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This word "priest" signifies or means a man whose duty it is to discharge the functions of divine worship. This is evident from the signification of the word "presbyter,” from which priest is derived. This word "presbyter,” when considered according to the rules of the grammarians, signifies a man who is old and already advanced in years ; but in the secondary and no less important sense, it means a man who is wise, and sensible, and prudent, who no longer either feels or exhibits the lightness or the indiscretion of youth, who is of firm counsel, and whose judgment is matured. These were, ordinarily speaking, the persons who were engaged and employed in the public worship, and by the Fathers of the Church in the primitive times they were called "Majores" not that in reality they were older in years, but only that they were greater and more perfect in morals, for the wise man says that there are two kinds of old age — the one reckoned by the number of years — the other esteemed by the integrity of life. Hence the words of a priest are not necessarily those of a man who is old, but of one who leads an irreproachable life. For this reason they give to them, and suppose in them the qualities of venerable and prudent persons, that they call them "Fathers,” and style them " Reverend.”

Priests: Examine yourselves to see if you are worthy to be reckoned among those whom the Fathers called "Majores ” in the ancient Church. See whether you have the wisdom, the prudence, the judgment, the piety which will make you venerable and respected in the eyes of the people, and acceptable to them. Perhaps you are more remarkable for the levity of youth than for the gravity of morals. It may be that indiscretion is most to be found where it should least exist, and that you exhibit it every day in society; which is unbecoming the dignity, the gravity, and the piety of a priest. Instead of regulating and controlling your passions (as did the Majores of the Primitive Church), perhaps you give them an unbridled license, so that they become a disedification to your ministry, and an oppression to your people. Should these faults exist, regret them with all your sorrow, and resolve to amend, and to provide for their future regulation.

2. From the word “ Sacerdos .”

Consider well what this word “ Sacerdos ” signifies. When considered with regard to God, it signifies one who offers sacrifice. When taken with regard to the people for whom the priest labors, it means “ Sacra dans,” one who gives sacred things ; “ Sacra docens ” one who teaches holy things ; “ Sacer dux,” a sacred or holy leader of the people in all that concerns the worship they give to God, and the sanctification of their souls.

All these terms, as is plain, clearly signify and intimate that the whole duty and employment of a priest are entirely taken up with the Almighty God, and with the people. Should he devote himself to the indulgence of his pleasures or amusements, or give himself up to secular pursuits, he will travel beyond the pale of the duty which is signified by the name he bears ; for it is unbecoming for one bearing the name of priest to mix himself up with worldly affairs, and to abandon the sanctuary where he has been called to labor.

The priest, therefore, should be altogether confined to the labors of his ministry. The name “ priest or sacerdos ” implies that. He is to labor for God by the sacrifices which he offers him, and for the people, by administering the sacraments to them, and instructing them in the Word of God. He should have intercourse with God by constant and fervent prayer, and with the people by communicating to them the lights and graces which he has received in that intercourse. The Almighty God he honors, by rendering Him the sovereign glory and worship which are his due ; and the people he saves by sanctifying their souls in all the exercises of religion. Thus it is that a priest should be worthy of the name he bears.

Priests: See how little you labor for God, and for your people. Behold how devoted you are to the world, and to creatures; how given over to pleasure and amusements. All these things you renounced when you became a priest; and now by returning to them, you disgrace and make little of the name you bear. Resolve never to forget that the name of priest is your name ; and never to abandon the duties of your state for anything else whatsoever.

Source: Ecclesiastical meditations suitable for priests on the mission and students in diocesan seminaries, 1866

"How ironic it would be if the “Christian house church” — that concept so dear to the antiquarianizing liturgical revolutionaries who took it as a pretext for their streamlined modern prayer-service — turned out to be the place where the Tridentine Mass in all its medieval and Baroque density, albeit in temporarily humble circumstances, survived the coming persecution of Catholics." New Liturgical Movement.

• Building Home Altar (New Liturgical Movement)
• Private Chapels brought to Light by Social Distancing (Liturgical Art Journal)
• Portable Altars in Malta (Liturgical Art Journal)
• The Domestic Church: The Catholic Home (The Fish Eater)
• A family realizes a longtime dream of a Home Chapel (Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis)

Catholic Persecution and Private Chapels in America

"It was to gain religious liberty that the pioneer Catholics of the old world left their comfortable homes in Europe to brave the unknown hardships of the new Province upon the shores of Maryland; which freedom of conscience they granted to all comers as far as was in their power. But they themselves met with intolerance when English rulers later came into power and sought to enforce the then bigoted laws of Great Britain.

Colonel Bernard U. Campbell in his “Life and Times of Archbishop Carroll” tells us that as late as 1758 an attempt was made to pass a bill to prevent the growth of Popery, by which priests were to be rendered incapable of holding any lands and forbidden to make any proselytes under penalty for high treason; and which further provided that no person educated at foreign Popish seminaries should be qualified to hold land or inherit any estate within the new province.

This bill, which did not pass, seems to have been aimed particularly at John Carroll, who later became the first Catholic Bishop of the New World; Charles Carroll, signer of the Declaration of Independence; and Robert Brent, afterwards, first Mayor of Washington, who were all heirs to large estates in Maryland and at that time were boys being educated abroad at Catholic institutions.

Colonel Campbell further states that though this bill did not pass, the early Catholics were compelled to pay a land tax exactly double that exacted from others; that Catholic places of worship were forbidden and Catholic education not permitted; that Catholics were declared unfit to hold public office and that the Council even granted orders to take children away from the “pernicious contact of their Catholic parents.”

Nor did these days of intolerance pass until the Revolutionary period had broadened the minds of men and united all Americans in a more truly Christian spirit.

