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Study Text III

MINISTRIES IN THE CHURCH

Commentary on the Apostolic Letters

of Pope Paul VI

Ministeria quaedam and Ad

pascendum

1374

Publications Office

UNITED STATES EATHDEIE EDNFERENCE

1312 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 2DDD5



Copyright (c) 1973 by the Bishops’ Committee on the Liturgy

National Conference of Catholic Bishops

1312 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C.

English translation of the

Rite of Institution of Readers and Acolytes

Admission to Candidacy for the Diaconate and

Preshyterate, Commitment to Celibacy,

and Mass for the Ministers of the Church

Copyright (c) 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc

All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America.



Contents

INTRODUCTION 1

APOSTOLIC LETTERS

MINISTERIA QUAEDAM 3

AD PASCENDUM 9

PASTORAL COMMENTARY 17

I. The Development of Ministries in the Church 17

II. The Institution of Readers and Acolytes 23

III. The Ministerial Functions of Acolytes and Readers 35

IV. The Rite of Admission to Candidacy for the

Diaconate and Presbyterate 39

V. Permanent and Transitional Diaconate 43

VI. Possible Ministries of the Future 47

APPENDICES: Rites of Institution and Admission to

Candidacy for the Diaconate and Presbyterate 51



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Introduction

The concept of ministry and ministerial diversification

within the Catholic Church are beginning to experience a second

spring. The envigorating life of the Spirit has stirred up new

expressions of vitality. Reaffirming its ministerial nature, the

Church has begun to stretch in new and exciting directions.

Study Text III, Ministries in the Church, considers the most

recent official stirrings in the area of ministry: the apostolic

letters Ad pascendum and Ministeria quaedam.

Part one, “The Development of Ministries in the Church,”

is a historical scenario leading the reader to the commentary on

the new ministries of reader and acolyte, as well as the rite of

admission to candidacy for orders—something which is both

related to and quite distinct from the lay ministries.

The complete rites for institution are included in this text.

Those preparing to be instituted in these ministries will want to

study them carefully, reflectively, and prayerfully.

The roles of reader and acolyte in the Church are primarily

cultic ministries, but the Church’s call to ministry must push far

beyond the sanctuary. The recent apostolic letters only provide

us with a starting point. The future is unprogrammed.

This study text is third in the series issued by the Bishops’

Committee on the Liturgy. Designed as a practical means of

continuing education in the field of liturgy it makes current

material available for use on an individual or group basis.

Study Texts already in print and available:

I. Holy Communion: Commentary on the Instruction

Immensae Caritatis.

II. Anointing and Pastoral Care of the Sick.



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Apostolic Letter

In Motu Proprio Form

By Which the Discipline of First

Tonsure, Minor Orders, and

Subdiaconate in the Latin Church

is Reformed

Even in the most ancient times certain ministries were

established by the Church for the purpose of suitably giving

worship to God and for offering service to the people of God

according to their needs. By these ministries, duties of a liturgi-

cal and charitable nature, deemed suitable to varying circum-

stances, were entrusted to the performance of the faithful. The

conferring of these functions often took place by a special rite,

in which, after God’s blessing had been implored, a Christian

was established in a special class or rank for the fulfillment of

some ecclesiastical function.

Some of these functions, which were more closely connected

with the liturgical celebration, slowly came to be considered as

preparatory institutions for the reception of sacred orders, so

that the offices of porter, exorcist, and acolyte were called minor

orders in the Latin Church in relation to the subdiaconate,

diaconate, and presbyterate, which were called major orders.

Generally, though not everywhere, these minor orders were re-

served to those who received them on their way to the priesthood.

Nevertheless, since the minor orders have not always been

the same and many tasks connected with them, as at present,

have also been exercised by the laity, it seems fitting to reexamine

this practice and to adapt it to contemporary needs, so that what

is obsolete in these offices may be removed, what is useful re-

tained, what is necessary defined, and at the same time what is

required of candidates for holy orders may be determined.

3



While the Second Vatican Council was in preparation,

many pastors of the Church requested that the minor orders and

subdiaconate should be reexamined. Although the Council did

not decree anything concerning this for the Latin Church, it

enunciated certain principles for solving the question. There is

no doubt that the norms laid down by the Council regarding the

general and orderly renewal of the liturgy^ also include those

areas which concern ministries in the liturgical assembly, so that

from the very arrangement of the celebration the Church clearly

appears structured in different orders and ministries.^ Thus the

Second Vatican Council decreed that “in liturgical celebrations

each person, minister or layman, who has an office to perform,

should do all of, but only, those parts which pertain to his office

by the nature of the rite and the principles of liturgy.”^

With this assertion is closely connected what was written

a little before in the same constitution: “Mother Church earnestly

desires that all the faithful be led to that full, conscious, and

active participation in liturgical celebrations which is demanded

by the nature of the liturgy. Such participation by the Christian

people as ‘a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a

purchased people’ ( 1 Peter 2:9; cf. 2:4-5) is their right and duty

by reason of their baptism. In the restoration and promotion of

the sacred liturgy, this full and active participation by all the

people is the aim to be considered before all else; for it is the

primary and indispensable source from which the faithful are

to derive the true Christian spirit. Therefore, through the needed

program of instruction, pastors of souls must zealously strive to

achieve it in all their pastoral work.”^

In the preservation of certain offices and in their adapta-

tion to contemporary needs, there are those which are especially

connected with the ministries of the word and of the altar and

in the Latin Church are called the offices of reader and acolyte

and the subdiaconate. It is fitting to preserve and adapt these in

such a way, that from this time on there will be two offices: that

of reader and that of acolyte, which will include the functions

of the subdiaconate.

Besides the offices common to the Latin Church, there is

nothing to prevent episcopal conferences from requesting others

of the Apostolic See, if they judge the establishment of such

4



offices in their region to be necessary or very useful because of

special reasons. To these belong, for example, the offices of

porter, exorcist, and catechist,'^ as well as other offices to be

conferred upon those who are dedicated to works of charity,

where this service has not been given to deacons.

It is in accordance with the reality itself and with the con-

temporary outlook that the above-mentioned ministries should

no longer be called minor orders; their conferring will not be

called “ordination,” but “institution.” Only those, however, who

have received the diaconate will be properly known as clerics.

Thus there will better appear the distinction between clergy and

laity, between what is proper and reserved to the clergy and

what can be entrusted to the laity; thus there will appear more

clearly their mutual relationship insofar as “the common priest-

hood of the faithful and the ministerial or hierarchical priest-

hood, while they differ in essence and not only in degree, are

nevertheless interrelated. Each of them shares in its own special

way in the one priesthood of Christ.”®

Having weighed every aspect of the question well, having

sought the opinion of experts, having consulted with the episco-

pal conferences and taken their views into account, and having

taken counsel with our venerable brothers who are members

of the Sacred Congregations competent in this matter, by our

apostolic authority we enact the following norms, derogating—

if and insofar as necessary—from provisions of the Code of

Canon Law now in force, and we promulgate them with this

letter.

I. First tonsure is no longer conferred; entrance into the

clerical state is joined to the diaconate.

II. What up to now were called minor orders are hence-

forth called “ministries.”

III. Ministries may be committed to lay Christians; hence

they are no longer to be considered as reserved to candidates for

the sacrament of orders.

IV. Two ministries, adapted to present-day needs, are to

be preserved in the whole of the Latin Church, namely those of

readers and acolytes. The functions heretofore committed to the

subdeacon are entrusted to the reader and the acolyte; conse-

5



quently, the major order of subdiaconate no longer exists in the

Latin Church. There is nothing, however, to prevent the acolyte

being also called a subdeacon in some places, if the episcopal

conference judges it opportune.

V. The reader is appointed for a function proper to him,

that of reading the word of God in the liturgical assembly.

Accordingly, he is to read the lessons from sacred scripture,

except for the gospel, in the Mass and other sacred celebrations;

he is to recite the psalm between the readings when there is no

psalmist; he is to present the intentions for the general interces-

sions in the absence of a deacon or cantor; he is to direct the

singing and the participation by the faithful; he is to instruct

the faithful for the worthy reception of the sacraments. He may

also, insofar as necessary, take care of preparing other faithful

who by a temporary appointment are to read the scriptures in

liturgical celebrations. That he may more fittingly and perfectly

fulfill these functions, let him meditate assiduously on sacred

scripture.

Let the reader be aware of the office he has undertaken

and make every effort and employ suitable means to acquire

that increasingly warm and living love^ and knowledge of the

scriptures that will make him a more perfect disciple of the Lord.

VI. The acolyte is appointed in order to aid the deacon

and to minister to the priest. It is therefore his duty to attend

to the service of the altar and to assist the deacon and the priest

in liturgical celebrations, especially in the celebration of Mass;

he is also to distribute holy communion as an extraordinary

minister when the ministers spoken of in canon 845 of the Code

of Canon Law are not available or are prevented by ill health,

age, or another pastoral ministry from performing this function,

or when the number of those approaching the sacred table is so

great that the celebration of Mass would be unduly prolonged.

In the same extraordinary circumstances he may be en-

trusted with publicly exposing the Blessed Sacrament for adora-

tion by the faithful and afterwards replacing it, but not with

blessing the people. He may also, to the extent needed, take

care of instructing other faithful who by temporary appointment

assist the priest or deacon in liturgical celebrations by carrying

the missal, cross, candles, etc., or by performing other such

6



duties. He will perform these functions the more worthily if he

participates in the holy eucharist with increasingly fervent piety,

receives nourishment from it and deepens his knowledge of it.

Destined as he is in a special way for the service of the altar,

the acolyte should learn all matters concerning public divine

worship and strive to grasp their inner spiritual meaning: in

that way he will be able each day to offer himself entirely to

God, be an example to all by his seriousness and reverence in the

sacred building, and have a sincere love for the Mystical Body

of Christ, the people of God, especially the weak and the sick.

VII. In accordance with the venerable tradition of the

Church, institution in the ministries of readers and acolytes is

reserved to men.

VIII. The following are requirements for admission to the

ministries:

a) the presentation of the petition freely made out and

signed by the aspirant to the ordinary (the bishop and, in cleri-

cal institutes of perfection, the major superior) who has the

right to accept the petition;

b) a suitable age and special qualities to be determined

by the episcopal conference;

c) a firm will to give faithful service to God and the

Christian people.

IX. The ministries are conferred by the ordinary (the

bishop and, in clerical institutes of perfection, the major supe-

rior) according to the liturgical rite De Instilutione Lectoris

and De Institutione Acolythi revised by the Apostolic See.

X. Intervals, determined by the Holy See or the episcopal

conferences, shall be observed between the conferring of the

ministries of readers and acolytes whenever more than one min-

istry is conferred on the same person.

XI. Candidates for the diaconate and priesthood are to

receive the ministries of reader and acolyte, unless they have

already done so, and are to exercise them for a fitting time, in

order to be better disposed for the future service of the word

and of the altar. Dispensation from the reception of these minis-

tries on the part of such candidates is reserved to the Holy See.

7



XII. The conferring of ministries does not imply the right

to sustenance or salary from the Church.

XIII. The rite of institution of readers and acolytes is to

be published soon by the competent department of the Roman

Curia.

These norms shall come into effect on January 1, 1973.

We order that what we have decreed in this letter, in motu

proprio form, be established and ratified, notwithstanding any-

thing to the contrary.

Given in Rome, at Saint Peter’s, on August 15, the Solem-

nity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the year

1972, the tenth of our pontificate.

