Celebrant or presider or officiant

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slewi

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Hi all!

With my wedding fast approaching, we are working on the program. What shallI call the priest? I certainly won’t call him a presider, but we are leaning towards celebrant for lack of anything better. Any suggestions?

Thanks!
S
 
In the GIRM, the term “celebrant” is used 39 times. The other two never appear. I’d go with “celebrant”.

Hope that helps.
 
Celebrant works. As a genealogist, I’ve also seen officient used.

Best wishes!

John
 
I agree with John. I believe that “Celebrant” is the correct term for a “Catholic Wedding” when a Catholic Priest Celebrates the wedding, and esp. when a Nuptual Mass is Celebrated.

“Officiant” is usually for a Civil Wedding and is usually a Justice of the Peace. “Presider” is usually for a Protestant Wedding and is usually a Protestant Minister. Some will also use these terms for Catholic Weddings and other services, but I just find them to be confusing.

YBIC, Michael
 
Servulus said:
In the GIRM, the term “celebrant” is used 39 times. The other two never appear. I’d go with “celebrant”.

Hope that helps.
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Isn’t it in a Latin-rite wedding the “celebrants” of the wedding are the bride and groom? Are you an Eastern rite? Perhaps we should just call a priest a priest? Or you could qualify “celebrant” by saying “celebrant of the Eucharist” or “Rev. or Most Rev. (bishop) will celebrate the Holy Mass” or “Rev. will offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for the newly weds”, something to that effect. W/o the Eucharist, perhaps “Rev. will witness the nuptial before the Holy Catholic Church (or the people of God).”
 
To tell you the truth I have no idea what the custom is. Canon law seems to be careful to describe the Bishop, Priest or Deacon as the one who assists. It does not mention them as being the celebrant or presider so perhaps it would be proper to say something like:

(title) (first name) (Middle Initial) (last name) (Order if any) (degree if any) - Assisting

So an example would be:

Very Reverend Douglas L. Mosey, C.S.B., PhD - Assisting
 
mosher said:
To tell you the truth I have no idea what the custom is. Canon law seems to be careful to describe the Bishop, Priest or Deacon as the one who assists. It does not mention them as being the celebrant or presider so perhaps it would be proper to say something like:

(title) (first name) (Middle Initial) (last name) (Order if any) (degree if any) - Assisting

So an example would be:

Very Reverend Douglas L. Mosey, C.S.B., PhD - Assisting
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Sounds much cleaner and more to the point than the examples I offered.:cool:
 
slewi said:
Hi all!

With my wedding fast approaching, we are working on the program. What shallI call the priest? I certainly won’t call him a presider, but we are leaning towards celebrant for lack of anything better. Any suggestions?

Thanks!
S
Click to expand...
CCC 1142 But “the members do not all have the same function.” Certain members are called by God, in and through the Church, to a special service of the community. These servants are chosen and consecrated by the sacrament of Holy Orders, by which the Holy Spirit enables them to act in the person of Christ the head, for the service of all the members of the Church. The ordained minister is, as it were, an “icon” of Christ the priest. Since it is in the Eucharist that the sacrament of the Church is made fully visible, **it is in his **presiding **at the Eucharist that the bishop’s ministry is most evident, as well as, in communion with him, the ministry of priests and deacons. **

CCC 1348 All gather together. Christians come together in one place for the Eucharistic assembly. At its head is Christ himself, the principal agent of the Eucharist. He is high priest of the New Covenant; it is he himself who presides invisibly over every Eucharistic celebration. It is in representing him that the bishop or priest acting in the person of Christ the head (in persona Christi capitis) presides over the assembly, speaks after the readings, receives the offerings, and says the Eucharistic Prayer. All have their own active parts to play in the celebration, each in his own way: readers, those who bring up the offerings, those who give communion, and the whole people whose “Amen” manifests their participation.

