A
religious brother is meant to be a
living witness of Christ as the universal brother. He reminds us that we are
called to be part of the family of God, the family of the Church. He lives
totally consecrated to the Lord, taking promises of poverty, chastity, and
obedience to radically imitate the life of Christ amongst us. He lives a life
of prayer and service to the Church, and may be able to reach people that a
priest cannot or do work that is more specific, specialized, or different than
that of the priest. A brother often wears a habit as a radical and
counter-cultural sign of being totally consecrated to God and as being a living
witness of God’s presence in the world. It is a reminder to him that he must
live differently because He belongs totally to God. He chooses chaste celibacy
to be available to whatever needs his community may have or to be of service to
those in need. He seeks to live the union with God in heaven now to point the
rest of the world towards that same union in heaven. A brother does not
celebrate or administer any of the sacraments. His vocation is distinct from
the priest. But most religious institutions that have priests have their
priests be brothers first, to remind the priest that he is always a brother to
the community to which he belongs.
For this reason, some priests in religious communities can wear the
habit, which links him to his common brotherhood, or sometimes he can wear
clerics, which links him to his priesthood.
(See Paragraphs 914-933 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for more information)
There
are also permanent deacons and transitional deacons. Permanent deacons can be married if they are married before they seek to be ordained as a
deacon. Their spouse has to approve
of their decision. A permanent deacon’s time of formation may be different than
a transitional deacon. They remain a deacon forever. Transitional deacons,
both in the diocese and in religious life, are not married and have taken a
vow/promise of celibacy. They serve as a deacon for only about a year before
they are ordained to the priesthood. The diaconate is one of the three orders
of the sacrament of Holy Orders: deacon,
priest, and bishop. Deacons dedicate themselves to assisting the priest or
bishop at the celebration of the Mass, distributing Holy Communion, preaching,
proclaiming the Gospel, presiding over funerals, assisting at the blessing of
marriages, administering the sacrament of Baptism, and in dedicating themselves
to the various ministries of charity. The diaconate is distinct from the
priesthood. A deacon is ordained by the bishop, the successor to the Apostles,
through the laying on of hands. (Acts 6:1-7; 1 Timothy 3:8-13)
(See
Paragraphs 1569-1571 of the Catechism ofthe Catholic Church for more information)
The
priest acts in persona Christi, in the person of Christ, to celebrate the Mass,
consecrate the Eucharist into the Body and Blood of Jesus (John 6:53-58), to
forgive the sins of those who come to him in the sacrament of Confession (John
20:22-23, James 5:16), to anoint the sick and the dying with oil (James
5:14-15), to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
(Matthew 28:19), to preach and proclaim the Gospel, to be a co-worker of the
bishop to teach, sanctify, and govern his people in his parish or apostolate,
to preside over funerals and the blessing of marriages. The priest is meant to
be a father to his people and to be in the person of Christ sanctifying his
people through the offering of His one sacrifice at the Mass. A priest is
ordained by a bishop through the laying on of hands. (1 Timothy 5:17-22)
(See
Paragraphs 1562-1568 of the Catechism ofthe Catholic Church for more information)
A bishop
is a successor to the Apostles. His authority comes from Christ, which
has been passed down through the centuries from the Apostles onward. A bishop
receives the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders through the laying on of
hands and holds chief place in the teaching, sanctifying, and governing of the
local Church, but is also responsible for the mission of the universal Church.
A bishop takes the place of Christ, Himself as teacher, shepherd, priest, and
Christ’s representative. They are considered authentic teachers of the faith as
long as they teach in union with the Bishop of Rome, the successor of St.
Peter. In teaching in union with other bishops and the Bishop of Rome, a bishop
guarantees the purity of the faith handed on by the apostles without error on
matters of faith and morals (Matthew 18:17-19). The bishop is able to celebrate
all of the sacraments including ordaining men to the priesthood, diaconate, and
bishopric as well as the sacrament of Confirmation. Bishops are usually chosen
from the diocesan priesthood, however, it is also common throughout the history
of the Church for an exemplary religious priest to be chosen as a bishop of a
diocese or even as a Pope (such as Pope Francis a Jesuit, Archbishop Chaput of
Philadelphia a Capuchin Franciscan, Cardinal O’Malley of Boston a Capuchin
Franciscan, Bishop Glancy of Belize City-Belmopan a Viatorian, etc…) In the
event of a religious priest being named a bishop or pope, some of their
vows/promises of poverty, obedience, and community living would be adapted. (2
Timothy 1:6-7; 1 Timothy 3:1-7)
(See
Paragraphs 861-862, 874-896, 1554-1561 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for more information)