“In 1774 when the Reverend John Carroll returned to America, a priest, it is not believed,” says Colonel Campbell, “that there was a public. Catholic Church in all of Maryland.” “St. Peter's in Baltimore had been begun but never finished, being closed by the authorities.” And it was not until 1776 that the ban against public Catholic worship was removed.

It is not to be inferred from this, however, that Catholicity was crushed out, nor Catholic worship abolished. The well-to-do Catholics of that period had private chapels in their own homes upon their large estates and here the family and its many retainers, would gather for service whenever a faithful pastor came that way in the ministry of his duties. Of these early private chapels, in the vicinity of the present city of Washington are known to have been three: Queen's Chapel, a part of the large estate of Richard Queen, Esq., situated amid the wooded hills of Langdon; the Capitol Hill Chapel of Cern Abbey on the Duddington estate; and one in the manor house of Notley Young near the present corner of Tenth and G Streets S. W., where Father Devitt, Professor of History at Georgetown College says public Mass was first said in Washington, after it was permitted.

Father John Carroll finding this condition of catholicity in 1774 began his ministry from his own home near Rock Creek in the vicinity of Forest Glen. Here his zealous mother had maintained a small private chapel for her own family use and this was the nucleus of the present St. John's Church. After 1776, however, when the law against public Catholic worship was abolished, Father Carroll built an humble frame Church near his home, which was without doubt the first public Church in the vicinity of the District of Columbia. Father Carroll was ordained the first Catholic Bishop of the New World and was later made Archbishop. In 1789, Georgetown College was built with a small chapel attached, which in 1792 was superseded for public worship by Trinity Church, served by the same Jesuit Fathers."

Source: Records, Volume 23,Columbia Historical Society (Washington, D.C.)

St. Joseph, God has appointed you patron of the Catholic Church, because you were the head of the Holy Family, the type and starting-point of the Church. You were the father, protector, guide and support of the Holy Family. For that reason you belong in a particular way to the Church, which was the purpose of the Holy Family’s existence.

I believe that the Church is the family of God on earth. Its government is represented in priestly authority which consists above all in its power over the true Body of Christ, really present in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, thus continuing Christ's life in the Church. From this power, too, comes authority over the Mystical Body of Christ, the members of the Church — the power to teach and govern souls, to reconcile them with God, to bless them, and to pray for them.

You have a special relationship to the priesthood because you possessed a wonderful power over our Savior Himself. Your life and office were of a priestly nature, even as the priestly functions are especially connected with the Blessed Sacrament. To some extent you were the means of bringing the Redeemer to us — as it is the priest’s function to bring Him to us in the Mass — for you reared Jesus, supported, nourished, protected and sheltered Him. You were prefigured by the patriarch Joseph, who kept supplies of wheat for his people. But how much greater than he were you! Joseph of old gave the Egyptians mere bread for their bodies. You nourished and with tenderest care preserved for the Church Him who is the Bread of Heaven and who gives eternal life in Holy Communion.

 God has appointed you patron of the Church, because the glorious title of patriarch also falls by special right to you. The patriarchs were the heads of families of the Chosen People, and theirs was the honor to prepare for the Savior’s incarnation. You belonged to this line of patriarchs, for you were one of the last descendants of the family of David and one of the nearest forebears of Christ according to the flesh. As husband of Mary, the Mother of God, and as the foster-father of the Savior, you were directly connected with Christ. Your vocation was especially concerned with the Person of Jesus; your entire activity centered about Him. You are, therefore, the closing of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New, which took its rise with the Holy Family of Nazareth. Because the New Testament surpasses the Old in every respect, you are the patriarch of patriarchs, the most venerable, exalted, and amiable of all the patriarchs.

Through Mary, the Church received Christ, and therefore the Church is indebted to her. But the Church owes her debt of gratitude and veneration to you also, for you were the chosen one who enabled Christ to enter into the world according to the laws of order and fitness. It was by you that the patriarchs and the prophets and the faithful reaped the fruit of God's promise. Alone among them all, you saw with your own eyes and possessed the Redeemer promised to the rest of men.

St. Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of being the Patron of the Church. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain for me the grace to live always as a worthy member of this Church, so that through it I may save my soul; Bless the priests, the religious, and the laity of the Catholic Church that they may ever grow in God’s love and faithfulness in His service. Protect the Church from the evils of our day and from the persecution of her enemies. Through your powerful intercession may the Church successfully accomplish its mission in this world — the glory of God and the salvation of souls!

Source: Saint Joseph: the Family Saint by Fr. Lovasik

' Repleti sunt omnes Spiritu Sancto.” — A cts., ii., 4.

1. Its great excellence.

The Almighty God, in the institution of this sacrament, has given to his people one of the greatest marks of his mercy. For their benefit He has given to certain men, chosen by himself, a great measure of spiritual power, and grace and wisdom to discharge properly those ecclesiastical duties which concern the whole community. This great power is given to men not for themselves alone, but for the whole Church, and those who receive it, constitute or form the visible government of the Church, and are established as a ministry for the people. Under the Vicar of Christ, the successor of St. Peter, bishops and clergy are appointed to build up the house of God, and to govern and to sanctify the faithful.

What Moses did with the Jews, leading and guiding them under the direction and inspiration of God, so the prelates of the Christian Church now do in the way of governing and instructing the body of Christ, which is the flock committed to their care. This ministry, so excellent in itself, and so necessary for the public good, has great diversity of office and duty, and, at the same time, wonderful unity of end and purpose. Through it the Church administers the sacraments, and thereby conveys to the souls of men the saving grace of Christ.

