I know it is the normal practice for the Bishop to be there, which was why I was asking if anyone else had run into this situation. In this specific case, he was asked by the Bishop to help out, and he agreed. I doubt he would have agreed if he thought it in any way affected the validity or illicitness of the Sacrament in question.
It would be nice if one of the bishops was there though, no offense to the good abbot.I doubt that an Abbot would even attempt to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation outside the Abbey, unless he was asked by the local Bishop and given permission and authority to do so.
True. I just find it odd that beyond Easter Vigil, a Bishop would grant a dispensation to a priest to do so. I’ve never heard or seen anyone but the Bishop or specifically designated priest and situation (Easter Vigil) being given this dispensation before. I just found it odd that an Abbot, whose main role is to lead his monastic community, would be given such a dispensation. My concern was that the abbot may not have permission and the faculty to do so and had done so without permission and faculty and then there would be cause for concern about the validity of the sacrament. Like I posted, there was a lack of information and I responded to the information given.
A technical point, but at the Easter Vigil the bishop does not need to give a dispensation for pastors to confirm; they have that right by law.
I think that one should not second-guess the church.
Our Bishop rarely does our school children confirmation and often sends a Monsignor in his place.
Another issue that has been surfacing. Sacraments are suposed to be celebrated in the persons parish church overseen by their pastor. Not in the school they attend.
I apologize for the lack of clarity, and upon reflection agree with both your concern for the confirmandi as well as the lack of information in my post. I had assumed it was obvious that the abbot would have gone through all the proper measures. For those curious, this was our regular scheduled confirmation.
Well, I used to serve as the MC for confirmations that the abbot served. I can assure you that he had the proper delegation to do the confirmations from the bishop of the diocese. In fact, our diocese has used retired bishops as well as an Melkite bishop (one of the Eastern Rite Catholic Churches).I apologize for the lack of clarity, and upon reflection agree with both your concern for the confirmandi as well as the lack of information in my post. I had assumed it was obvious that the abbot would have gone through all the proper measures. For those curious, this was our regular scheduled confirmation.
Joe, hearing from you that it is common is a little discomforting, considering I too am of said diocese. Now I think I’ve blown my cover. Anyway, I was wondering if you knew anyone confirmed by an abbot, anywhere. It’s nice he had his own crosier/staff though, he, he… I know he came a great distance from his abbey, and that his community is planning on moving to the border of the county to expand as well as move away from damaged buildings. Can you guess who he is yet?
Hello The Fool,J. Lilburne- I think somewhere in there it said there is a circumstance under which the abbot could exercise the regular authority of the bishop. I’m just wondering if anyone knows of such a situation themselves. Actually, due to the fact that he didn’t seem all that phased, it makes me wonder if his helping out is a yearly thing.
I recall that Belmont Abbey in NC was for years the only abbatia nullius in the US. No idea what it’s status is now.
I do not think he was a territorial abbot, but I am somewhat familiar with their existence. I’m also vastly amused at the power some abbesses’ had, or do they still have it? I think an abbot and abbess of the Orthodox tradition is also quite different, so I wonder about the procedures for them… but that’s for another forum.
I’m not well-versed on the canonical status of monasteries, but I do understand that many of the abbots in the US have ordinary jurisdiction within the monastery itself. In other words, some have a regular diocese with parishes (that’s an abbatia nullius, right?), but in the US that ordinary jurisdiction (which is equivalent to the jurisdiction of a bishop-ordinary) applies only to the monks of that community and not to anyone else–but they do still have it. Belmont being the one exception? Comments, corrections?