PAUL PP. VI

1 See Second Vatican Council, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum

Concilium, No. 62: AAS 56 (1964), No. 117; See also No. 21: loc. cit., pp. 105-106.
2 See Ordo Missae, Institutio Generalis Missalis Romani, No. 58, typical edition,

1969, p. 35.

3 Second Vatican Council, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum

Concilium, No. 28: AAS 56 (1964), 107.
4 Ibid., No. 14: loc. cit., p. 104.

5 See Second Vatican Council, decree Ad Gentes, No. 15: AAS 58 (1966), 965;
ibid.. No. 17; loc. cit., pp. 967-968.

6 Second Vatican Council, dogmatic constitution Lumen gentium. No. 10: AAS

57 (1965), p. 14.

t See Second Vatican Council, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum

Concilium, No. 24: AAS 56 (1964), 107; dogmatic constitution Dei Verbum, No.
25: AAS 58 (1966), 829.



Apostolic Letter

In Motu Proprio Form

Laying Down Certain Norms

Regarding the Holy Order

of Deacons

For the nurturing and constant growth of the people of

God, Christ the Lord instituted in the Church a variety of minis-

tries, which work for the good of the whole body/

From the apostolic age the diaconate has had a clearly out-

standing position among these ministries, and it has always been

held in great honor by the Church. Explicit testimony of this

is given by the Apostle Saint Paul both in his letter to the Philip-

pians, in which he sends his greetings not only to the bishops

but also to the deacons,^ and in a letter to Timothy, in which he

illustrates the qualities and virtues that deacons must have in

order to be worthy of their ministry.^

Later, when the early writers of the Church acclaim the

dignity of deacons, they do not fail to extol also the spiritual

qualities and virtues that are required for the performance of

that ministry, namely, fidelity to Christ, moral integrity, and

obedience to the bishop.

Saint Ignatius of Antioch declares that the office of the

deacon is nothing other than “the ministry of Jesus Christ, who

was with the Father before all ages and has been manifested in

the final time.”^ He also made the following observation: “The

deacons too, who are ministers of the mysteries of Jesus Christ,

should please all in every way; for they are not servants of food

and drink, but ministers of the Church of God.”'”’

Saint Polycarp of Smyrna exhorts deacons to “be moderate

in all things, merciful, diligent, living according to the truth of

9



the Lord, who became the servant of all,”® The author of the

Didascalia Apostolorum, recalling the words of Christ, “Anyone

who wants to be great among you must be your servant,”^ ad-

dresses the following fraternal exhortation to deacons: “Accord-

ingly you deacons also should behave in such a way that, if your

ministry obliges you to lay down your lives for a brother, you

should do so ... If the Lord of heaven and earth served us

and suffered and sustained everything on our behalf, should not

this be done for our brothers all the more by us, since we are

imitators of him and have been given the place of Christ?”®

Furthermore, when the writers of the first centuries insist

on the importance of the deacons’ ministry, they give many ex-

amples of the manifold important tasks entrusted to them and

clearly show how much authority they held in the Christian

communities and how great was their contribution to the apos-

tolate. The deacon is described as “the bishop’s ear, mouth,

heart and soul.”® The deacon is at the disposal of the bishop in

order that he may serve the whole people of God and take care

of the sick and the poor;”^® he is correctly and rightly called

“one who shows love for orphans, for the devout and for the

widowed, one who is fervent in spirit, one who shows love for

what is good.”” Furthermore, he is entrusted with the mission

of taking the holy eucharist to the sick confined to their homes.

of conferring baptism,'® and of attending to preaching the word

of God in accordance with the express will of the bishop.

Accordingly, the diaconate flourished in a wonderful way

in the Church and at the same time gave an outstanding witness

of love for Christ and the brethren through the performance of

works of charity,” the celebration of sacred rites,'® and the

fulfillment of pastoral duties.'®

The exercise of the office of deacon enabled those who were

to become priests to give proof of themselves, to display the

merit of their work, and to acquire preparation—all of which

were requirements for receiving the dignity of the priesthood

and the office of pastor.

As time went on, the discipline concerning this holy order

was changed. The prohibition against conferring ordination

without observing the established sequence of orders was

strengthened, and there was a gradual decrease in the number

10



of those who preferred to remain deacons all their lives instead

of advancing to a higher order. As a consequence, the perma-

nent diaconate almost entirely disappeared in the Latin Church.

It is scarcely the place to mention the decrees of the Council of

Trent proposing to restore the holy orders in accordance with

their own nature as ancient functions within the Church;” it

was much later that the idea matured of restoring this important

order also as a truly permanent rank. Our predecessor Pius XII

briefly alluded to this matter.” Finally, the Second Vatican

Council supported the wishes and requests that, where such

would lead to the good of souls, the permanent diaconate should

be restored as an intermediate order between the higher ranks of

the Church’s hierarchy and the rest of the people of God, as an

expression of the needs and desires of the Christian communities,

as a driving force for the Church’s service or diaconia towards

the local Christian communities, and as a sign or sacrament of

the Lord Christ himself, who “came not to be served but to

serve.””

For this reason, at the third session of the Council, in

October 1964, the Fathers ratified the principle of the renewal

of the diaconate and in the following November the dogmatic

constitution Lumen gentium was promulgated. In article 29 of

this document a description is given of the principal characteris-

tics proper to that state: “At a lower level of the hierarchy are

deacons, upon whom hands are imposed ‘not unto the priest-

hood, but unto a ministry of service.’ For strengthened by sacra-

mental grace, in communion with the bishop and his presby-

terium, they serve the people of God in the ministry of the

liturgy, of the word, and of charity.”

The same constitution made the following declaration

about permanency in the rank of deacon: “These duties [of

deacons], so very necessary for the life of the Church, can in

many areas be fulfilled only with difficulty according to the pre-

vailing discipline of the Latin Church. For this reason, the

diaconate can in the future be restored as a proper and perma-

nent rank of the hierarchy.”"’

However, this restoration of the permanent diaconate re-

quired that the instructions of the Council be more profoundly

examined and that there be mature deliberation concerning the

II



juridical status of both the celibate and married deacon. Simi-

larly it was necessary that matters connected with the diaconate

of those who are to become priests should be adapted to con-

temporary conditions, so that the time of diaconate would fur-

nish that proof of life, of maturity, and of aptitude for the priestly

ministry which ancient discipline demanded from candidates for

the priesthood.

Thus on June 18, 1967, we issued in motu proprio form,

the apostolic letter Sacrum Diacoriatus Ordinem, by which suit-

able canonical norms for the permanent diaconate were estab-

lished.'" On June 17 of the following year, through the apostolic

constitution Pontificalis Romani Recognitio,^^ we authorized

the new rite for the conferring of the sacred orders of diaconate,

presbyterate, and episcopate, and at the same time defined the

matter and the form of the ordination itself.

Now that we are proceeding further and are today promul-

gating the apostolic letter Ministeria quaedam, we consider it

fitting to issue certain norms concerning the diaconate. We also

desire that candidates for the diaconate should know what minis-

tries they are to exercise before sacred ordination and when and

how they are to take upon themselves the responsibilities of

celibacy and liturgical prayer.

Since entrance into the clerical state is deferred until diaco-

nate, there no longer exists the rite of first tonsure, by which a

layman used to become a cleric. But a new rite is introduced,

by which one who aspires to the diaconate or presbyterate pub-

licly manifests his will to offer himself to God and the Church,

so that he may exercise a sacred order. The Church, accepting

this offering, selects and calls him to prepare himself to receive

a sacred order, and in this way he is properly numbered among

candidates for the diaconate or priesthood.

It is especially fitting that the ministries of reader and

acolyte should be entrusted to those who, as candidates for the

order of diaconate or priesthood, desire to devote themselves to

God and to the Church in a special way. For the Church, which

“does not cease to take the bread of life from the table of the

word of God and the body of Christ and offer it to the faithful”

considers it to be very opportune that both by study and by

12



gradual exercise of the ministry of the word and of the altar

candidates for sacred orders should through intimate contact

understand and reflect upon the double aspect of the priestly

office. Thus it comes about that the authenticity of the ministry

shines out with the greatest effectiveness. In this way the candi-

dates approach holy orders fully aware of their vocation, fervent

in spirit, serving the Lord, constant in prayer, and aware of the

needs of the faithful.^®

Having weighed every aspect of the question well, having

sought the opinion of experts, having consulted with the episco-

pal conferences and taken their views into account, and having

taken counsel with our venerable brothers who are members of

the Sacred Congregations competent in this matter, by our apos-

tolic authority we enact the following norms, derogating—if and

insofar as necessary—from provisions of the Code of Canon

Law until now in force, and we promulgate them with this letter.

1. a) A rite of admission for candidates to the diaconate

and to the presbyterate is introduced. In order that

this admission be properly made, the free petition of

the aspirant, made out and signed in his own hand, is

required, as well as the written acceptance of the com-

petent ecclesiastical superior, by which the selection

by the Church is brought about.

Professed members of clerical congregations who

seek the priesthood are not bound to this rite.

b) The competent superior for this acceptance is the

ordinary (the bishop and, in clerical institutes of per-

fection, the major superior). Those can be accepted

who give signs of an authentic vocation and, endowed

with good moral qualities and free from mental and

physical defects, wish to dedicate their lives to the

service of the Church for the glory of God and the

good of souls. It is necessary that those who aspire

to the transitional diaconate will have completed at

least their twentieth year and have begun their course

of theological studies.

c) In virtue of the acceptance the candidate must care

for his vocation in a special way and foster it. He

13



also acquires the right to the necessary spiritual assist-

ance by which he can develop his vocation and submit

unconditionally to the will of God.

II. Candidates for the permanent or transitional diaconate

and for the presbyterate are to receive the ministries of

reader and acolyte, unless they have already done so, and

are to exercise them for a fitting time, in order to be better

disposed for the future service of the word and of the altar.

Dispensation from the reception of these ministries on

the part of such candidates is reserved to the Holy See.

III. The liturgical rites by which admission of candidates for

the diaconate and the presbyterate takes place and the

above-mentioned ministries are conferred should be per-

formed by the ordinary of the aspirant (the bishop and, in

clerical institutes of perfection, the major superior).

IV. The intervals established by the Holy See or by the episco-

pal conferences between the conferring—during the course

of theological studies—of the ministry of readers and that

of acolytes, and between the ministry of acolytes and the

order of deacons must be observed.

V. Before ordination candidates for the diaconate shall give

to the ordinary (the bishop and, in clerical institutes of

perfection, the major superior) a declaration made out

and signed in their own hano, by which they testify that

they are about to receive the order freely and of their own

accord.

VI. The special consecration of celibacy observed for the sake

of the kingdom of heaven and its obligation for candidates

to the priesthood and for unmarried candidates to the

diaconate are linked with the diaconate. The public com-

mitment to holy celibacy before God and the Church is

to be celebrated in a particular rite, even by religious,

and it is to precede ordination to the diaconate. Celibacy

taken on in this way is a diriment impediment to entering

marriage.

In accordance with the traditional discipline of the

church, a married deacon who has lost his wife cannot

enter a new marriage.^®

14



VII. a

)

Deacons called to the priesthood are not to be ordained

until they have completed the course of studies pre-

scribed by the norms of the Apostolic See.

b) In regard to the course of theological studies to pre-

cede the ordination of permanent deacons, the episco-

pal conferences, with attention to the local situation,

will issue the proper norms and submit them for the

approval of the Sacred Congregation for Catholic

Education.

