these latter functions, a different radical power is required. The ministerial priesthood—received through the Sacrament of Holy Orders—differs in its essence, not just in degree, from the common priesthood of the faithful—as the recent popes have insistently asserted.7
80. The Nature and Institution of Holy Orders
Holy Orders can be defined as the sacrament that confers the spiritual power and the grace that is needed to properly fulfill the ecclesiastical functions. As was mentioned earlier, these powers refer to these duties:
· The Eucharist. During the Last Supper, Christ asked his apostles to renew the sacrifice of the cross in an unbloody manner, doing what he had just done (cf. Lk 22:19; 1 Cor 11:24–25).
· The forgiveness of sins. This power was first promised to Peter (cf. Mt 16:19), then to the other disciples (cf. Mt 18:18), and finally—after the Resurrection—was communicated when Christ “breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained’” (Jn 20:22–23).
· The preaching of the faith, the administration of the sacraments, and government in all that refers to faith and the sacraments. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Mt 28:19–20).
We also have proof that after his Resurrection, Christ confirmed the supreme power entrusted to Peter in a special manner (cf. Jn 21:15–17).
All these powers would have been of little use if they had disappeared with the apostles. Therefore, Christ commanded them to transmit these powers to their successors, which they did. They laid their hands upon those whom they had chosen (cf. Acts 6:6; 13:3; 1 Tm 4:14; 2 Tm 1:6); they appointed presbyters and bishops to rule the local churches (cf. Acts 14:23; 20:28), to administer the sacraments (cf. 1 Cor 4:1), and to watch over the purity of doctrine and to foster virtuous life (cf. 1 Thes 3:2; 1 Cor 4:17; 1 Tm 1:1–12; 5:19–22; Ti 1:5–9).
Accordingly, the Church has always explicitly and solemnly taught the existence of this sacrament. Her teaching has been all the more insistent when fighting heresies, as during the Council of Trent against the Protestants, or in recent times against modernism and neomodernism.8
In the Sacrament of Holy Orders our Father God has made it possible for some members of the faithful, by virtue of a further and ineffable communication of the Holy Spirit, to receive an indelible character on their soul which configures them to Christ the priest so that they can act in the name of Jesus Christ, head of his mystical body. By virtue of this ministerial priesthood—which differs essentially and not only in degree from the common priesthood of the faithful—the sacred ministers can consecrate the body and blood of Christ, offering God the holy sacrifice. They can pardon sins in sacramental confession and carry out the ministry of teaching the peoples “about everything that refers to God” (Heb 5:1)—and nothing more.9
81. Different Degrees of Orders in the Church
In ancient Rome, the term order [ordo] designated a body of individuals constituted in the civil sense. Ordinatio was the ceremony of admission into that ordo. Similarly, there are constituted bodies in the Church (cf. Heb 5:6; 7:11) called ordo episcoporum, ordo presbyterorum, and ordo diaconorum. The ordinatio is the conferral of Sacrament of Holy Orders. By divine institution, the hierarchy of the Church is made up of bishops, presbyters, and deacons.10
The three degrees of orders constitute a single sacrament, which implies that there are different degrees of participation in Christ’s unique priesthood. The bishops and presbyters participate as ministers in the priesthood of Christ (they are designated in Latin as sacerdotes); the deacons help and serve the other two orders.
81a) Bishops
The fullness of priestly power is found in the highest order, the episcopate.11 The bishops are the successors of the apostles. One is constituted a member of the episcopal body by virtue of the sacramental consecration and by hierarchical communion with the head (the pope) and members of the college.12 Each bishop is the visible head of the particular church under his care. He rules his dioceses with ordinary authority, subject only to that of the pope. Further, he shares with his brothers in the episcopate—in a collegiate manner--solicitude for all churches.
