Bishop To Ordain 19 In Norwood Saturday
Solemn Rites First For Local Parish
Rev. Thomas S. Greene, son of Mr. and Mrs. William F. Greene of 41 Orchard Hill road, Forest Hills, who will be among those ordained to the priesthood on Saturday by Bishop Minihan at St. Catherine's Church.
On Saturday, June 4, at 9:30 a.m., the Sacrament of Holy Orders will be conferred for the first time in Saint Catherine of Siena Church, Norwood. The ordaining prelate will be the Most Reverend Jeremiah F. Minihan. Although Bishop Minihan has ordained candidates to the priesthood and to the other orders of the Church in various parishes and seminaries, this will be his first ordination in his own parish church.
There will be some nineteen candidates ordained at the solemn ceremonies this ^Saturday. Ten of these will be ordained priests: Rev Thomas S. Greene, who will serve as a secular priest of the Diocese of Springfield; Rev. Thomas Edward McCauley (Brother Daniel), of the Order of Discalced Carmelites, and eight LaSalettc Fathers. William Doherty, John Bradford, Giles Vecchio, John Me-Wecney, James Hogan, Joseph F. Maillous, William McNulty and James Lowery.
The Order of Discalced Carmelites, of which Brother Daniel is a member of a novitiate In the Archdiocese of Boston, located In Brookline. The LaSalette Fathers are missionaries whose patroness is the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Our Lady of LaSalette. Locally they have a seminary in Ipswich.
In addition to that candidates for the priesthood, one deacon Will be ordained and eight subdeacons. The deacon is Rev. Frater M. Paschal Balkan, of St. Joseph's Abbey, Spencer, Mass. He Is a member of the Order of Cisteretans, commonly called, the Trappit. Father Fttcbal will be ordained to the priesthood .by Bishop Mintaan on June 11 at the Cistercian Abbey in Spencer.
LaSalette Father
The candidates to be ordained subdeacons are all members of the LaSalelte Fathers: John G. Repchick; Joseph Loftus; James B. Nolly; Alan McGulrk; John Zabelaka; Joph Silva; Charles Bafge and Robert Ohagnon. In the Catholic Church, the ranks of the clergy comprise several steps or ranks which are called "orders.'' Of the three were established by Christ, namely, the order of bishop, priest, and deacon. The other, lesser ranks of the 'clergy are of ecclesiastical origin, including the order of subdeacon and the so-called minor orders. Each order represents a further step toward the fulness of the Christian priesthood and is an office with various religious duties. At the pr»nt time the lower orders of the clerical hierarchy are received only by those who intend to receive the priesthood at the end of the orders of deacon. The of the clergy origin, including their seminary studies and preparation.
Those who are to be ordained subdeacons or deacons have received a lengthy spiritual and intellectual training in a seminary or house of studies. This includes after high school, two years study of the classics, two or more years of philosophy, and three years of theology and related studies. Those to be ordained priests have received an additional year's training in theology. Members of religious communities also spend one or more years of exclusively spiritual preparation, in the novitiate. The sacred or major orders of the Church include, in addition to the order of bishop, (which Is conferred in the ceremony of consecration}, the orders of subdeacon, deacon and priest. They must be conferred during the celebration of the Sacrifice of Mass by a bishop who has himself received the power to .administer these orders from his own episcopal consecration. Bishop Minihan was consecrated a bishop on September 8, 1954, by Archbishop Cushing, and so received the power to confer orders upon others.
According to the ecclesiastical calendar, this June 4th is the Pentecostal Ember. Saturday, that is, the Saturday of the week after the Feast of Pentecost or Whit-Sunday. It is a very venerable practice of the Church to hold ordination services on the Ember Saturdays which occur at the four seasons of the year. Although it is allowed to confer holy orders at certain other times, those particular days have been singled out for the solemn function of ordination.
Various Duties
The office of subdeacon comprises various duties. The subdeacon Is the assistant of the deacon In the solemn services of the Church and with the deacon ministers to the priest, for example, in the celebration of Mass. At Solemn Mass the subdeacon has the office of sinking the Lesson or Epistle, the selection from the Old Testament, or from Acts or one of the Epistles of the New Testament. He carries the bread for the sacrifice to the altar, and assists in the preparation of the chalice, adding, a few drops of water to the wine.
