§ 1. The Preparation of Ordinations

— Order of speaking. Besides timely notice to be given to the bishop concerning one's purpose of receiving orders (c. 992), those to be promoted must bring testimonial letters; and the Code besides prescribes concerning them an examination, banns, investigation by the Ordinary, and spiritual exercises. A few things concerning each.

— I. Testimonial letters. 1. Seculars and religious who in ordination are governed by the law of the former, cc. 993, 994, are ordered to bring:

testimony of the last ordination, or, if it is a question of first tonsure, of baptism and confirmation received;

testimony concerning the studies completed which are required by canon 976 for the individual orders;

testimony of the rector of the seminary, or of the priest to whom the candidate outside the seminary had been commended, concerning his good morals;

testimonial letters of the Ordinary of the place in which, after puberty, the one to be promoted has stayed for a quarter as a soldier, or for a semester as a cleric or simple layman. And the ordaining bishop, according to his prudence, can require testimonial letters also on account of a briefer time of stay and on account of time which preceded puberty. Testimonial letters make faith that no canonical impediment has been contracted by the candidate. If the Ordinary of the place has known the candidate too little to be able to make this attestation, or if the one to be promoted himself has wandered through so many dioceses that it becomes impossible or too difficult to obtain all the dismissorial letters, let the Ordinary provide at least by a supplementary oath to be furnished by the one to be promoted. If after the letters have been obtained and before ordination the one to be promoted has again stayed in the same territory for three or six months (according to the case), new testimonial letters of the Ordinary of the place are necessary;

testimonials of the major religious Superior, if the one to be promoted is ascribed to some religion.

Testimonial letters are to be given for receiving orders (Noldin, III, 471).

The time of stay is understood as morally continuous; for, as is made manifest from can. 994, §3, it is a question of someone who has remained in the same territory for that time; and the response of the Sacred Congregation of the Council, June 25, 1904 (Periodica, II, 118), agrees.

The ordaining bishop who can require testimonial letters more severely is both he by whose authority the ordinations are done, that is, regularly the Ordinary of the place, and the ordaining bishop himself, who has the right and office of driving away suspicion from his ordinand; but when it is a question of the oath by which the letters are to be supplied, that is permitted to the prudence of the Ordinary of the place alone.

By these dispositions the former law is moderated somewhat, insofar as letters for the time before puberty are not regularly to be required; and the Ordinary of the place has a remedy for supplying the letters.

2. Religious who are not governed by the law of seculars must bring dismissorial letters of the religious Superior, by which he makes faith not only concerning the quality and domicile of the one to be ordained, but also concerning studies and other requisites.

After dismissorial letters have been received, the bishop does not need other testimonials (c. 995).

But before the novitiate, testimonial letters had to be obtained from the Ordinary of origin and of each place in which, after the fourteenth year of age had been completed, the aspirants had stayed beyond a morally continuous year, besides the sworn testimonial letters of the rector of the seminary or college, after hearing the Ordinary of the place, or of the major Superior of the religion in whose postulancy or novitiate they had been.

Therefore by this sign religious who are governed by proper law are distinguished from those who are subject to the law of seculars, because the former receive dismissorial letters from their own Superiors.

From the indult by which not a few other non-exempt religious Superiors are permitted to give dismissorial letters, they are tacitly relieved from the burden of bringing other testimonials.

— II. Concerning the examination, what was said above, n. 693. But it can be asked to whom it belongs to examine religious who have the privilege that they can be sent by their Superiors to any bishop whatever. And we think that the right of examination remains in the bishop who, unless there were a privilege, would ordain them by his own right. But the privilege of exemption from episcopal examination follows such a privilege rather consistently. Yet to the ordaining bishop there remains the faculty of requiring an examination, which c. 991 also attributes to him who ordains another's subject.

— III. On banns. The names of those to be promoted to the individual sacred orders, except religious of perpetual vows, are to be publicly announced in the parochial church of each candidate, on a feast day of precept, during the solemnities of Masses, or on another day and hour at which a greater attendance of the people is had in church (c. 998, §§1, 2).

It is permitted to the Ordinary, for a just cause, both to dispense from that publication, and to command that it be made also in other churches, or to substitute for it public affixing at the doors of the church for several days, in which at least one feast day is included (c. 998, §1).

After six months have elapsed without the ordination having been performed, the publication is to be repeated, unless it seems otherwise to the Ordinary (c. 998, §3).

Moreover "the faithful are held by the obligation of revealing to the Ordinary or pastor before sacred ordination impediments to sacred orders, if they know any" (c. 999).

Publications, therefore, are to be made before the individual sacred orders. A parish becomes one's own through domicile or quasi-domicile. From the analogy of banns of marriage we shall say that the same must be made in several parishes for him who has several proper parishes. The proper parish of transients is the parish where they are staying.

The obligation of reporting impediments is of natural law, which is recalled and confirmed by the positive canon. General norms concerning prescribed denunciation are to be applied. Cf. t. II.

— IV. On the investigation of the Ordinary. The Ordinary must make useful inquiries; and especially must commit to the pastor who carries out the publications, or even to another, that he diligently inquire concerning the morals and life of those to be ordained, and transmit testimonial letters concerning the investigation and publication to the curia (c. 1000).

In the ordination itself, however, the archdeacon can answer that those are worthy whom he has not known to be unworthy (cf. c. un. De scrutinio in ordine faciendo [I, 12]).

— V. On spiritual exercises. On all, even religious, there are imposed by c. 1001, before first tonsure and minor orders, spiritual exercises for at least three full days; before sacred orders, for at least six full days. If some are to be promoted to several sacred orders within a semester, the Ordinary can reduce the time for ordination to the diaconate, but not below three days.

Longer exercises are urged more before subdiaconate and priesthood, because subdiaconate imposes on seculars the obligation of chaste celibacy, while priesthood imposes graver offices besides the practically indispensable obligation of perfect chastity. Yet the matter is to be taken reasonably. Therefore, if use is made of a privilege permitting three sacred orders to be received in one moral series, it will suffice to make the exercises once, especially if they are then prolonged to eight or ten days. But as often as a reasonable interval permits it, at least three days of exercises are to be placed before the individual sacred orders.

The exercises must be repeated if, after they have been completed, ordination has been delayed beyond six months; if the delay has been less, let the Ordinary judge concerning the opportuneness of repeating the exercises.

Religious are to make these exercises in their own house or in another prudently chosen by the Superior; seculars, however, in the seminary, or in another pious or religious house designated by the bishop.

The Ordinary to whom various things to be defined are committed in c. 1001 is the Ordinary of the place and, for exempt religious, the major Superior. The Superior will also have to attest in his letters that the religious has completed the exercises.

The preceding pontifical law imposed spiritual exercises (and indeed for ten days) before the individual major orders only on secular clerics who were ordained in the City.