Priests offer to the Almighty God the great sacrifice of the Mass, which is substantially the same as the sacrifice of the Cross, and which continues and applies the wonderful fruits thereof. For the purposes of sacrifice, clergy are by their holy orders consecrated by God, and set apart from the rest of the faithful, as the tribe of Levi was separated for the service of God from the rest of Israel. Thus do priests, in the holy sacrifice, exercise the power which is given to them over the natural body of Christ ; and the souls of the faithful, which are the mystic body of Christ, they cleanse from their sins, and they instruct and bring up in the way of virtue.

Thus are priests, through this sacrament, made the fathers of the people. They are the shepherds of the flock. They hold the keys of the Church. They are the faithful dispensers in God’s house of his heavenly treasures. Through their hands grace and mercy flow, and God, through them, confers his gifts and spreads abroad his benedictions. The divine power is strikingly manifested everywhere, but it is especially so in this sacrament, where God has exhibited, under visible signs and forms, the greatest mercy, and the kindest consideration for his people. Behold in all this the excellence of this heavenly sacrament.


2. On the dispositions required .

The conditions and dispositions required for the worthy reception of this holy sacrament are two-fold — the first remote, the second proximate.
The remote consist, in the first place, in having a divine vocation to the priesthood. This involves in it, and requires, purity of intention and innocence of life; or, at least, an experience for a considerable time of habits of virtue.
(...)
The cleric should consider well, that he should have full knowledge and instruction on the nature of the order for which he is preparing. He should know whether or not that particular order is a sacrament. He should understand the full extent of the spiritual power conferred by it, the special dispositions which it demands, and the virtues which it requires the recipient to practice.

The proximate dispositions are those which immediately precede or accompany the ordination. The careful study of the rite of the Pontifical concerning the order to be received is enjoined, not only that the ceremony may be known, but also that the cleric who receives the order, may profit by the instructions which the bishop gives him. The cleric who receives the order, should also make beforehand the confession of his sins to ensure his being in the state of grace, for it should be his special care that the holy sacrament of orders, which is given to him for the public good, should be properly received, and, as it can be conferred upon him but once, that it should be then conferred upon him well.

To make a retreat for some days before the reception of this sacrament is also judged necessary, that the cleric, separated from the world and from all intercourse with men, may beg of God the knowledge of his holy will, and the grace to fulfill it; and that he may also learn to love the virtues of the priesthood, and to acquire the ecclesiastical spirit.

This was the manner in which God acted with His great servant Abraham, when He was bringing him to the observance of His holy will, and to all perfection. He made him leave his country, and his father’s house, and go into the desert. When Moses wanted to know the will of God he left the company of men, and sought silence and solitude in which he could commune with God, and our Divine Saviour, before he undertook his public mission, made a retreat for forty days in the desert to show priests how to prepare themselves by retreat to acquire the virtues, and to discharge the arduous duties of the priesthood.

The cleric, during his ordination, which is the most solemn moment of his life, should reflect on the perpetual sacrifice and consecration which he makes of himself to the Almighty God. At that holy and awful time he should offer the thoughts, words, and deeds of his whole life to the love and service of God. In the case of sub-deaconship he contracts before God and the Church the vow, or, at least, the obligation of chastity, and resolves to regulate his passions by their subjugation, and to die to all the disordered pleasures of the senses. He also makes the sacrifice of his will, for in future the will of his bishop or superior is a rule and law to him. Priests, before the ceremony of their ordination, is concluded, make to the bishop a solemn promise of this ecclesiastical obedience.

The cleric, at his ordination, renounces the world and the things of the world. He gives up friends, and country, and home. From the day that God has anointed him as His priest, and poured out His spirit upon him, God is to him as His eternal portion, and he is dearer to Him than his people, or his father’s house.

Ask yourselves what were your dispositions at your ordination. Were you then in the state of grace and friendship with God ? Did you enter into his house to become his enemy? Did you come into the Church “ sicut fur et latro” to betray its most sacred interests, and to violate its most holy obligations? Since your ordination where has been your purity, your obedience, your perfect life? Have you been the man of sin seated in the house of God, or have you been the faithful dispenser of God’s mysteries, and the minister of all goodness and blessing to his people.

Let us pray to God in the words of the Pontifical, "Abundet in nobis totius forma virtutis, auctoritas modesta, pudor constans, innocentiae puritas, et spirituals observantia disciplinea.”

Source: Ecclesiastical meditations suitable for priests on the mission and students in diocesan seminaries, 1866

As from the beginning Religion in some form has always existed, consequently at the same time there has also always been a priesthood, that is to say, ministers of sacred things, "ancients," "elders" or priests. Such was Adam; such were Enoch, Noe, Melchizedek, Abraham, and after them under the Mosaic Law the ministers of Religion the High-priest, priests and Levites. (That is: men of the tribe of Levi, from which should be recruited the ministers of the Mosaic Worship. ) However, these were but a figure of and a preparation for the Priesthood of the New Law. In the New Law Jesus Christ is the sole Redeemer, the sole Mediator, the sole Intermediary between Heaven and Earth, and consequently the sole Priest. But according to the general arrangements of His Providence He has willed that certain men should be His earthly and temporary deputies such are the Catholic bishops and priests. Hence the Sacrament of Holy Orders which consecrates them and gives to them the powers and the graces necessary for the exercise of their sacred functions: to offer the Sacrifice of the adorable Body and Blood of our divine Savior; to remit the sins of men; to dispense supernatural life by means of the Sacraments; to teach the truths of religion; to preside at public worship and to render to the faithful from their birth to their death all the services in the spiritual order which they may need for the sanctification and the salvation of their souls.

On our part we have duties towards our priests: to listen to their instructions; to help them in their ministry; to defend them against calumny; and, as far as our means permit us, to provide for their material wants whilst they themselves are consecrating their lives to insure to us all spiritual blessings.