It is at the time he receives the order of subdeacon that a candidate for the priesthood becomes obliged to the Church's law of celibacy. Up to this time he is free to withdraw from the clerical rank. In the case of members of religious communities, however, the vow of chastity taken prior to this time creates a voluntary and permanent obligation not to marry. The subdeacon also has the obligation of reciting the Church's prayer, called the Divine Office. This prayer Is recited by the clergy each day on behalf of all the members of the Church It is divided into various sections called hours, each for the sanctification of an appointed time of the day. It comprises psalms, reading from the Bible, hymns, prayers, etc. On Saturday the candidates for the order of subdeacon will be ordained after the fifth lesson of the Ember Saturday Mass. The ceremony will begin with the Litanies, petitions addressed to God and the Saints, that God will have mercy on the candidates and grant them every blessing, and that the Saints will pray for the candidates. During the Litanies, which are among the most ancient prayers of the Church, all the candidates for the various order, lie prostrate upon the floor as the members of the Church unite in common prayer for them. After the Litanies the candidates are Instructed by the Bishop with regard to the office to which they will be ordained. He counsels them that their Jives must be virtuous and exemplary, and so worthy of their high calling. The actual conferring of the office Is done by the Bishop's handing to each candidate of an empty chalice and paten; to them he says: "Sec whose ministry Is handed over to you. Therefore I admonish you to conduct yourselves in please God."
Prayers For Ordained
The Bishop next calls upon the people to join him In prayer for the new subdeacons, that they will serve God's altar faithfully and be moved by the Holy Spirit of God. Then he invests the new subdeacons with the insignia of their office. The first Is the amice, a linen cloth worn' around the neck and shoulders In sacred rites. The next I the maniple, a narrow band went on the left arm by the priest, deacon, and subdeacon during Mass. The last is the tunic, the distinctive vestment of the subdeacon; this is a large outer' vest-mnt, usually made of silken material, with long sleeves- and of varying color according to the feast or season of the Church's calendar.
The ordination of the subdeacon concludes with the symbolic presentation of the Book of Epistles to the new subdeacons. This ceremony indicates the important office of the subdeacon, that of reading the lesson of Holy Writ to the assembled people. One of the new subdeacons immediately exercises his office by reading the Epistle of the Mass being .celebrated.
After the Epistle of the Mass, the Blihop commences the ordination of the candidate to be made a deacon. Unlike the office of subdeacon, the office of deacon is of divine origin and is a sacrament. According to Catholic doctrine, the order of deacon thus is a source of grace, that is, the divine and supernatural life, spoken of by Jesus Christ. It is also the source of power, the power to be the immediate assistant of the celebrant of Holy Mass.
Deacon's Functions
The principal function of the deacon is to assist the priest in the offering of the Sacrifice of the Mass. Thus he presents the offerings of bread to the priest, prepares the chalice of wine, and offers the chalice to the priest. Among his other offices, the chief one is the singing of the Gospel at Solemn Mass. At certain points of sacred services he gives directions to the people. When to kneel, when the Mass is completed, etc. On occasion he may exercise the office of preaching, he may assist In the distribution of Holy Communion and he may baptize.
The order of deacon Is conferred by the Bishop by the Imposition of his right hand upon the head of the candidate and by the recitation of words indicative of the office. As the deacons of the New Testament were ordained by the imposition of the hands of the Apostles, the Catholic Church observes the same rites today. The form used Is. "Send forth upon him. we beg, O Lord, the Holy Spirit, by whom he may be strengthened in the faithful fulfillment of the work of Thy ministry through the gift of Thy sevenfold grace."
Prior to this actual conferral of the Sacrament of Holy Orders upon the deacon, there is a formal request for his ordination made on behalf of the Church, the candidate Is instructed by the Bishop concerning his duties, and the Bishop calls upon the assembled people to be united with him in the solemn prayer or Preface of ordination. During the Preface the ceremony described above, of the Imposition of hands, together with the words indicated, takes place By this the candidate is made a deacon of God's Church and a miniver of the altar.
Investment Ceremony
Following the conferring of the office, the deacon is invested by the Bishop with the garments of his rank. These are the stole, a long narrow cloth worn over the left shoulder as a sign of his order in the Church, and the dalmatic. The latter is a large outer vestment, similar to the subdeacon's tunic, but more ornamented and with broader sleeves. Finally, the Book of Gospels Is formally handed to the Deacon with the words "Receive the power of reading the Gospel in the Church of God. …" The new deacon is allowed to exercise his office of proclaiming the Holy Gospel to the people at the proper time. In the meantime, however, the Ember Saturday Mass continues with the Sequence, a hymn in honor of the Holy Ghost. This is included in Saturday's Mass on account of the weeklong celebration of Pentecost. At the end of the Sequence, the ordination of priests takes place. Although the deacon he some share in the special priesthood of Christ and is a direct assistant at the altar, it is the priest alone who is able to offer Christ's sacrifice by the power of consecration. This is the power to change the offered bread and wine into the true Body and Blood of Christ, the gift of fared in the Mass by the whole Church. The priestly power includes as well the office of forgiving sins' in God's name and by God's authority, the right to bless and to .sanctify, the office of Instructing the people in God's revelation. chasublo, which la th principal garment worn by -the priest In the celebration of Mass.
