Permanently Instituted Acolyte?

fcb

If it makes it any clearer: there are three sacred oils: the oil of catechumens, the oil of the sick, and holy chrism. They each have a different purpose: chrism in conferring sacraments that impart sacramental character (baptism, confirmation, and priestly/episcopal ordinations), the oil of the sick for sacramental anointing the sick and extreme unction, and the oil of catechumens for a non-sacramental anointing to help prepare catechumens spiritually for baptism. (I should add, this is not some post-Vatican II innovation; the use of these three oils is quite traditional).

ronkrisman

Chris, I would agree with Fritz but I'll make a few additional remarks.

The formation of catechumens is not a "one size fits all" matter. An unbaptized man who has attended Mass with his wife for 30 years is probably a prime candidate for an abbreviated catechumenate. And, as Fritz pointed out, in many parishes baptized candidates for reception into the full communion of the Catholic Church often participate in the formation sessions for catechumens. Some of these baptized persons received little formation in the Christian life in the ecclesial communities in which they were baptized. They should probably receive as extensive a formation as catechumens do. Others do not require such a lengthy formation.

So pastors need to be involved in the discernment of what candidates need in the way of formation before their Christian initiation or their reception into the full communion of the Catholic Church. The ecclesial conversion of each one of them is crucially important. We have too many adults, newly baptized or newly received into the Church, who fall by the wayside a year or two after they have become Catholic. Often times their formation in the Catholic life was weak or lacking altogether in the understanding that we live out our discipleship to Christ within the context of the Catholic community.

As to your referring to "psalms for the Scrutinies of Lent," I take it you mean the responsorial psalms at Mass on the third, fourth, and fifth Sundays of Lent. Yes, I composed responses in both English and Spanish and used Guimont psalm tones for the psalm verses. They are in GIA's Oramos Cantando/We Pray in Song hymnal, with the full scores in the accompanying Salmos del Leccionario / Lectionary Psalms (G-8153).

MatthewRoth

I'm glad that I agree with our clerical interlocutors regarding the formation of catechumens and candidates.

There used to be in general usage a form of receiving adults into the church in England and Wales. One wonders if this is appropriate in all cases today. The point is that the prayers are modified considering how much was preserved by Cranmer and co. On the other hand, an unbaptized adult and an infant receive everything. Indeed, the baptism at ancient Easter Vigil was quite short, for the majority of what is done at baptism today had been done earlier in Lent. The length came from the number of baptisms.

Everything is nowadays shoehorned into the baptism of infants found in the ritual; I can’t comment on the baptism of an adult in the context of the TLM, whether at the Paschal or Pentecost vigils or during the year. Certainly, this holds true in the Pauline usage insofar as anything was kept from the TLM.

I can somewhat see the point of using the sacred chrism for priests, based on your reasoning, but it was not used traditionally for the ordination of priests. It was reserved to bishops. It appears that for the sake of consistency, this was changed. (One thing that the Consilium didn’t tolerate was seeming inconsistency…) Monarchs and altars were also anointed with the oil of catechumens, presumably because it cleanses and strengthens according to traditional teaching. The chrism on the other hand seems to seal and set forth in a particular manner, making it appropriate at baptism after the child is baptized, at confirmations, and at the consecration of a bishop, as he receives the fullness of apostolic ministry.

a_f_hawkins

I may be wrong, but I thought English monarchs were anointed with chrism during the coronation ritual.

M. Jackson Osborn

They still are.
Actually, the anointing with chrism and attendant prayer gave rise to the question in the mediaeval era as to whether monarchs (particularly the Holy Roman Emperor) were consecrated and had a clerical dimension added to them. The Church took some pains to emphasise that the emperor was a layman. Still, though laymen they were, they were yet thought to have an ontological differentiation that made them something above their subjects.

MatthewRoth

I’ve read chrism in other places too, but the Catholic Encyclopedia says the OC was used, so the practice may very well have varied. I also wonder if there are difficulties in translation.

Liam

But the (holy) Roman emperor was a unique sub-category of subdeacon, if memory serves. But only if he was crowned by the Pope, which didn't happen after Charles V.

Salieri

After his Coronation and Anointing the Czar celebrated Divine Liturgy vested as a bishop. He was considered a priest on his Coronation day, but it was the only day he could celebrate Divine Liturgy.

Chris Garton-Zavesky

Fr. Krisman,

Thank you for your informative answer.

As to the music.... I know you write (have written?) but I don't know the repertoire at all. I was just being flippant. I listed things I knew to have yes/no answers at their core, and thought I would just throw the other in for a bit of fun. You were supposed to reply, in like vein, that this music was among the best ever written.

chonak

It's so hard to get comedy right on the internet.

stulte

There have been some insightful comments in this discussion, but I'm still puzzled why someone who is de facto a minister of music in a parish (and a highly regarded one at that) would want to become an instituted acolyte.

For 2 reasons: 1.) to respond positively to a calling I.e. to do God's will. 2.) to be able to serve as a subdeacon during Solemn High Mass.

I hope Salieri will pardon my chiming in and saying that. He's not alone in his situation.

Salieri

Fr. Krisman, thank you for the compliment.

Stulte answered the question for me, above. I can only add that to me, it's no stranger than Liszt being ordained an acolyte (as it was then), or Massimo Palombella, Domenico Bartolluci, or Scott Haynes becoming priests.

Church musicians being acolytes was, to my recollection, quite common in the pre-Tridentine era; and I don't think that the two are mutually exclusive.

MatthewRoth

Normally you would be tonsured, or ought to have been anyways.

Bill_Riccio

As I was alerted my name was invoked in this discussion by Richard, I thought it appropriate to answer. In my case, the pastor asked me to write a letter to the Ordinary, in that case then-Bishop William Lori, and express my interest in becoming an Acolyte. The request was followed up by an affirmation by the pastor, who was then Fr. Greg Markey, and approval was given. In most cases I'm aware, a request by the individual along with a request or affirmation by the pastor is all that is needed for the formal request. After that, it's up to the intramural politics of the diocese. Hope that helps.

VerbumDei

To Bill Riccio:

You may never see this, but if you do, I wonder if you would answer a few questions for me? Who originally came up with the idea -- do you ask your pastor or did he ask you? What did your formation (if any) consist of, and were you instituted by Bp. Lori to both the ministry of Acolyte and Lector, or just Acolyte? Thank you for your help.

AnimaVocis

Reviving this thread out of a desire to attend to this path myself... first as lector, then Acolyte if possible... though, as I am married and a Director of Music, I have no intention on pursuing the Holy Orders of the Diaconate or the Priesthood.

Any updates or changes in the last 5 years? (I will definitely be reaching out to my appropriate diocesan office for more information.)

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