The Eucharist celebrated by the bishop has a special signification as an expression of the Church gathered around the altar under the bishop, who visibly represents Christ. However, the bishops’ powers are not greater than the priests’ in the consecration of the Eucharist. Still, their power is certainly greater regarding the other sacraments and the instruction and government of the faithful. Only bishops can confer the Sacrament of Holy Orders. They are also the ordinary ministers of Confirmation and the blessing of oils and some objects destined for sacred uses. They confer to the priests whatever power these may have to rule the faithful and preach authoritatively the word of God.
81b) Priests
The priests (presbyters) are true priests, united to the bishops in the priestly dignity, and they depend on the bishops for their pastoral tasks. They form a body (the presbyterium) around the bishop to help him serve the people of God. The priests’ mission is universal—the mission Christ entrusted to the apostles—but it is usually specified in the care of a parish community or some ecclesiastical office given by the bishop.
The tasks of priests are consecrating the body and blood of the Lord, forgiving sins, announcing the Gospel, caring for the faithful with their example and doctrine, and administering the sacraments that do not require episcopal powers.
81c) Deacons
The deacons are ministers ordained for the service of the Church.
The deacons’ tasks consist in assisting the priest and the bishop in liturgical celebrations and the ministry of the word, sharing in the pastoral government and service of charity, administering solemn Baptism, reserving and distributing the Holy Eucharist, officiating the benediction with the Blessed Sacrament, assisting at marriages when properly delegated, and assisting at blessings and funerals.
The ministries--lector and acolyte, which have taken the place of the former minor orders—are different from sacred Holy Orders. Neither of those ministries is a sacrament.
82. The Matter, Form, and Rite of Holy Orders
The matter of Holy Orders is the laying on of hands by the ordaining bishop.13
The form consists of the words of the ritual accompanying the laying on of the hands by the bishop. In this case, the union of words and laying on of hands is not immediate but moral; they are united by being part of the same rite.14
The ordination is always done during the Mass, before the Liturgy of the Eucharist, and always in accordance with the approved rite. In the Latin Rite, it begins with the presentation and election of the candidates and the litany of the saints. These rites are a preparation for the solemn act of consecration.
Afterwards, the newly ordained bishops or presbyters are anointed with holy chrism, a sign of the special anointing of the Holy Spirit. He makes their ministry fruitful. A bishop is given the Book of the Gospels, the ring, the miter, and the crosier. These are symbols of his mission of announcing the word of God, of his fidelity to the Church—the bride of Christ—and of his office as shepherd of the Lord’s flock. A presbyter is given the paten and chalice. He is called to present the sacrifice of the people of God. A deacon is given the Book of the Gospels to proclaim the Gospel of Christ.15
83. The Effects of Holy Orders
83a) Character
In this sacrament, the character consists in a special configuration of the subject to Christ, as head of the Mystical Body. This enables him to participate in Christ’s priesthood in a most unique way. The character is indelible: The vocation and mission received at his ordination marks a man as a priest forever.16 The priest thus becomes:
· an authoritative minister (“servant”) of the word of God (teaching role). “The priest is also an educator in the faith; he has to train the faithful so that they achieve full Christian maturity; this is expressed in a living charity and in the continuous search for the will of God.… In carrying out this mission, the priest must realize that he is a minister of the Gospel and a pastor of the Church, and be careful to avoid ever appearing to mix his sacred mission with any ideological or sectarian interest;”17
· a minister of the sacraments, especially the Eucharist (sanctifying role);18
· a minister of the people of God, for which he is made a member of the hierarchy within his own degree (governing role).
There is a hierarchy of order, which is comprised of bishops, priests, and deacons, ordained to offering the holy sacrifice and the administration of the sacraments.
There is also a hierarchy of jurisdiction, which the pope and the bishops in communion with him comprise. With regard to the latter, there are other accidental degrees that have developed through the centuries: cardinals, patriarchs, metropolitans or archbishops, etc. Priests and deacons, as such, belong to this hierarchy only through their cooperation with their respective bishops.