CCC 1369 The whole Church is united with the offering and intercession of Christ. Since he has the ministry of Peter in the Church, the Pope is associated with every celebration of the Eucharist, wherein he is named as the sign and servant of the unity of the universal Church. The bishop of the place is always responsible for the Eucharist, even when a priest presides; the bishop’s name is mentioned to signify his presidency over the particular Church, in the midst of his presbyterium and with the assistance of deacons. The community intercedes also for all ministers who, for it and with it, offer the Eucharistic sacrifice
 
thistle said:
CCC 1142 But “the members do not all have the same function.” Certain members are called by God, in and through the Church, to a special service of the community. These servants are chosen and consecrated by the sacrament of Holy Orders, by which the Holy Spirit enables them to act in the person of Christ the head, for the service of all the members of the Church. The ordained minister is, as it were, an “icon” of Christ the priest. Since it is in the Eucharist that the sacrament of the Church is made fully visible, **it is in his **presiding **at the Eucharist that the bishop’s ministry is most evident, as well as, in communion with him, the ministry of priests and deacons. **

CCC 1348 All gather together. Christians come together in one place for the Eucharistic assembly. At its head is Christ himself, the principal agent of the Eucharist. He is high priest of the New Covenant; it is he himself who presides invisibly over every Eucharistic celebration. **It is in representing him that the bishop or priest **acting in the person of Christ the head (in persona Christi capitis) presides over the assembly, speaks after the readings, receives the offerings, and says the Eucharistic Prayer. All have their own active parts to play in the celebration, each in his own way: readers, those who bring up the offerings, those who give communion, and the whole people whose “Amen” manifests their participation.

CCC 1369 The whole Church is united with the offering and intercession of Christ. Since he has the ministry of Peter in the Church, the Pope is associated with every celebration of the Eucharist, wherein he is named as the sign and servant of the unity of the universal Church. The bishop of the place is always responsible for the Eucharist, even when a priest presides; the bishop’s name is mentioned to signify his presidency over the particular Church, in the midst of his presbyterium and with the assistance of deacons. The community intercedes also for all ministers who, for it and with it, offer the Eucharistic sacrifice
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What you described is a different matter all together because it deals with the Mass. In fact it is interesting that the Catechism does not use the proper terminology (maybe it is a translation issue). In the Mass it is as follows:
  1. Bishop or priest leading the mass (Principle Celebrant)
  2. Bishops or priests vested at the same mass who are not the principle celebrant (concelebrants)
  3. Bishop in choir dress not acting as the principle celebrant seated in the Sanctuary (Presider)
  4. Vested Deacons (Assisting)
It is very rare to see a Bishop preside over mass now due to the allowance of concelebration. However, I have seen it happen a couple times for various reasons.
 
mosher said:
What you described is a different matter all together because it deals with the Mass. In fact it is interesting that the Catechism does not use the proper terminology (maybe it is a translation issue). In the Mass it is as follows:
  1. Bishop or priest leading the mass (Principle Celebrant)
  2. Bishops or priests vested at the same mass who are not the principle celebrant (concelebrants)
  3. Bishop in choir dress not acting as the principle celebrant seated in the Sanctuary (Presider)
  4. Vested Deacons (Assisting)
It is very rare to see a Bishop preside over mass now due to the allowance of concelebration. However, I have seen it happen a couple times for various reasons.
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Also in the GIRM
  1. Further, the nature of the ministerial priesthood proper to ** a Bishop and a priest **, who offer the Sacrifice in the person of Christ and **who preside over the gathering of the holy people **, is evident in the form of the rite itself, by reason of the more prominent place and office of the priest. The meaning of this office is enunciated and explained clearly and at greater length, in the Preface for the Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday, the day commemorating the institution of the priesthood. The Preface brings to light the conferral of the priestly power accomplished through the laying on of hands; and, by listing the various duties, it describes that power, which is the continuation of the power of Christ the High Priest of the New Testament.
  2. The celebration of the Eucharist in a particular Church is of utmost importance.
    For the diocesan Bishop, the chief steward of the mysteries of God in the particular Church entrusted to his care, is the moderator, promoter, and guardian of the whole of its liturgical life. **In celebrations at which the Bishop presides **, and especially in the celebration of the Eucharist led by the Bishop himself with the presbyterate, the deacons, and the people taking part, the mystery of the Church is revealed. For this reason, the solemn celebration of Masses of this sort must be an example for the entire diocese.
  3. Among the parts assigned to the priest, the foremost is the Eucharistic Prayer, which is the high point of the entire celebration. Next are the orations: that is to say, the collect, the prayer over the offerings, and the prayer after Communion. These prayers are addressed to God in the name of the entire holy people and all present, **by the priest who presides over the assembly **in the person of Christ. It is with good reason, therefore, that they are called the “presidential prayers.”
  4. It is also up to the priest, in the exercise of his office of presiding over the gathered assembly, to offer certain explanations that are foreseen in the rite itself. Where it is indicated in the rubrics, the celebrant is permitted to adapt them somewhat in order that they respond to the understanding of those participating. However, he should always take care to keep to the sense of the text given in the Missal and to express them succinctly. The presiding priest is also to direct the word of God and to impart the final blessing. In addition, he may give the faithful a very brief introduction to the Mass of the day (after the initial Greeting and before the Act of Penitence), to the Liturgy of the Word (before the readings), and to the Eucharistic Prayer (before the Preface), though never during the Eucharistic Prayer itself; he may also make concluding comments to the entire sacred action before the dismissal.
 
