Part I. On Those Things which Must Precede Ordination

In setting out those things which must precede ordination, account must be taken both of the Code and of the Instruction of the Sacred Congregation of the Sacraments¹ and of the Sacred Congregation of Religious.² The matters to be attended to regard the petition of the ordinand, inquiries, testimonies to be brought forward, examination, denunciations, and spiritual exercises.

¹ December 27, 1930 (A.A.S. 1931, p. 120 sq.).

² December 1, 1931 (A.A.S. 1932, p. 74 sq.).

I. Petition of the ordinand. All, both seculars and religious, who are to be promoted to Orders are to disclose their purpose before ordination at an opportune time, either personally or through others, to the Bishop or to another who in this matter acts in the place of the Bishop (canon 992); and these things are determined more fully in the cited Instructions as follows:

1. Secular ordinands:

a) As the time approaches in which candidates are going to receive first tonsure and minor Orders, they themselves are to present, at least two months beforehand, to the rector of the seminary a written petition, composed and signed by their own hand, in which they candidly signify that with a wholly free and spontaneous will they ask for first tonsure and afterward minor Orders. The said petition, to which there must be added an attestation concerning Baptism received and the sacrament of Confirmation received, is presented to the Bishop by the same rector of the Seminary, together with his personal information about the petitioner's suitability for the clerical state.

b) Before the Subdiaconate, likewise before the Diaconate and Presbyterate, they must write with their own hand a declaration, confirmed by oath, in which they acknowledge that they approach the Order with complete freedom and that they have duly considered all burdens annexed to it. The tenor of the declaration to be written and confirmed is found in A.A.S. 1931, p. 127.

2. Religious ordinands:

a) While they are still in the novitiate, before profession of temporary vows, which must altogether precede promotion to tonsure and minor Orders, they are to present to the Superior a written petition in which, in express words, they give testimony concerning their vocation to the religious and clerical state, and at the same time disclose a firm purpose of perpetually binding themselves to the clerical service in the religious state. The said petition and declaration are to be preserved in the archive.

b) Before the Subdiaconate, and in Orders of solemn vows before the emission of those vows, they must present to the Superior a testimony subscribed by their own hand and confirmed by the faith of an oath before the Superior; the tenor of the said testimony is found in A.A.S. 1932, p. 80.

II. Inquiries. 1. With respect to secular ordinands, the Instruction of the Sacred Congregation of the Sacraments prescribes:

a) Before the conferral of first tonsure and minor Orders, the Ordinary will remit the candidate's petition to the rector of the Seminary or to another, with a mandate of inquiring into the suitability and qualities of the petitioner. To this end, the rector will hear the prefects and teachers of the students not only separately, but also convoked together. Furthermore, the pastor of the candidate and of his family should be heard; likewise others, if it is judged opportune, according to the norms added to the Instruction. Finally, the mind of the candidates must be explored individually by the proper Bishop or, if he is impeded, by the Vicar General, or by the rector of the Seminary, or even by those who are deputed to protect the discipline of the whole seminary.

b) Before the Subdiaconate a new investigation is to be instituted, which, however, taking account of the inquiry already previously instituted, is to inquire concerning the candidate's morals and his moral qualities.

c) Before the Diaconate and Presbyterate it is usually sufficient to keep before one's eyes the inquiries already performed, unless meanwhile new circumstances must be weighed which force one to doubt the sincere purpose of the candidate, or his moral suitability for observing the burdens and carrying out the obligations received with Sacred Orders. But if the Bishop, before someone is initiated to the Diaconate or to the priesthood, has as certain from the confessions of the one to be promoted or from other certain indications and proofs received, that he is truly destitute of a sacred vocation, he should not omit to approach the Holy See, candidly and plainly reporting the state of the matter, or the arguments by which a vehement doubt is fostered concerning the suitability of the subdeacon or deacon for bearing greater burdens worthily and faithfully. The matter is indeed of such great moment that the conscience of Ordinaries remains gravely burdened by this obligation, so that the danger may be removed of imposing hands on a deacon or priest who is unequal to sustaining the most grave burden of Sacred Orders.