83b) Grace
Holy Orders, like other sacraments of the living, increases sanctifying grace. It also brings sacramental grace, which, in this case, consists in the help that is needed to properly perform the functions of the degree of orders received.19
84. The Minister of Holy Orders
Christ “gives” some men as apostles, some as evangelists (cf. Eph 4:11). Further, he continues acting through the bishops. Thus, “The minister of sacred ordination is a consecrated Bishop.”20 Only a bishop can validly ordain. Priests, not enjoying the fullness of Holy Orders, do not have the capacity to confer this sacrament. This was defined by the Council of Florence and confirmed by the Council of Trent.21
There are further requirements for the lawfulness of the ordination:
· If a bishop ordains a layman to the diaconate, he must incardinate him in his own diocese, unless he receives dimissorial letters from the bishop who will incardinate the deacon in a different diocese.
· A deacon should be ordained to the priesthood by his own bishop or by another only at the request of the proper bishop.22
· For the episcopal consecration of a priest, the consecrating bishop must make sure that the appropriate pontifical mandate had been issued, and he should be assisted by at least two other consecrating bishops.23
Observing the cautions required by canon law, the ordaining minister must also establish, by himself or through another person, that the following conditions are met:
· The candidate must meet the requisite qualities, which will be discussed below.
· In the judgment of the bishop, he must be beneficial to the ministry of the Church.
· The candidate must be free from any irregularity or impediment to his ordination.24
85. The Subject of Holy Orders
By divine institution, “only a baptized man can validly receive sacred ordination.”25 Christ wanted those who publicly exercise the sacred ministry in his name to be men. Thus, he chose his apostles among his male disciples.
Neither the apostles nor their successors ever ordained women, despite the fact that priestesses were common in the Greek world they lived in after leaving their Jewish communities. The Church acknowledges that she is bound by this decision of our Lord.
With that decision, Christ probably intended to stress that priests celebrate the Holy Mass in persona Christi, “in the person of Christ.” The sacramental symbolism requires a natural likeness between the priest and Christ, who was and is a male.26
The dignity of women is in no way diminished by their not being eligible for ordination. The most exalted human person is the Blessed Virgin, the Mother of God, but Christ chose not to call her to the ministerial priesthood. However, she participates in the priesthood of her Son in a most eminent degree as co-redemptrix and mediatrix of all graces.
On the other hand, all the faithful—both men and women—equally participate in the common dignity of the children of God. Except for this incapacity to be ordained, women enjoy in the Church the same rights and duties as men.27
For the ordination to be valid, the candidate must have the intention to receive it.28
For the ordination to be lawful, there are further conditions:
· The candidate must have a divine vocation, which is comprised of:
o sound faith,
o proven virtue and firm and steadfast resolution,
o aptitude for the exercise of the functions proper to Holy Orders (age, etc.),
o sufficient knowledge,
o right intention (the glory of God and the salvation of souls).29
· He must have received the Sacrament of Confirmation.
· He must submit to the bishop a request for ordination written in his own hand, attesting that he freely asks to be ordained to the diaconate or priesthood, and that he will devote himself for life to the ecclesiastical ministry.30
· Being a sacrament of the living, the candidate must be in the state of grace.
86. Obligations of the Clergy
The law of the Church, for reasons rooted in the mystery of Christ and his mission, imposes celibacy on all priests of the Latin Church.31
This measure is particularly convenient, as celibacy allows a greater surrender to Christ, a closer imitation of his example, and greater availability for the service of the Church and all souls. Further, it offers an eschatological witness by showing the reality of eternal life, “for in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage” (Mt 22:30).32
Therefore, the Latin Church reserves priesthood for those who have received the gift of celibacy, which is freely granted by God and freely exercised by those who receive it.33
Celibacy is also required for unmarried candidates to the permanent diaconate.
