Kissing Bishop's Ring

[SenorSalsa]

Except that my Senator is not a sucessor to the Apostles and I was never told by Christ that if I hear my Senator, I hear Christ Himself…

not to get off topic, but man would that be awesome to be true.

on topic, i was at a vocations dinner one time, and one of the priests(who works at the diocesan office) made a joke going to kiss the ring, and he and the bishop both laughed. Obviously my bishop is not all that strict on ring kissing

 

[Hijikata]

You don’t kiss a person’s ring unless you are anti-American enough to believe in royal status. However if you believe in royalty the gesture may be appropriate.
The royal person extends the right hand palm downward. The plebeian supports the extended hand with his right hand and bowing, kisses the ring.

Matthew

Anti-American? Wow, that is quite a statement.

Anyways, here is an awesome webpage that shows how to traditionally greet people in the heirarchy.

fisheaters.com/addressingclergy.html

 

[bpbasilphx]

When my ring is kissed, it’s a sign of respect directed to my office, and ultimately to Christ Himself.

I have better sense than to take it personally.

Among the Orthodox, it’s common to kiss the hands, wedding rings, and crowns of a newly married couple in honor of the Mystery of Matrimony.

 

[Andreas_Hofer]

For you, drafdog, a dose of the real world of episcopal rings (note: they are more than just office machines):

Knowing, as we do, that in the pagan days of Rome every flamen Dialis (i.e., a priest specially consecrated to the worship of Jupiter) had, like the senators, the privilege of wearing a gold ring, it would not be surprising to find evidence in the fourth century that rings were worn by Christian bishops. But the various passages that have been appealed to, to prove this, are either not authentic or else are inconclusive. St. Augustine indeed speaks of his sealing a letter with a ring (Ep. ccxvii, in P.L., XXXIII, 227), but on the other hand his contemporary Possidius expressly states that Augustine himself wore no ring (P.L., XXXII, 53), whence we are led to conclude that the possession of a signet does not prove the use of a ring as part of the episcopal insignia. However, in a Decree of Pope Boniface IV (A.D. 610) we hear of monks raised to the episcopal dignity as anulo pontificali subarrhatis, while at the Fourth Council of Toledo, in 633, we are told that if a bishop has been deposed from his office, and is afterwards reinstated, he is to receive back stole, ring, and crosier (orarium, anulum et baculum). St. Isidore of Seville at about the same period couples the ring with the crosier and declares that the former is conferred as “an emblem of the pontifical dignity or of the sealing of secrets” (P.L., LXXXIII, 783). From this time forth it may be assumed that the ring was strictly speaking an episcopal ornament conferred in the rite of consecration, and that it was commonly regarded as emblematic of the betrothal of the bishop to his Church. In the eighth and ninth centuries in manuscripts of the Gregorian Sacramentary and in a few early Pontificals (e.g., that attributed to Archbishop Egbert of York) we meet with various formulae for the delivery of the ring. The Gregorian form, which survives in substance to the present day, runs in these terms: “Receive the ring, that is to say the seal of faith, whereby thou, being thyself adorned with spotless faith, mayst keep unsullied the troth which thou hast pledged to the spouse of God, His holy Church.”
newadvent.org/cathen/13059a.htm

 

[Formosus]

You don’t kiss a person’s ring unless you are anti-American enough to believe in royal status. However if you believe in royalty the gesture may be appropriate.
The royal person extends the right hand palm downward. The plebeian supports the extended hand with his right hand and bowing, kisses the ring.

Matthew

Well I suppose I am ok since I do beleive in Royal status and am unapologetically pro monarchy, but what you said is quite an offensive comment to all the Catholics I know that love this country and its republican institutions and kiss Bishop’s rings. You do realize its an indulgenced act to kiss a Bishop’s ring? Everytime I meet a Bishop I kiss his ring .

*Also I guess its anti American to celebrate Christ the King, since you know, thats beleiving in Royal status.

 

[benedictgal]

When I was a little girl and the bishop came to town (back when we were part of the Diocese of Corpus Christi) for a CYO convention, my parents and I met him (my dad was in charge of the convention). The first thing my parents did was kneel and kiss the bishop’s ring. My mother motioned for me to kneel (I was four years old at the time) so that I, too, could kiss the bishop’s ring. The bishop patted me on the head as I did so. Later on, my mother told me that she wanted me to learn the correct protocol when meeting a bishop. She told me that he was a successor to the Apostles and that his office deserved respect.

Eight years later, the same bishop administered the Sacrament of Confirmation to me. In fact, during the liturgy, he asked three of us a question. I got hit with Transubstantiation and, I nailed it. He laughed and told the faithful that I was the little girl whose mother had taught her to kiss his ring.

Now, fast-forward that some 10 years later. I was working in the Texas House of Representatives when Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip came to Austin. I was one of the privileged few who got to sit on the House Floor when the Queen addressed the Texas Legislature. My mother (who was still with me–she died in 1994) called me the night before to go over protocol. She said, “whatever you do, mijita, don’t kneel. We aren’t British subjects and she isn’t our sovereign.” We both laughed because that afternoon, the Secretary of State’s protocol office had gone over the do’s and do not’s of the visit. The last thing my mother said before we hung up: “She may be the head of the Church of England, but, she’s not the bishop.”

