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Krisdun
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If so what functions can they not perform compared to an ordinary priest?
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Fauken
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I’m not aware of any simplex priests today (although I think Bl.(?) Solanus Casey was a simplex priest), but from my understanding, the main difference is that simplex priests may say Mass, but they may not hear confessions.
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Thom18
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Yes, Bl. Solanus was a simplex.
AFAIK, they can still be ordained, but I suppose (with the great amount of “filtering” that the seminary admission process conducts) that they are a rare breed (rarer than before).
AFAIK, they can still be ordained, but I suppose (with the great amount of “filtering” that the seminary admission process conducts) that they are a rare breed (rarer than before).
A simplex priest can say Mass, and I would imagine that he could baptize, witness marriages, impart blessings, (obviously) distribute communion, and so on, but he cannot hear confessions or deliver sermons. Not all people have the intellectual acumen to master Catholic theology.
I have wondered if simplex priests could deliver sermons from a script prepared by someone else, or could read sermons from holy priests in the past, such as St John Vianney (Cure d’Ars), in the latter case, making it clear at the beginning that they are reading a passage, not preaching in their own words. After all, if a simplex priest celebrated Sunday Mass, what else would he do, just skip the sermon entirely?
I have wondered if simplex priests could deliver sermons from a script prepared by someone else, or could read sermons from holy priests in the past, such as St John Vianney (Cure d’Ars), in the latter case, making it clear at the beginning that they are reading a passage, not preaching in their own words. After all, if a simplex priest celebrated Sunday Mass, what else would he do, just skip the sermon entirely?
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Usige
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Skipping the sermon/homily could have been an option, but I suspect that they tended to serve as a deacon or sub-deacon in pre-vatican ii liturgies or offered private masses.
I don’t know if they could read other clegy’s homilies since they were not given faculties to participate in the teaching office. Even reading someone else’s prepared words would be participating in that office so I’m not sure it would have been allowed.
Tis_Bearself
Patron
Perhaps in some parts of the world they are ordained. However, if we had a case like Fr. Solanus today, the seminary would likely be a lot more willing to meet with him and find out exactly why he was doing poorly at his work and make some accommodation if possible. He did poorly because the diocesan seminary was a German language seminary due to the diocese being primarily German-American, and he was Irish-American and could not speak German, therefore it was a bit of a challenge for him to learn material taught in German. Nowadays, teachers would be sensitive to that, but back then they just dismissed him as stupid.
I also recall St. John Vianney did poorly at his studies partly because he could not learn Latin. Nowadays, a seminarian wouldn’t even have to learn it. I have met priests who do not know any Latin.
I also recall St. John Vianney did poorly at his studies partly because he could not learn Latin. Nowadays, a seminarian wouldn’t even have to learn it. I have met priests who do not know any Latin.
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Krisdun
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That seemed very harsh on him. Today they would be welcoming people like him with open arms and give him training in his own language. He could always have picked up a second language after completing seminary school. Also I don’t know why a priest would need to be very proficient at Latin today unless he wanted to be some diehard theologian. The basics covering the mass would surely suffice.
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PilgrimMichelangelo
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Yes. All Eastern Orthodox priests begin as “simplex” priests until they receive a blessing to hear Confessions from their Bishops.
I’m not sure if reading another priest’s sermon verbatim would qualify as “teaching”. It might. I have to think it would be rather humiliating for everyone to know “that’s Father X, he’s a simplex priest, that means he’s not intelligent enough to write his own sermons, so he has to read a sermon out of a book”. I would just be happy to have a priest to celebrate a Mass, though, and I’m sure many others would too.
In many ways, the world was a harsher place back then, than it is today. As long as a person has already been born, today’s world is as gentle and compassionate as it has probably ever been. (Womb life is another story entirely.) Retailers depict people in wheelchairs and children with Down syndrome in advertising. Three generations ago, Franklin D Roosevelt had to keep it hidden that he could not walk. Today, nobody would consider this an impediment to public office. I know even from my time in primary and secondary school 45-50 years ago, a lot of youngsters were simply labeled as dullards, or if they couldn’t flourish in school, they would become class clowns, bullies, or otherwise try to ruin the educational experience for everyone else. Looking back, I’m sure many of them had undiagnosed learning disabilities — they dismissed school as a joke, because they just couldn’t do the work. Defense mechanism of sorts.