The other obligations of the clergy are:
· special obedience to the pope and one’s own bishop,34
· availability to perform whatever assignment is received,35
· holiness of life,36 which includes praying the Divine Office and other exercises of piety,37
· continued studies and intellectual formation,38
· wearing the clerical attire,39
· abstaining from some activities and occupations that are forbidden to clerics.40
Footnotes:
1. LG, 11.
2. Cf. CCC, 1539–1543.
3. St. Thomas Aquinas, Hebr., 7.4.
4. Cf. CCC, 1533–1547.
5. Cf. DS 1764; PO, 2.
6. CIC, 1008.
7. This issue is discussed at length by Msgr. Alvaro del Portillo, Faithful and Laity in the Church (Shannon, Ireland: Ecclesia Press, 1972), pp. 19–24; Ibid., On Priesthood (Princeton: Scepter Press, 1974), p. 20ff.
8. Cf. DS 1752, 1771, 1773.
9. St. Josemaría Escrivá, Christ is Passing By, 79.
10. Cf. DS 1776; CIC, 1009; CCC, 1537–1538, 1554–1557, 1593–1596.
11. Cf. Pius XII, Ap. Const. Sacramentum Ordinis, Nov. 30, 1947: DS 3860; CD, 15.
12. Cf. LG, 22.
13. Cf. Pius XII, Ap. Const. Sacramentum Ordinis: DS 3859; CIC, 1009; CCC, 1573, 1597.
14. Cf. Paul VI, Ap. Const. Pontificalis Romani Recognito, AAS 60 (1968) 369–73; CIC, 1009.
15. Cf. CCC, 1574; CIC, 1010.
16. Cf. CIC, 1008; CCC, 1581–1589.
17. Msgr. Alvaro del Portillo, On Priesthood, pp. 24–25.
18. Cf. PO, 5.
19. Cf. DS 1326.
20. CIC, 1012; cf. LG, 21; CCC, 1575–1576, 1600.
21. Cf. DS 1326, 1777.
22. Cf. CIC, 1015–1016.
23. Cf. Ibid., 1013–1014.
24. Cf. Ibid., 1025, 1050–1052.
25. Ibid., 1024; cf. CCC, 1577–1580, 1598.
26. Cf. John Paul II, Mulieris Dignitatem, 26–27; Paul VI, Rescript to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Nov. 30, 1975 and March 23, 1976: AAS 68 (1976) 599–601; Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Declaration on the Admission of Women to the Ministerial Priesthood (Inter Insigniores), Oct. 15, 1976: AAS 69 (1977) 98–116; CCC, 1577.
27. Cf. St. Josemaría Escrivá, Conversations, 14.
28. Cf. CIC, 1026.
29. Cf. Ibid., 1029.
30. Cf. Ibid., 1036.
31. Cf. PO, 16; OT, 10; Paul VI, Enc. Sacerdotalis Coelibatus; CCC, 1579–1580, 1599.
32. Cf. Msgr. Alvaro del Portillo, On Priesthood, pp. 39–56.
33. Cf. CIC, 277.
34. Cf. Ibid., 273.
35. Cf. Ibid., 274.
36. Cf. Ibid., 276.
37. Cf. Ibid.
38. Cf. Ibid., 279.
39. Cf. Ibid., 284.
40. Cf. Ibid., 285–286.
In these two sacraments, those who were consecrated through Baptism and Confirmation for the common priesthood of all the faithful may receive a particular consecration. Those who receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders are consecrated “to nourish the Church with the word and grace of God in the name of Christ.”1
78. The Priesthood of Christ
The chosen people were constituted by God as “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Ex 19:6; cf. Is 61:6). However, God chose one of the twelve tribes of Israel—the Levites—for liturgical service (cf. Nm 1:48–53). The priesthood of the tribe of Levi was instituted to announce the word of God and offer sacrifices on behalf of the whole people. Their sacrifices, however, could not achieve definitive salvation (cf. Heb 5:3; 7:27; 10:1–4ff), which can be achieved only through Christ’s sacrifice. The Levitical priesthood was a prefiguration of the priesthood of the New Covenant.2
The redeeming sacrifice of Christ is one and unique; it was accomplished once and for all; it becomes present in the Eucharistic sacrifice of the Church. Similarly, the priesthood of Christ is one and unique; it becomes present through the ministerial priesthood. “Only Christ is the true priest; the others are his ministers.”3
There are two ways of participating in the one priesthood of Christ:
i) The common priesthood of the faithful, which is conferred through Baptism and Confirmation
ii) The ministerial priesthood of the ordained minister, which is at the service of the common priesthood of the faithful4
79. The Hierarchical Nature of the Church
By divine institution, the Church is hierarchical; the sacred power is transmitted though the Sacrament of Holy Orders.5 “By divine institution some among Christ’s faithful are, through the sacrament of order, marked with an indelible character and are thus constituted sacred ministers; thereby they are consecrated and deputed so that, each according to his own grade, they fulfill, in the person of Christ the Head, the offices of teaching, sanctifying and ruling, and so they nourish the people of God.”6
In order to approach this subject properly, we should keep the following principles in mind:
· All the Christian faithful are radically and fundamentally equal.