The word Orders (from the Latin Ordo, in the sense of rank, class, social condition) is applied very rightly to the Sacrament by which the hierarchy of the ministers of the Church is created from the minor orders to the sub-deaconship, deaconship, priesthood and episcopate. (We have seen already that the word, priest (presbyter) signifies aged man, ancient, a venerable man; in the primitive Church, the priests were always chosen from amongst the elders.)

Those who receive this Sacrament are the fewer in number. But everywhere God calls whom He wishes without any merit on their part to labor for the salvation of their brethren.

This "call of God" is what we term a location. Those thus called should respond: God will be faithful to them. In the Church the Pope or Sovereign Pontiff is as Bishop of Rome the successor of St. Peter, and the first of the Bishops of the whole Church. The Bishops alone like the Apostles constitute the Priesthood in its complete fullness; it is be cause of this that they alone administer the Sacrament of Holy Orders.

Once a priest, forever a priest; nothing can take away this stamp of priesthood which will remain for all eternity. But to hear confessions, every priest must be approved of for this office, and must receive jurisdiction from the bishop, as every bishop receives jurisdiction from the Pope. (Jurisdiction, that is the power to judge or to exercise spiritual authority. )

Once consecrated sub-deacon, the priest is bound: 1st to recite daily the devotional exercises called the Divine Office in which he prays in the name of the whole Church; 2nd to observe celibacy and continence; that is, not to marry and to preserve perfect purity of heart. St. Paul tells us: "He that is without a wife, is solicitous for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please God. But he that is with a wife, is solicitous for the things of the world, how he may please his wife: and he is divided." (I. Cor. VII. 32.)

The Latin Church thus imposes celibacy on her priests so that they may have no other family than that of the souls confided to their care; that they may be able to devote themselves exclusively to the service of these souls; and that they may be freer to consecrate themselves to every kind of ministry, whether in Christian or Pagan lands.

In such circumstances, therefore, it is only just that their material wants should be supplied by the faithful in accordance with the words of St. Paul. (I. Cor. IX.)

The first Catholic priests were St. Peter, who was Pope, the Apostles, who were bishops and those of the Faithful who were chosen and consecrated as priests and missionaries. Throughout the ages since the beginning of time this priesthood has been continued, and so it will be until the end of the world. When there are no longer priests, there will be no longer a Church, and so the world will come to an end. 

Source: Credo: A short exposition of Catholic Belief.  1919 1920

Orders that kept the Seven Steps to the Altar

FSSP

Institute of Christ the King

Institute of the Good Shepherd

Holy Orders:

The power of orders has for its object the real body of Christ our Lord in the Blessed Eucharist. The power of jurisdiction refers altogether to the mystical body of Christ. The scope of this power is to govern and rule the Christian people, and lead them to the unending bliss of heaven.

The Powers of Holy Orders

The power of orders not only embraces the power of consecrating the Eucharist, but also fits and prepares the souls of men for its reception. It also embraces all else that can have any reference to the Eucharist. Regarding this power numerous passages of Sacred Scripture may be adduced; but the weightiest and most striking are those which are read in St. John and St. Matthew: "As the Father, says our Lord, hath sent me I also send you... Receive ye the Holy Ghost; whose sins you shall forgive they are forgiven them, and whose sins you shall retain they are retained; And: Amen, I say to you, whatsoever you shall bind upon earth shall be bound also in heaven; and whatsoever you shall loose upon earth shall be loosed also in heaven. ((John xx. 21-23; Matt. xviii. 18. 'Heb. vii. 12) These texts, when expounded by pastors, in accordance with the teaching and authority of the Fathers, will throw great light on this truth.

Greatness of this Power

This power far excels that given under the law of nature to certain ones who had charge of sacred things. The period previous to the written law must have had its priesthood and its spiritual power,(According to St. Jerome, Abel and all the first-born were priests (In Tradit. Haebr.) since it is certain that it had its law; for these two, as the Apostle testifies, are so closely connected that if the priesthood is transferred, the law must necessarily be transferred also. Guided, therefore, by a natural instinct, men recognized that God is to be worshiped; and hence it follows that in every nation some, whose power might in a certain sense be called spiritual, were given the care of sacred things and of divine worship.

This power was also possessed by the Jews; but though it was superior in dignity to that with which priests were invested under the law of nature, yet it must be regarded as far inferior to the spiritual power that is found in the New Law. For the latter is heavenly, and surpasses all the power of Angels; it is derived not from the Mosaic priesthood, but from Christ our Lord who was a priest, not according to the order of Aaron, but according to the order of Melchizedek.(Heb. vii. II) For He it is who, Himself endowed with the supreme power of granting grace and remitting sins, left to His Church this power, although He limited it in extent and attached it to the Sacraments.

Names of this Sacrament

Hence to exercise this power certain ministers are appointed and solemnly consecrated, which consecration is called the Sacrament of Orders, or Sacred Ordination. The Fathers used this word, which in itself has a most extensive signification, to show the dignity and excellence of God's ministers. In fact, order, when understood in its strict meaning and acceptation, is the arrangement of superior and inferior things so disposed as to stand in mutual relation towards each other. Now as in this ministry there are many grades and various functions, and as all these are disposed and arranged according to a definite plan, the name Order has been well and properly applied to it.

Holy Orders Is a Sacrament

That Sacred Ordination is to be numbered among the Sacraments of the Church, the Council of Trent (Sess. xxiii. cap. 3.) has established by the same line of reasoning as we have already used several times. Since a Sacrament is a sign of a sacred thing, and since the outward action in this consecration denotes the grace and power bestowed on him who is consecrated, it becomes clearly evident that Order must be truly and properly regarded as a Sacrament. Thus the Bishop, handing to him who is being ordained a chalice with wine and water, and a paten with bread, says: “Receive the power of offering sacrifice, etc”. In these words, pronounced along with the application of the matter, the Church has always taught that the power of consecrating the Eucharist is conferred, and that a character is impressed on the soul which brings with it grace necessary for the due and proper discharge of that office, as the Apostle declares thus: I admonish thee that thou stir up the grace of God which is in thee, by the imposition of my hands; for God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of sobriety.

