Clerical Status of Seminarians

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I read under the “Ask an Apologist” featured question that a Seminarian does not become a cleric until he is ordained to the diaconate. However, my question specifically pertains to Seminarians of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP). Since the FSSP utilizes the formulas of the 1962 Roman Missal, they still “ordain” men to the Minor Orders that were done away with by Bl. Pope Paul VI. So is it correct to say that Seminarians of the FSSP attain the status of “cleric” when they attain one or more of the Minor Orders, or is the status universally reserved to the diaconate and above even?
 
From what I know, the FSSP works as if the year was 1962, so yes, they would be clerics, since they had recieved the Minor Orders. I’m pretty sure that this applies to the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, also. (Please correct me if I’m wrong.)
 
R_H_Benson said:
I read under the “Ask an Apologist” featured question that a Seminarian does not become a cleric until he is ordained to the diaconate. However, my question specifically pertains to Seminarians of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP). Since the FSSP utilizes the formulas of the 1962 Roman Missal, they still “ordain” men to the Minor Orders that were done away with by Bl. Pope Paul VI. So is it correct to say that Seminarians of the FSSP attain the status of “cleric” when they attain one or more of the Minor Orders, or is the status universally reserved to the diaconate and above even?
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Given that the minor orders gave way to ‘ministries’ of Lector and Acolyte universally, therefore clerical status is only attained with ordination to the diaconate. No provisions for other possibilities have been established by the Church.

However, those who celebrate the Extraordinary Form of the Mass continue to have men assist in a variety of roles that are no longer necessarily present in the Ordinary Form. Therefore, these men – who may have been instituted into the ministries of Lector and/or Acolyte – validly fill these roles. However, this does not imply that they have attained the clerical state.
 
RELEASED: Instruction “Universae Ecclesiae” – the text and my initial observations
The use of the Pontificale Romanum, the Rituale Romanum, the Breviarium Romanum, the Caeremoniale Episcoporum are all confirmed. However, bishops cannot ordain with the older books except for members of special groups who have use of the older books and only men in those special groups can receive minor orders.
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It is reaffirmed that the clerical state begins with ordination to the diaconate, not before, with tonsure.
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As I understand from reading of Ministeria Quaedam and Canon 266§1 the clerical state is purely through reception of the diaconate and incardination into a particular Church (i.e. diocese), religious order, or personal prelature. Tonsure is no longer required for clerics.

While those using the older books may still perform first tonsure and advance through the orders suppressed in 1972 for the sake of tradition, first tonsure no longer raises one to the clerical state. This also means that clerics are no longer required to maintain a tonsure.

I think it is important to remember that the clerical state is really tied to how a person is viewed from the law. There are both right and responsibilities tied to the clerical state and different penalties based on one’s state. The changes promulgated in Ministeria Quaedam might be loosely associated with the legal definition of the age of majority. Even if minor orders were retained the point of transition to the clerical state could have still been moved to conferral of Holy Orders. In essence Pope Paul VI just stated that the clerical state now only refers to those who are ordained as opposed to clerics that could have been either.
 
Universae Ecclesiae (no. 31) also refers to the minor orders as being “conferred,” and the words of the rites themselves indicate more than just an exercise in ceremony. It seems, therefore, we can say that the recipient really receives the graces of the sacramental, without however obtaining all the legal rights and responsibilities of the clerical state.
 
The FSSP operates under current canon law, as well as the 1962 liturgical books. However, as I have heard explained to me by numerous FSSP priests, canonically they are not clerics until they are ordained to the diaconate. So, canon law today views the minor clerics and subdeacons as still layman–though on a practical level, this question does not often arise. However, the privilege of the communities established under the 1962 liturgical books includes bishops still celebrating minor ordinations and the subdiaconate. The FSSP, ICRS, etc. style subdeacons as “The Rev. Mr. ____,” as the pontifical commission *Ecclesia Dei *has given them permission to do so, even though, technically, canon law today does not recognize them as ordained clerics.

Prior to the Vatican II era. subdeacons were considered a major orders. In fact, the three holy orders were listed in the old books as subdeacon, deacon, and priest. A bishop was consecrated, rather than ordained.
 
It’s a really gray area. Tonsured seminarians can leave seminary and return to the lay state without any approval of a bishop, which is to my knowledge not how it was done back in the day. The issue of subdeacon is a bigger one, which is probably why only a couple weeks are in between subdeacon and deacon in the fssp, should one decide to leave. I think icrss waits a year.

The rite of tonsure specifically calls out being raised to the clerical state, and is done during Mass. It’s hard to argue that it’s done just for pretend, we typically don’t simulate sacramentals (and sacraments for subdeacon) during Mass.
 
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