· All the faithful are radically called and empowered to participate in the mission of the Church, which is the sanctification of all her members. This call and power is received in Baptism and perfected through Confirmation.
· Additionally, there are other priestly functions, primarily related to the Holy Eucharist, the pardon of sins, and the other sacraments. These functions include authoritatively preaching the word of God and governing the faithful in all that refers to the Kingdom of God.
· For these latter functions, a different radical power is required. The ministerial priesthood—received through the Sacrament of Holy Orders—differs in its essence, not just in degree, from the common priesthood of the faithful—as the recent popes have insistently asserted.7
80. The Nature and Institution of Holy Orders
Holy Orders can be defined as the sacrament that confers the spiritual power and the grace that is needed to properly fulfill the ecclesiastical functions. As was mentioned earlier, these powers refer to these duties:
· The Eucharist. During the Last Supper, Christ asked his apostles to renew the sacrifice of the cross in an unbloody manner, doing what he had just done (cf. Lk 22:19; 1 Cor 11:24–25).
· The forgiveness of sins. This power was first promised to Peter (cf. Mt 16:19), then to the other disciples (cf. Mt 18:18), and finally—after the Resurrection—was communicated when Christ “breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained’” (Jn 20:22–23).
· The preaching of the faith, the administration of the sacraments, and government in all that refers to faith and the sacraments. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Mt 28:19–20).
We also have proof that after his Resurrection, Christ confirmed the supreme power entrusted to Peter in a special manner (cf. Jn 21:15–17).
All these powers would have been of little use if they had disappeared with the apostles. Therefore, Christ commanded them to transmit these powers to their successors, which they did. They laid their hands upon those whom they had chosen (cf. Acts 6:6; 13:3; 1 Tm 4:14; 2 Tm 1:6); they appointed presbyters and bishops to rule the local churches (cf. Acts 14:23; 20:28), to administer the sacraments (cf. 1 Cor 4:1), and to watch over the purity of doctrine and to foster virtuous life (cf. 1 Thes 3:2; 1 Cor 4:17; 1 Tm 1:1–12; 5:19–22; Ti 1:5–9).
Accordingly, the Church has always explicitly and solemnly taught the existence of this sacrament. Her teaching has been all the more insistent when fighting heresies, as during the Council of Trent against the Protestants, or in recent times against modernism and neomodernism.8
In the Sacrament of Holy Orders our Father God has made it possible for some members of the faithful, by virtue of a further and ineffable communication of the Holy Spirit, to receive an indelible character on their soul which configures them to Christ the priest so that they can act in the name of Jesus Christ, head of his mystical body. By virtue of this ministerial priesthood—which differs essentially and not only in degree from the common priesthood of the faithful—the sacred ministers can consecrate the body and blood of Christ, offering God the holy sacrifice. They can pardon sins in sacramental confession and carry out the ministry of teaching the peoples “about everything that refers to God” (Heb 5:1)—and nothing more.9
81. Different Degrees of Orders in the Church
In ancient Rome, the term order [ordo] designated a body of individuals constituted in the civil sense. Ordinatio was the ceremony of admission into that ordo. Similarly, there are constituted bodies in the Church (cf. Heb 5:6; 7:11) called ordo episcoporum, ordo presbyterorum, and ordo diaconorum. The ordinatio is the conferral of Sacrament of Holy Orders. By divine institution, the hierarchy of the Church is made up of bishops, presbyters, and deacons.10
The three degrees of orders constitute a single sacrament, which implies that there are different degrees of participation in Christ’s unique priesthood. The bishops and presbyters participate as ministers in the priesthood of Christ (they are designated in Latin as sacerdotes); the deacons help and serve the other two orders.