VIII. In accordance with norms 29-30 of the General Instruc-

tion for the Liturgy of the Hours;

a) Deacons called to the priesthood are bound by their

sacred ordination to the obligation of celebrating the

liturgy of the hours;

b) it is most fitting that permanent deacons should recite

daily at least a part of the liturgy of the hours, to be

determined by the episcopal conference.

IX. Entrance into the clerical state and incardination into a

diocese are brought about by ordination to the diaconate.

X. The rite of admission for candidates to the diaconate and

priesthood and of the special consecration of holy celibacy

is to be published soon by the competent department of

the Roman Curia.

Transitional Norms. Candidates for the sacrament of

orders who have already received first tonsure before the pro-

mulgation of this letter, retain all the duties, rights and privileges

of clerics. Those who have been promoted to the order of sub-

diaconate are held to the obligations taken on in regard to both

celibacy and the liturgy of the hours. But they must celebrate

once again their public commitment to celibacy before God and

the Church by the new special rite preceding ordination to the

diaconate.

All that has been decreed by us in this letter, in motii

proprio form, we order to be confirmed and ratified, anything to

the contrary notwithstanding. We also determine that it shall

come into force on January 1, 1973.

15



Given in Rome at Saint Peter’s, on August 15, the Solem-

nity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the year

1972, the tenth of our pontificate.

PAUL PP. VI

1 See Second Vatican Council, dogmatic constitution Lumen gentium, No. 18:

AAS 57 (1965), 21-22.
^ See Philippians 1:1.

3 See 1 Timothy 3:8-13.

* Ad Magnesias, VI, 1: Patres ApostoUci, ed. F. X. Funk, I (Tubingen, 1901),

p. 235.

Ad TraUianos, II, 3: Patres ApostoUci, ed. F. X. Funk, I (Tubingen, 1901),

p. 245.

^ Epistula Ad Philippenses, V, 2: Patres ApostoUci, ed. F. X. Funk, I (Tubingen,

1901), pp. 301-303.

7 Matthew 20:26-27.

Didascalia Apostolorum, III, 13, 2-4: Didascalia et Constitutiones Apostolorum,

ed. F. X. Funk, I (Paderborn, 1906), p. 214.

** Didascalia Apostolorum, II, 44, 4; ed. F. X. Funk, I, p. 138.

*** See Traditio Apostolica, 39 and 34; La Tradition ApostoUque de Saint Hippo-

lyte, Essai de reconstitution by B. Botte (Munster, 1963), pp. 87 and 81.

77 Testamentum D. N. lesu Christi, I, 38; edited and translated into Latin by

I. E. Rahmani (Mainz, 1899), p. 93.
7 - See Saint Justin, Apologia I, 65, 5 and 67, 5: Saint Justin, Apologiae duae;

ed. G. Rauschen (Bonn, 191 1-), pp. 107 and 111.

*7 See Tertullian, De Baptismo, XVII, 1 : Corpus Christianorum, I, Tertulliani

Opera, pars I, (Turnholt, 1954), p. 291.

7-* See Didascalia Apostolorum, II, 31, 2: ed. F. X. Funk, I, p. 112; cf. Testa-

mentum D. N. lesu Christi, I, 31: edited and translated into Latin by I. E. Rahmani

(Mainz, 1899), p. 75.

7'"> See Didascalia Apostolorum, II, 57, 6; 58, 1: ed. F. X. Funk, I, pp. 162 and

166.

i*'See Saint Cyprian, Epistolae XV and XVI: ed. G. Hartel (Vienna, 1871), pp.
513-520; cf. Saint Augustine, De catechizandis rudibus, I, cap. I, 1; PL 40, 309-310.

17 Session XXIII, capp. I-IV: Mansi, XXXIII, 138-140.

7 8 Address to the Participants in the Second International Congress of the Lay

Apostolate, October 5, 1957; AAS 49 (1957), 925.
79 Matthew 20:28.

20 AAS 57 (1965) 36.
91 Ibid.

22 AAS 59 (1967), 697-704.
23^4^5 60 (1968), 369-373.

27 See Second Vatican Council, dogmatic constitution Dei Verbum, no. 21: AAS
58 (1966), 827.

25 See Romans 12:11-13.
26 See Paul VI, apostolic letter Sacrum Diaconatus Ordinem, no. 16: AAS 59

(1967), 701.

16



Pastoral Commentary

I

The Development of Ministries

in the Church

One of the signs of the dynamic life of the Church today

is the development of new forms of ministry—the witness of a

Church eager to make itself seen and felt in the world of man

and the evidence of a greening after a long winter of introspec-

tion. One can feel this surge of vitality in new concerns for the

marginal man and the stigmatized, experimental approaches to

pastoral and ecumenical teamwork, a rediscovery of the impor-

tance of religious education for the adult Christian, and the use

of socioeconomic and political activity as ministry—to mention

but a few.

The ecclesiastical structure of ministry is adjusting to this

surge of vitality. While old ministries are sharpened and given

clearer recognition, the way is open to the formal acceptance of

other public ministries. We have seen the suppression of the

minor orders of the clergy and the subdiaconate as steps to the

priesthood, the restoration of the permanent diaconate for mar-

ried men, and the institution of the office of reader and acolyte

as specific lay ministries. At first glance, it looks as if the Church

is arbitrarily reshuffling its traditional ministerial structure, but

in reality it is responding to a not-so-subtle adjustment in the

theology of ministry. At the risk of over-simplification, we shall

highlight some of the historical developments in this theology of

ministry.

There are two exaggerations to be avoided in reviewing

the practice and structure of ministry in the New Testament:

( 1 ) the New Testament is a unified document which presents a

clear and fully developed picture of Church order and Church

ministry; and (2) New Testament ministry, inspired by the

freshness of the Easter experience and animated by the promised

17

1

MINISTRY IN THE

NEW TESTAMENT
—DIALECTICAL AND
FLEXIBLE



spirit, is completely unstructured. In reality, ministry in the

New Testament is characterized by on-going development

through creative tension between the spontaneous and charis-

matic on the one hand and the legislative and custodial on the

other. In early New Testament times, the charismatic was pre-

dominant. In later New Testament times the emphasis was on

guarding the tradition, but neither approach excluded the other.

In a word. New Testament ministry was a growth process search-

ing for flexible structures to meet the needs of the Church, help

it to adjust to its new environments and keep it faithful to the

Gospel with its ideal of Christian service.

Biblical scholars have been peeling away the layers of his-

tory, culture, language, and theology in the New Testament in

order to understand better the early Church experiences. One

can only summarize some of their findings related to ministry:

—the Gospels indicate that Jesus gave his disciples few

instructions about how to organize the Christian community;

—the first leaders of the Jerusalem community introduced

flexible structures of ministry in order to serve the needs of all

segments of the growing Church;

—the Twelve recognized that they could guide the Church

in carrying out its ministry of reconciliation only by creating

a flexible Church order;

—the apostles recognized and encouraged the variety of

spiritual gifts present within the body of Christ;

—it is clear that the earliest books of the New Testament

present a rich diversity of ministries for laymen and laywomen,

and some of these ministries were not formalized by the laying

on of hands;

—it was only in the later New Testament era when the

Churches were reflecting on their traditions and searching for

canons of belief that fixed, empirical criteria of the apostolic

office so familiar to us would be formulated;

—it is doubtful that a single ecclesiastical office remains

today in the same form as the New Testament Churches em-

ployed it.

18



In conclusion, the development of offices in the apostolic

Church did not follow any single pattern, and the small amount

of material in the New Testament on this subject makes it diffi-

cult to determine the historical modes which guided such

development.

The later developments of ministry within the Church were

influenced by a set of factors entirely different from those opera-

tive in the New Testament Church: the fading immediacy of the

Easter experience, the gradual realization that the second coming

of Jesus was not at hand, the numerical and geographic/cultural

growth of the Church, civil organizational structures, the re-

sponse of the Church to persecution and religious freedom, and

the general human tendency to institutionalize a charism and

surround it with juridical norms and procedures.

Before long, the presbyteral ministry began to incorporate

the functions of other ministries and, as a consequence, to create

a rather clear division between “minister” and “those ministered

to.” For example, in the 3rd and 4th centuries there was, as

we will explain later, a widespread development of so-called

“minor orders”—door-keeper, exorcist, lector, and acolyte. These

orders developed as lay ministries designed to serve a real need,

and before long some form of public and ecclesiastical recogni-

tion was deemed appropriate. But within the course of time

these lay ministries disappeared into the presbyteral one. The

diaconate suffered the same fate and, over a long period of time,

all of these separate formal ministries became stepping stones

to, and were included in, the priesthood.

The healthy dialectic and flexibility of the New Testament

and the creative tension they produced prevented the small early

Church from becoming stagnant. The dissident reformers in

the 16th century provided the Church with a challenging oppor-

tunity to regain a sense of balance between charism and office,

spontaneity and structure, lay involvement and clerical control.

Unfortunately for all of Christianity, the excesses of the

reformers produced an inflexible stubbornness in the Church

authorities rather than creative tension. On the one hand, the

reformers freed the layman from his bonds to Church authority

19

2

LATER DEVELOPMENTS—

TOWARD CLERICALIZATION

3

THE REFORMATION-
SETTING UP THE

DEFENSES



and did away with ecclesiastical class distinctions. They at-

tacked the clerical priesthood and proclaimed the universal

priesthood of the whole Church. On the other hand, the official

Catholic Church authorities and their theologians reacted by

defending the clerical priesthood and focusing so intensely on the

Eucharist that other aspects of ministry developed slowly. Thus,

what could well have been a healthy dialectic turned out to be a

retreat into rigid positions, the effects of which are only now

being removed.

4

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS—

THE SEARCH FOR

BALANCE

It took the Catholic Church a long^ time to get over its

defensiveness and to examine ministry with an unjaundiced eye

in the light of historical research and contemporary needs. In

the 1930’s we saw the call to Catholic social action built on the

premise that the Church must be involved legitimately in such

matters as peace, justice, housing, and education as a preparation

for the actual implementation of the Gospel. Such Catholic

social action, it was hypothesized, would do much to break down

the barriers of suspicion and mistrust so that people would

neither be kept from approaching the Church nor be tempted to

leave the Church. Once people would see the Church’s interest

in the concrete problems associated with their lives, the work of

preaching the Gospel and worshipping God in sacrament could

be approached more formally.

In the 1940’s and 1950’s we saw the development of the

lay apostolate which was defined as the participation of the laity

in the work of the hierarchy. The lay apostolate was built on

the premise that ministry was both the responsibility and the

domain of the clerical Church and the laity were invited to share

in this privilege and responsibility through service in the world.

And in the 1960’s, we saw the development of lay ministry

which is built on the premise that ministry is the privilege and

responsibility of the total Church and everyone is called by

baptism to exercise it, each in his own way and according to

his own call and gifts.

As a result of this more recent emphasis on the theology of

ministry the five main functions of ministry—teaching, preach-

ing, celebrating, organizing, and individual pastoral care—are no

20



longer the exclusive domain of the ordained minister although

some aspects require the Sacrament of Orders.

It is within this broad development of ministry, which can

be represented as a jagged line rather than a straight one, that

the new lay ministries in the Church should be reviewed. They

are an attempt on the part of the Church to put into practice

the theology of ministry developed amid dialectic and creative

tension at the Second Vatican Council.

21



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II

The Institution of Readers and

Acolytes

Until January of 1973, the Latin Church celebrated the

ordination of clerics to the minor orders : reader, acolyte, porter,

and exorcist. While the service was taken seriously, practically

everyone felt an uneasiness about these pre-sacerdotal steps. The

young clerics (they had all been tonsured) took the orders as

just so many necessary mini-steps toward the giant steps of major

orders (subdiaconate, diaconate) which led to the priesthood.