Traditionally, seminary theology was taught in Latin. I’m not sure whether even the SSPX and sedevacantist seminaries (CMRI et al) do that anymore.
I’d sure like to see every priest taught enough Latin to be able to celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass (“Extraordinary Form”), as well as the rubrics for the TLM/EF. It would be much easier for it to become more widespread if this were part of the seminary training of every Roman Rite priest.
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InThePew
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A priest receives the faculty to preach, celebrate mass and administer the sacraments (except penance) from the moment of ordination. These can of course be revoked or restricted later. The faculty to hear confessions is granted separately (in writing). While a seminarian isn’t expected to be an academic genius or even do more than pass their courses (each according to their own ability) they do need to have the ability to undertake university studies in philosophy and theology. Poorly educated priests was a significant cause of the reformation but, besides this, part of the threefold ministry of priests is teaching and so people do sort of expect them to be knowledgeable about the faith in order to be able to teach effectively.
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on_the_hill
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What’s a simplex priest?
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adamhovey1988
Guest
I don’t know. It is possible it is done on a case-by-case basis. There are priests on these very forums, I don’t know if they’d like to chime in.
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poche
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The deacon, if there is one at mass, could also deliver the homily.
Good point, I hadn’t thought of that.
As a practical matter, I would say that simplex priests would either offer private Masses or daily Masses where a sermon is not required.
I doubt there are many simplex priests anymore. Back in the day, when Latin was more important, and when, quite honestly, the theological training was more complicated, there might have been a reason to do this. But I would think that today, if a seminarian couldn’t make at least minimal grades in his classes, the rector would just tell him that he didn’t have a vocation to the priesthood and would dismiss him from the seminary. There are some people who are just not “college material” regardless of what they study (though colleges today let a lot of things slide, with the result being graduates who cannot spell, use proper grammar, or engage in critical thinking).
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InThePew
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A simplex priest was one who could say mass but not preach nor hear confessions.
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twf
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Father,
I know of at least one priest locally who did not have faculties to hear confessions. I guess it does happen from time to time for reasons known only to the bishop?
Great priest… excellent homilist. Don’t know and wouldn’t ask why he couldn’t hear confessions, but it was known to be the case.
I know of at least one priest locally who did not have faculties to hear confessions. I guess it does happen from time to time for reasons known only to the bishop?
Great priest… excellent homilist. Don’t know and wouldn’t ask why he couldn’t hear confessions, but it was known to be the case.
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Good question. If a priest didn’t hear confessions, how would this be explained to the parishioners?
In today’s troubled environment, it would be very easy for people to jump to conclusions, and say “he doesn’t hear confessions? — what’s the matter, did he do something he shouldn’t have?”. That wouldn’t necessarily be the case, but it’s a conclusion people could and would come to.
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InThePew
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Pretty much. Once granted, faculties can only be removed for a grave (or serious) reason - this may be punitive but it may also be administrative (for example if a priest was becoming hard of hearing). That said, a bishop can also restrict the hearing of confessions by a priest from outside of his diocese and religious are of course subject to the authority of their superiors. If this was quite a few years ago, and he was a new priest, probably the most likely explanation is that he simply hadn’t been granted that faculty yet (this used to be a lot more restricted than it is now). Alternatively, there may well be some pastoral explanation (claustrophobia perhaps?); also just because a priest doesn’t hear confessions is not to say he can’t…
Such a priest would most probably not be in a parish on his own, in which case he simply is never scheduled to hear confessions and if any one asks he simply says something like "not I’m sorry I can’t but if you ask [name of other priest] he’ll be able to help you.
Thank you, Father, this makes sense.HomeschoolDad:
Such a priest would most probably not be in a parish on his own, in which case he simply is never scheduled to hear confessions and if any one asks he simply says something like "not I’m sorry I can’t but if you ask [name of other priest] he’ll be able to help you.
I assume that such a priest would be able to hear confessions, and impart absolution, in an emergency situation (danger of death), if no other priest were available. If it were a soul’s last confession before death, I assume that understanding of moral theology and being able to judge culpability would be far less important than administering the sacrament and granting forgiveness.
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InThePew
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All priests - even those who have been laicised - not only can but in fact have an obligation to hear confessions in danger of death.
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