Are simplex priests still ordained today?

[phil19034]

First, according to the 1983 Code of Canon Law, while a bishop may limit or revoke preaching faculties, a priest receives them immediately upon his ordination. While a bishop still must grant faculties to hear confessions, this is understood more liberally in the current Code of Canon Law than in the former code.

So I don’t think a man can be ORDAINED as a simplex priest anymore. The bishop would have to revoke his preaching faculties after ordination.

HOWEVER, I would GUESS that in some nations/places, where they don’t have seminaries in their native language, it would be possible that there are some new priests who BECOME simplex priests to due language issues.

I don’t know if that happens much anymore for a dioceses. However, I could see this happening in some religious orders, like Franciscans.

Finally, I do know that there are times when priests start out with full faculties but lose their faculties to preach homilies and hear confessions. But usually, these situations are either health related or censorship (where they would be removed from the laity in general).

I can also see some priests not being able to preach or hear confessions in a specific language until they mastered it, but still being allowed to offer the mass (assuming they learned how to pronounce all the words of the Mass).

 

[phil19034]

on_the_hill:

What’s a simplex priest?

A simplex priest was one who could say mass but not preach nor hear confessions.

Were they primarily priests who managed to be ordained, but performed poorly in their studies?

 

[InThePew]

Were they primarily priests who managed to be ordained, but performed poorly in their studies?

Not sure about primarily; some were, others were ordained but hadn’t passed the required examination before being able to hear confessions.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Good question. If a priest didn’t hear confessions, how would this be explained to the parishioners?

Parishioners don’t keep track of which priests are hearing confessions. In most churches nowadays they no longer put the priest’s name on the outside of the confessional, so unless you only have one priest at your parish, or you see the priest going in, you don’t know which priest is in there till you go in for confession. Plus, most parishioners are only going to confession once every couple months and if they don’t happen to see or encounter Fr X when they go, they’d likely assume he was busy and had heard confessions the previous Saturday or in the other time slot or whatever.

There could very easily be priests at my parishes who don’t hear confessions and I’d never have a clue, and I probably go to confession more often than most people (2x a month).

 

[HomeschoolDad]

HomeschoolDad:

Good question. If a priest didn’t hear confessions, how would this be explained to the parishioners?

Parishioners don’t keep track of which priests are hearing confessions. In most churches nowadays they no longer put the priest’s name on the outside of the confessional, so unless you only have one priest at your parish, or you see the priest going in, you don’t know which priest is in there till you go in for confession. Plus, most parishioners are only going to confession once every couple months and if they don’t happen to see or encounter Fr X when they go, they’d likely assume he was busy and had heard confessions the previous Saturday or in the other time slot or whatever.

There could very easily be priests at my parishes who don’t hear confessions and I’d never have a clue, and I probably go to confession more often than most people (2x a month).

Depends on how gossipy the parish is.

The parish of my youth was absolutely toxic, and the priests’ lives were under a microscope, if gossip could be spread, it would be spread. I am not going to get into all the things they said about the pastor, who had done absolutely nothing — a faithful, orthodox Catholic could never want a holier, more reverent priest — except proclaim all of the Church’s teachings without exception and without compromise, which angered a lot of more-liberal parishioners. He took parishioners to task over Humanae vitae in several memorable sermons, and I will bless his soul unto eternity for that. If there had been a priest there who never heard confessions, someone would have made a novel out of it.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

I’m currently attending mostly ginormous parishes where probably 80 percent of the parish doesn’t keep up at all with anything happening with the priests, unless and until one of them hits the news for some scandal (which unfortunately happens).

A priest suddenly disappeared from one parish months ago with no warning and no explanation, and nobody knows nuthin’. I actually asked a couple of the “connected” little old ladies because I was out of the country when Father vanished and saw nothing in the bulletins or on the diocesan website. They didn’t know a thing, except that he wasn’t deceased and hadn’t been arrested. Last I looked some diocesan group was writing a letter to the diocese complaining that this priest among others from other parishes had disappeared and there was no information as to why.

 

[Glennon_P]

In most churches nowadays they no longer put the priest’s name on the outside of the confessional, so unless you only have one priest at your parish, or you see the priest going in, you don’t know which priest is in there till you go in for confession.

Interesting - must be a regional thing. Or maybe a diocesan thing. Every parish in my city posts the name of the priest hearing Confessions on the outside of the Confessional/Reconciliation Room.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Not here. I’ve actually had people come up to me in the line and ask who the priest is because they’re trying to pick the line for their favorite one. Usually I have no idea as I wasn’t there early enough to see him going in. I just get in the shortest line.

