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The 1968 Rite of Episcopal Consecration Rev. Anthony Cekada […] PRIMARILY for the benefit of lay readers, we will review some principles that are used to determine whether a sacramental form is valid …More
The 1968 Rite of Episcopal Consecration
Rev. Anthony Cekada
[…] PRIMARILY for the benefit of lay readers, we will review some principles that are used to determine whether a sacramental form is valid. The concepts are not complicated.
A. What is a Sacramental Form?
In catechism class we all learned the definition of a sacrament: “An outward sign, instituted by Christ to give grace.”
“Outward sign” in the definition refers to what we see and hear when a sacrament is conferred — the priest pours the water on the baby’s head and he re- cites the formula “I baptize you,” etc.
Catholic theology teaches that in every sacrament this outward sign consists of two elements joined to- gether:
• Matter: some thing or action your senses can per- ceive (pouring water, bread and wine, etc.)
• Form: the words recited that actually produce the sacramental effect (“I baptize you...” “This is My body...,” etc.)
Each sacramental rite, no matter how many other prayers and ceremonies the Church has prescribed for it, contains at least one sentence that either Catholic theologians or authoritative Church pronouncements have designated as its essential sacramental form.
B. Omitting the Form
All Catholics know verbatim at least one essential sacramental form: “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”
If at a baptism, the priest says all the other prayers and performs all the other ceremonies, but omits this one formula when he pours the water, the sacrament is invalid (does not “work”), the grace promised by Christ is not conferred and the baby is not baptized.
This much should be obvious.
[…]
E. Requirements in a Form for Holy Orders
What specifically are we looking for in the new rite of episcopal consecration? What must the words of a form for conferring Holy Orders express?
Pius XII, in his Apostolic Constitution Sacramen- tum Ordinis, laid down the general principle when he declared that for Holy Orders these must “univocally signify the sacramental effects — that is, the power of the Order and the grace of the Holy Ghost.”13
Note the two elements that it must univocally (i.e., unambiguously) express: the specific order being con- ferred (diaconate, priesthood or episcopacy) and the grace of the Holy Ghost.
So we must therefore ascertain whether the new form is indeed “univocal” in expressing these effects.
F. Episcopal Consecration in Particular
In the same document, having laid down a general principle, Pius XII then declared that the following words, contained in the consecratory Preface for the Rite of Episcopal Consecration, were the essential sacramental form for conferring the episcopacy:
“Complete in thy priest the fullness of Thy ministry, and adorned in the raiment of all glory, sanctify
14
fects as follows:
(1) “The fullness of Thy ministry,” “raiment of all
glory” = power of the Order of episcopacy.
(2) “The dew of heavenly anointing” = grace of the
Holy Ghost.
The question is whether the new form does the
same.
The full text is readable in the .pdf uploaded.
Source:
traditionalmass.org/images/articles/NewEpConsArtPDF2.pdf
Rev. Anthony Cekada
[…] PRIMARILY for the benefit of lay readers, we will review some principles that are used to determine whether a sacramental form is valid. The concepts are not complicated.
A. What is a Sacramental Form?
In catechism class we all learned the definition of a sacrament: “An outward sign, instituted by Christ to give grace.”
“Outward sign” in the definition refers to what we see and hear when a sacrament is conferred — the priest pours the water on the baby’s head and he re- cites the formula “I baptize you,” etc.
Catholic theology teaches that in every sacrament this outward sign consists of two elements joined to- gether:
• Matter: some thing or action your senses can per- ceive (pouring water, bread and wine, etc.)
• Form: the words recited that actually produce the sacramental effect (“I baptize you...” “This is My body...,” etc.)
Each sacramental rite, no matter how many other prayers and ceremonies the Church has prescribed for it, contains at least one sentence that either Catholic theologians or authoritative Church pronouncements have designated as its essential sacramental form.
B. Omitting the Form
All Catholics know verbatim at least one essential sacramental form: “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”
If at a baptism, the priest says all the other prayers and performs all the other ceremonies, but omits this one formula when he pours the water, the sacrament is invalid (does not “work”), the grace promised by Christ is not conferred and the baby is not baptized.
This much should be obvious.
[…]
E. Requirements in a Form for Holy Orders
What specifically are we looking for in the new rite of episcopal consecration? What must the words of a form for conferring Holy Orders express?
Pius XII, in his Apostolic Constitution Sacramen- tum Ordinis, laid down the general principle when he declared that for Holy Orders these must “univocally signify the sacramental effects — that is, the power of the Order and the grace of the Holy Ghost.”13
Note the two elements that it must univocally (i.e., unambiguously) express: the specific order being con- ferred (diaconate, priesthood or episcopacy) and the grace of the Holy Ghost.
So we must therefore ascertain whether the new form is indeed “univocal” in expressing these effects.
F. Episcopal Consecration in Particular
In the same document, having laid down a general principle, Pius XII then declared that the following words, contained in the consecratory Preface for the Rite of Episcopal Consecration, were the essential sacramental form for conferring the episcopacy:
“Complete in thy priest the fullness of Thy ministry, and adorned in the raiment of all glory, sanctify
14
fects as follows:
(1) “The fullness of Thy ministry,” “raiment of all
glory” = power of the Order of episcopacy.
(2) “The dew of heavenly anointing” = grace of the
Holy Ghost.
The question is whether the new form does the
same.
The full text is readable in the .pdf uploaded.
Source:
traditionalmass.org/images/articles/NewEpConsArtPDF2.pdf