Bi-Ritual

[Timmay]

Hello,

I’m curious… How does one go about becoming a bi-ritual priest or deacon? I’m assuming both the local latin bishop and the appropriate eastern bishop are involved in the decision and the process. And I also assume it’s done for reasons of local need (no eastern priest in that area) or some other valid reason, such as the priest having a history or connection with the Eastern Church.

But how exactly does that work? Any bi-ritual priests or deacons care to share the details?

Thank you.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

Hello,

I’m curious… How does one go about becoming a bi-ritual priest or deacon? I’m assuming both the local latin bishop and the appropriate eastern bishop are involved in the decision and the process. And I also assume it’s done for reasons of local need (no eastern priest in that area) or some other valid reason, such as the priest having a history or connection with the Eastern Church.

But how exactly does that work? Any bi-ritual priests or deacons care to share the details?

Thank you.

I believe that the Vatican is involved in the approval of bi-ritual faculties for priests.

 

[Harpazo]

The deacon at my Maronite Parish is currently bi-ritual, but he is seeking to become solely a Maronite Deacon.

Al-Masih Qam!
Andrew

 

[Deacon_Ed]

Hello,

I’m curious… How does one go about becoming a bi-ritual priest or deacon? I’m assuming both the local latin bishop and the appropriate eastern bishop are involved in the decision and the process. And I also assume it’s done for reasons of local need (no eastern priest in that area) or some other valid reason, such as the priest having a history or connection with the Eastern Church.

But how exactly does that work? Any bi-ritual priests or deacons care to share the details?

Thank you.

The process is different depending on whether one is a priest or a deacon. First, both priests and deacons of any rite may assist at the liturgy of another rite with simply the permission of the celebrant. They would wear vestments appropriate to their own rite. A bi-ritual deacon or priest may wear the vestments of both his own rite and of the rite where he has faculties.

A deacon is granted faculties by the two bishops involved. In my case, my Latin bishop granted me permission to serve the Melkite Church and Bishop John, then the Eparch of Newton, the head of the Melkites in the United States, granted me faculties to serve his people. That’s all it takes for a deacon.

For a priest, however, Rome needs to grant permission in addition to the two bishops involved.

Hope this helps.

Deacon Ed

 

[Spiller]

The process is different depending on whether one is a priest or a deacon. First, both priests and deacons of any rite may assist at the liturgy of another rite with simply the permission of the celebrant. They would wear vestments appropriate to their own rite. A bi-ritual deacon or priest may wear the vestments of both his own rite and of the rite where he has faculties.

A deacon is granted faculties by the two bishops involved. In my case, my Latin bishop granted me permission to serve the Melkite Church and Bishop John, then the Eparch of Newton, the head of the Melkites in the United States, granted me faculties to serve his people. That’s all it takes for a deacon.

For a priest, however, Rome needs to grant permission in addition to the two bishops involved.

Hope this helps.

Deacon Ed

I remember Fr. John Trigilio on EWTN said the same thing. He also said the deacon does not become “bi-ritual.” I have read this on the web too. The analogy was a priest receiving faculties in a given arch(diocese.)

 

[Diak]

Since Fr. Deacon Ed has spoken well to the situation of a Latin Deacon working with Eastern Catholics I will take the other perspective. I am a Ukrainian Greek Catholic deacon who has served occasionally at Latin services. Basically I serve when invited and blessed by the Latin parish priest (or Bishop as the case may be) to do so. I think it is appropriate to say there are not “bi-ritual” deacons but rather deacons who serve in more than one particular Church.

If an Eastern Catholic deacon were requested to serve on a regular basis in a Latin parish, he would need the blessing of his own bishop as well as a formal request from the Latin diocese. This is not the granting of “faculties” in the sense of a bi-ritual priest who is granted faculties to celebrate the Liturgy, hear confessions, etc. in another Rite but a general permission for the deacon to serve in the Latin Rite, preach, etc. as needed by the Latin pastor and diocese. This can only happen if blessed to do so by his own Eastern Catholic Bishop.
FDRLB

 

[Deacon_Ed]

I remember Fr. John Trigilio on EWTN said the same thing. He also said the deacon does not become “bi-ritual.” I have read this on the web too. The analogy was a priest receiving faculties in a given arch(diocese.)

With all respect to Fr. John, his statement is misleading. Certainly it is different when a priest becomes bi-ritual as he is able to preside at liturgies in two different rites while a deacon only assists at the two different rites. However, the right to wear the vestments of both ritual Churches is, indeed, a bi-ritual function. Deacons can, and do, serve as bi-ritual clergy.

And, as Fr. Deacon Diak has noted, it is possible for an Eastern deacon to serve the Latin Church. There are, in fact, several Melkite deacons who serve in the Latin Church with bi-ritual faculties (which, for a deacon, means they can preach and wear the appropriate vestments). An Eastern deacon serving the Latins may also be given permission by the Latin bishop to witness marriages and to baptize, something that a deacon doesn’t do in the East.

Deacon Ed

 

[Spiller]

Since Fr. Deacon Ed has spoken well to the situation of a Latin Deacon working with Eastern Catholics I will take the other perspective. I am a Ukrainian Greek Catholic deacon who has served occasionally at Latin services. Basically I serve when invited and blessed by the Latin parish priest (or Bishop as the case may be) to do so. I think it is appropriate to say there are not “bi-ritual” deacons but rather deacons who serve in more than one particular Church.

If an Eastern Catholic deacon were requested to serve on a regular basis in a Latin parish, he would need the blessing of his own bishop as well as a formal request from the Latin diocese. This is not the granting of “faculties” in the sense of a bi-ritual priest who is granted faculties to celebrate the Liturgy, hear confessions, etc. in another Rite but a general permission for the deacon to serve in the Latin Rite, preach, etc. as needed by the Latin pastor and diocese. This can only happen if blessed to do so by his own Eastern Catholic Bishop.
FDRLB

Or perhaps under more than one particular bishop. Yes, I agree.

 

[Spiller]

With all respect to Fr. John, his statement is misleading. Certainly it is different when a priest becomes bi-ritual as he is able to preside at liturgies in two different rites while a deacon only assists at the two different rites. However, the right to wear the vestments of both ritual Churches is, indeed, a bi-ritual function. Deacons can, and do, serve as bi-ritual clergy.

And, as Fr. Deacon Diak has noted, it is possible for an Eastern deacon to serve the Latin Church. There are, in fact, several Melkite deacons who serve in the Latin Church with bi-ritual faculties (which, for a deacon, means they can preach and wear the appropriate vestments). An Eastern deacon serving the Latins may also be given permission by the Latin bishop to witness marriages and to baptize, something that a deacon doesn’t do in the East.

Deacon Ed

I agree all that is possible but I still think it’s rather misleading to suggest a deacon can be “bi-ritual” – at least with respect to what that term means to a bishop or priest. If I was a Latin Rite deacon (as an example) I could likely get approve to serve in a Byzantine parish by my bishop calling the Byzantine bishop on the phone and that’s a far cry from what a priest goes through.

I agree with the other deacon. There are certainly deacons who have the approval to serve in more than one (or I’m sure even two or three in some cases) but I would still not call them bi-ritual.

 

[wjp984]

I thought priests can be biritual just because they want to or like both rites or just feel they have the academic ability to learn more stuff or something. I know there are biritual priests at a couple of the Ruthenian Catholic churches. I assumed it was because the priest just wanted to learn both rites and was just needed in the Ruthenian Catholic parish at the time. There’s probably biritual priests in the Latin Rite as well.