2. With respect to religious ordinands the Sacred Congregation of Religious prescribes:

a) Before the minor Orders, the Superiors of religious are to institute an inquiry concerning each candidate, and are not to allow anyone to ascend to Orders so long as the requisites in the one to be promoted have not been established for them by careful scrutiny. In order to obtain this more certainly, they should seek the testimony of the Master of spirit and of others to whom, because of special frequency with the students, it has fallen to know well their life and morals. Concerning the inquiries made and the result of the scrutiny, a proper document is to be drawn up and preserved in the archive. Finally, the Superior himself, either by himself or through another endowed with knowledge and prudence and suited to gaining the confidence of the young men, should take care to question them, so that at last he may be made more certain that they freely and knowingly desire Orders in the religious state.

b) Before the Subdiaconate the Superiors must institute a new inquiry concerning the aforesaid. In order to accomplish this, they should again inspect the documents of the inquiry already performed and preserved in the archive, and compare new testimonies concerning morals and spiritual qualities with the old, so that they may well know how the young men have conducted themselves from first profession, both in religious discipline and in progress in clerical studies.

c) Before the Diaconate and Presbyterate there is no need to require such broad information and new testimonies; nevertheless Superiors should keep watch and see whether, in the interval from the conferral of one sacred Order to another, new things have happened which either disclose a doubtful vocation to the priesthood, or show none at all. In this case, after a very diligent investigation has been performed and the counsel of prudent men has been used, let them entirely forbid the reception of the new Order, and report the matter to this Sacred Congregation, by which, for individual cases, what shall have seemed more opportune in the Lord will be decreed.

III. Testimonies to be brought forward. 1. Seculars or religious who, as pertains to ordination, are governed by the law of seculars, are to bring forward from canon 993:

a) The testimony of the last ordination, or, if it is a question of first tonsure, of Baptism and Confirmation received.

b) Testimony concerning studies completed, required for the individual Orders according to the norm of canon 976 (n. 615).

c) The testimony of the rector of the Seminary, or of the priest to whom the candidate was commended outside the Seminary, concerning the good morals of the same candidate.

d) Testimonial letters of the Ordinary of the place in which the one to be promoted has stayed for so much time that he could have contracted a canonical impediment there. Now the time in which the one to be promoted could have contracted a canonical impediment is, regularly, for soldiers three months after puberty, and for others six months after puberty; but the ordaining Bishop, according to his prudence, can require testimonial letters even because of a shorter time of residence, and also because of time which preceded puberty. If the Ordinary of the place has not sufficiently known the one to be promoted either by himself or through others, so that he can testify that during the time in which he stayed in his territory he contracted no canonical impediment, or if the one to be promoted has wandered through so many dioceses that it becomes impossible or too difficult to seek all testimonial letters, let the Ordinary provide at least through a supplementary oath to be made by the one to be promoted. If after testimonial letters have been obtained and before the ordination has been performed, the one to be promoted has again stayed in the same territory for the aforesaid space of time, new testimonial letters of the Ordinary of the place are necessary (canon 994).

e) Testimonial letters of the religious major Superior, if the one to be promoted is enrolled in some religious institute.

2. Religious who are not governed by the law of seculars must likewise bring forward testimonial letters, namely dimissorial letters which also contain testimonies, according to these words of canon 995: "The religious Superior also, in his dimissorial letters, must testify not only that the one to be promoted has emitted religious profession and belongs to the family of the religious house subject to him, but also concerning studies completed and the other things required by law. The Bishop, after receiving these dimissorial letters, does not need other testimonial letters."

IV. Examination. 1. Each one to be promoted, whether secular or religious, must undergo a previous and diligent examination concerning the very Order to be received. But those to be promoted to sacred Orders are also to make trial in other treatises of sacred theology (canon 996, §§ 1 and 2).

2. It belongs to Bishops to establish by what method, before what examiners, and in what treatises of sacred theology those to be promoted must make trial (canon 996, § 3). Under the name of Bishops here also come an Abbot or Prelate nullius, a Vicar and Prefect Apostolic (canon 957, § 1).