The faithful could hardly see the minor orders in any other

light. The young men had all served Mass as boys, so why “aco-

lytes” now? Lectors? They had all read during the liturgy (at

least during these post-Vatican II days). The parish had a

capable sacristan and a faithful group of ushers. Why “door-

keeper”—these lads? And exorcists?

What was felt by cleric and layman alike—though not

always expressed in just so many words—was a certain liturgical

anachronism. These rites and orders belonged to another era.

They no longer seemed necessary; indeed, the graces and gifts

petitioned for during the service did not correspond to the func-

tional situation. The young clerics would certainly not be door-

keepers or exorcists! Ultimately, it seems the ordination could

only be reduced to any empty form! Corresponding to nothing

in the vital life of the Church, they served as useless sign posts

to a distant past.

The need for a revision of the ordination rites was recog-

nized by the Fathers of Vatican Council II. In view of the com-

plexity of the matter, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy

could do no more than laconically state: “Both the ceremonies

and texts of the ordination rites are to be revised.”

23



1

HISTORIC VIEW OF

MINOR ORDERS

Before the end of the second century there is no mention in

any of the extant historical documents of any so-called “orders”

below that of diaconate. Bishop, presbyter, and deacon are

consistently adverted to as the ministers of the Church.

Tertullian (160-230) is the first to mention the presence

of an officially recognized lector or reader in the community

{Depraescr. 41), From then on the presence of the lector has

been attested to in the Churches of the West as well as of the

East,

The existence of the other three minor orders is known

best from the rather detailed description that Pope St. Cornelius

(c. 250) gave of the Church in Rome in his letter to his friend

Fabius. He enumerates the clergy of Rome: 1 bishop; 46 priests

(presbyters); 7 deacons; 7 subdeacons; 42 acolytes; 52 exorcists,

readers and Church maintenance personnel (ostiarii) {Eusebuis.

Hist. eccl. VI, 43, no. 11).

The Gelasian Sacramentary, a papal Mass book with for-

mulas dating from the fourth-fifth centuries, speaks of the same

ministerial structure of the Church in the solemn prayers for

Good Friday (Mohlberg, nos. 404, 405).

By the early part of the seventh century the role of the

exorcist and doorkeeper had disappeared in the city of Rome.

No mention is made of the two orders in the official liturgical

documents (M. Andrieu. “Les ordres mineurs dans I’ancien

rite romain,” Revue de sciences religieuses, 5 [1925] 253).

Some explanation must be sought for this disappearance.

With the decrease in adult catechumens the need for baptismal

preparation with its cycle of ritual exorcisms had decreased pro-

portionately. These exorcisms had been the concern of the

official exorcists. (See M. Andrieu. Ordines Romani nos. 11,

35).

It is possible that the absence of a group of adult catechu-

mens and the official recognition of the Christian religion affected

the ministerial role of the doorkeeper.

In the tenth century the orders had been added to the Ger-

manic liturgy—not out of any pastoral necessity or utility but

artificially. By the twelfth century when the liturgy had made

24



the full circuit from Rome to Gaul, to Germany and back to

Rome, the two orders which were no longer conferred in Rome

were reintroduced there.

Outside Rome, yet in the West, the ministries were not

exclusively limited to the traditional four. Spain, for example,

had its order of sacristans in charge of the books and scrip-

toriums. In a certain Church in Numidia (Africa) there is even

evidence of an order of gravediggers.

It should be noted, however, that in the East, except in

those Churches that conformed to the Latin discipline, there

were only two orders below that of diaconate: subdeacon and

reader.

In Syria there was the order of psalmists but their function

seems to coincide with that of the reader. In fact, even today

in the Byzantine rite, the order of psalmist is conferred along

with that of reader.

From this short historical survey, one point is clear:

throughout the centuries the Church has abolished, changed and

increased the officially recognized ministries within the com-

munity according to the needs of the particular times.

It is in view of historical considerations as well as present

needs that the Church has seen fit to alter the practice concern-

ing minor orders.

1. The orders of exorcist and doorkeeper are no longer actual

ministries operative in the community today and, thus, according

to the principium veritatis (principle of truth), are to be

discontinued.

2. The lay ministries of acolyte and reader are to continue but

their function is broadened and clarified.

3. The use of the term ordination is limited to those ordination

rites in which there is a distinct laying on of hands: diaconate,

priesthood, and episcopacy—and only those so ordained are

considered clerics.

4. The term “ministry” is to be used in place of “order.” The

title is in terms of function rather than ecclesial position.

5. The rites for the bestowal of the restored ministries of aco-

lyte and reader are revised. They are not ordination rites but

rites of institution—also called investiture or installation.

25



6. The ministries are no longer seen in terms of steps toward

priestly ordination but in terms of serviee (ministry) within the

Chureh community.

Thus, on August 15, 1972, Pope Paul VI issued the two

apostolic letters motu proprio, effective January 1, 1973, con-

cerning orders and ministries in the Church,

The first of these, Ministeria quaedam, suppressed tonsure

and minor orders in the Latin Church, so that only ordained

deacons, priests, and bishops will be considered as constituting

the “clergy.” Two ministries, of readers and of acolytes, have

been established—for laymen who may or may not be candidates

for orders.

The other apostolic letter. Ad pascendum, dealt with a new

rite in which candidates for the diaconate (other than married

men) are to make public commitment to celibacy. It also pro-

vided for a rite for admission to candidacy for orders.

2

SELECTION AND
PREPARATION

Several questions arise in the selection of men to be insti-

tuted as readers and acolytes. Who? How many? On what

basis?

The letter, Ministeria quaedam addresses itself to these

practical questions only in a general way. Furthermore, it tends

to overlook the fact that thousands upon thousands of laymen

are now functioning in the capacity of reader and to a less extent

as acolytes.

Simply to institute all these persons in the ministries would

be an abuse. Rather, from the midst of the “uninstituted” minis-

ters, there will emerge individuals of outstanding quality—out-

standing in the cultic ministry as well as exemplary in the whole

of Christian life.

Since the individual emerges from the midst of the com-

munity, the community in turn will be aware of his special quali-

fications and recognize or designate him for official institution.

This, perhaps, might be one of the functions of the parish council

—as the representative body of the local community.

This slow process of “emergence” will answer the question

of “how many” should be instituted in the ministries.

26



Special qualifications will vary with each ministry. In gen-

eral one would expect to find a spirit of ministerial dedication

and fidelity, the capacity to function well in the ministry (with

an obvious style and presence), as well as the presupposed

qualities of an outstanding Christian layman.

At the present time “in accordance with the venerable tra-

dition of the Church, installation in the ministries of reader and

acolyte is reserved to men” (no. VII). This is taken as gratui-

tous and defensive discrimination against women, and of course

it does create a contradiction since the Congregation of the Sac-

raments does demand a ritual deputation of a woman who is to

serve as a special minister of holy communion. In fact, women

at the present time properly fulfill some of the ministerial func-

tions of the reader and acolyte but are not to be officially insti-

tuted in these ministries.

Are there any further requirements in preparation for insti-

tution once the candidates for reader and acolyte have been

selected?

Unlike the previous minor orders there are no required

canonical examinations, no prescribed spiritual retreat, no testi-

monial letters. The candidate should, however, present a peti-

tion to the Ordinary requesting to be instituted as a lay minister.

Other than the absence of the positive requirements mentioned

in the Apostolic Letter, there are no canonical impediments or

irregularities for the lay ministries.

Ministeria quaedam leaves the establishment of the suitable

age and specific qualities to the episcopal conference. The

American episcopal conference in November 1973 decided on

the following:

“1. No one should be instituted in the ministries of reader or

acolyte without a period of thorough preparation in all the

aspects of the respective ministry, as determined in nos. V and
VI of the Apostolic Letter Ministeria quaedam. This period, as

well as the program of formation, shall be determined by the

ordinary; it should generally be from three to six months in

length, in order to ascertain and develop the specific require-

ments of the respective ministry and the necessary leadership

qualities.

27



“2. The minimum age for institution in the ministries of reader

or acolyte shall be eighteen; the ordinary may dispense from

this norm in individual cases. (This age should be an assurance

of sufficient maturity; in the case of those who may later be

candidates for orders or those in pre-theological studies, it will

be the occasion for a prior ministry.)

“3. No one instituted as a reader may be instituted as an aco-

lyte and no one instituted as an acolyte may be instituted as a

reader until he has actually exercised the first ministry for a

period of at least six months; the ordinary may dispense from

this norm in particular cases, but only if this can be done without

detriment to the distinction of the two ministries and the authen-

ticity of their exercise.”

After the institution of lay ministers has been celebrated, a

formal certificate should be issued to the individual as a record

and a register should be kept with the names of instituted readers

and acolytes and the place, date, and minister of institution (see

canon 1010).

The period of pre-institution formation referred to in the

Instruction is to be determined by the ordinary. If the full six-

month period is utilized, approximately twenty-four study ses-

sions could be scheduled, one meeting per week. The purpose

of this period is to prepare the person for the ministry by the

imparting of knowledge as well as the development of practical

skills intended to foster the self-identity and confidence needed

to function effectively as an instituted reader or acolyte.

The specific program established within a diocese will be

designed according to available sources as well as the number

preparing for institution. One central diocesan program might

prove adequate for one area, whereas inter-parochial programs

might be needed in another.

The following is offered as a possible schema for a rather

extensive formation period for readers and acolytes. The ten

introductory sessions are rather generic yet fundamental to a

clear understanding of ministry—especially cultic ministry.

Ordinarily the person who is instituted in one of the ministries

should not be a candidate for another (except in the case of

candidates for orders, not considered here). If this should ever

28



occur, one who has attended the ten introductory sessions (for

example, in preparation for institution as a reader) need not re-

peat them during his formation prior to institution as an acolyte.

After the tenth class, those preparing for institution as

readers are separated from the acolytes-to-be. A two track sys-

tem thus emerges. The readers receive additional preparation in

the area of sacred scripture; the acolytes in that of the eucharist.

The final period of the program is the “practicum”, the do-it-

yourself practice—criticism sessions. If necessary, the period

may be extended as it is extremely important.

With the first separate class for readers, each might be pre-

sented with a copy of the lectionary, possibly a small, study

edition now available. At each class, a period (beginning or

end) should be set aside for scripture reading and reflection.

Thus, from the first session, the persons are challenged to read

publicly. During the course of the meetings some may find them-

selves unable to function effectively; others might have to be told

that they are and will be unable to do so—even after individual

tutoring. This is part of the built-in selectivity of the training

program.

The acolytes-to-be receive further instruction concerning

the eucharist and in particular those aspects that touch upon

their liturgical ministry. The “practicum” should clarify their

precise role as well as instill self-confidence and presence.

A. Introductory Sessions

1 . General Orientation

2. Church and Baptism:

calls to service

3. Ministries in the

Community

4. Liturgical Ministries

5. Liturgy in the Church

6. Liturgy and Vatican II

Use of Study Text 3

The place of ministries in

the ecclesial community

Scriptural, theological, his-

torical considerations of

ministry

History, types, theology

Definition, theology, history

Principles of reform and

renewal

29

3

SUGGESTED TRAINING

PROGRAM FOR READERS
AND ACOLYTES



7. Theology of the

Eucharist

8. Liturgy of the Word

9. Liturgy of the

Eucharist

10.