As long as you don’t list him as any of the following:

da padre
da man
the head dude
sky pilot
Friar Tuck
😉
 
OutinChgoburbs said:
As long as you don’t list him as any of the following:

da padre
da man
the head dude
sky pilot
Friar Tuck
😉
Click to expand...
I’ve always been partial to “Poobah” A little Gilbert & Sullivan would lighten things up while improving the music.
 
Celebrant of the nuptial mass but not celebrant of the marriage as you are those celebrants, the priest is only witness and representative of the Church.
 
thistle said:
Also in the GIRM
  1. Further, the nature of the ministerial priesthood proper to ** a Bishop and a priest **, who offer the Sacrifice in the person of Christ and **who preside **over the gathering of the holy people , is evident in the form of the rite itself, by reason of the more prominent place and office of the priest. The meaning of this office is enunciated and explained clearly and at greater length, in the Preface for the Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday, the day commemorating the institution of the priesthood. The Preface brings to light the conferral of the priestly power accomplished through the laying on of hands; and, by listing the various duties, it describes that power, which is the continuation of the power of Christ the High Priest of the New Testament.
  2. The celebration of the Eucharist in a particular Church is of utmost importance.
    For the diocesan Bishop, the chief steward of the mysteries of God in the particular Church entrusted to his care, is the moderator, promoter, and guardian of the whole of its liturgical life. **In celebrations at which the Bishop presides **, and especially in the celebration of the Eucharist led by the Bishop himself with the presbyterate, the deacons, and the people taking part, the mystery of the Church is revealed. For this reason, the solemn celebration of Masses of this sort must be an example for the entire diocese.
  3. Among the parts assigned to the priest, the foremost is the Eucharistic Prayer, which is the high point of the entire celebration. Next are the orations: that is to say, the collect, the prayer over the offerings, and the prayer after Communion. These prayers are addressed to God in the name of the entire holy people and all present, **by the priest **who presides over the assembly in the person of Christ. It is with good reason, therefore, that they are called the “presidential prayers.”
  4. It is also up to the priest, in the exercise of his office of presiding over the gathered assembly, to offer certain explanations that are foreseen in the rite itself. Where it is indicated in the rubrics, the celebrant is permitted to adapt them somewhat in order that they respond to the understanding of those participating. However, he should always take care to keep to the sense of the text given in the Missal and to express them succinctly. The presiding priest is also to direct the word of God and to impart the final blessing. In addition, he may give the faithful a very brief introduction to the Mass of the day (after the initial Greeting and before the Act of Penitence), to the Liturgy of the Word (before the readings), and to the Eucharistic Prayer (before the Preface), though never during the Eucharistic Prayer itself; he may also make concluding comments to the entire sacred action before the dismissal.
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Right this is a correct usage but I don’t think that you are understanding the language being used with precision. If you notice the term preside is used as a generic term and is always followed by the words “over the whole of the people” (or similar words. However, it also gives a distinction between a Bishop presiding and celebrating in paragraph 22. While it is true that unless there is a presiding Bishop the principle celebrant presides over the celebration it is not true to signify the principle celebrants title per that role of presider but rather the more specific title of celebrant.
 
If the wedding is just a wedding ceremony without mass I would say.

The wedding witnessed by

Rev. Joe Smith, Pastor

If is a nuptual Mass I would say

Rev. Joe Smith
Celebrant

Now to be all encompassing you culd say:

Rev. Joe Smith
Presiding Priest

yes the term presider is used here, but id you use priest it takes presider out of the context of modern liturjargon that tries to eleminate the word priest.
 
Proud2BePapist said:
If the wedding is just a wedding ceremony without mass I would say.

The wedding witnessed by

Rev. Joe Smith, Pastor

If is a nuptual Mass I would say

Rev. Joe Smith
Celebrant

Now to be all encompassing you culd say:

Rev. Joe Smith
Presiding Priest

yes the term presider is used here, but id you use priest it takes presider out of the context of modern liturjargon that tries to eleminate the word priest.
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Unfortunatelly this is also a little confusing because the term witness is designated not to the cleric assisting at the wedding but to the two official witnesses of the exchanging of vows.
 
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