81a) Bishops
The fullness of priestly power is found in the highest order, the episcopate.11 The bishops are the successors of the apostles. One is constituted a member of the episcopal body by virtue of the sacramental consecration and by hierarchical communion with the head (the pope) and members of the college.12 Each bishop is the visible head of the particular church under his care. He rules his dioceses with ordinary authority, subject only to that of the pope. Further, he shares with his brothers in the episcopate—in a collegiate manner--solicitude for all churches.
The Eucharist celebrated by the bishop has a special signification as an expression of the Church gathered around the altar under the bishop, who visibly represents Christ. However, the bishops’ powers are not greater than the priests’ in the consecration of the Eucharist. Still, their power is certainly greater regarding the other sacraments and the instruction and government of the faithful. Only bishops can confer the Sacrament of Holy Orders. They are also the ordinary ministers of Confirmation and the blessing of oils and some objects destined for sacred uses. They confer to the priests whatever power these may have to rule the faithful and preach authoritatively the word of God.
81b) Priests
The priests (presbyters) are true priests, united to the bishops in the priestly dignity, and they depend on the bishops for their pastoral tasks. They form a body (the presbyterium) around the bishop to help him serve the people of God. The priests’ mission is universal—the mission Christ entrusted to the apostles—but it is usually specified in the care of a parish community or some ecclesiastical office given by the bishop.
The tasks of priests are consecrating the body and blood of the Lord, forgiving sins, announcing the Gospel, caring for the faithful with their example and doctrine, and administering the sacraments that do not require episcopal powers.
81c) Deacons
The deacons are ministers ordained for the service of the Church.
The deacons’ tasks consist in assisting the priest and the bishop in liturgical celebrations and the ministry of the word, sharing in the pastoral government and service of charity, administering solemn Baptism, reserving and distributing the Holy Eucharist, officiating the benediction with the Blessed Sacrament, assisting at marriages when properly delegated, and assisting at blessings and funerals.
The ministries--lector and acolyte, which have taken the place of the former minor orders—are different from sacred Holy Orders. Neither of those ministries is a sacrament.
82. The Matter, Form, and Rite of Holy Orders
The matter of Holy Orders is the laying on of hands by the ordaining bishop.13
The form consists of the words of the ritual accompanying the laying on of the hands by the bishop. In this case, the union of words and laying on of hands is not immediate but moral; they are united by being part of the same rite.14
The ordination is always done during the Mass, before the Liturgy of the Eucharist, and always in accordance with the approved rite. In the Latin Rite, it begins with the presentation and election of the candidates and the litany of the saints. These rites are a preparation for the solemn act of consecration.
Afterwards, the newly ordained bishops or presbyters are anointed with holy chrism, a sign of the special anointing of the Holy Spirit. He makes their ministry fruitful. A bishop is given the Book of the Gospels, the ring, the miter, and the crosier. These are symbols of his mission of announcing the word of God, of his fidelity to the Church—the bride of Christ—and of his office as shepherd of the Lord’s flock. A presbyter is given the paten and chalice. He is called to present the sacrifice of the people of God. A deacon is given the Book of the Gospels to proclaim the Gospel of Christ.15
83. The Effects of Holy Orders
83a) Character
In this sacrament, the character consists in a special configuration of the subject to Christ, as head of the Mystical Body. This enables him to participate in Christ’s priesthood in a most unique way. The character is indelible: The vocation and mission received at his ordination marks a man as a priest forever.16 The priest thus becomes:
· an authoritative minister (“servant”) of the word of God (teaching role). “The priest is also an educator in the faith; he has to train the faithful so that they achieve full Christian maturity; this is expressed in a living charity and in the continuous search for the will of God.… In carrying out this mission, the priest must realize that he is a minister of the Gospel and a pastor of the Church, and be careful to avoid ever appearing to mix his sacred mission with any ideological or sectarian interest;”17
· a minister of the sacraments, especially the Eucharist (sanctifying role);18
· a minister of the people of God, for which he is made a member of the hierarchy within his own degree (governing role).