Number of Orders

Now, to use the words of the holy Council: "The ministry of so sublime a priesthood being a thing all divine, it is but befitting its worthier and more reverent exercise that in the Church's well ordered disposition there should be several different orders of ministers destined to assist the priesthood by virtue of their office; orders arranged in such a way that those who have already received clerical tonsure should be raised, step by step, from the lower to the higher orders."(1 Sess. xxiii. De Ord. c.)

It should be taught, therefore, that these orders are seven in number, and that this has been the constant teaching of the Catholic Church. These orders are those of porter, lector, exorcist, acolyte, subdeacon,deacon and priest.That the number of ministers was wisely established thus may be proved by considering the various offices that are necessary for the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the consecration and administration of the Blessed Eucharist, this being the principal scope of their institution.They are divided into major or sacred, and minor orders. The major or sacred orders are priesthood, deaconship and subdeaconship; while the minor orders are those of acolyte, exorcist, lector and porter,concerning each of which we shall now say a few words so that the pastor may be able to explain them to those especially whom he knows to be about to receive any of the orders in question."

Tonsure

In the beginning should be explained first tonsure, and it should be shown that this is a sort of preparation for the reception of orders. As men are prepared for Baptism by exorcisms and for Matrimony by engagement, so to those who dedicate themselves to God by tonsure the way is opened that leads to the Sacrament of Orders; for by the cutting off of hair is signified the character and disposition of him who desires to devote himself to the sacred ministry.

The Name "Cleric"

Regarding the name cleric, which is then given him for the first time, it is derived from the fact that he thereby begins to take the Lord for his lot and inheritance, just as those, who among the Jews were attached to the service of God, were forbidden by the Lord to have any part of the ground that would be distributed in the land of promise:"I, he said, am thy portion and inheritance.(Num. xviii. 20.) And although these words are true of all the faithful, yet it is certain that they apply in a special way to those who consecrate themselves to the service of God.

Origin and Meaning of Tonsure

The hair of the head is cut off in the form of a crown. It should be always worn thus, and should be enlarged according as one is advanced to higher orders. The Church teaches that this usage is derived from Apostolic origin, as mention is made of it by the most ancient and authoritative Fathers, such as St. Denis the Areopagite, St. Augustine and St. Jerome. It is said that the Prince of the Apostles first introduced this usage in memory of the crown of thorns which was put upon our Savior's head, so that the devices resorted to by the impious for the ignominy and torture of Christ might be used by His Apostles as a sign of honor and glory, as well as to signify that the ministers of the Church should strive to resemble Christ our Lord and represent Him in all things.

Some, however, assert that by tonsure is denoted the royal dignity, that is, the portion reserved especially for those who are called to the inheritance of the Lord. It will readily be seen that what the Apostle Peter says of all the faithful: "You are a chosen generation, a kingly priesthood, a holy nation, (i Peter ii. 9.) applies especially and with much greater reason to the ministers of the Church.

Still there are some who consider that by the circle, which is the most perfect of all figures, is signified the profession of a more perfect life undertaken by ecclesiastics; while in view of the fact that the hair of their heads, which is a kind of bodily superfluity, is cut off, others think that it denotes contempt for external things, and detachment of soul from all human cares.

The Minor Orders

Porter

After tonsure it is customary to advance to the first order, which is that of porter. The function (of porter) is to guard the keys and doors of the church, and to allow no one to enter there to whom access has been forbidden. Formerly the porter used to assist at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, to see that no one approached too near the altar, or disturbed the priest during the celebration of the divine mysteries.

Other duties were also assigned to him, as may be seen from the ceremonies used at his ordination.

Thus the Bishop, taking the keys from the altar, hands them to him who is being made porter, and says: "Let your conduct be that of one who has to render to God an account of those things that are kept under these keys."

How great was the dignity of this order in the ancient Church may be inferred from a usage which exists in the Church in these times. For the office of treasurer, which is still numbered among the more honorable functions of the Church, was entrusted to porters, and carried with it also the guardianship of the sacristy.

Reader

  The second degree of orders is the office of reader, whose duty it is to read in the church in a clear and distinct voice the books of the Old and of the New Testament, and especially those which are read during the nocturnal psalmody. Formerly it was also his duty to teach the faithful the first rudiments of the Christian religion.

   Hence it is that when ordaining him, the Bishop, in the presence of the people, handing him a book in which are set down all that regards this office, says: "Take, and be you an announcer of the word of God; if you faithfully and profitably discharge your office, you shall have a part with those who from the beginning have well ministered the word of God."

Exorcist

  The third order is that of exorcists, to whom is given the power to invoke the name of the Lord over those who are possessed by unclean spirits. Hence the Bishop when ordaining them presents to them a book in which the exorcisms are contained, and at the same time pronounces this form of words : "Take, and commit to memory, and have the power of imposing hands over the possessed, whether baptized or catechumen."

Acolyte

  The fourth degree is that of acolytes, and it is the last of the orders that are called minor and not sacred. Their duty is to attend and serve the ministers who are in major orders, that is, the deacon and subdeacon, in the Sacrifice of the altar. (The term "acolyte” is taken from the Greek, and means follower or companion.) They also carry and attend to the lights during the celebration of the Sacrifice of the Mass, and especially during the reading of the Gospel, from which fact they are also called candle-bearers.

