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Holy Orders |
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Deacon, Priest, Monsignor,Bishop, Archbishop, Cardinal, Pope |
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| Who are they? What do they look like? | |
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A
deacon is the first rung on the hierarchial ladder of Holy Orders. A deacon may be a
"permanent" or "transitional" deacon. A permanent deacon may or
may not be married and cannot be ordained until they at least reach the age of 33 I
believe. An unmarried permanent deacon must take the promise of celibacy upon
ordination, whereas, the married deacon does not. (The wives were pleased!) A
transitional deacon is a man on the way to priesthood. A permanent deacon is not
usually on the way to priesthood since the Western church does not allow a priest to be
married. Exceptions to that rule are Eastern Rite priests and those priests already
married and are converts from Protestant/Orthodox religions(they are rare).
Bishop Francis Quinn of Sacramento likes to tell the story of ordaining his first
permanent deacons and committing them all to celibacy at the ordination, much to their
consternation. He privately had to go through the reception and undo the promise to
all those married deacons. He laughs about it, but the wives were not amused.
Deacons are ordained ministers in the Church. They perform baptisms, marriages, funerals, ministers of the Body and Blood of Christ, preach, proclaim the Gospel, and assist at mass in a specified role. The only things they cannot do, which is reserved to the priest and above is consecrate the Body and Blood of Christ at mass, hear confessions and anoint the sick. The symbol of the office of deacon is to wear his stole across his chest from left to right. |
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After
being a transitional deacon a man can be ordained to the priesthood, the second rung on
the ladder, sometimes within a short time and sometimes longer. The decision is
usually mutual between the bishop and the deacon. The priest does the work of the
bishop in a local church. The priest, upon ordination, takes two promises if
diocesan, one to be obedient to the bishop and his successors and to remain celibate from
his diaconate ordination. Through the anointing of his hands by the bishop and the
laying on of hands does the bishop confer on his priests the authority to consecrate the
Body and Blood of Jesus Christ at the altar of God. The priest also hears and
absolves sin in the confessional and anoints the sick for healing, besides doing what a
deacon is ordained to perform. There are two levels of priests (1) the pastor, who
is responsible for the parish for which he is assigned; (2) a parochial vicar, used to be
associate pastor, who works with the pastor in the day to day operation of the parish.
According to canon law they work as a team for the spiritual good of the faithful
in a parish.
The symbol of the office of priest is to wear his stole hanging straight down both sides of his chest. |
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This is a courtesy title given to certain priests in recognition of exceptional service to the Church. It doesn't involve any special duties. They are not paid anymore and has nothing to do with Holy Orders. These are men who have built churches, or served the bishop is some extra-ordinary way and deserve some recognition for it. They may wear a different clerical outfit than priests. It has red piping along the edges, but today most do not. |
 Bishop |
The bishops stands in the fullness of priesthood. There is no higher ordination because the bishop stands in the succession of the apostles. Bishops are assigned to dioceses(areas of geography). He is called the "Ordinary" of the diocese because "ordinare" means to "put in order." He is responsible for the regulation of his diocese in matters of rules for liturgy, marriages, education and just about everything else. Each bishop is an independent leader of his diocese. His decisions must remain within the creed and canon law, but all bishops are equal in status in the hierarchy of the Church. He is in charge of himself and operates rather autonomously in his diocese. No other bishop may interfere in the operation of his diocese unless it is determined that he is either incompetent, in heresy, or in scandal. The symbols of the office of bishop is the ring on his finger, the staff he carries, the mitred hat, and pectoral cross he wears around his neck. |
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This position has nothing to do with Holy Orders as well. You would think that this position is some sort of super bishop or something. Actually it is more like a distinguished bishop. It is not a personal attribute, it is an official attribute. Although I said above that all bishops are equal, some bishops are more equal; i.e., he may be the bishop of a very important city or he may have a larger population than surrounding dioceses. A group of dioceses(is that a word?) make up an archdiocese. The bishop in charge of an archdiocese is the archbishop. Whew! His [See] (seat of bishop's throne) is called the metropolitan see and his cathedral is the metropolitan church. So an archbishop hierarchially is still a bishop sacramentally, just as the Pope is. His job is watch over a group of dioceses with the power to call a council of his bishops (in his province) to rule on catchetical teachings and to rule on diocesan appeal court matters. |
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This
is another hierarchial title and has nothing to do with Holy Orders. Cardinals are a
group of advisors to the Holy Father. They are not ordained, but appointed by him,
sort of like the president's cabinet. They are in charge of various Congregations in
the Vatican that pertain to administrative functions. They are called the College of
Cardinals and will gather together from around the entire world to "elect" the
next pope(after the present one dies of course). The next pope will be chosen from
the College of Cardinals nowadays. A Cardinal is eligible to vote for the next pope
until he reaches the age of 80 I believe. After that, no way. The Holy Father
can appoint anyone he wishes to be a Cardinal even a deacon or priest. Pope John
Paul II has appointed more than a few of his closest friends Cardinals. There's a
hitch here. They were priests and they were over the age of 80. You cannot
upset the hierachial order too much. Usually the ladder of succession is priest,
bishop, archbishop, cardinal, pope.
The symbol of their official capacity is "red" everything! Red, red, red!!!!! Very easy to spot in a crowd. |
 Pope |
The
pope is the successor to Peter. He is the chief of the Church's clergy and has a
number of titles; i.e., Bishop of Rome; the Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church;
the Patriarch of the Western Church; the Holy Father. He is at the head of
the College of Cardinals. He is not ordained Pope, he is elected to the office.
He may decline to accept the position at his election or he may even resign after
being elected. Most do not do either! His job is to oversee the Universal
Church and make pronouncements on faith and morals that will affect millions of Catholics.
These are never done lightly. After much consultation from bishops, cardinals
and theologians he will then write a letter, encyclical that the rest of the Church has to
take seriously. Only when he proclaims a point on dogma or doctrine and adds the ex
cathedra(without error) seal to it does it become a permanent part of Church
doctrine/dogma. This is very rare and in fact has only been done once I believe,
though some would argue twice. (1) the pronouncement of the Assumption of Mary; (2)
male priesthood.
The symbols of his official office is that he wears white, white , white! And he also wears the other symbols of a bishop. |
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