It is composed of the preparatory rites, the essential element, and the explanatory rites
By Father Randy Stice
On July 26, Bishop-elect Mark Beckman will be ordained and installed as the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Knoxville. In this column I want to explain the Rite of Ordination of a Bishop.
The official liturgical book, Ordination of a Bishop, of Priests, and of Deacons, explains the office of bishop: “Bishops, ‘as successors of the Apostles, receive from the Lord, who was given all power in heaven and on earth, the mission to teach all nations and to preach the Gospel to every creature, so that by faith, Baptism, and obedience to the commandments (cf. Matthew 28:18) all people may attain salvation.’ The College of Bishops, gathered under the one head, the Roman Pontiff, successor of Peter, expresses the unity, diversity, and universality of the flock of Christ.”
A bishop is always ordained by three bishops. For Bishop-elect Beckman’s ordination, Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre is the principal ordaining bishop, and Bishop J. Mark Spalding (Diocese of Nashville) and Bishop James V. Johnston Jr. (Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, originally from Knoxville) are the co-consecrating bishops. The rite is celebrated within the Liturgy of the Word following the reading of the Gospel. It is composed of three parts: the preparatory rites, the essential element, and the explanatory rites.1 We will consider each part in turn.
The Rite of Ordination begins following the Gospel with the preparatory rites, which consist of the presentation of the bishop-elect, the homily, the Promise of the Elect, and the Litany of Supplication. One of the priests of our diocese asks Archbishop Fabre, the principal ordaining bishop, to ordain Bishop-elect Beckman. The mandate from the Apostolic See appointing Bishop-elect Beckman is read, and the assembly responds, “Thanks be to God.”2 Archbishop Fabre then gives the homily, drawing on the readings to explain the office of bishop.
The Promise of the Elect follows the homily. Archbishop Fabre questions Bishop-elect Beckman on his intention to carry out the office of bishop: Is he resolved to carry the office of bishop until death; to faithfully proclaim the Gospel; to guard the deposit of faith; to build up the Church in unity with the College of Bishops and the pope; to render obedience to the pope; to encourage and guide the people of God with the priests and deacons; to show mercy to the poor, strangers, and those in need; to seek and bring back those who have strayed; and to pray without ceasing and carry out the office of High Priest without reproach? The bishop-elect replies “I do” to each question, adding “with the help of God” to the last question. Archbishop Fabre concludes by saying, “May God who has begun the good work in you bring it to fulfillment.”
The final preparatory rite is the Litany of Supplication (the Litany of the Saints), in which “all present implore God’s grace for the bishop-elect.” The bishop-elect may insert additional saints into the standard litany of saints. Bishop-elect Beckman has added the following saints: St. Mark, St. Luke, St. Henry, St. Ambrose, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, St. Teresa of Calcutta, St. John XXIII, St. Paul VI, and St. John Paul II. The bishop-elect prostrates himself as the intercession of the saints is invoked over him.
Then comes the essential element of ordination—the laying on of hands and the Prayer of Ordination. Since this is the center of ordination, the rite urges that its meaning “should be instilled through catechesis and brought out clearly through the celebration itself.” The bishop-elect kneels before Archbishop Fabre, who lays his hands on his head without saying anything. Then all the bishops do the same. Next, two deacons hold the Book of the Gospels open above the head of the bishop-elect, and Archbishop Fabre proclaims the Prayer of Ordination. This prayer asks God to pour forth on the bishop-elect the power of the governing Spirit given to Christ, who then gave it to the Apostles, “to the glory and unfailing praise” of God’s name. At the conclusion of the prayer, the “bishop-elect” is now the “newly ordained bishop.”
Following the essential element of ordination are several explanatory rites that “explain” different aspects of the office conferred: anointing with chrism, then the presentation of the Book of the Gospels, the ring, the miter, and the crosier. Each is given by Archbishop Fabre accompanied by words that explain the rite. The newly ordained bishop is first anointed on the head with chrism and the words, “May God, who has made you a sharer in the High Priesthood of Christ, Himself pour out upon you the oil of mystical anointing and make you fruitful with an abundance of spiritual blessing.” This is “a sign of the bishop’s distinctive share in the priesthood of Christ.” Next, he is given the Book of the Gospels with the words, “Receive the Gospel, and preach the word of God with all patience and sound teaching.” This signifies “that the faithful preaching of the word of God is the pre-eminent obligation of the office of the bishop.”
He is next given the ring with the words, “Receive this ring, the seal of fidelity: and adorned with undefiled faith, preserve unblemished the Bride of God, the holy Church.” The ring “symbolizes the bishop’s fidelity to the Bride of God, the Church.” This is followed by the miter and the words, “Receive the miter, and let the splendor of holiness shine in you, so that when the chief Shepherd appears you may merit to receive an unfading crown of glory.” The miter “signifies his resolve to pursue holiness.” Then he is given the pastoral staff (crosier) with the words, “Receive the crosier, the sign of the pastoral office, and keep watch over the whole flock in which the Holy Spirit has placed you as bishop to govern the Church of God.” The pastoral staff is a symbol of “the duty of guiding and governing the Church entrusted to him.”
The newly ordained bishop is then installed. All rise, and Archbishop Fabre invites Bishop Beckman “to be seated in the first place among the concelebrating bishops.”3 Finally, he receives the fraternal kiss from the bishops present, which “seals, so to speak, his admittance into the College of Bishops.”
The ritual book sums up the profound effects of ordination. “Through the Holy Spirit who has been given them” at ordination, bishops are “signed with the fullness of the sacrament of holy orders” and “have been made true and authentic teachers of the faith, High Priests, and shepherds.” Through this rich and beautiful rite, the Diocese of Knoxville will receive its fourth High Priest, authentic teacher of the faith, and shepherd.
1 The ordination of priests and of deacons has this three-part structure.
2 When the ordination is held in the cathedral, this takes place at the beginning of Mass, not after the reading of the Gospel.
3 If the ordination has taken place in the newly ordained bishop’s own church, the principal ordaining bishop invites him to be seated in the cathedra, and in this case the principal ordaining bishop himself sits at the right of the newly ordained bishop.
Father Randy Stice is director of the diocesan Office of Worship and Liturgy. He can be reached at frrandy@dioknox.org.