Therefore at the ordination of acolytes the Bishop observes the following rite: First of all he carefully warns them of the nature of their office; then hands to each of them a light, saying: "Receive this candlestick and candle, and remember that henceforth you are given the charge of lighting the candles of the church, in the name of the Lord."

Then he hands them empty cruets in which are presented the wine and water for the Sacrifice, saying: "Receive these cruets to supply wine and water for the Eucharist of Christ's blood, in the name of the Lord."(The four minor orders, as well as the three major orders, are all mentioned in a letter of Pope Cornelius to Fabius of Antioch about the year 250. Individual minor orders are also mentioned by Tertullian, Cyprian and other early Fathers.)

The Major Orders

Subdeacon

From the minor orders, which are not sacred, and of which we have been speaking until now, one lawfully enters and ascends to major and Sacred Orders.

Now the subdiaconate is the first degree of (major orders). Its function, as the name itself indicates, is to serve the deacon at the altar. It is the subdeacon who should prepare the altar-linen, the vessels and the bread and wine necessary for the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice. He also it is who presents water to the Bishop or priest when he washes his hands during the Sacrifice of the Mass. It is also the subdeacon who now reads the Epistle which in former times was read at Mass by the deacon. He assists as witness at the Holy Sacrifice, and guards the celebrant from being disturbed by anyone during the sacred ceremonies.

The various duties that pertain to the subdeacon are indicated by the solemn ceremonies used at his ordination. In the first place the Bishop warns him that the obligation of perpetual continence is attached to this order, and declares that no one is to be admitted among the subdeacons who is not ready and willing to accept the obligation in question. Then, after the solemn recitation of the Litanies, the Bishop enumerates and explains the duties and functions of the subdeacon. Thereupon each one of those who are being ordained receives the chalice and sacred paten from the Bishop; and, to show that he is to serve the deacon, the subdeacon receives from the archdeacon cruets filled with wine and water, together with a basin and towel with which to wash and dry the hands. At the same time the Bishop pronounces these words: "See what sort of ministry is entrusted to you; I admonish you, therefore, to show yourself worthy to please God". Other prayers follow, and finally, when the Bishop has clothed the subdeacon with the sacred vestments, for each of which there are special words and ceremonies, he gives him the book of the Epistles, saying: "Receive the book of the Epistles, with power to read them in the Holy Church of God, as well for the living as for the dead". (Subdeacons are mentioned explicitly in the letter of Pope Cornelius referred to above. It cannot be doubted, however, that the subdiaconate is older than the third century.)

Deacon

The second degree of Sacred Orders is that of the deacons,(The word deacon is derived from the Greek, meaning minister), whose functions are much more extensive and have always been regarded as more holy. His duty it is to be always at the side of the Bishop, guard him while he preaches, serve him and the priest during the celebration of the divine mysteries, as well as during the administration of the Sacraments, and to read the Gospel in the Sacrifice of the Mass. In former times he frequently warned the faithful to be attentive to the holy mysteries; he administered our Lord's blood in those churches in which the custom existed that the faithful should receive the Eucharist under both species; and to him was entrusted the distribution of the Church's goods, as well as the duty of providing for all that was necessary to each one's sustenance. To the deacon also, as the eye of the Bishop, it belongs to see who they are in the city that lead a good and holy life, and who not; (The deacons, being in attendance on the Bishop, would naturally be found in the cities. Most churches in the first centuries had only seven deacons, even where the Christian community was large. At Rome Pope Fabian divided the city into seven regions, each of which had its deacon.) who are present at the Holy Sacrifice and sermons at appointed times, and who not; so that he may be able to give an account of all to the Bishop, and enable him to admonish and advise each one privately, or to rebuke and correct publicly, according as he may deem more profitable. He should also read out the list of the catechumens and present to the Bishop those who are to be admitted to orders. Finally in the absence of a Bishop or priest, he can explain the Gospel, but not from the pulpit, thus letting it be seen that this is not his proper office.

The Apostle shows the great care that should be taken that no one unworthy of the diaconate be promoted to this order, when in his Epistle to Timothy 17 he sets forth a deacon's character, virtues and integrity. The same point is also gathered from the rites and solemn ceremonies which the Bishop employs when ordaining him. The Bishop uses more numerous and more solemn prayers at the ordination of a deacon than at that of a subdeacon, and he also adds other kinds of sacred vestments. Moreover, he imposes hands on him, just as we read the Apostles used to do when ordaining the first deacons. Finally, he hands him the book of the Gospels, with these words: "Receive the power to read the Gospel in the Church of God, both for the living and the dead, in the name of the Lord."

Priest

The third and highest degree of all Sacred Orders is the priesthood. The Fathers of the first centuries usually designated those who had received this order by two names. At one time they called them presbyters, a Greek word signifying elders, not only because of the ripe years very necessary for this order, but much more on account of their gravity, knowledge and prudence; for it is written:"Venerable old age is not that of long time, nor counted by the number of years; but the understanding of a man is grey hairs, and an unspotted life is old age." At other times they call them priests, (The word used here in the Latin text is “sacerdos,” which is derived from "sacer,” holy, and "dare," to give.) both because they are consecrated to God, and because to them it belongs to administer the Sacraments and take charge of things sacred and divine.

Two fold Priesthood

But as Sacred Scripture describes a twofold priesthood, one internal and the other external, it will be necessary to have a distinct idea of each to enable pastors to explain the nature of the priesthood now under discussion.

The Internal Priesthood

Regarding the internal priesthood, all the faithful are said to be priests, once they have been washed in the saving waters of Baptism. Especially is this name given to the just who have the Spirit of God, and who, by the help of divine grace, have been made living members of the great High-priest, Jesus Christ; for, enlightened by faith which is inflamed by charity, they offer up spiritual sacrifices to God on the altar of their hearts. Among such sacrifices must be reckoned every good and virtuous action done for the glory of God.

