ARTICLE II: ON THE OBLIGATIONS OF PASTORS

1138. • A Pastor, once canonically constituted, enjoys ordinary jurisdiction over the people entrusted to him, and without a new approbation of the Bishop has the right to perform all parochial duties. Therefore no Cleric, except the Bishop and his Vicar general and their delegates, can licitly perform any sacred functions at all, at least in his church, without his express or reasonably presumed consent.

On account of the various statutes which are in force in our ecclesiastical Provinces or even in the diverse dioceses of the same Province, it is not easy to say precisely how far the rights of those who among us are placed over districts divided after the likeness of parishes extend. Wherefore let it suffice here to note those things which until now have been held as the almost common opinion concerning all dioceses. - The jurisdiction of absolutely all priests laboring among us in the Sacred Ministry has been held as delegated, not ordinary. - To Rectors of Congregations divided as above are attributed parochial or quasi-parochial rights.¹ - But what obligations correspond to those rights, both in the Rectors of other Congregations and in either priests cooperating in the same Congregation or the faithful, will have to be judged partly from the Plenary Council of Baltimore II,² partly from Provincial and Diocesan statutes. - As to the Province of San Francisco, see (f) p. 471.

Moreover, if you except the obligation of offering the Sacrifice for the sheep, concerning which n. 1139. II, it is certain that they are bound toward their Congregation by the same obligations by which Pastors are bound toward their parish. - Moreover:

Pastors, like Bishops, are chiefly held to residence; prayer; preaching; administration of the Sacraments; correction of the sheep; visitation of the sick and of the parish.

1139. • I. As to residence. The Pastor is bound to residence, because when he accepted the administration of the Congregation, he obligated himself to consult the salvation of souls and to procure it according to his strength. - Council of Trent.³ - St. Alphonsus.⁴

The Pastor must dwell in the presbyteral domicile, or, if this is lacking, in his own house within the boundaries of the Congregation, so that he can easily be approached, and he himself not be impeded in fulfilling the duty of residence. But that the duty of residence may be satisfied, he must not only be present in body, but also serve the Congregation himself personally, or through coadjutors.

Yet they can, if they obtain leave from the Ordinary, be absent for a just cause for that space of time and under those conditions which are determined by diocesan statutes or by the judgment of the Bishop. But for one or another day they will be able to be absent without special permission for a cause which seems legitimate to them, provided they have, or know, to whom the sheep committed to them can have recourse in necessity.

II. As to prayer. The Pastor is held, as the Bishop is, to offer the Sacrifice for the parish on feast days and Sundays, as will be clear from things to be said concerning the Eucharist, n. 1322. But this obligation does not exist as to our quasi-pastors or Missionaries (unless they are truly over parishes), although it befits them to show this office of charity to the sheep.¹ Likewise he is held to pray frequently for his sheep, that he may implore for himself and for his subjects the graces necessary for salvation and heavenly blessings. (f) p. 471.

Besides, the Pastor must take care that all learn to pray, that they pray well, and teach their own to pray.³

Moreover let our priests note the following statute of our Plenary Council of Baltimore I. "If ... sometime on account of public calamities or necessities it should seem good that prayers be recited in the vernacular language in assemblies of the faithful, let this be done only when the Ordinary so establishes, and let only that formula of praying be used which he himself has prescribed. The same we establish also concerning days designated by the civil Magistrate for giving thanks. For on these days we wish ecclesiastical ceremonies to be had only when the Ordinary commands; but if they are celebrated, let them be performed according to the norm established by the rubrics."⁴

1140. • III. As to preaching. Pastors are held rather often to speak words to the people, to nourish it with salutary food, at least on each Sunday and on each greater Feast.

Therefore Pastors who abstain from preaching for a notable time sin gravely. But by many a notable time is held to be if through one whole and continuous month, or through three months not continuous, or divided in the year, they do not preach by themselves or by another.¹ Nor do those satisfy the obligation who do not strive to accommodate preaching to the capacity of the hearers.

Under the name of preaching here do not come sermons perfected and elaborated by much and subtle art, filled with elegances, and committed to memory; for although these sermons are useful and sometimes necessary, nevertheless for the most part a Pastor giving sermons of this kind would in no way satisfy his duty, because according to Trent he must teach those things which are more necessary, and in a manner more useful and more accommodated to the greatest part of the hearers. Nor are those less to be reproved who, with no preparation applied, pour out whatever comes into the mouth, without order, clarity, piety, and zeal. These disfigure the word of God and create nausea and disgust in the hearers. - Thus all.