3. This examination, whether for secular clerics or for religious, is received by the local Ordinary who ordains by proper right, or gives dimissorial letters; however, for a just cause, he can also commit it to the Bishop who is to ordain, if that Bishop is willing to undertake this burden (canon 997, § 1). But the Bishop who ordains another's subject, whether secular or religious, with legitimate dimissorial letters by which it is asserted that the candidate was examined according to the norm of § 1 and found suitable, can acquiesce in this attestation, but he is not bound to do so; and if according to his conscience he judges that the candidate is not suitable, he is not to promote him (canon 997, § 2). It is said:

a) For religious. Regulars are not excepted; but a privilege by which some are exempted from episcopal examination has remained intact.

b) Who ordains by proper right; namely, by force of canons 956, 957 (n. 601), and 965 (n. 602). The reception of the examination then also belongs to the Bishop of the diocese in which is situated the religious house to whose family the ordinand belongs, when it is a question of religious who can be dismissed by Superiors to any Bishop.

c) Or gives dimissorial letters: namely, according to canon 958 (n. 601); but not one who gives them by force of canon 964, 2° and 3°, because he does not come under the name of local Ordinary (canon 198, § 2).

d) But the Bishop, etc.; under which name here too come an Abbot or Prelate nullius, a Vicar and Prefect Apostolic (canons 215, § 2; 957, § 1).

V. Denunciations. 1. The names of those to be promoted to the individual sacred Orders, except religious of perpetual vows, whether solemn or simple, are to be publicly announced in the parochial church of each candidate (canon 998, § 1). But the publication is to be made on a feast day of precept in church during the solemnities of Masses, or on another day and hour when a greater attendance of the people is had in church (canon 998, § 2); but the Ordinary, according to his prudence, can both dispense from this publication for a just cause, and command that it be performed also in other churches, and substitute for the publication a public posting at the doors of the church for several days, among which at least one feast day is comprehended (canon 998, § 3). Now the parochial church is the parochial church of the parish in which the candidate has domicile or quasi-domicile, or, if he is a vagabond, actually stays. If someone has several proper parishes, publication is to be made in several parochial churches.

2. If within six months the candidate has not been promoted, the publication is to be repeated, unless something else seems right to the Ordinary (canon 998, § 2).

3. All the faithful are bound by obligation to reveal to the Ordinary or pastor before sacred ordination impediments to sacred Orders, if they know any (canon 999).

4. To the pastor who performs the publication, and also to another if this seems expedient, the Ordinary is to entrust the task of diligently inquiring from trustworthy persons concerning the morals and life of the ordinands, and of transmitting to the Curia testimonial letters referring to the investigation itself and the publication. The same Ordinary should not omit to make other inquiries, even private ones, if he has judged this necessary or opportune (canon 1000).

VI. Spiritual exercises. 1. Those who are to be promoted to first tonsure and minor Orders are to spend at least three entire days in spiritual exercises; but those who are to be promoted to sacred Orders, at least six entire days. But if some within a half-year are to be promoted to several major Orders, the Ordinary can reduce the time of exercises for ordination to the Diaconate, yet not below three entire days (canon 1001, § 1). If some receive major Orders at a short interval, spiritual exercises for six entire days are always to be set before the sacred Order which is first to be conferred; before the other Orders, at least one day, if this can be done.¹

2. If, after the exercises have been completed, sacred ordination is deferred beyond a half-year for any cause, the exercises are to be repeated; otherwise the Ordinary is to judge whether they are to be repeated or not (canon 1001, § 2). Ordinary is understood as the Ordinary of the place, and, if it is a question of an exempt clerical religious institute, the major Superior (canon 198).

3. Religious should perform these spiritual exercises in their own house or in another according to the prudent judgment of the Superior; seculars, however, in the Seminary or in another pious or religious house designated by the Bishop (canon 1001, § 3).

4. The Bishop is to be made certain of the spiritual exercises performed by testimony of the Superior of the house in which they were performed; or, if it is a question of religious, by attestation of the major Superior (canon 1001, § 4).

¹ Sacred Congregation for the Discipline of the Sacraments, April 27, 1928 (A.A.S. 1928, p. 359).