Hence we read in the Apocalypse: Christ hath washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us a kingdom, and priests to God and his Father. In like manner was it said by the Prince of the Apostles:"Be you also as living stones built up, a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, offering up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ"; while the Apostle exhorts us "to present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing unto God, your reasonable service." And long before this David had said: "A sacrifice to God is an afflicted spirit: a contrite and humble heart, O God, thou wilt not despise". All this clearly regards the internal priesthood.

The External Priesthood

The external priesthood, on the contrary, does not pertain to the faithful at large, but only to certain men who have been ordained and consecrated to God by the lawful imposition of hands and by the solemn ceremonies of holy Church, and who are thereby devoted to a particular sacred ministry.

This distinction of the priesthood can be seen even in the Old Law. That David spoke of the internal priesthood, we have just shown. On the other hand, everyone knows the many and various precepts given by the Lord to Moses and Aaron regarding the external priesthood. Along with this He appointed the whole tribe of Levi to the ministry of the Temple, and He forbade by law that anyone belonging to another tribe should dare to intrude himself into that function. Hence it was that King Ozias was afflicted with leprosy by the Lord for having usurped the sacerdotal ministry, and had to suffer grave chastisements for his arrogance and sacrilege.

Now as the same distinction (of a twofold) priesthood may be noted in the New Law, the faithful should be cautioned that what we are now about to say concerns that external priesthood which is conferred on certain special individuals. This alone belongs to the Sacrament of Holy Orders.

Functions of the Priesthood

The office of a priest, then, is to offer Sacrifice to God and to administer the Sacraments of the Church. This is proved by the very ceremonies used at his ordination. When ordaining a priest, the Bishop first of all imposes hands on him, as do all the other priests who are present. Then he puts a stole on his shoulders and arranges it over his breast in the form of a cross, declaring thereby that the priest is clothed with power from on high, enabling him to carry the cross of Christ our Lord and the sweet yoke of God's law, and to inculcate this law not only by words, but also by the example of a most holy and virtuous life.

He next anoints his hands with holy oil, and then gives him the chalice with wine and the paten with a host, saying at the same time: "Receive the power to offer Sacrifice to God, and to celebrate Masses, both for the living and for the dead". By these words and ceremonies the priest is constituted an interpreter and mediator between God and man, which indeed must be regarded as the principal function of the priesthood.

Lastly, placing his hands a second time on the head (of the person ordained the Bishop) says: "Receive the Holy Ghost; whose sins you shall forgive they are forgiven them, and whose sins you shall retain they are retained, thus communicating to him that divine power of forgiving and retaining sin which was given by our Lord to His disciples. Such, then, are the special and principal functions of the sacerdotal order.

Source: Catechism of the Council of Trent for Parish Priests: Issued by Order of Pope Pius V, 1947

A.D. 312. ST. LUCIAN, surnamed of Antioch, was born at Samosata, in Syria. He lost his parents whilst very young; and being come to the possession of his estate, which was very considerable, he distributed all among the poor. He became a great proficient in rhetoric and philosophy, and applied himself to the study of the holy scriptures under one Macarius at Edessa. Convinced of the obligation annexed to the character of priesthood, which was that of devoting himself entirely to the service of God and the good of his neighbor, he did not content himself with inculcating the practice of virtue both by word and example ; he also undertook to purge the scriptures, that is, both the Old and New Testament, from the several faults that had crept into them, either by reason of the inaccuracy of transcribers, or the malice of heretics. Some are of opinion, that as to the Old Testament, he only revised it, by comparing different editions of the Septuagint: others contend, that he corrected it upon the Hebrew text, being well versed in that language. Certain, however, it is that St. Lucian's edition of the scriptures was much esteemed, and was of great use to St. Jerome.

 St. Alexander, bishop of Alexandria, says, that Lucian remained some years separated from the Catholic communion, at Antioch, under three successive bishops, namely, Domnus, Timæus, and Cyril. If it was for too much favouring Paul o. Samosata, condemned at Antioch in the year 269, he must have been deceived, for want of a sufficient penetration into the impiety of that dissembling heretic. It is certain, at least, that he died in the Catholic communion; which also appears fragment from a letter written by him to the church of Antioch, and still extant in the Alexandrian Chronicle. Though a priest of Antioch, we find him at Nicomedia, in the year 303, when Dioclesian first published his edicts against the Christians. He there suffered a long imprisonment for the faith ; for the Paschal Chronicles quotes these words from a letter which he wrote out of his dungeon to Antioch: “All the martyrs salute you. I inform you that the pope Anthimus (bishop of Nicomedia) has finished his course of martyrdom.” This happened in 303. Yet Eusebius informs us, that St. Lucian did not arrive himself at the crown of martyrdom till after the death of St. Peter of Alexandria, in 311, so that he seems to have continued nine years in prison, At length he was brought before the governor, or, as the acts intimate, the emperor himself, for the word which Eusebius uses, may imply either. On his trial, he presented to the judge an excellent apology for the Christian faith. Being remanded to prison, an order was given that no food should be allowed him; but, when almost dead with hunger, dainty meats that had been offered to idols, were set before him, which he would not touch. It was not in itself unlawful to eat of such meats, as St. Paul teaches, except where it would give scandal to the weak, or when it was exacted as an action of idolatrous superstition, as was the case here. Being brought a second time before the tribunal, he would give no other answer to all the questions put to him, but this : "I am a Christian." He repeated the same whilst on the rack, and he finished his glorious course in prison, either by famine, or according to St. Chrysostom, by the sword. His acts relate many of his miracles, with other particulars; as that, when bound and chained down on his back in prison, he consecrated the divine mysteries upon his own breast, and communicated the faithful that were present: this we also read in Philostorgius, the Arian historian. St. Lucian suffered at Nicomedia, where Maximinus II. resided.

