ORDERS
282
ORDERS
der and inspiring tliom with a sincere desire to enter
the eeelesijistical state for God's honour and their own
sanctification. The reality of tliis Divine eall is mani-
fested in general by sanctity of life, right faitli, know-
ledge corresponding to the iirojier exercise of the order
to which one is raised, absence of physical ilefects, the
age required by the canons (see lRRE(7i'LAniTY).
Sometimes this call was manifested in an extraordi-
narj' manner (Acts, i, 15; xiii, 2); in genend, however,
the "calling" was made according to the laws of the
Church founded on the example of tlie Apostles.
Though clergy and laity had a voice in the election of
the candidates, the ultimate and definite determina-
tion rested with the bishops. The election of the can-
didates b}' clergj' and laity was in the nature of a tes-
timony of fitness, the bishop had to personally ascer-
tain the candidates' qualifications. A public inquiry
was held regarding their faith and moral character
and the electors were consulted. Only such as were
personally known to the electing congregation, i. e.,
members of the same Church, were chosen.
A specified age was required, and, though there was some diversity in different places, in general, for dea- cons the age was twenty-five or thirty, for priests thirtj' or thirty-five, for bishops thirty-five or forty or even fifty (.4post. Const., II, i). Nor was phy.sical age deemed sufficient, but there were prescribed speci- fied periods of time, during which the ordained should remain in a particular degree. The different degrees were considered not merely as steps preparatory to the priesthood, but as real church offices. In the begin- ning no such periods, called interstices, were appointed, though the tendency to orderly promotion is attested already in the pastoral Epistles (I Tim., iii, 3, 16). The first rules were apparently made in the fourth century. They seem to have been enforced by Siriciua (385) and somewhat modified by Zosimus (41S), who decreed that the office of reader or exorcist should last till the candidate was twenty, or for five years in case of those baptized as adults; four years were to be spent as acolyte or subdeacon, five years as deacon. This was modified by Pope Gelasius (492), according to whom a layman who had been a monk might be or- dained priest after one year, thus allowing three months to elapse between each ordination, and a lay- man who had not been a monk might be ordained priest after eighteen months. At present the minor orders are generally conferred together on one day.
The bishops, who are the ministers of the sacrament ex officio, must inquire about the birth, person, age, title, faith, and moral character of the candidate. They must examine whether he is born of Catholic parents, and is spiritually, intellectually, morally, and physically fit for the exercise of the ministry. The age required by the canons is for subdeacons twenty-one, for deacons twenty-two, and for priests twenty-four years completed. The pope may dispense from any irregularity and the bishops generally receive some power of dispensation also with regard to age, not usually for subdeacons and deacons, but for priests. Bishops can generally dispense for one year, whilst the pope gives dispensation for over a year; a dispensation for more than eighteen months is but very rarely granted. For admission to minor orders, the testi- mony from the parish priest or from the master of the school where the candidate was educated — generally, therefore, the superior of the seminary — is required. For major orders further inquiries must be made. The names of the candidate must be published in the place of his birth and of his domicile and the result of Buch inquiries are to be forwarded to the bishop. No bishop may ordain those not belonging to his diocese by reason of birth, domicile, benefice, or familiarilas, without dimissorial letters from the candidate's bishop. Testimonial letters are also required from all the bishops in whose dioceses the candidate has resided for over six months, after the age of seven. Trans-
gression of this rule is punished by suspension laic?
senlentice against the ordaining bishop. In recent
years several decisions insist on the strict interpreta-
tion of these rules. Subdeacons and deacons should
pass one full year in these orders anfl they may then
proceed to receive the priesthood. This is laid down
by the Council of Trent (Sess. XXIII, c. xi.), which did
not prescribe the time for minor orders. The bishop
generally has the power to dispense from these inter-
stices, but it is absolutely forbidden, unless a special
indult be obtained, to recei\'e two major orders or the
minor orders and the subdiaconate in one day.
For the subdiaconate and the higher orders there is, moreover, required a title, i. e., the right to receive maintenance from a determined source. Again, the candidate must observe the interstices, or times re- quired to elapse between the reception of various or- ders; he must also have received confirmation and the lower orders preceding the one to which he is raised. This last requirement does not affect the validity of the order conferred, as every order gives a distinct and independent power. One exception is made by the majority of theologians and canonists, who are of opinion that episcopal consecration requires the pre- vious reception of priest's orders for its validity. Others, however, maintain that episcopal power in- cludes full priestly power, which is thus conferred by episcopal consecration. They appeal to history and bring forward cases of bishops who were consecrated without having previously received priest's orders, and though most of the cases are somewhat doubtful and can be explained on other grounds, it seems im- possible to reject them all. It is further to be remem- bered that scholastic theologians mostly required the previous reception of priest's orders for valid episcopal consecration, because they did not consider episcopacy an order, a view which is now generally abandoned.
Obligations. — For obligations attached to holy Or- ders see Breviary; Celibacy of the Clergy.
Ceremonies oj Ordination. — From the beginning the diaconate, priesthood, and episcopate were conferred with special rites and ceremonies. Though in the course of time there was considerable development and diversity in different parts of the Church, the imposi- tion of hands and prayer were always and universally employed and date from Apostolic times (Acts, vi, 6; xiii, 3; I Tim., iv, 14; II Tim., i, 6). In the early Roman Church these sacred orders were conferred amid a great concourse of clergy and people at a solemn station. The candidates, who had been pre- viously presented to the people, were summoned by name at the beginning of the solemn Mass. They were placed in a conspicuous position, and anyone objecting to a candidate was called upon to state his objections without fear. Silence was regarded as approval. Shortly before the Gospel, after the candi- dates were presented to the pope, the entire congrega- tion was invited to prayer. All prostrating, the litan- ies were recited, the pope then imposed his hands upon the head of each candidate and recited the Collect with a prayer of consecration corresponding to the order conferred. The Galilean Rite was somewhat more elaborate. Besides the ceremonies used in the Roman Church, the people approving the candidates by acclamation, the hands of the deacon and the head and hands of priests and bishops were anointed with the sign of the Cross. After the seventh century the tradition of the instruments of office was added, alb and stole to the deacon, stole and planeta to the priest, ring and staff to the bishop. In the Eastern Church, after the presentation of the candidate to the congre- gation and their shout of approval, "He is worthy", the bishop imposed his hands upon the candidate and said the consecrating prayer.
We now give a short description of the ordination rite for priests as found in the present Roman Pon- tifical. All the candidates should present themselves
