Biritual Priest

[adawgj]

How does a Latin Rite Catholic priest also be an Eastern Catholic priest/ For example Fr Mitch Pacwa is a Jesuit and is also part of the Maronites. How is this done? If I become a priest in the Latin rite, I would like to know how I can help our Eastern brothers and sisters bring their liturgy to them if they are unable to go to it.

 

[L_Marshall]

If a priest is a member of an individual rite, usually (but not always), he would need permission from his own bishop, and the bishop of the rite he wishes to learn (e.g.: the Maronite eparch). Usually, there needs to be a need for a priest of that rite. A priest can request bi-ritual faculties at anytime, but some bishops are hesitant to grant them for whatever reason.

On the other hand, someone can be bi-ritual if they are a member of one rite, and join a religious community which belongs to another rite. For instance: I know one man who was born into the Syro-Malabar Rite, but has entered a Roman Rite religious order. When he’s ordained, he’ll be able to celebrate both.

Finally, there are rites which exist within the Western Church which are attached to individual dioceses or orders. For instance:

• All priests of the Diocese of Toledo, Span belong to the Mozarabic Rite, but primarily celebrate in the Roman Rite.
• All priests of the Diocese of Milan belong to the Ambrosian Rite, but primarily celebrate in the Roman Rite.
• Any priest who is a member of the Order of Preachers (not including tertiaries) can celebrate the Dominican Rite (likewise with all other religious rites).

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I believe everything there is mostly sound, but this isn’t a subject I deal with often. If anything seems fishy, let me know.

 

[malphono]

Finally, there are rites which exist within the Western Church which are attached to individual dioceses or orders. For instance:

All priests of the Diocese of Toledo, Span belong to the Mozarabic Rite, but primarily celebrate in the Roman Rite.

I’m not so sure that every priest of Toledo is considered Mozarabic. However, all priests of Braga have faculties for the Bragan Rite, although few actually use it.

All priests of the Diocese of Milan belong to the Ambrosian Rite, but primarily celebrate in the Roman Rite.

It’s true that all priests of the Archdiocese of Milan (and certain parts of the old ecclesiastical province of Milan) are of the Ambrosian Rite, but it’s necessarily so that they primarily celebrate in the Roman Rite. It depends on the individual priest, and even then, they may only do it in a church that it not designated as one of the Ambrosian Rite.

Any priest who is a member of the Order of Preachers (not including tertiaries) can celebrate the Dominican Rite (likewise with all other religious rites).

There are only a few Orders who have their own Rites: the Dominicans, the Carthusians, the Cistercians, the Carmelites, and the Norbertines. The Dominicans require permission from the Father Provincial. The Carthusians use only their own Rite. The Carmelite Rite is, unfortunately, no longer in general use since the early 1970s, (although it may, Deo volente, be experiencing a come back of sorts), while the Norbetine (O.Praem) was abandoned, by vote of the General Chapter, since shortly after Trent (and could, in theory, at least, be revived the same way since it was never formally suppressed).

 

[L_Marshall]

I’m not so sure that every priest of Toledo is considered Mozarabic. However, all priests of Braga have faculties for the Bragan Rite, although few actually use it.

Toledo is in a similar situation. While there are specific Mozarabic Parishes which primarily offer Mass in the Mozarabic Rite (including a chapel in the cathedral), all priests are required to celebrate the Mass in the Mozarabic Rite a few times a year.

 

[InThePew]

In practical terms, you would need to have some relationship with the rite you wish to learn - if nothing else there would need to be a community nearby. This is more difficult for diocesan priests than for religious priests (who move around more).

 

[shawnbm]

Would the same rules apply to the diaconate?

 

[L_Marshall]

Would the same rules apply to the diaconate?

That, sir, is an excellent question. I have no idea of how the diaconate relates to the different Rites.

I’ll speculate (operative word: speculate) two answers:

1. 
   *]A deacon must get permission from his Ordinary and the Ordinary of the Rite he wishes to learn, just like a priest. This may be circumvented if he is a member of one Rite, but was ordained in another Rite.
   *]The deacon needs no permission, besides that of his pastor. I know that deacons don’t need to jump through as many hoops as priests do to serve outside their diocese; and they didn’t need to jump through as many hoops to serve the Extraordinary Form of the Mass when that was restricted.
   
   Those speculations having been put forth, I’d love to hear a solid answer, since this is entirely foreign to me.
   

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   NB: Speculations

 

[shawnbm]

In following up on that–and not to be cute–I wonder of the faculties of the Roman rite deacon would change if he were bi-ritual in the Melkite or Maronite rites (meaning he would have less faculties than in the Roman rite)?