His body was interred at Drepanum, in Bithynia, which, in honor of him, Constantine the Great soon after made a large city, which he exempted from all taxes, and honored with the name of Helenopolis, from his mother. St. Lucian was crowned in 312, on the 7th of January, on which day his festival was kept at Antioch immediately after his death, as appears from St. Chrysostom.t It is the tradition of the church of Arles, that the body of St. Lucian was sent out of the East to Charlemagne, who built a church under his invocation at Arles, in which his relics are preserved.

The first thing that is necessary in the service of God, is earnestly to search his holy will, by devoutly reading, listening to, and meditating on his eternal truths. This will set the divine law in a clear and full light, and conduct us by unerring rules, to discover and accomplish every duty. It will awake and continually increase a necessary tenderness of conscience, which will add light and life to its convictions, oblige us to a more careful trial and examination of all our actions, keep us not only from evil, but from every appearance of it, render us steadfast and immovable in every virtuous practice, and always preserve a quick and nice sense of good and evil. For this reason, the word of God is called in holy scripture, Light, because it distinguisheth between good and evil, and, like a lamp, manifesteth the path which we are to choose, and disperseth that mist with which the subtlety of our enemy and the Iusts of our heart have covered it. At the same time, a daily repetition of contrition and compunction washes off the stains which we discover in our souls, and strongly incites us, by the fervor and fruitfulness of our following life, to repair the sloth and barrenness of the past. Prayer must be made our main assistant in every step of this spiritual progress. We must pray that God would enable us to search out and discover our own hearts, and reform whatever is amiss in them. If we do this sincerely, God will undoubtedly grant our requests; will lay open to us all our defects and infirmities, and, showing us now far short we come of the perfection of true holiness of life, will not suffer any latent corruptions in our affections to continue undiscovered, nor permit us to forget the stains and ruins which the sins of our life past have left behind them.

Source: The Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints, Volume 1
By Alban Butler

" You are justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." — x Cor. vi. xx.

Extracts from a book entitled " The Man of Prayer? written by that servant of God, Le Pere NOUET, S J.

It is true, to do this worthily, we have need of His help; but He is too jealous of His glory to refuse even this, and we need not fear but that He will not fail to assist us, since it is He himself who has inspired us. Let us then open our hearts to Him, in order that He may engrave thereon His holy Name; and if you earnestly wish to receive His divine inspirations, make yourself worthy of His promises.

Let us be thoroughly convinced that the greatest honor we can pay to the Son of God, in His quality of Redeemer, is to embrace courageously every means which He holds out to us to save our souls. Our happiness is so mixed up with His glory, that we cannot be lost without doing Him an injustice, and to snatch from Him that which ismost dear to Him, namely, our eternal salvation.

If we have this holy Name deeply engraved on our hearts, it will not be difficult to imagine but that it should be often on our lips, that is to say, that we should invoke it often and often, and that we should do our best to impress it upon the hearts of others; for it is so sweet a perfume that it seeks only to be spread far and wide ; it is a spring so limpid that nothing makes it more plentiful and clearer than when many come to slake their thirst; it is a light which ought to illuminate the universe.

Oh! what a joy to be able to contribute in some degree to the glory of Jesus, and to the veneration of His most holy Name! Oh! that I could induce all men to pay Him homage, and that I could hear every tongue proclaim His praises!

Here is the best and foremost of all my desires, that at the holy Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven, on earth, in hell; and that every tongue should confess that the Lord Jesus is in the glory of His Father. Omnis lingua confiteatur quia Dominus Jesus Christus in glorid est Dei Patris (Phil, ii.)

A true devotion to the holy Name will help to obtain our own sanctification; for in saving our own souls, we accomplish the greatest desire of our Savior, and we contribute on our part to do that which adds an additional glory to Him, which is our own salvation.

Our salvation depends, on the one part, on Him; on the other, on ourselves. On His part He has abundantly supplied us with all that was necessary to complete the work of that grand, important, and sole hope of a happy eternity. He has cured all our infirmities; He has given us preservatives and wholesome remedies against all our vicious habits; He has delivered us from the power of the devil; He has reconciled us with His Eternal Father; He has paid all our debts; He has surmounted every obstacle to our salvation, and, through excess of love, He has shed His Blood, and after suffering excruciating pains He expired on the cross. But, after all, if we do not make a good use of His graces, all that He has done and suffered will be in vain, inasmuch as we deprive Him of the glory of His holy Name.

In addition to this, the most solid devotion to the holy Name of Jesus is to love and try zealously to obtain the salvation of our neighbor. Nothing is so dear to the Sacred Heart as the salvation of a soul. His life so full of hardships, His death so cruel, are evident proofs of this.

How careful ought those to be who have been called to the ministry of God's Word, and to other functions which contribute to the salvation of souls who have been ransomed by His precious Blood.

How glorious to be employed in His service, to have the power of dispensing the merits of His sufferings and death.

You whose vocation it is to work continually for the salvation of those souls entrusted to your care, think seriously how sad it would be if one soul should perish through your negligence. But what would it be if, instead of saving souls, your conduct through life should be a cause of scandal?

Oh! let us think of what we are and what we ought to be. We ought to be as so many saviors of men in our intercourse with the world, edifying them by our example, instructing them, succoring them, praying always for them, and by our ardor and zeal doing our best to secure their salvation.

Listen, then, to the voice of the Blood of that Redeemer who beseeches you, by virtue of His Name and the excess of His love, to help Him to make His Name efficacious by saving souls, and by making them partakers of the fruit of His precious Blood.

Source: Half Hours with the Saints and Servants