There is a hierarchy of order, which is comprised of bishops, priests, and deacons, ordained to offering the holy sacrifice and the administration of the sacraments.
There is also a hierarchy of jurisdiction, which the pope and the bishops in communion with him comprise. With regard to the latter, there are other accidental degrees that have developed through the centuries: cardinals, patriarchs, metropolitans or archbishops, etc. Priests and deacons, as such, belong to this hierarchy only through their cooperation with their respective bishops.
83b) Grace
Holy Orders, like other sacraments of the living, increases sanctifying grace. It also brings sacramental grace, which, in this case, consists in the help that is needed to properly perform the functions of the degree of orders received.19
84. The Minister of Holy Orders
Christ “gives” some men as apostles, some as evangelists (cf. Eph 4:11). Further, he continues acting through the bishops. Thus, “The minister of sacred ordination is a consecrated Bishop.”20 Only a bishop can validly ordain. Priests, not enjoying the fullness of Holy Orders, do not have the capacity to confer this sacrament. This was defined by the Council of Florence and confirmed by the Council of Trent.21
There are further requirements for the lawfulness of the ordination:
· If a bishop ordains a layman to the diaconate, he must incardinate him in his own diocese, unless he receives dimissorial letters from the bishop who will incardinate the deacon in a different diocese.
· A deacon should be ordained to the priesthood by his own bishop or by another only at the request of the proper bishop.22
· For the episcopal consecration of a priest, the consecrating bishop must make sure that the appropriate pontifical mandate had been issued, and he should be assisted by at least two other consecrating bishops.23
Observing the cautions required by canon law, the ordaining minister must also establish, by himself or through another person, that the following conditions are met:
· The candidate must meet the requisite qualities, which will be discussed below.
· In the judgment of the bishop, he must be beneficial to the ministry of the Church.
· The candidate must be free from any irregularity or impediment to his ordination.24
85. The Subject of Holy Orders
By divine institution, “only a baptized man can validly receive sacred ordination.”25 Christ wanted those who publicly exercise the sacred ministry in his name to be men. Thus, he chose his apostles among his male disciples.
Neither the apostles nor their successors ever ordained women, despite the fact that priestesses were common in the Greek world they lived in after leaving their Jewish communities. The Church acknowledges that she is bound by this decision of our Lord.
With that decision, Christ probably intended to stress that priests celebrate the Holy Mass in persona Christi, “in the person of Christ.” The sacramental symbolism requires a natural likeness between the priest and Christ, who was and is a male.26
The dignity of women is in no way diminished by their not being eligible for ordination. The most exalted human person is the Blessed Virgin, the Mother of God, but Christ chose not to call her to the ministerial priesthood. However, she participates in the priesthood of her Son in a most eminent degree as co-redemptrix and mediatrix of all graces.
On the other hand, all the faithful—both men and women—equally participate in the common dignity of the children of God. Except for this incapacity to be ordained, women enjoy in the Church the same rights and duties as men.27
For the ordination to be valid, the candidate must have the intention to receive it.28
For the ordination to be lawful, there are further conditions:
· The candidate must have a divine vocation, which is comprised of:
o sound faith,
o proven virtue and firm and steadfast resolution,
o aptitude for the exercise of the functions proper to Holy Orders (age, etc.),
o sufficient knowledge,
o right intention (the glory of God and the salvation of souls).29
· He must have received the Sacrament of Confirmation.
· He must submit to the bishop a request for ordination written in his own hand, attesting that he freely asks to be ordained to the diaconate or priesthood, and that he will devote himself for life to the ecclesiastical ministry.30
· Being a sacrament of the living, the candidate must be in the state of grace.
