Question About Ordination of Priests

[T_Hope]

We had two priests ordained in our diocese this past Saturday! It was a splendid experience. The Mass was beautiful.

I’m mentioning this because yesterday I visited a neighborhood parish and in the program there was an announcement of that parish priest’s anniversary of ordination, which was on the very same day many years before.

So I got to wondereing, since most adult baptisms take place at the Easter Vigil, are the ordinations of priests held to a particular “schedule” too?

I didn’t know how to find the answer to this question, so to the discussion board I came.

Thanks,
Hope

 

[tee_eff_em]

So I got to wondereing, since most adult baptisms take place at the Easter Vigil, are the ordinations of priests held to a particular “schedule” too?

Not as a rule, AFAIK. However:

In my experience and diocese, most priests have their anniversary in either May-ish or October-ish. May is the end of the academic year (which is when the current and recent bishop’s bestow ordination). I believe those in October were ordained during a period when the transitional diaconate was only 6 months – They were ordained deacons near the end of the academic year, and priests 6 months later.
Current practice in my diocese is a year of diaconate followed by presbyteral ordination, so they both take place May-ish on successive Saturdays.

NB: Order priests may request a different schedule, either in conjunction with their order’s feasts, or when a bishop has the time in his schedule to confer the sacrament.

:twocents:
tee

 

[T_Hope]

Not as a rule, AFAIK. However:

In my experience and diocese, most priests have their anniversary in either May-ish or October-ish. May is the end of the academic year (which is when the current and recent bishop’s bestow ordination). I believe those in October were ordained during a period when the transitional diaconate was only 6 months – They were ordained deacons near the end of the academic year, and priests 6 months later.
Current practice in my diocese is a year of diaconate followed by presbyteral ordination, so they both take place May-ish on successive Saturdays.

NB: Order priests may request a different schedule, either in conjunction with their order’s feasts, or when a bishop has the time in his schedule to confer the sacrament.

:twocents:
tee

Thank you. That is interesting. If I think of it I’ll ask this weekend. I was just curious.

Hope

 

[Catholic1954]

I have noticed that the priests whoare ordained in Rome are ordained in December.

 

[curlycool89]

So I got to wondereing, since most adult baptisms take place at the Easter Vigil, are the ordinations of priests held to a particular “schedule” too?

I don’t think priests are, but I believe that Bishops are always consecrated on a Solemnity.

 

[MikeDunphy]

Saturday, May 29th was an Ember Week Saturday.

According to the old code of canon law, Roman Catholic priests (and deacons and subdeacons) as a rule should be ordained on one of the four Ember Saturdays of the year, or on the Saturday before Passion Sunday, or on Holy Saturday.

The practice of ordaining priests on Ember Saturdays goes back to Pope Gelasius I (492-496).

The rule is gone from the new code of canon law, but I imagine the custom could persist in some places.