 

[HomeschoolDad]

I’m currently attending mostly ginormous parishes where probably 80 percent of the parish doesn’t keep up at all with anything happening with the priests, unless and until one of them hits the news for some scandal (which unfortunately happens).

A priest suddenly disappeared from one parish months ago with no warning and no explanation, and nobody knows nuthin’. I actually asked a couple of the “connected” little old ladies because I was out of the country when Father vanished and saw nothing in the bulletins or on the diocesan website. They didn’t know a thing, except that he wasn’t deceased and hadn’t been arrested. Last I looked some diocesan group was writing a letter to the diocese complaining that this priest among others from other parishes had disappeared and there was no information as to why.

You will learn more about any parish from the “little old ladies” than you would ever learn anywhere else.

For several reasons, I am pleased at this point in my life, to attend a parish where, aside from the “in crowd”, nobody really knows anybody else, they draw from a large urban and suburban area.

Tis_Bearself:

In most churches nowadays they no longer put the priest’s name on the outside of the confessional, so unless you only have one priest at your parish, or you see the priest going in, you don’t know which priest is in there till you go in for confession.

Interesting - must be a regional thing. Or maybe a diocesan thing. Every parish in my city posts the name of the priest hearing Confessions on the outside of the Confessional/Reconciliation Room.

I haven’t seen that done for many years. Just guessing, I would say that not posting the priest’s name is meant to instill the philosophy of “it shouldn’t matter”. And if you seek a regular confessor, you can always call for an appointment.

 

[Diaconia]

First, according to the 1983 Code of Canon Law, while a bishop may limit or revoke preaching faculties, a priest receives them immediately upon his ordination. While a bishop still must grant faculties to hear confessions, this is understood more liberally in the current Code of Canon Law than in the former code.

So I don’t think a man can be ORDAINED as a simplex priest anymore. The bishop would have to revoke his preaching faculties after ordination.

Actually both deacons and priests are granted faculties to preach via the law. Although particular law could require specific permission, this is very rare. So, when a man is ordained a deacon he possesses the faculty to preach.

A competent Ordinary (or religious Superior) would then need to restrict the faculty. And then, next year (or six months or whatever time he served as a deacon), after priestly ordination the faculty would need to be revoked again.

So, the idea of a simplex priest is just not in the cards: The preeminent position of preaching (for BOTH deacons and priests) makes this a non-starter. And that’s before even discussing faculties for the sacrament of Penance.

Many people do not understand that the simplex model served a specific role for a certain time in Church history. Our current need requires priests that can preach and absolve sins.

Our modern seminary system is very new. For most of the Church’s history clergy came from highly educated families who provided classical education to their children.

St. John Vianney was a poor student, but an excellent parish priest; whereas most of the Church Fathers came from prominent families (or were sponsored by them) and received classical educations with particular focus on oration, logic, persuasion, Greek philosophy and the like.

A blessed Bright Week to all,
Deacon Christopher

 

[phil19034]

phil19034:

First, according to the 1983 Code of Canon Law, while a bishop may limit or revoke preaching faculties, a priest receives them immediately upon his ordination. While a bishop still must grant faculties to hear confessions, this is understood more liberally in the current Code of Canon Law than in the former code.

So I don’t think a man can be ORDAINED as a simplex priest anymore. The bishop would have to revoke his preaching faculties after ordination.

Actually both deacons and priests are granted faculties to preach via the law. Although particular law could require specific permission, this is very rare. So, when a man is ordained a deacon he possesses the faculty to preach.

A competent Ordinary (or religious Superior) would then need to restrict the faculty. And then, next year (or six months or whatever time he served as a deacon), after priestly ordination the faculty would need to be revoked again.

So, the idea of a simplex priest is just not in the cards: The preeminent position of preaching (for BOTH deacons and priests) makes this a non-starter. And that’s before even discussing faculties for the sacrament of Penance.

Many people do not understand that the simplex model served a specific role for a certain time in Church history. Our current need requires priests that can preach and absolve sins.

Our modern seminary system is very new. For most of the Church’s history clergy came from highly educated families who provided classical education to their children.

St. John Vianney was a poor student, but an excellent parish priest; whereas most of the Church Fathers came from prominent families (or were sponsored by them) and received classical educations with particular focus on oration, logic, persuasion, Greek philosophy and the like.

A blessed Bright Week to all,
Deacon Christopher

thanks… as FYI, I copy/pasted my first paragraph off the Archdiocese of St. Louis’s website. The 2nd paragraph was my own.