sign in sign up
<<
Home , Exorcist, Major orders

Liturgical Ministers and Clerical Culture: Collaborators, Prophets or ??? Association of Liturgical Ministers 28 February 2019 Fr. Jan Michael Joncas Boston College Seminar: Five Essential Characteristics for Effective Priestly Ministry • a) the capacity to preach the word of God in ways that nurture the faith, hope, and love of the disciples of Christ • b) the ability to lead the Christian community in life-enhancing prayer and worship • c) the willingness and aptitude to be a collaborative leader among lay ecclesial ministers and the whole people of God • d) the disposition to lead an exemplary life of discipleship within the ecclesial community • e) the commitment to practice pastoral charity in service of the Gospel

Cleric

• What is a [] cleric? • to Vatican II: • (porter, , , ) • (sub-, deacon, , ) • After Vatican II • Paul VI: Ministeria quaedam (15 August 1972): porter suppressed; lector re- termed ”ministry”; exorcist re-visioned as a diocesan ministry; acolyte re- termed “ministry”, but national episcopal conferences are free to use “” for this ministry • Code of Law (present) #266: one becomes a cleric by ordination to the diaconate, thus clerics = , ,

Culture

• What is (a) culture? • The social behavior and norms found in human societies • E.B. Tylor: “that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom and any other capabilities acquired by [a human being] as a member of society” • Mendenhall: “Meaningful arrangement of technology, the means by which a people provide for material needs; society, or people’s relationships; and ideology, a people’s way of thinking” • May also be used to describe particular practices within a subgroup of society, a subculture, or a counterculture [diocesan vs. religious ] Development of Clerical Culture

• In the 4th century, Roman imperial legislation established the clerical state — mutating lay episcopal and presbyteral servant-leaders into a priestly- hierarchical class imperially mandated to rule over the Laos (laity) • In the 11th century, papal legislation by the 'Gregorian Reform' mutated the Western Catholic into a clerical celibate caste — rejecting the 1,000-year-old apostolic tradition of married bishops and presbyters, and forming monastic-like celibate cadres for the papacy's new theocratic power, administered by the new papal curia • In the 16th century, legislation by the intellectually and spiritually segregated Western candidates for ordination into monastic-like clerical seminaries, insulated from the Catholic Laos

Clerical Culture of Diocesan Priesthood Today

• 1) Hierarchical and patriarchal structure of the Church • Although most organizations, especially nation-states, have hierarchical structures, many also have a balance of powers, separating the executive, the legislative, and the judicial powers. But in the Roman , all three powers are exercised by the and Vatican Congregations that report directly to the pope. • The hierarchy of the Church is a patriarchy. Only men are allowed into the priesthood; all bishops, presbyters, and deacons are male. • 2) Papal allegiance • Allegiance to the pope is secured by a series of oaths and promises taken by cardinals, bishops, presbyters and deacons. Deacons promise respect and obedience to his ordinary and his successors. • Presbyters promise respect and obedience to his ordinary and his successors. • Bishops take an oath of obedience to the pope and his successors. • This chain of oaths and promises ensures allegiance to the pope and places possible restraints on the right of conscience on those swearing fidelity. • 3) Ontological Change • Ontological (pertaining to the being or nature of the individual) change implies that the ordained are essentially different from the non-ordained. • Vatican II’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church: “Though they differ essentially and not only in degree, the common priesthood of the faithful and the ministerial priesthood or hierarchical priesthood are nonetheless ordered to one another; each in its own proper way share in the one priesthood of Christ.” • A person who perceives himself as ontologically different from others can feel – consciously or not -- that he is superior to others. • 4) Seminary education and training • 4 levels: high school; college (free-standing, collaborative, religious house of formation); pre-theology; school of theology or theologate • Guidelines: Vatican II: Decree on the Training of Priests; Congregation for the Clergy: The Gift of the Priestly Vocation: Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis (8 December 2018); USCCB: Program for Priestly Formation (5th ed.) 2006 [6th ed. In process] • Human formation; spiritual formation; intellectual formation; pastoral formation; formation in community • Seminary education as rite(s) of passage • On-going education? • Issue: Formed inside clerical culture for responsibility outside it

