The Catholic Yeti: Instituted Lectors and Acolytes

[John_Lilburne]

… I know in my Seminary, and our counterparts in Rome, DC, Philly, Letrobe, and Maryland, you lose this status when you leave Seminary. This is IAW CCC 230, 1035, and the October 27, 1977 letter from the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of Sacraments. This letter permits the Local Ordinary to establish stable ministries and the rules governing them. So in my experience, losing the status is the norm. …

By “CCC 230” I am sure you mean “CIC 230” or canon 230 of the Code of Canon Law (from Codex Iuris Canonici). Catecism of the Catholic Church n. 230 is not relevant.

Nothing in canon 230 or 1035 supports instituted ministries coming and going. Canon 230 makes describes them as “the stable ministry of lector and acolyte”. Canon 1035 makes it clear that they are to receive these ministries, not some other a Conference of Bishops has created.

The letter of 27 October 1977 is known as “Novit profecto”. It can be found in Documents on the Liturgy 1963-1979, Liturgical Press, Minnesota, 1982, ISBN 0-8146-1281-4, pages 916-917. But nothing in it justifies an automatic removal of the ministry by someone leaving formation for ordination. It simply describes a procedure for creating new ministries:

“… Pope Paul VI has decided to grant to conferences of bishops requesting it from the Apostolic See permission to establish new ministries that they deem truly necessary or very useful in their own regions. Accordingly, the episcopates concerned may send the petition to this Congregation. …”

If local bishops or Seminary Rules are creating impression that instituted ministries are lost on ceasing formation they are not following any Vatican documentation that I am aware of. So this is another part of the problem of poor implementation of these ministries that the thread is about.

 

[Andreas_Hofer]

If local bishops or Seminary Rules are creating impression that instituted ministries are lost on ceasing formation they are not following any Vatican documentation that I am aware of. So this is another part of the problem of poor implementation of these ministries that the thread is about.

Very true on this last point.

 

[mnowlin1]

Thought this might be interesting. I asked my Archdiocese whether or not these positions would be available to “any willing Catholic male” other than seminarians or deacon candidates and they told me no. Only seminarians and deacon candidates were eligible. I was disappointed as I would have readily volunteered.