But the Pastor who reads pious books to the hearers does not fulfill his duty of preaching, because reading is not preaching; unless someone is so weak of memory that he cannot do otherwise: but then from time to time he must take care that sermons be had for the people through another, or he must notify the Bishop of the impediment.

Moreover let the preacher consider those most wise admonitions which the Plenary Council of Baltimore II hands down concerning his office, and of which this is the summary.

1° Let him teach, a) "the motives and frequent practice of acts of faith, hope, charity, and contrition; the dispositions required for receiving the Sacraments usefully; the vices which it is necessary to avoid, and the virtues which it is proper to follow";² b) "those heads of Catholic doctrine ... which heretics and unbelievers, especially of this region and time, either obstinately deny, or call into doubt, or, according to the most inept genius of this age, attack by jokes and mockery rather than by arguments."³

2° In relating miracles and prodigies let him use the greatest prudence, and avoid foolish fables, although it is proper to mix examples with precepts.⁴

3° Let him not abuse sacred place and time for avenging a private injury.⁵

4° Let him mix nothing of daily, civil, or political events with sacred doctrine.¹

5° On the occasion of funerals let him not extol the dead person with immoderate praises, nor speak of all indiscriminately as already received into heaven or soon to be received.²

6° Concerning his stipends, of whatever kind, on the occasion of a sermon or under any other pretext, from the pulpit or from the place of the altar, let him not make words too often.³

7° Let him not easily condemn certain things as lethal sins which are not certainly such.⁴

1141. • IV. As to the administration of the Sacraments. Pastors are held to minister the Sacraments personally, not only when the time of precept and of grave necessity is pressing, but also, as regards the Sacraments which can be repeated, as often as the sheep duly, or not inopportunely, ask, unless they are legitimately impeded, or can provide for those asking through another without inconvenience and offense. See several other things on this obligation in the Treatise de Sacram. in genere, n. 1225 sq.

V. As to correction. The Pastor is held to correct subjects living in mortal sin or in proximate danger of mortal sin, even with danger of life, if nevertheless some hope of amendment seems to shine forth and it is a question of their grave spiritual necessity. He must also, insofar as he can, remove or prevent scandals with due prudence, by himself or through others, directly or indirectly, by command, counsel, exhortation, prayers, etc. - Thus commonly, and indeed more probably from justice, namely by reason of the stipend which they receive from the Congregation, not from charity only.⁵

Then Pastors must solicitously provide for the spiritual good of subjects, according to that saying of the Apostle:⁶ He who rules, in solicitude. Therefore they must investigate the morals of parishioners, correct delinquents, sustain those who are wavering, and strive that all fulfill their obligations, always keeping in memory that they at some time will have to render an account for their souls. But especially, according to the admonitions of the Plenary Council of Baltimore II, let them most sharply and often reprove the sluggishness of Catholic parents who do not take care that infants be immediately fortified by the Sacrament of Baptism; let them restrain the reading of wicked newspapers; with ardent and gentle zeal let them lead back to truth those wandering from the Church; let them take care by every means to commend the observance of Sundays and feast days; let them put every effort into eliminating the vice of drunkenness; let them turn the faithful away from theaters and stage-plays; let them attack and condemn immodest dances; let them procure missions for their sheep; let them turn the faithful away from secret societies.¹ - They are also held to provide for deaf-mutes in the better way in which they can, by taking care that they be instructed at least in those things which must be known by necessity of means, in the precepts of the Decalogue, etc. Those most unhappy persons are exposed to the greatest peril in non-Catholic institutes. - On the office of the Pastor as to schools and catechesis, see n. 440. 3°. - As to visitation of the sick, see the things to be said at the end of the Treatise on Extreme Unction.

1142. • As to the visitation of Parishioners, a certain more recent Council has these things.

"Because, as Christ Himself says, the good Pastor knows his sheep and calls them by name, therefore the Pastor must know the faithful committed to him. Therefore let him not neglect this custom, so salutary, of visiting at certain times the individual families of his parish; and let him fulfill this duty with gravity and modesty together, and also with singular charity. For although he must abstain from every useless running about through the parish, nevertheless let him not judge that he has satisfied his office if, shut up at home, he waits for the parishioners to come to him. Indeed always, but especially in these times, this precept of the Lord has force: Go to the sheep which have perished of the house of Israel."