Concluding Session

Theology, structure

Theology, role of the sac-

ramentary, lectionary

Content and structure of

the Eucharistic Prayers

Specific questions, areas

of concern

B. The Training of Readers

1 1 . General Introduction to the Bible

12. Old Testament

13. Old Testament

14. Old Testament

15. Introduction to the Gospels

16. Gospels

17. Gospels

18. Introduction to the Epistles

19. Epistles

20-24.

Practicum in the Theory and Art of Public Reading,

Liturgical Reading, Use of Video Tape, Criticism of

Performance.

25. Study of the Rite of Institution of Readers.

C. The Training of Acolytes

1 1 . The Historical Development of the Eucharist

12. The Constitution on the Liturgy, Chapter II: The

Eucharist

13. The Eucharist as Sacrament and Sacrifice

14. Study of the Four Eucharistic Prayers in the Roman

Rite

30



15. Communion under Both Kinds

1 6. Communion to the Sick ( Study Text 1

)

17-24.

A study and practice of the rites for distribution of

communion within and outside of the Mass, the rite

of exposition, the preparation of the altar and vessels,

the style and presence of the acolyte.

25. Study of the Rite of Institution of Acolytes

The liturgical institution will ordinarily be celebrated by

the bishop in whose diocese the individual will (first) exercise CELEBRATION OF

the ministry. Priests may not be delegated to celebrate these INSTITUTION

rites.

The place of the celebration (parish church, cathedral,

seminary) will depend on several factors: the availability of

the bishop, the number of readers and acolytes to be instituted,

etc. In any case, it is to be a public celebration according to

the liturgical rites revised by the Apostolic See (see Appendix).

The institution rite, celebrated within Mass or a celebration of

the Word of God, follows the gospel. The new Roman Missal

includes the proper for the Mass for use on this occasion: “For

the Ministers of the Church.” The readings are selected com-

pletely or in part from the liturgy of the day or from the sug-

gested texts.

The simple but adequate rite of institution (See Appendix I,

II) consists of:

1. Calling of the candidates

2. Homily

3. Prayer and blessing

4. Acceptance of the sign of ministry

If the number of candidates is large, it is appropriate to

sing psalm 18, “Song of Triumph for the Kings,” or any appro-

priate musical selection during the acceptance of the sign of

ministry (the book of scripture for readers, bread or wine for

acolytes )

.

31



5

SEMINARIANS, RELIGIOUS,

PERMANENT DEACONS

The ministries of reader and acolyte are not to be seen as

steps to orders as the previous minor orders in fact were. First

of all, the ministries are no longer limited to clerical candidates

and secondly the basis of the call is the fitness of the candidate

for that specific ministry in itself—not in view of an eventual

diaconal or priestly ordination.

Nevertheless, these two ministries do remain a requirement

for ordination. In the future it may not be uncommon for a

young man entering the major seminary to have already been

instituted as a reader and/or acolyte. When this is not the case,

the seminarian should ask to be instituted in these ministries

when he is prepared to exercise them. The norms for selection

and preparation are the same as those listed above.

There is no hardfast set order for the reception of these

ministries. The installation into the ministry of acolyte can

precede that of reader.

Although the institution of reader and acolyte need not

precede the seminarian’s admission to candidacy for orders, it

normally would. Sufficient time and spacing must be given for

the opportunity to actually function as reader and acolyte. In

the United States this is at least six months.

Obviously a bishop should not institute readers or acolytes

for another diocese, but in the case of candidates for orders (di-

aconate, presbyterate) who are actually living and serving in a

diocese other than their own, for example, in a seminary, it is

appropriate for the bishop of the diocese where the seminary is

located to institute them in the ministry.

The institution in ministries has only the juridical effect

that the person (whether a layman or an eventual candidate for

orders) is an instituted or recognized minister in the Church.

There are no juridical effects similar to those of the clerical state

and no obligation on the part of the Church authorities to sup-

port the minister or the like. The minister does, however, have

the responsibilities and duties outlined in the documents and

rites, to be exercised under the authority of the bishop and the

local pastor or rector of the Church where the ministry is

exercised.

32



What has been said so far concerning the two ministries

applies to religious as well, with a few exceptions.

In the place of the bishop the major superior of a religious

order (not a delegate) may be the celebrant at the institution

rites. The letters of petition are addressed to him; record of

the installations are kept on file.

Religious instituted as reader and acolyte are to serve the

liturgical needs of their particular communities. To function

in a given parish the permission of the local pastor or rector of

the Church is required.

In the average parish situation, the need for ministries of

reader and acolyte will normally be filled by the laymen of the

community. The religious best fulfill these ministries within

their own religious communities.

Those men preparing for the office of permanent deacons

in the Church are also to be instituted as readers and acolytes

early enough to allow for an interval of ministerial function.

The minimum period in the United States is six months for each

ministry.

The instruction does make provision for those cases where

there are reasons for proceeding to ordination without delay.

In such cases institution in ministries may be omitted with the

permission of the Apostolic See. These will be exceptional cases.

The apostolic letter Ministeria quaedam, reserves institu- 6

tion into the ministry of reader and acolyte to men. It should WOMEN MINISTERS

be clearly understood, however, that although the liturgical rite

of institution is so limited, in terms of actual ministerial function

women are not necessarily excluded.

By special indult from the Congregation for the Discipline

of the Sacraments, granted in 1970 at the request of the Ameri-

can episcopal conference, women have fulfilled the role of reader

in liturgical celebrations. They have also undertaken the aco-

lyte’s function as special minister of holy communion when pas-

toral needs so demanded it.

The original edition of the general instruction of the Roman

Missal stated that “When a qualified man is not available, the

33



conference of bishops may permit a woman to proclaim the

readings prior to the gospel, while standing outside the sanctu-

ary,” On December 23, 1972 the Congregation for Divine Wor-

ship promulgated a list of changes in the Roman Missal. The

above quotation was one. The revised text reads: “Those who

exercise the ministry of readers, even though they have not been

instituted, should be qualified and carefully prepared so that

the reading will develop in the faithful an appreciation of scrip-

ture. The conference of bishops may permit a qualified woman

to proclaim the readings prior to the gospel and announce the

intentions of the general intercessions” (no. 66).

Nevertheless, the exclusion of women from the liturgical

institution in the ministries of reader and acolyte seems unneces-

sary and has been judged by many women to be offensive and

discriminatory. In particular, the injunction of Gaudium et spes

(no. 29) against such distinctions has been cited, especially

since liturgical institution in the two ministries does not involve

the sacrament of holy orders.

This position does not touch in any direct way the discussed

and controverted disciplinary or doctrinal issue of the reception

of orders by women. The Apostolic See has clearly and explicitly

removed the two ministries in question away from the close rela-

tionship to the sacrament of orders which they had enjoyed as

minor orders.



Ill

Ministerial Functions

of Acolyte and Reader

The Constitution on the Liturgy rightly states that “liturgi-

cal services pertain to the whole body of the Church; they mani-

fest it and have effects upon it; but they concern the individual

members of the Church in different ways, according to their

differing rank, office, and actual participation” (no. 26). Or,

more specifically, “in liturgical celebrations each person, minis-

ter or layman, who has an office to perform, should do all, but

only, those parts which pertain to his office by nature of the rite

and the principles of liturgy” ( no. 28 )

.

The revision of the minor orders and the abolition of the

subdiaconate has helped to clarify the ministerial roles in the

liturgical celebration below that of diaconate. The ministers

(reader and acolyte) have definite functions as outlined in

Ministeria quaedam and further clarified in the variations of the

new Roman Missal (Congregation for Divine Worship, Decem-

ber 23, 1972, hereafter referred to as Variations).

The instituted acolyte is first of all a minister in the liturgi-

cal celebration with the specific function of assisting the deacon

or priest. This entails the preparation of the altar and the sacred

vessels (Variations, no. 65) before the celebration as well as

during it. “After the general intercessions the offertory song

begins. The ministers place the corporal, purificator, chalice,

and missal on the altars” (General Instruction, no. 100). “The

offerings of the people are received by the priest, assisted by

the ministers” (ibid. no. 103). If incense is used, the minister

assists the priest (in the absence of a deacon) and incenses the

priest and people at the offertory.

The acolyte is by office a special minister of the Eucharist.

He is to function in this capacity according to the guidelines

35

1

LITURGICAL FUNCTIONS

OF ACOLYTES



2

LITURGICAL FUNCTIONS

OF READERS

established in the instruction Immensae Caritatis (see Study

Text 1).

After the priest (deacon) has received communion, the

celebrant gives communion (under both kinds) to the acolyte

and then gives him the vessel with hosts to distribute communion

to the faithful following the same rite as the ordinary minister.

“The vessels are cleansed by the priest, deacon, or acolyte

after communion or after Mass, if possible at the side table”

(Variations, no. 238).

As a special minister of the Eucharist the acolyte is quali-

fied to give communion outside the Mass to himself and to other

members of the faithful in the absence of an ordinary minister

of communion or if such a minister is impeded by age, bad

health, or other duties of the pastoral ministry. Thus he may

bring communion to the sick—in their homes, in hospitals and

other institutions, homes for the aged, etc.

Following the above principle about the unavailability of

an ordinary minister of the Eucharist, the acolyte is also per-

mitted to expose the Blessed Sacrament (without bestowing the

blessing) when necessary.

In addition to the above mentioned functions, the acolyte

should be called upon to instruct others who assist in the liturgi-

cal celebration.

The primary function of the instituted reader is to read

the Word of God in the liturgical assembly. In this capacity he

fulfills many of the functions of the suppressed order of sub-

deacon (5^e Variations)

.

The reader may carry the lectionary in the entrance pro-

cession and read the lesson(s) before the gospel, for reading

the scriptures is traditionally considered a ministerial, not a presi-

dential function. (For the same reason it is desirable that the

gospel be read by the deacon or in his absence by a priest other

than the celebrant. Only in the absence of a deacon or another

priest, should the celebrant read the gospel text [see General

Instruction, no. 34].) The reader has his own proper function

in the eucharistic celebration and should be called upon to

exercise this even though ministers of a higher rank are present.

36



When there is no psalmist present the reader recites the

responsorial psalm and in the absence of a deacon or cantor

makes the intentions of the general intercessions. In the case

where there is no leader of song the reader may also fulfill this

function.

Lest the reader become a ministerial factotum it is ideal to

employ other ministers (cantor, psalmist, leader of music) and

limit the reader’s functions to those which are specifically his

and for which he is properly prepared.

It is appropriate for ordinaries, “for a reasonable cause and

in particular cases,” to permit readers to exercise a ministry of

preaching. This is by analogy with canon no. 1342, §1, which

refers to tonsured clerics and those in minor orders, now re-

placed by the ministries. Such a permission should be given

only in view of the capacity of the individuals and circum-

stances; it should not be done to the prejudice of the ministry of

the word exercised by those in orders (deacon, priest, bishop).

The reader, as a permanent minister, can help in preparing

other temporary readers as they are needed in the celebration of

the liturgy.

Finally, the reader can assist in preparing the faithful for

the worthy reception of the sacraments. This task, in the United

States at least, has been attended to by the catechists, teachers

of religious education, and others with formal training and prepa-

ration. The catechist performs a ministry that in the future

may also be given formal recognization as an official ministry

within the Christian community.

37



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IV

The Rite of Admission to Candidacy

With the suppression of the rite of tonsure, the entrance

into the clerical state has been joined to the diaconate. Prior to

the reception of the diaconate, however, a new rite has been

introduced by which the aspirant to the diaconate publicly

manifests his desire to eventually ask to enter into holy orders.

The celebration of the rite marks the individual among the

official candidates for the diaconate or priesthood.