We may or may not always agree with our local Ordinaries nor the Metropolitans. However, that has not stopped me from showing respect to the office they hold. I had some small squabbles with the previous Central Texas Ordinary; however, when he came down for the ceremony for the erection of our new diocese, I kissed his ring. It would always get on his nerves, but, after I explained it to him, he knew better than to withhold his hand from me.

The sad fact is that no one is teaching our Church’s faithful regarding Church protocol. The Cardinal from Honduras came to visit my city and very few people kissed his ring and paid him respect. That is a shame.

 

[cavaleriesoldaa]

By the way, no one else has given instructions on the format of ring-kissing.
I will add that one kisses the ring only if it is offered in the manner in which it was described above. If the hand is not extended palm downward, and signet ring facing you, don’t attempt to kiss it.

Matthew

Thank-you, Matthew, something actually useful in this thread! I thought this was the case, but wasn’t completely sure.

 

[cavaleriesoldaa]

When I was a little girl and the bishop came to town (back when we were part of the Diocese of Corpus Christi) for a CYO convention, my parents and I met him (my dad was in charge of the convention). The first thing my parents did was kneel and kiss the bishop’s ring. My mother motioned for me to kneel (I was four years old at the time) so that I, too, could kiss the bishop’s ring. The bishop patted me on the head as I did so. Later on, my mother told me that she wanted me to learn the correct protocol when meeting a bishop. She told me that he was a successor to the Apostles and that his office deserved respect.

Eight years later, the same bishop administered the Sacrament of Confirmation to me. In fact, during the liturgy, he asked three of us a question. I got hit with Transubstantiation and, I nailed it. He laughed and told the faithful that I was the little girl whose mother had taught her to kiss his ring.

Now, fast-forward that some 10 years later. I was working in the Texas House of Representatives when Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip came to Austin. I was one of the privileged few who got to sit on the House Floor when the Queen addressed the Texas Legislature. My mother (who was still with me–she died in 1994) called me the night before to go over protocol. She said, “whatever you do, mijita, don’t kneel. We aren’t British subjects and she isn’t our sovereign.” We both laughed because that afternoon, the Secretary of State’s protocol office had gone over the do’s and do not’s of the visit. The last thing my mother said before we hung up: “She may be the head of the Church of England, but, she’s not the bishop.”

We may or may not always agree with our local Ordinaries nor the Metropolitans. However, that has not stopped me from showing respect to the office they hold. I had some small squabbles with the previous Central Texas Ordinary; however, when he came down for the ceremony for the erection of our new diocese, I kissed his ring. It would always get on his nerves, but, after I explained it to him, he knew better than to withhold his hand from me.

The sad fact is that no one is teaching our Church’s faithful regarding Church protocol. The Cardinal from Honduras came to visit my city and very few people kissed his ring and paid him respect. That is a shame.

Beautiful story! Thank-you, so much for sharing this. You truly “get it.”

 

[cavaleriesoldaa]

For you, drafdog, a dose of the real world of episcopal rings (note: they are more than just office machines):

Knowing, as we do, that in the pagan days of Rome every flamen Dialis (i.e., a priest specially consecrated to the worship of Jupiter) had, like the senators, the privilege of wearing a gold ring, it would not be surprising to find evidence in the fourth century that rings were worn by Christian bishops. But the various passages that have been appealed to, to prove this, are either not authentic or else are inconclusive. St. Augustine indeed speaks of his sealing a letter with a ring (Ep. ccxvii, in P.L., XXXIII, 227), but on the other hand his contemporary Possidius expressly states that Augustine himself wore no ring (P.L., XXXII, 53), whence we are led to conclude that the possession of a signet does not prove the use of a ring as part of the episcopal insignia. However, in a Decree of Pope Boniface IV (A.D. 610) we hear of monks raised to the episcopal dignity as anulo pontificali subarrhatis, while at the Fourth Council of Toledo, in 633, we are told that if a bishop has been deposed from his office, and is afterwards reinstated, he is to receive back stole, ring, and crosier (orarium, anulum et baculum). St. Isidore of Seville at about the same period couples the ring with the crosier and declares that the former is conferred as “an emblem of the pontifical dignity or of the sealing of secrets” (P.L., LXXXIII, 783). From this time forth it may be assumed that the ring was strictly speaking an episcopal ornament conferred in the rite of consecration, and that it was commonly regarded as emblematic of the betrothal of the bishop to his Church. In the eighth and ninth centuries in manuscripts of the Gregorian Sacramentary and in a few early Pontificals (e.g., that attributed to Archbishop Egbert of York) we meet with various formulae for the delivery of the ring. The Gregorian form, which survives in substance to the present day, runs in these terms: “Receive the ring, that is to say the seal of faith, whereby thou, being thyself adorned with spotless faith, mayst keep unsullied the troth which thou hast pledged to the spouse of God, His holy Church.”
newadvent.org/cathen/13059a.htm

Well said! Facts or far better than opinion when it comes to faith matters.

 

[Chatter163]

This thread is nearly five years old.