• 5) Celibacy • Celibacy contributes to the cementing of the ’s loyalty and obedience to the bishop, because his loyalties are not divided between his wife and family and the Church. A married priest has split loyalties, to his wife and family, and to his bishop. In contrast, celibacy ties the priest, in a unique way, to his promise of obedience to the bishop. It becomes one more link in the chain that not only distinguishes the priest from the rest of the faithful, but also ties him more tightly into the clerical culture and shores up institutional loyalty. • 6) Relative Independence • Although priests owe obedience to their bishop, in most of their daily activities they are relatively independent. Once a man is ordained he receives very little supervision. He is not subject to performance appraisals, receives very little feedback from other priests—and certainly not from the faithful in any constructive manner—and is seldom monitored in his daily activities. Some astute lay leaders in the Church have suggested ways to improve oversight. The Leadership Roundtable for Church Management, composed mostly of successful businessmen and women, has recommended a series of performance standards to ensure that priests receive the necessary supervision and monitoring to guarantee that their pastoral service is above reproach. • 7) Clothing and Dress • The clerical collar worn by priests establishes them as different from the non-ordained. This can have many positive consequences because people will recognize priests as ones who could assist them with problems they may face, and with spiritual counseling and advice. Many professions and trades, such as doctors, police, firefighters, judges, and soon, wear special uniforms that set them apart and allow others to recognize them for their special expertise. But priests who wear the collar also may come to consider themselves as superior to others. For some there is an attraction to moving up the ladder to acquire the red piping of the position of or the red vestments of a bishop.

• 8) Special privileges • Although the normal compensation for diocesan priests is relatively small in comparison to many of their parishioners, priests have many special advantages and privileges that others do not. They receive health and dental insurance, a pension, an annual retreat, and a continuing education allowance. They are usually provided with room and board, a month’s vacation, and one day off a week. Because their lives are seen as lonely, and often are lonely, many priests receive gifts of clothing and cash as well as invitations to meals or entertainment from compassionate parishioners throughout the year. Priests are seldom responsible for the cleaning and upkeep of their rectories and the property, including lawn care and snow shoveling. And they need not bother with property taxes and household insurance bills. Above all, if they obey all the rules, priests are guaranteed a lifetime employment—regardless of how competent or incompetent they are. These privileges effectively shield them from experiencing the financial problems faced by their parishioners. Present-Day On-Going Formation of Priests

• USCCB: The Basic Plan for the Ongoing Formation of Priests (2001) • Five life-events: • departure from the seminary • change of assignment • first pastorate • mid-life • senior clergy status Responding to a divided diocesan presbyterate • Competition/comparison among males • Generational differences • Ambition to advance • Lack of support from the Ordinary • Widely varying backgrounds among the priests • Differing theologies and spiritualities • Differing languages, [sub]cultures, and places of origin

Appraisal of Priestly Ministry for [Diocesan] Priests: From Cincinnati Archdiocese • Identification of appraiser by USER ID; as staff member, parish council member, or parishioner; Date • Instruction: “Please assess Father’s performance of his ministry as a person and as a priest. (For priests serving in ministry settings other than parishes, consider “parishioners” to be those to whom he ministers, i.e., students in school ministry, patients in hospital ministry, etc.)” • Range: “Please use this scale: (4) Excellent; (3) Good; (2) Below Average; (1) Poor. Choose N/A if you consider this factor Not Applicable or if you are Nor Aware of this topic.” • Liturgy and Preaching • 1. He presides at liturgies with reverence, dignity and prayerfulness. • 2. He effectively involves , eucharistic ministers, servers, musicians, men, women and youth in the liturgy. • 3. He adequately prepares or directs the preparation of people for fruitful participation in the sacraments (i.e., weddings, funerals). • 4. He is an effective homilist. • 5. Preaching is a priority for him. • Spiritual Life • 6. It is evident that he spends time in personal prayer. • 7. He is willing to serve as a spiritual director. • 8. He is an effective spiritual leader. • Education • 9. He is effectively involved in the parish school and/or religious education programs for children. • 10. He is effectively involved in adult faith formation. • 11. He is effectively involved in youth and young adult ministry. • Pastoral Involvement • 12. He is effectively involved in evangelization to the unchurched. • 13. He ministers effectively to the sick, dying, bereaved, alienated, poor and needy. • 14. He is available to parishioners. • 15. He calls forth the ministerial gifts of others and supports them. • 16. He is a competent counselor. • 17. He is involved in responding to the needs of the local community of the parish (e.g., participates in civic organizations and/or ecumenical activities).