During the singing of a hymn to to the Holy Ghost, the Blshop anoints the hands of the new priests with holy oil. This Is a sign of consecration and dedication. "Christ" means the "Anointed " Those called to share in Christ's priesthood are anointed with sacred oils, as were the priests and prophets, and kings in the Old Testament. The consecration of the pricst's hands is an expression of the power to bless and consecrate which he possesses by ordination. Finally, to express the right to offer Christ's Sacrifice, a chalice with wine and water, and a paten with bread, are handed to the new priest. The principal act of religion is the offering of sacrifice, the presentation of the sacred vessels with the bread and wine of the Christian Sacrifice show the chief priestly function.
With this, the ordination of the priests Is completed, and the Mass continues, At the time of offering, all the newly ordained of the various orders make an offering of a lighted candle to the Bishop. The candle symbolizes the offering of self to God. After this, the new priests join in the offering of the Mass itself. They recite all the prayers of Mass with the Bishop, they join with him through their newly received power In changing the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, to be offered to God the Father. This union of several celebrants Is called concelebration; it has the external effect that all the Mass prayers are recited aloud, including those customarily said quietly by the single celebrant.
Symbolic Embrace
Before the reception of Holy Communion, representatives of the three ranks of the newly-ordained receive the Kiss of Peace from the Bishop. This is an embrace symbolic of the unity of the members of the Church with Christ and with each other, a unity achieved through the common reception of the Holy Eucharist in Communion.
The newly ordained priests receive Communion from the Bishop, from hosts which they have consecrated with him, Thon the Bishop gives Communion to the others who have been ordained.
After Communion, the Mass is interrupted for certain concluding rites through which the priestly power is more clearly expressed. These rites being with the singing of the words of Christ, "I will not now call you servants but my friends. The new priests then recite the Apostles' Creed, openly proclaiming their faith in the principal truths revealed by God and taught by the Church.
Each new priest kneels before the Bishop, who imposes his hands upon the head of each for a second time. Now he says the words of Christ: "Receive the Holy Ghost. Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them. And whose sins you shall retain, they are retained '' Although the actual power of forgiving sins in God's name, and by God's power has already been received at the moment of the ordination itself, this ceremony indicates the importance of this particular priestly duty.
Obedience, Reverence
Until this point of the service the chasuble of the new priests is pinned up in back. The Bishop now unfolds the back of the vestment, as a sign of the completion of the ordination rites and the fulness of the new priest's power in the Church. The Bishop holds the hands of each one in his own and asks for a promise of obedience and reverence toward the ecclesiastical superior of the new priest. The reply is made: "I promise," and the Bishop kisses the new priest as he says: "The peace of the Lord be always with you." Those final rites of the priesthood ordination are concluded by a brief formal Instruction by the Bishop and a special blessing imparled by him to the new priests. They then continue the Mass with the Bishop until the Blessing. The usual blessing is given by the Bishop alone. Be then adds a last admonition to all the ordained, that they live holy lives devoted to religion and pleasing to God, with the help of God's grace. The Bishop directs that the new deacon and subdeacons recite certain psalms in thanksgiving to God, and that the new priests should celebrate Masses In honor of the Holy Ghost, in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and for the faithful departed, he asks that all the ordained pray to Almighty God for me, to which they all reply, "Gladly".
With this the solemn service of ordination concludes, and in this way, Bishop Minihan will this coming Saturday raise the various candidates to the different orders In the Church. Catholic doctrine holds that the Sacrament of Holy Orders is conferred upon the deacons and priests, and It Is in this fact that the principal significance of the ordination rites consists. Through the reception of this Sacrament, the grace of God is poured out upon the new servant of the altar, as a source of divine favor and friendship and a claim upon divine assistance. Through the Sacrament, too, a permanent power is given to the individual ordained. This spiritual power enables the deacon to serve the altar and assist the priest in the offering of Mass, as well as to proclaim the Gospel to the assembled people. This spiritual power enables the priest to offer the Sacrifice of the Mass for Christ and the Churoh, to forgive sins, to bless and to make holy the faithful people of God.
(All articles were originally published in the Norwood Messenger unless otherwise noted)
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