Priests and Deacons on vacation

[dvberte]

Let me paraphrase this question by stating my understanding of the Church’s teaching that:

1. Priests should ALWAYS wear clerical garb, and:
2. Deacons (permanent) are not obliged, but should, unless they cannot due to some circumstance (like opposition from their lay employer) (despite the misunderstanding of this rule by some bishops)

For those here who are Priests, when you go on vacation, for example, back home to visit family, or to a strange city, do you introduce yourself to the Pastor of the parish and arrange to be a concelebrant? Is it ever a problem to establish your bona fides?

How about the Deacons, since you are bound to your bishop, what do you do?

I recently heard (Fr. Corapi I think?) have harsh words about a Priest he witnessed sitting with the laity during a Mass. I would think the same applies to a Deacon, which caused me to wonder abut this circumstance.

Thanks for any insight.

God Bless-

 

[Deacon_Ed]

My answer, as a deacon, is a little complex. I am a bi-ritual deacon serving both the Latin and the Melkite Churches. As a Latin deacon I am not permitted to wear clerics. As a Melkite deacon I am required to wear clerics whenever I am serving as a deacon. So, since I was ordained as a Latin deacon I revert to that status whenever I am not serving the Melkites.

With that in mind: when I am on vacation I generally call the pastor of the church in the area where I will be staying and offer to serve as a deacon at at least one Mass per Sunday that I am there.I’ve only been turned down once by a pastor. If there is a Melkite church in the area then I do take clerics and offer to serve there since not all our parish churches have deacons.

If I am not serving then I sit with my wife since my sacrament of matrimony came before my sacrament of orders and I do have to honor both.

Deacon Ed

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

Deacon Ed:

My answer, as a deacon, is a little complex. I am a bi-ritual deacon serving both the Latin and the Melkite Churches. As a Latin deacon I am not permitted to wear clerics. As a Melkite deacon I am required to wear clerics whenever I am serving as a deacon. So, since I was ordained as a Latin deacon I revert to that status whenever I am not serving the Melkites.

Fr Deacon Ed,
I think it is important to stress that as a Latin Deacon your not being permitted to wear clerics is the decision of your bishop and is not the same in all dioceses.

 

[Deacon_Tony560]

Each diocese is different. Our bishop does not allow Permanent Deacons to wear clerics, only Transitional Deacons. We are issued an ID card that states that we are in good standing with our diocese. We can assist at Mass at any other diocese if invited by a priest to do so. If a priest or deacon visits our diocese, they are not allowed to do anything until it is clear that they have faculties from where they came from. We had a “Deacon” that was helping at a parrish that was found to have no faculties and might have been in fact not a deacon. Our bishop requires faculties in writting for priests who will be staying around for a while. Our priests are not required to wear clerics while on vacation or attending meetings Etc. We have had temps in the 105 range for the past two weeks. A Franciscan Priest that I know was wearing his habit and walking down the street with another Franciscan in a habit. They were eating ice cream cones. A woman actually came up to then and said, “I didn’t know that you people were allowed to have ice cream!” Kind of makes you understand why vacationing priest like their civilian clothes.

 

[Andreas_Hofer]

dvberte:

Let me paraphrase this question by stating my understanding of the Church’s teaching that:

1. Priests should ALWAYS wear clerical garb, and:
2. Deacons (permanent) are not obliged, but should, unless they cannot due to some circumstance (like opposition from their lay employer) (despite the misunderstanding of this rule by some bishops)

For those here who are Priests, when you go on vacation, for example, back home to visit family, or to a strange city, do you introduce yourself to the Pastor of the parish and arrange to be a concelebrant? Is it ever a problem to establish your bona fides?

How about the Deacons, since you are bound to your bishop, what do you do?

I recently heard (Fr. Corapi I think?) have harsh words about a Priest he witnessed sitting with the laity during a Mass. I would think the same applies to a Deacon, which caused me to wonder abut this circumstance.

Priests receive an identification card (at least those I know have received such) in Latin which acknowledges their faculties. So that shouldn’t be too hard to establish.

I, however, don’t see a huge problem with a priest not concelebrating (concelebration is a rather recent trend, anyway) so long as he does not allow extraordinary ministers to distribute communion in his place.

 

[Deacon_Ed]

Andreas Hofer:

I, however, don’t see a huge problem with a priest not concelebrating (concelebration is a rather recent trend, anyway) so long as he does not allow extraordinary ministers to distribute communion in his place.

I f the priest is simply in the congregation attending Mass then he has no special requirement to vest and assist with communion. The directive for ordinary ministers to assist with communion only applies to those who are vested and in the sanctuary.

If this were not the case, when I attend Mass with my wife I would have to leave her, vest, and assist with communion. Clearly, this is not the meaning or intent of the legislation.

Deacon Ed