Vatican vetoes lay brother as Maryknoll superior [CN-USA]

[Catholic_Press]

Insisting that a priest must be appointed, the Holy See has vetoed an election by the American Maryknoll religious order of a non-ordained religious brother as the order’s superior in the United States.

More…

 

[Deacon_Ed_B]

I agree with this decision. The main purpose of the Maryknoll fathers is missionary work, with the preaching, proclaiming and living of the gospel and the administration of the sacraments. This is why a priest must be named. I totally agree with this.

 

[Yellow_Belle]

Why not just ordain him?

On Wednesday, 29 October 2008, the monks of Glenstal Abbey, Ireland elected Br Mark Patrick Hederman OSB as Abbot for a term of eight years. Because it is a requirement that the Abbot be a priest, he was ordained a short time later.

Is there something that would preclude this happening in this case?

 

[JimG]

Why not just ordain him?

On Wednesday, 29 October 2008, the monks of Glenstal Abbey, Ireland elected Br Mark Patrick Hederman OSB as Abbot for a term of eight years. Because it is a requirement that the Abbot be a priest, he was ordained a short time later.

Is there something that would preclude this happening in this case?

I read the full NCR Online story, and it does not address this possibility.

While it seems that it might be a solution, I got the impression that the Maryknoll order might not want to use it as a solution, perhaps as a way of trying to make a point about the expansion of lay authority in the Church.

 

[Brendan]

Why not just ordain him?

…

Is there something that would preclude this happening in this case?

Has the man in question gone through priestly formation according to the published norms?

Does he desire to enter into Holy Orders?

If yes to the above, ordaining him would be a workable solution. If not, it’ not.

 

[Yellow_Belle]

Has the man in question gone through priestly formation according to the published norms?

Does he desire to enter into Holy Orders?

If yes to the above, ordaining him would be a workable solution. If not, it’ not.

Mark Patrick Hederman, the current abbot of Glenstal, had not gone through ‘priestly formation according to the published norms’, as far as I know.

Neither had he any great desire to enter Holy Orders according to an interview I saw with him.

However, he was elected unanimously by his fellow monks and felt that, as the Holy Spirit had moved them to do so, he would humbly accept the consequences which included accepting Holy Orders. The Vatican said ok to that. In the Maryknoll situation they said otherwise.

 

[JimG]

I didn’t see anything in the NCR article to indicate that Brother Fitzpatrick or the Maryknolls had proposed ordination as a solution to the problem. Rather, the necessity of ordination as a prerequisite seemed to be implicitly challenged:

“Dougherty said members of the order were “very disappointed” in the Vatican decision, feeling they had chosen “the best person for the job.” He questioned the logic that the office of a superior in a religious order must be a priest, arguing that a brother can do “exactly the same things” as a priest in terms of administration.”

 

[JReducation]

There are many misunderstandings here and they need to be clarified.

1. Maryknoll is not a religious institute. It is a clerical society.
2. The norm is that in a clerical society, priests hold office. If it were a religious order, the situation would be different. For example, Franciscans are a religious order of friars. Even though many friars are ordained, one need not be ordained to be the major superior, because it is not a clerical society.
3. You can just ordain a religious brother. There is a major difference between a vocation to the clerical state and a vocation to the consecrated life. First of all, consecrated men make vows and live a life within a rule and a community. Clerics need not make vows and need not live within a rule and a community. Therefore, they are not consecrated men. Maryknoll priests are secular men. They are not consecrated men. Maryknoll brothers are consecrated men. Two different vocations in one corporate organization. You can’t change Christ’s call by ordaining someone whom Christ calls to consecrate his life to him. That would be major heresy.
4. The Holy Father prefers that in societies of priests and brothers that the priests hold office. But this only applies to societies, not to religious communities. Every religious community is classified as either: clerical, lay, mendicant, monastic, apostolic or secular.
5. After you classify the community under one of the categories in number four, then you have classify it as either an: order, congregation, society, or institute.
6. Then you have to classify them as either secular or regular.

Maryknoll is a: society + clerical + secular

Maryknoll brothers are neither clerical nor secular. That’s the issue. But the article does not go into these details and it sounds as if the Holy Father does not allow Brothers to govern over priests. This is not true. The following religious communities have non ordained brothers who govern and are considered Ordinaries.

Jesuits, Francsicans, Mercederians, Trinitarians, Marianists, Benedictines, Marists, Secular Franciscans, Discalced Carmelites, Order of Carmelites Discalced Secular, and others that I can’t recall right now.

This is very confusing for the average person in the pews, because it has to do with vows, rules, founders, and canonical status of the institute.

I hope I didn’t confuse people more.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[TheDoctor]

There are many misunderstandings here and they need to be clarified.

1. Maryknoll is not a religious institute. It is a clerical society.
2. The norm is that in a clerical society, priests hold office. If it were a religious order, the situation would be different. For example, Franciscans are a religious order of friars. Even though many friars are ordained, one need not be ordained to be the major superior, because it is not a clerical society.
3. You can just ordain a religious brother. There is a major difference between a vocation to the clerical state and a vocation to the consecrated life. First of all, consecrated men make vows and live a life within a rule and a community. Clerics need not make vows and need not live within a rule and a community. Therefore, they are not consecrated men. Maryknoll priests are secular men. They are not consecrated men. Maryknoll brothers are consecrated men. Two different vocations in one corporate organization. You can’t change Christ’s call by ordaining someone whom Christ calls to consecrate his life to him. That would be major heresy.
4. The Holy Father prefers that in societies of priests and brothers that the priests hold office. But this only applies to societies, not to religious communities. Every religious community is classified as either: clerical, lay, mendicant, monastic, apostolic or secular.
5. After you classify the community under one of the categories in number four, then you have classify it as either an: order, congregation, society, or institute.
6. Then you have to classify them as either secular or regular.

Maryknoll is a: society + clerical + secular

Maryknoll brothers are neither clerical nor secular. That’s the issue. But the article does not go into these details and it sounds as if the Holy Father does not allow Brothers to govern over priests. This is not true. The following religious communities have non ordained brothers who govern and are considered Ordinaries.

Jesuits, Francsicans, Mercederians, Trinitarians, Marianists, Benedictines, Marists, Secular Franciscans, Discalced Carmelites, Order of Carmelites Discalced Secular, and others that I can’t recall right now.

This is very confusing for the average person in the pews, because it has to do with vows, rules, founders, and canonical status of the institute.

I hope I didn’t confuse people more.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

I lost you at #3, came back at #4, and then glazed over from #5 onward But, I am curious as to the different types of community classifications. So as not to hijack the thread, would you consider starting a new one with some definitions/links?