Catholic Clergy There are many roles within the Catholic Church for both ordained and non-ordained people. A non-ordained person is typically referred to as a lay person, or one who is not a member of the clergy. One who is ordained is someone who has received the sacrament of Holy Orders.

In the Catholic Church only men may be ordained to the Clergy, which sets us apart from other Christian denominations. The reasoning behind this is fairly straightforward; Since God himself, in His human form of Jesus Christ, instituted the priesthood by the formation of the 12 Apostles which were all male, The Church is bound to follow His example.

Once a man is ordained, he is not allowed to marry, he is asked to live a life of celibacy. However married men may become ordained Deacons, but if their wife passes away they do not remarry. It’s very rare, but there are instances of married men being ordained as priests within the Catholic Church. Most are converts from other Christian denominations where they served in Clerical roles, look up the story of Father Joshua Whitfield of Dallas Texas.

At the top of the Catholic Clergy hierarchy is the Pope, also known as the Vicar of Christ, and the Bishop Rome. St. Peter was our very first Pope, Jesus laid his hands upon Peter and proclaimed “upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.” ~MT 16:18. Our current Pope is Pope Francis, formally Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina. He is the very first Jesuit to become Pope, St. Ignatius would be very proud!

Cardinals are bishops or archbishops that have been given special designation to be eligible as the next pope. They are appointed by the pope. The title is generally given to bishops of prominent or large dioceses (i.e. Chicago, Boston, New York, Sydney). From the early times they were (and some still are) assistants to the pope in liturgy, Church administration and counsel. The Diocese of Burlington is too small to have it’s own Cardinal, so we are under the guidance of Cardinal Seán Patrick O'Malley, Archbishop of Boston.

Bishops oversee a diocese as its chief pastor, Bishop Christopher Coyne is the Bishop of The Diocese of Burlington. Archbishops govern their diocese (called an archdiocese) as well as govern the other bishops of a nearby area. Auxiliary bishops are bishops appointed to assist an archbishop in running an archdiocese. A coadjutor bishop is one that governs a diocese or archdiocese along with another bishop.

Priests are essentially assistants to the (arch)diocesan bishop. They help the (arch)bishop by celebrating the rituals with all the people in the different parishes. Episcopal vicar is a priest who has the authority to act in place of the bishop. An episcopal vicar’s authority is defined by the bishop at the time of his appointment. Vicar general is similar in office to an episcopal vicar. It is the highest office in a(n) (arch)diocese after the local ordinary (bishop). Monsignor is a special designation given to a priest of exemplary stature. The pastor is a priest who promotes the spiritual welfare of the faithful by preaching, administering the sacraments, and exercising certain powers of supervision, giving precepts and imposing light corrections. Father Yvon J. Royer is the Pastor of St. Ambrose and St. Peter’s, he is what is considered a Diocesan or Parish Priest.

Deacons assist the priest or the bishop. A transitional deacon is one who is on his way to becoming a priest. He will not remain a deacon for long since he is pursuing the priesthood. A permanent deacon is a usually married, and not pursuing the priesthood, but still wants to serve his parish in a deeper way. Deacon Tom Cass served St. Ambrose & St. Peter’s for many years.