The apostolic letter Ad pascendum which introduced the

new rite does not require the presentation of formal testimonial

letters prior to admission to candidacy but does indicate that

suitable means should be taken to make certain that the candi-

dates “give signs of an authentic vocation and, endowed with

good qualities and free from mental and physical defects, wish

to dedicate their lives to the service of the Church for the glory

of God and the good of souls” (no. 16).

In this statement we find the positive requirements for ad-

mission to candidacy for orders. Although there are no canoni-

cal impediments to candidacy, existence of an impediment or

irregularity for orders should be taken into account with a view

to dispensation prior to ordination.

Seminarians aspiring to the transitional diaconate (who

will go on to the priesthood) must be at least twenty years old

and have begun their theological program of studies before the

rite of admission. For a just cause the ordinary may dispense

from this age requirement.

No bishop may accept a candidate for another diocese; he

should not celebrate the rite of admission without a letter from

the bishop who has accepted the candidate. There is nothing to

prevent one ordinary from entrusting the liturgical rite to another

if he is incapacitated or otherwise unable to receive his own

1

REQUIREMENTS FOR

ADMISSION TO

CANDIDACY

39



candidates. Although there is no mention of dimissorial letters

in the apostolic letter, there must be some record that the admis-

sion to candidacy by a bishop other than the proper bishop is

done lawfully. Priests may not be delegated to take the place

of the ordinary (the bishop and, in clerical institutes of perfec-

tion, the major superior) for the rite of admission to candidacy.

2

SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE

OF RITE

3

RELIGIOUS

The Congregation for Divine Worship wishes to stress the

spiritual significance of the rite of admission as it is considered

the occasion when the candidate makes his initial public expres-

sion of intention to eventually ask for ordination. At the same

time, it is the occasion for the community to pray for him in

view of this resolution. For the individual it marks a definite

period of preparation for a specific ministry in the ecclesial

community.

The minimum, by way of requirement, is a maturity of

purpose and way of life. That the individual has reached the

point in his life where he can sincerely state his intention to dedi-

cate himself to the service of God and man by eventually accept-

ing the responsibilities of the diaconate and/or priesthood, is a

prudential judgment to be made first of all by the candidate

himself and secondly by those directly involved and in charge of

his formation. More is involved than merely chronological

maturity.

The candidate’s proper ordinary is determined as for other

lay people. The admission to candidacy, establishes a new spiri-

tual bond between the ordinary and candidate as well as the

local Church in which the candidate will serve.

Candidacy for orders has none of the juridical effects of

tonsure. The person does not become a cleric, he is not incardi-

nated, nor is there any strict contractual relationship of a canoni-

cal nature between the ordinary and the candidate.

The apostolic letter clearly states that “professed members

of clerical congregations who seek the priesthood ( or diaconate

)

are not bound to this rite” (la).

It is evidently an oversight that the religious need not cele-

brate this rite of admission which is quite distinct from the com-

40



mitment publicly made at the time of religious profession. For

this reason it is preferable that religious also celebrate this rite.

In clerical institutes the major superior is competent for

this acceptance in the place of the bishop (see no, 3),

The bishop (or major superior for religious) is the celebrant 4

for the rite of admission. By its very nature it presupposes a CELEBRATION OF RITE

public celebration within the Mass or an appropriate liturgy of

the word. The rite can be celebrated on any day although feast

days would be the more fitting. The rite of admission should

never be celebrated at the same time an ordination or institution

of ministers takes place. The readings, taken from the liturgy

of the day—totally or in part—should be selected in accordance

with the occasion. The new rite proposes alternate scriptural

texts.

After the gospel reading the homily given by the bishop

develops the scripture passages in relation to the mystery of

vocation—God’s call as well as man’s response in faith.

Each candidate is then called by name to stand before the

bishop and community. The celebrant proceeds to question the

individual as to his intention concerning his ministry in the

Church and his seriousness of intent to prepare fittingly for it.

The short concluding prayer for the candidates is followed by a

brief litany in which the patron saints of the candidates should

be included.

41



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V

Permanent and Transitional Diaconate

Sacred Scripture and early Christian writers offer ample

material for reflection on the qualities, importance and office of

diaconate. The apostolic letter, Ad pascendum, cites examples

from both sources.

No longer exclusively a step to the priesthood, the diaconate

has been reinstated as a distinct and permanent rank within the

hierarchy. In fact, it is with the reception of the order of diaconate

that a layman becomes a cleric, incardinated into a specific dio-

cese. As a means of practical preparation for the ministry of

deacon, the ministries of reader and acolyte are to be exercised

before ordination. Dispensation from these ministries is re-

served to the Holy See. The rite of admission to candidacy is

also to be celebrated (above).

In addition to the installation of the ministries of reader 1

and acolyte and the rite of admission to candidacy, the candi- REQUIREMENTS

date must declare in writing to his ordinary (bishop or major

religious superior) his desire to be ordained a deacon—a request

that is made in total freedom of choice and full awareness of all

that is entailed in that selection.

Prior to ordination, furthermore, the oath of service is to

be taken in accord with canon no. 981, § 1, in which the dio-

cesan candidate promises to devote his entire life to the service

of the diocese under the authority of the ordinary of the place

at the time. Religious with solemn profession or simple per-

petual vows do not make this oath as their service is directed

by the community in terms of its particular constitutions.

Up to the recent reform of orders those ordained to the 2

subdiaconate took upon themselves the responsibility of celibacy CELIBACY AND LITURGY
and the celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours. With the sup- OF THE HOURS

43



pression of ordination to subdiaconate, these, responsibilities are

now placed upon the deacon.

More specifically, a public commitment to celibacy is made

before the ordination of deacons by all candidates to the priest-

hood and unmarried candidates to the permanent diaconate. In

spite of their religious vow, religious are also called upon to

make the commitment to celibacy even though it can only appear

redundant.

The rite, inserted in the diaconate ordination rite, follows

immediately upon the homily. After a brief address the bishop

asks the candidates: “Are you willing before the Lord and the

Church as a sign of your interior dedication to Christ to observe

celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom in continual service to

God and man?”

Once the candidates have publicly expressed their consent

the candidates to the permanent diaconate, not required to fol-

low the celibate life in view of their marital state, come before

the bishop to receive the order of diaconate which continues with

the examination of the candidates concerning their intention,

willingness to accept the duties of the office, and desire to remain

firm in the faith. At this point, after the third question, a new

demand has been added to the rite of ordination. The celebrant

asks all the candidates: “Are you resolved to enrich and safe-

guard a spirit of prayer appropriate to your way of life, and in

this spirit, according to your state of life, to celebrate faithfully

the Liturgy of the Hours for the Church and the entire world?”

The apostolic letter reiterates the norms found in the Gen-

eral Instruction on the Liturgy of the Hours {see nos. 29-30).

“29. Bishops and priests, as well as other sacred ministers,

who have accepted the obligation of celebrating the Liturgy of

the Hours from the Church (see no. 17 ) observe the entire Office

each day, and at the proper times whenever possible.

“They place the greatest importance to those Hours which

are the hinges on which the daily Office turns, namely Lauds

and Vespers; they should be careful not to omit these Hours

without a serious reason.

44



“They pray the Office of Readings, which is essentially a

liturgical celebration of the Word of God; in this way they daily

fulfill their duty of receiving God’s Word in order to become

perfect disciples of the Lord and win a deeper understanding of

the unfathomable riches of Christ.

“To make the entire day holy, they will treasure the recita-

tion of the Middle Hours and Compline, by which they complete

the ‘Work of God’ and commend themselves to God before

retiring.

“30. It is most appropriate for permanent deacons to

recite at least part of the Liturgy of the Hours each day, as

determined by the Conference of Bishops.”

Pope Paul’s instruction Ad pascendum clarified the state-

ment found in paragraph number 29 of the General Instruction

on the Liturgy of the Hours where “sacred ministers” are men-

tioned along with bishops and priests as among those who are to

observe the entire office daily. According to the accepted ter-

minology, deacons are included in the term “sacred ministers.”

The apostolic letter, however, further delineates between dea-

cons called to the priesthood and the permanent deacons. For

the latter it is most fitting “to recite daily at least a part of the

Liturgy of the Hours, as determined by the Conference of Bish-

ops” (no. VIII, b).

The United States Bishops’ Committee on Permanent

Diaconate recommends to all permanent deacons
:

( 1 )
that the

hour of vespers (or, at times, lauds) might be prayed in common

with others—either the deacon’s family or some community of

people with whom he is working pastorally; (2) that the struc-

tures and expression of the deacon’s prayer life be kept flexible,

so that they bind more closely to his wife and children rather

than separate from them; (3) that his personal, private prayer

make use of the office of readings, so that consistent reading of

the bible will develop as a part of his prayer life.

45



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VI

Ministries for the Future

The apostolic letter Ministeria quaedam of August 15,

1972, left to the episcopal conferences the possible development

and recognition of lay ministries in addition to those of readers

and acolytes. It is understood that there are many ministries in

the Church among those who are not ordained, and the choice

of certain ministries for recognition within the church com-

munity is intended only to acknowledge their special significance,

breadth of exercise, stability, and the like.

From some points of view, it would be premature to specify

additional lay ministries when it is not even certain how much

meaning and effectiveness will be attached to the institution of

liturgical readers and acolytes. It must be confessed that there

are two rather opposed tendencies in this matter: one position

is that lay ministries, which are a participation in the Church’s

mission to which all without exception are called, should be

encouraged by avoiding any special system or class or caste of

designated lay ministers—and indeed that contemporary men-

tality prefers the act of deeper involvement and commitment to

the external sign of church recognition or acceptance; the other

position holds that the Church should sanction and commission

and bless at least those members who take leading and stable

roles in specially definable ministries, above all that the Church

should unite in explicit prayer and intercession for the leading

members of the Christian community.

All Christian believers are called to service and ministry.

We have seen that the Church singles out those ministries of

special value and distinction for prayer, blessing, and institu-

tion. The ministers of acolyte and reader are current examples.

Because the two ministries now approved for the Latin

Church are directly and almost exclusively for liturgical services,

there is some danger that “ministry” will be too narrowly con-

47



strued. Perhaps in the near future one or the other ministry of

a non-liturgical character should be recognized. Since it is the

present practice of only instituting men into the ministries of

reader and acolyte, the designation of additional ministries open

to women would lessen the discrimination that some presently

feel.

What are possible ministries for the future? For the sake

of example, two might be considered here: catechist or teacher

of religion and minister of music.

This ministry, widely exercised, has increased significance

in the Church in the United States as more and more attention

is paid to the catechesis of adults, younger people, and children

no longer under general instruction by members of religious

institutes. What is meant here is not a casual or occasional

teacher of religion, but a fully prepared and in some sense pro-

fessional catechist.

The General Catechetical Directory defines this minister:

“in a certain way the interpreter of the Church among those who

are to be instructed. He reads the signs of faith and he teaches

others how to read them” (no. 35). The conciliar decree Chris-

tas Dominus had already spoken of the needed qualifications:

catechists should be “properly trained for their task, so that they

will be thoroughly acquainted with the doctrine of the Church

and will have both a theoretical and a practical knowledge of

the laws of psychology and of pedagogical methods” (no. 14).

Already it is not uncommon for teachers of religion to be

commissioned in a service of public prayer. This is an indication

of the desire that there be a kind of formal acknowledgment of

this role and ministry, with related liturgical institution or inves-

titure to indicate the stability of the commitment of the ministry

and the Church’s intercession for the ministers. This develop-

ment has been strongly espoused by the Commission for Cate-

chists of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples

and in other ways, as summarized in the article in a recent issue

of Living Light by Sister Mary Charles Bryce, “The Status and

Installation of Catechists.”