86. Obligations of the Clergy
The law of the Church, for reasons rooted in the mystery of Christ and his mission, imposes celibacy on all priests of the Latin Church.31
This measure is particularly convenient, as celibacy allows a greater surrender to Christ, a closer imitation of his example, and greater availability for the service of the Church and all souls. Further, it offers an eschatological witness by showing the reality of eternal life, “for in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage” (Mt 22:30).32
Therefore, the Latin Church reserves priesthood for those who have received the gift of celibacy, which is freely granted by God and freely exercised by those who receive it.33
Celibacy is also required for unmarried candidates to the permanent diaconate.
The other obligations of the clergy are:
· special obedience to the pope and one’s own bishop,34
· availability to perform whatever assignment is received,35
· holiness of life,36 which includes praying the Divine Office and other exercises of piety,37
· continued studies and intellectual formation,38
· wearing the clerical attire,39
· abstaining from some activities and occupations that are forbidden to clerics.40
Footnotes:
1. LG, 11.
2. Cf. CCC, 1539–1543.
3. St. Thomas Aquinas, Hebr., 7.4.
4. Cf. CCC, 1533–1547.
5. Cf. DS 1764; PO, 2.
6. CIC, 1008.
7. This issue is discussed at length by Msgr. Alvaro del Portillo, Faithful and Laity in the Church (Shannon, Ireland: Ecclesia Press, 1972), pp. 19–24; Ibid., On Priesthood (Princeton: Scepter Press, 1974), p. 20ff.
8. Cf. DS 1752, 1771, 1773.
9. St. Josemaría Escrivá, Christ is Passing By, 79.
10. Cf. DS 1776; CIC, 1009; CCC, 1537–1538, 1554–1557, 1593–1596.
11. Cf. Pius XII, Ap. Const. Sacramentum Ordinis, Nov. 30, 1947: DS 3860; CD, 15.
12. Cf. LG, 22.
13. Cf. Pius XII, Ap. Const. Sacramentum Ordinis: DS 3859; CIC, 1009; CCC, 1573, 1597.
14. Cf. Paul VI, Ap. Const. Pontificalis Romani Recognito, AAS 60 (1968) 369–73; CIC, 1009.
15. Cf. CCC, 1574; CIC, 1010.
16. Cf. CIC, 1008; CCC, 1581–1589.
17. Msgr. Alvaro del Portillo, On Priesthood, pp. 24–25.
18. Cf. PO, 5.
19. Cf. DS 1326.
20. CIC, 1012; cf. LG, 21; CCC, 1575–1576, 1600.
21. Cf. DS 1326, 1777.
22. Cf. CIC, 1015–1016.
23. Cf. Ibid., 1013–1014.
24. Cf. Ibid., 1025, 1050–1052.
25. Ibid., 1024; cf. CCC, 1577–1580, 1598.
26. Cf. John Paul II, Mulieris Dignitatem, 26–27; Paul VI, Rescript to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Nov. 30, 1975 and March 23, 1976: AAS 68 (1976) 599–601; Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Declaration on the Admission of Women to the Ministerial Priesthood (Inter Insigniores), Oct. 15, 1976: AAS 69 (1977) 98–116; CCC, 1577.
27. Cf. St. Josemaría Escrivá, Conversations, 14.
28. Cf. CIC, 1026.
29. Cf. Ibid., 1029.
30. Cf. Ibid., 1036.
31. Cf. PO, 16; OT, 10; Paul VI, Enc. Sacerdotalis Coelibatus; CCC, 1579–1580, 1599.
32. Cf. Msgr. Alvaro del Portillo, On Priesthood, pp. 39–56.
33. Cf. CIC, 277.
34. Cf. Ibid., 273.
35. Cf. Ibid., 274.
36. Cf. Ibid., 276.
37. Cf. Ibid.
38. Cf. Ibid., 279.
39. Cf. Ibid., 284.
40. Cf. Ibid., 285–286.