48

1

CATECHIST OR TEACHER

OF RELIGION



It is possible that some question may arise concerning ter-

minology, since in the past “catechist” has often been given a

special application in mission countries which it does not have

in the United States. With the increased understanding of the

professional responsibility and qualification of teachers of re-

ligion in the catechetical mission of the Church, the use of

“catechist” need be no obstacle. As an alternative the expres-

sion, “teacher of religion,” may be used; it may be more easily

applied to those teachers at higher level, such as lay teachers

of theology, should there be any desire to extend this ministry

to them. A more formal designation is also possible, such as

“minister of religious education.”

The ministry of catechist or teacher of religion could be

understood as referring to

:

(a) properly prepared and qualified teachers of religion;

(b) those who exercise a supervisory capacity in religious

education;

(c) directors and coordinators of religious education.

2

MINISTER OF

CHURCH MUSIC

(a) the “psalmist,” namely, the cantor who leads the psalm

between the first two readings, as distinct from the reader or

lector;

(b) the cantor who leads the liturgical assembly in pro-

cessional psalms and responsorial song of other kinds;

(c) the leader of song and hymns by the congregation;

(d) the choir leader or director of music;

(e) the organist.

As is evident, these roles are sometimes exercised by a

single person, sometimes by distinct and highly qualified per-

sons. As a special lay ministry, this is conceived as applicable

both to the smaller parish or community where an individual is

responsible for an entire program of music and to the larger

49

This is a liturgical ministry, like that of readers and aco-

lytes. It can be conceived broadly to include a number of func-

tions in worship which are sufficiently distinct to deserve formal

recognition

:



circumstances in which it might be appropriate to have a choir

director, organist, and (chief) cantor all instituted as ministers

of music.

This ministry, already widely and generously exercised,

enhances the place of music in the liturgical celebration. It

brings about a better distribution of roles by distinguishing the

minister of music, cantor, leader of song, etc., from the reader

and acolyte.

New ministries cannot be recognized indiscriminately nor

will their liturgical institution be for all Catholics engaged in

the specific ministerial work. It remains the responsibility for

each episcopal conference to develop and recognize additional

lay ministries. The formal institution should be reserved for

those who will exercise the ministry on a very stable or perma-

nent basis, who had an appropriate period of preparation and

probation, and who will exercise some special leadership func-

tion in relation to others who perform such services in the Chris-

tian community.



APPENDIX I

The Institution of Readers

1. Readers are instituted by the bishop or the major superior

of a clerical religious institute. The rite takes place during Mass

or a celebration of the word of God.

2. The readings are taken in whole or in part from the liturgy

of the day or from the texts suggested below.

3. After the gospel, the bishop sits with his mitre on, and the

appointed deacon or priest calls the candidates:

Let those who are to be instituted in the ministry of readers

come forward.

The candidates are called by name, and each one answers:

Present.

They go to the bishop, before whom they make a reverence.

4. Then all sit and the bishop gives the homily, which he con-

cludes by speaking to the candidates in these or similar words:

God our Father revealed the mystery of salvation to us and

brought it to completion through his Son made man, Jesus

Christ. After proclaiming all that the Father had done,

Christ entrusted his Church with the task of preaching the

Gospel to every creature.

As readers of the word of God, you are to help with this

task. You are accepting an important office within the

people of God and are specially commissioned to serve the

faith, which is grounded in the word of God.

It will be your responsibility to proclaim that word in the

liturgical assembly, to instruct children and adults in the

faith and prepare them for worthy reception of the sacra-

ment, and to announce the Gospel, the good news of Christ,

to those who do not already know it. Thus with your help

51

INTRODUCTION

CALLING OF THE

CANDIDATES

INSTRUCTION



INVITATION TO PRAYER

PRAYER

INSTITUTION

men and women will come to know God our Father and

his Son Jesus Christ, whom he sent, and so will be able to

reach eternal life.

When you proclaim God’s word to others, see that you are

ready to accept it yourselves in obedience to the Holy Spirit.

Meditate on God’s word often, so that you will daily grow

in God’s love and by your way of life show forth to the

world our Savior Jesus Christ.

5. Then all stand, and the bishop, without his mitre, invites the

faithful to pray:

Brothers and sisters,

let us pray that God our Father

will bless these his servants

who are chosen for the ministry of readers,

so that carefully performing the task entrusted to them

they may preach Jesus Christ,

and give glory to our Father in heaven.

All pray in silence for a brief period:

6. Then the bishop continues:

God,

source of all goodness and light,

you sent your only Son, the Word of life,

to make known the mystery of your love.

In your kindness bless + our brothers

who have been chosen for the ministry of readers.

As they meditate on your word,

help them to understand it better

and to proclaim it faithfully to your people.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

R. Amen.

7. Each candidate goes to the bishop, who gives him the Bible,

saying

:

52



Receive this book of holy scripture

and announce the word of God faithfully

so that it may grow in the hearts of men.

The reader answers:

Amen.

Meanwhile, psalm 19 [18] or another appropriate song

may be sung, especially if there are many candidates.

8. If the institution of readers takes place during Mass, the

Mass continues as usual. If the institution takes place during a

celebration of the word, the bishop blesses the assembly and

dismisses it in the usual manner.

53



APPENDIX II

CALLING OF THE

CANDIDATES

INSTRUCTION

InstlluUon of Acolytes

1. Acolytes are instituted by the bishop or the major superior

of a clerical religious institute. The rite takes place during Mass.

2. The readings are taken in whole or in part from the liturgy

of the day or from the texts suggested below.

3. After the gospel, the bishop sits with his mitre on, and the

appointed deacon or priest calls the candidates:

Let those who are to be instituted in the ministry of acolytes

come forward.

The candidates are called by name, and each one answers:

Present.

They go to the bishop, before whom they make a reverence.

4. Then all sit, and the bishop gives the homily, which he con-

cludes by speaking to the candidates in these or similar words:

Now that you have been chosen for the ministry of acolytes,

you are to have a special part in the Church’s ministry. The

eucharist is the source and summit of the life of the Church,

for it builds up the people of God. It is your responsibility

to assist the priests and deacons at the eucharist and, as an

auxiliary minister, to give holy communion to the faithful

at the liturgy and to the sick.

Because you are called to this ministry, you should share

more deeply in the Lord’s sacrifice and let it shape your

lives. Make every effort to appreciate the spiritual meaning

of what you do so that each day you may offer yourselves

to God as spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to him

through Jesus Christ.

Remember that, as you share the one bread with your

brothers and sisters, you become one body with them. Have

54



a genuine love for the mystical body of Christ, the people

of God, especially for its weak and sick members. Pattern

your lives on the commandment the Lord gave his apostles

at the Last Supper: “Love one another, as I have loved

you.”

5. Then all stand, and the bishop without his mitre, invites the INVITATION TO PRAYER

faithful to pray:

Brothers and sisters,

let us pray that the Lord will bless those

whom he has chosen for the ministry of acolytes

and that he will give them the strength

to be faithful ministers in his Church.

All pray in silence for a brief period.

6. Then the bishop continues: PRAYER

God of mercy and love,

through Christ your only Son

you have entrusted the bread of life to your Church.

Kindly bless + our brothers,

chosen for the ministry of acolytes.

As faithful ministers at your altar,

they will give the bread of life to others.

May they grow in faith and love

in building up your Church.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

R. Amen.

7. Each candidate goes to the bishop, who gives him a vessel INSTITUTION

with bread or wine to be consecrated, saying:

Receive this vessel with bread (wine)

for the celebration of the eucharist.

Live in such a way

that you may serve faithfully

at the Lord’s table

and in the mission of his Church.

The acolyte answers:

Amen.

55



8. At the presentation of the gifts, the acolytes (or some of

them, if the number is large) present the patens with the bread

and the chalice with the wine.

9. The acolytes receive communion immediately after the

deacons.

10. In the Mass of institution the bishop may direct the acolyte,

as an auxiliary minister, to help in giving communion to the

faithful.



APPENDIX III

Admission to Candidacy for the

Diaconate and Presbyterate

1, The rite of admission to candidacy for the diaconate and

presbyterate is celebrated when the candidates have reached a

maturity of purpose and are shown to have the necessary quali-

fications, Those professed in clerical religious institutes are not

bound to the celebration of this rite,

2, The intention of receiving orders is to be expressed publicly

by the candidates. The bishop or the major superior of a clerical

religious institute accepts their intention publicly,

3, The rite of admission may be celebrated on any day, espe-

cially on feast days, in a church or another appropriate place,

either during Mass or during a celebration of the word of God,

Because of its nature, the rite is never joined to an ordination or

the institution of readers or acolytes,

4, The readings are taken in whole or in part from the liturgy

of the day or from the texts suggested below,

5, After the gospel, the bishop, sits with his mitre on and gives

the homily which he concludes with these or similar words:

Today, in the presence of the Church, our brothers are

recommended to you and to us for admission among the

candidates for holy orders,

Christ instructed us: “Ask the Lord of the harvest to send

workers into his field,” These candidates know the Lord’s

concern for his flock, they have reflected on the needs of

the Church, and they feel ready to respond generously to

the Lord in the words of the prophet: “Here I am, send me

forth,” They have hope in the Lord, that they may answer

his call faithfully.

This call from the Lord must be discerned and understood

in the daily signs that reveal God’s will to the prudent,

57

INSTRUCTION



CALLING OF THE

CANDIDATES

EXAMINATION

God’s grace moves and helps the ones he chooses to share

in the ordained priesthood of Christ. At the same time God

permits us to call these qualified candidates and to ordain

them, with the unique seal of the Holy Spirit, for the minis-

try of the Lord and of his Church. In the sacrament of

orders they will be entrusted with carrying out the saving

office of Christ, which he fulfilled on earth. When their

time for ordination comes, they will be associated with our

ministry: to serve the Church and to build up, by word and

sacrament, the Christian communities to which they will

be sent.

Our brothers have already begun their formation so that

later they may be called to ordination by their bishop. Day

by day they learn how to live by the Gospel, and to be

formed in faith, hope, and charity. They seek to grow in

the spirit of prayer and to imitate Christ’s zeal for all men.

Now, moved by the love of Christ and the working of the

Spirit, they have come to this moment when they are to

manifest publicly their desire to bind themselves to the

service of God and man.

When each one is called by name, he should come forward

and declare his intention before the Church assembled here.

6. The appointed deacon or priest calls the candidates by name.

Each one answers

:

Present.

They go to the bishop, before whom they make a reverence.

7. Then the bishop speaks to the candidates in these words or

in others which the episcopal conference may determine:

My sons, the pastors and teachers entrusted with your for-

mation and others who know you have given you a favor-

able recommendation. We rely completely on their

judgment.

58



In response to the Lord’s call, are you resolved to complete

your preparation so that in due time you will be ready to

be ordained for the ministry of the Church?

Together the candidates answer:

I am.

The bishop:

Are you resolved to prepare yourself so that you may faith-

fully serve Christ and the Church which is his body?

The candidates:

I am.

If desired, the episcopal conference may determine the manner

in which the bishop is to accept the candidates.

The bishop adds

:

The Church joyfully accepts your statement of purpose.

May God who began the good work in you bring it to

completion.

All:

Amen.

8. Then all stand, and the bishop, without his mitre, invites the

faithful to pray:

Brothers and sisters,

let us pray to our Lord God

that he may pour his grace and blessing upon his servants

who desire to serve him in the ministry of the Church.

9. The deacon or another qualified minister proposes the fol-

lowing intentions or others adapted to the circumstances. All

respond with an appropriate acclamation.

That our brothers may grow in union with Christ

and bear witness to him in the world:

We pray to the Lord.

59

ACCEPTANCE OF THE

CANDIDATES

INVITATION TO PRAYER

INTERCESSIONS

R. Lord, hear our prayer.



CONCLUDING PRAYER

That they may help carry the burden of their fellow men

and always listen to the voice of the Spirit:

We pray to the Lord.

R. Lord, hear our prayer.

That they may become ministers of the Church

and their word and example

will help their brothers and sisters grow strong in the faith

and lead them to the celebration of the eucharist

:

We pray to the Lord.

R. Lord, hear our prayer.

10. The bishop continues:

A Hear our prayers. Lord,

and in your kindness bless + these your sons

who wish to give themselves to your service

through ministry to your people.

May they be faithful to your call,

follow Christ the priest in truth and love,

and carry out the apostolic mission of your Church.

Grant this through Christ our Lord.

R. Amen.

B

Or:

Lord, help your servants,

to understand and live the mystery of your love

day by day.

Assist them as they prepare

to become ministers to your people.

Fill them with the spirit of your love

so that, for your glory and honor,

they may help their brothers and

sisters on the way to salvation.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

R. Amen.

11. If the rite of admission takes place during Mass, the cele-

bration continues as usual. If it takes place during a celebration

of the word, the bishop blesses the assembly and dismisses it in

the usual way.

60



APPENDIX IV

Ritual Mass for the Ministers of the Church

The new Roman Missal includes a ritual Mass for the

ministers of the Church. The English translation proposed by

the International Committee on English in the Liturgy is pre-

sented here for the purpose of study.

All the presidential prayers, addressed to the Father, in- 1

elude the ministerial theme of the celebration. The opening PRESIDENTIAL PRAYERS

oration draws inspiration from the text of Mark 10:43-45:

“.
. . anyone who wants to become great among you must be

slave to all. For the Son of Man himself did not come to be

served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many”

(see Mt 20:24-28; Lk 22:24-27). Another lesson in the leader-

ship of service inspired the Prayer Over the Gifts: “If I, then,

the Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you should wash

each other’s feet. I have given you an example so that you may

copy what I have done to you” (John 13:14-15). The Prayer

After Communion, adverting to the sacrament participated in,

petitions for the grace that the ministers might be found faithful

in their ministry of the gospel, sacrament, and charity: (“ut . . .

fideles inveniantur Evangelii, sacramentorum caritatisque mi-

nistri”) for the glory of God as well as the well being of the

faithful whom they serve.

All three prayers follow the Roman or so-called classical

structure: (1) the invocation to God the Father, (2) the peti-

tion on behalf of the faithful, and (3) the scope or reason for

the request. The conclusions for the Prayer Over the Gifts and

Prayer After Communion are the usual short form and clearly

indicate the mediatorship of Christ emphasized since apostolic

times. In the letter to the Hebrews, for example, we read that “it

is through Him, then, that we must offer to God a continual sacri-

fice of praise, the tribute of lips that give thanks to his name”

(Heb 13:15).

61



OPENING PRAYER

Father,

you have taught the ministers of your Church

not to desire that they be served but to serve their

brothers and sisters.

May they be effective in their work,

and persevering in their prayer,

performing their ministry with gentleness and concern

for others.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.

PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS

Father,

your Son washed the feet of his disciples

as an example for us.

Accept our gifts and our worship;

by offering ourselves as a spiritual sacrifice

may we be filled with the spirit of humility and love.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION

Lord,

you renew your servants with food and drink from heaven.

Keep them faithful as ministers of word and sacrament,

working for your glory

and for the salvation of those who believe in you.

Grant this in the name of Jesus the Lord.

2

SCRIPTURE READING

The following scriptural readings are suggested for the

respective rites, whether celebrated within Mass or outside

Mass. For convenience, a reference to the Lectionary for Mass

is given in parenthesis when applicable.

These scriptural texts offer those preparing for the liturgy

a wide range of options from which to select the most fitting in

view of the pastoral situation. Those to be instituted as readers

or acolytes as well as those seeking candidacy to orders should

be encouraged to use the texts for the basis of personal prayer.

62



reflection as well as group study and discussion prior to the

celebration or subsequent to it.

Readings from the Old Testament

1. Deuteronomy 6:3-9 Keep these words in your heart, (no.

748)

2. Deuteronomy 30:10-14 Let the instruction of the Lord be

near you. (no. 106)

3. Isaiah 55:10-11 The rain makes the earth fruitful.

4. Nehemiah 8:l-4a, 5-6, 8-10 They read from the book of

Law and they understood what was read. (no. 458)

Readings from the New Testament

5. 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 I have told you of the mystery of God.

6. 2 Timothy 3:14-17 All scripture is inspired by God and can

profitably be used for teaching, (no. 357)

7. 2 Timothy 4:1-5 Preach the Good News; fulfill your min-

istry. (no. 358)

8. Hebrews 4:12-13 The word of God discerns the thoughts

and intentions of the heart, (no. 144)

9. 1 John 1:1-4 What we have seen and heard we are making

known to you. (no. 697)

Responsorial Psalms

10. Psalm 18:8, 9, 10, 11.

R. (cf. John 6:64b) Your words. Lord, are spirit and life.

11. Psalm 118:9, 10, 11, 12.

R. (12b) Lord, teach me your decrees.

12. Psalm 147:15-16, 17-18, 19-20.

R. (12) Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.

Alleluia Verse and Verse before the Gospel

John 6:64b and 69b Your words. Lord, are spirit and life:

you have the words of eternal life.

63

—FOR THE INSTITUTION
OF READERS

13.



14. Cf. Acts 16:14b Open our hearts, O Lord,

to listen to the words of your Son.

15. The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower;

all who come to him will live for ever.

16. Cf. Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

he sent me to bring Good News to the poor.

Gospel

17. Matthew 5:14-19 You are the light of the world, (no. 74)

18. Mark 1:35-39 He came preaching in their synagogues (no.

75)

19. Luke 4:16-21 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, he sent

me to bring Good News to the poor. (no. 39)

20. Luke 24:44-48 Jesus sent the apostles to preach repentance

for the forgiveness of sins. (no. 59)

21. John 7:14-18 My teaching is not mine, but of him who

sent me.

—FOR THE INSTITUTION
OF ACOLYTES

Readings from the Old Testament

1 . Genesis 14:1 8-20 Melchisedech offered bread and wine to

God. (no. 170)

2. Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15 I will rain bread from heaven upon

you. (no. 397)

3. Exodus 24:3-8 This is the blood of the covenant that the

Lord has made with you. (no. 169)

4. Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14b- 16a He gave you food which you

and your fathers did not know. (no. 168)

5. 1 Kings 19:4-8 Strengthened by the food, he walked to the

mountain of the Lord.

6. Proverbs 9:1-6 Come and eat my bread, drink the wine I

have prepared, (no. 120)

64



Readings from the New Testament

7. Acts 2:42-47 They remained faithful in prayer and the

breaking of bread, (no. 44)

8. Acts 10:34a, 37-43 We have eaten and drunk with him

after his resurrection from the dead. (no. 43)

9. 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 Though we are many, we form a

single body because we share this one loaf. (no. 168)

10. 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 Until the Lord comes, every time

you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim his

death, (no. 40)

11. Hebrew 9:11-15 The blood of Christ will purify our inner

selves, (no. 169)

Responsorial Psalms

12. Psalm22:l-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6.

R. ( 1 ) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall

want.

13. Psalm 33:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9, 10-11.

R. (9a) Taste and see the goodness of ihe Lord.

14. Psalm. 77:3 and 4bc, 23-24, 25, 54.

R. (24b) The Lord gave them bread from heaven.

15. Psalm 109: 1, 2, 3, 4.

R. (4bc) You are a priest for ever, in the line of

Melchisedech.

16. Psalm 115:12-13, 15 and 16bc, 17-18.

R. (13) I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the

name of the Lord.

17. Psalm 144:10-11, 15-16, 17-18.

R. (cf. 16) The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all

our needs.

18. Psalm 147: 12-13, 14-15, 19-20.

R. (John 6, 59b) Whoever eats this bread will live for ever.

Alleluia Verse and Verse before the Gospel

19. John 6:57 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood

will live in me and I in him, says the Lord.

65



20. John 6:58 As the living Father sent me, and I live be-

cause of the Father,

so he who eats me will live because of me.

21. John 6:35 The Lord says: I am the bread of life.

A man who comes to me will not go away

hungry,

and no one who believes in me will thirst.

22. John 6:51-52 I am the living bread from heaven, says the

Lord;

if anyone eats this bread he will live for ever.

Gospel

23. Mark 14:12-16, 22-26 This is my body. This is my blood,

(no. 169)

24. Luke 9: 1 lb-17 They all ate and were filled, (no. 170)

25. Luke 24:13-35 They had recognized him at the breaking

of the bread, (no. 263)

26. John 6:1-15 He gave the food to those who were sitting

around, as much as they wanted, (no. Ill)

27. John 6:24-35 He who comes to me will never be hungry;

he who believes in me will never thirst, (no. 114)

28. John 6:41-52a I am the living bread that came down from

heaven, (no. 117)

29. John 6:51-59 My flesh is real food and my blood is real

drink. (No. 120)

30. John 21:1-14 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to

them and the same with the fish. (no. 265)

—FOR ADMISSION TO
CANDIDACY FOR THE

DIACONATE AND
PRESBYTERATE

Readings from the Old Testament

1. Deuteronomy 1:9-14 Choose wise men from among you

and I shall make them your leaders.

2. Jeremiah 1:4-8 You will go to all the places which I will

send you. (no. 397)

3. Sirach 39: 1, 5-8 He offers his heart to the Lord

at dawn to keep the watch, (no. 725)

66



4. Isaiah 6:2a, 3-8 Whom shall I send? and who will go for

us? (no. 398)

Readings from the New Testament

5. Acts 14:21-23 They appointed presbyters for every church

(no. 55)

6. 1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23 Punishment will come to me

if I do not preach the gospel, (no. 75)

7. 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 One and the same Spirit distributes

different gifts as he chooses, (no. 67)

8. 2 Timothy 3:10-12, 14-15 Continue in what you learned,

(no. 357)

Responsorial Psalms

9. Psalm 15: l-2a and 5, 7-8, 11.

R. (cf. 5a) You are my inheritance, O Lord.

10. Psalm 23:1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6.

R. (cf. 6) Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.

11. Psalm 97: 1, 2-3ab, 3c-4, 5-6.

R. (2b). The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving

power.

Alleluia Verse and Verse before the Gospel

12. Mark 1:17 Come, follow me, says the Lord,

and I will make you fishers of men.

13. Luke 4:18-19 The Lord sent me to bring Good News to

the poor,

and freedom to prisoners.

14. John 12:26a If you serve me, follow me, says the Lord;

and where I am, my servant will also be.

Gospel

15. Matthew 9:35-38 Ask the Lord of the harvest to send

laborers to the harvest, (no. 384)

67



16. Mark 1 : 14-20 I will make you into fishers of men. (no. 69)

17. Luke 5:1-11 At your word I will lower the nets. (no. 76)

18. John 1:35-42 Look, there is the Lamb of God. We have

found the Messiah, (no. 66)

19. John 1 : 45-51 There is a true Israelite in whom there is no

deceit, (no. 209)

68