Priest's Vestments and Prayers

Priest's Vestments

• Alb: A long white garment worn by a priest, representing the new and immaculate vestment received through baptism.
• Amice: A rectangular neck cloth used to protect the chasuble and stole, especially if the alb doesn't cover ordinary clothing at the neck.
• Stole: A long, narrow band worn as a sign that the priest serves in an official liturgical role. Same color as the chasuble
• Cincture: A cord used as a belt to tighten the alb, symbolizing the virtue of chastity and continence. It's the same color as the chasuble.
• Chasuble: The final vestment, worn over all others, symbolizing charity and unselfish love.

Prayers During Vesting

• Priests traditionally recite prayers while dressing in sacred garments for Mass
• Washing of hands: A prayer for virtue of hands and cleansing from stain.
• Amice: Prayer is to place the helmet of salvation to repel assaults of the devil.
• Alb: Cleanse and purify heart to attain everlasting joy.
• Cincture: Prayer is to gird with purity and quench the fire of concupiscence.
• Stole: Return the stole of immortality lost in the sin of the first parent, grant everlasting joy.
• Chasuble: Prayer is to grant the ability to bear the yoke of grace.

Colors of Vestments

• White: Represents joy and purity. Worn on Feast days and from Easter until Pentecost, celebrating great events and weddings.
• Red: Represents love, fire, and blood. Worn on Pentecost, feast days of the Passion of Jesus, the apostles, and martyrs, including Good Friday.
• Green: Signifies hope. Worn during ordinary times after the Epiphany until Lent, and after Pentecost until Advent, except for special feast days with red or white.
• Purple: Represents penance. Worn during Advent and Lent.

Symbols of a Bishop

• Miter: The proper liturgical headdress for all bishops of the Latin rite and the Pope, derived from the Greek word mitra, meaning "turban."
• Pectoral Cross: Worn over the breast, hanging from a green cord intertwined with gold threads. Placement depends on whether wearing a suit and collar.
• Crozier: A pastoral staff conferred on bishops and abbots, curved at the top to remind the bishop of the shepherd's crook, also represents pastoral care.
• Ring: Symbolizes the bishop's fidelity and nuptial bond with the church, his spouse, usually made of gold with an amethyst.
• Zucchetto: A skullcap worn by prelates, with colors denoting rank: white for the Pope, red for cardinals, and purple for bishops.

Preparing for the Priesthood

• Formation: A process of developing a deeper understanding and living out one's faith through academic studies and practical training.

Four Pillars of Priestly Formation (Blessed John Paul II)

• Human Formation: Focuses on strengthening natural virtues.
• Spiritual Formation: Focuses on interior prayer life.
• Intellectual Formation: Enables comprehension and articulation of the mysteries of the faith.
• Pastoral Formation: Shows how to live a service-oriented, priestly lifestyle.

Seminary

• Seminary: A special school dedicated to the formation of priests; men studying there are called seminarians.
• Duration: Training lasts between 6-8 years.
• Pretheology Seminary: Initial 2-4 years for men completing undergraduate degrees.
• Pretheology studies include: Philosophy, Latin (official language of the Catholic Church), and Greek (original language of the NT).
• Final four years focus on: Dogmatic Theology (objective truths and teachings) and Moral Theology (study of good versus sinful).

Ordination

• Seminarians are required to become deacons before they become priests.
• Dalmatic: Liturgical vestment for a deacon, like a large, loose tunic with sleeves.
• Ordination: Usually takes place in the cathedral of a diocese.

Order of Priest Ordination

• Mass begins with Introductory Rites, Liturgy of the Word, and Proclamation of the Gospel, followed by Rite of Election.
• Litany of Supplication: Bishop asks faithful to pray, priests lie face down symbolizing unworthiness and dependence on God.
• Election and Consent: Bishop calls the names of those being ordained, a priest asks Bishop to ordain them.
• Promise of the Elect: They kneel before Bishop, professing desire to preach Gospel, celebrate sacraments, and teach Catholic faith.
• Giving of Stole, Chasuble, and Anointing: Deacons remove stoles and don priestly stoles and chasubles. Stole symbolizes authority and Chasuble symbolize yoke of Christ.
• Anointing of Hands: Bishop anoints palms with chrism, preparing hands for sacred duties with oil from Old Testament that indicates someone or something being set apart.
• Handing of Bread and Wine: Bishop places paten with bread and chalice with wine in priests' hands, highlighting the Eucharist's central role.
• Laying on of Hands and Prayer of Ordination: Bishop and other priests invoke Holy Spirit, giving sacred character and setting him apart for ministry from ancient tradition.

Three Degrees of Holy Orders

• Bishops, Priests, and Deacons
• Episcopacy: First level (Bishops)
• Presbyterate: Second level (Priests, meaning Elder)
• Diaconate: Third level (Deacons, meaning "servant" or "waiter")

Bishops

• Ordained in line of Apostolic succession from the Apostles.
• Forms a College Bishops with other Bishops
• The Pope has the ability to call a man to become a Bishop
• Pope assigns a Bishop to lead a particular Church or Diocese
• Pope is Bishop of Rome and Head of the Catholic Church

Types of Bishops

• Diocesan Bishop: Chief Shepherd of a Diocese.
• Auxiliary Bishop: Assists a Diocesan Bishop in responsibilities.
• Archbishop: Head of Archdiocese, responsible for neighboring dioceses.
• Cardinal: Member of College of Bishops, responsible for electing new Popes and appointed by them.

Priests

• Co-worker with the Bishop in teaching, governing, and sanctifying.
• Celebrates the Eucharist.

Types of Priests

• Diocesan Priests: Ordained for a particular diocese, prays Liturgy of the Hours each day, works under Bishop's direction, can earn money for themselves, and can own personal property.
• Order Priests: Promise obedience to a religious superior rather than directly to a Bishop, belongs to a particular religious order, is ordained after final commitment to the religious community usually taking a vow of poverty where property belongs to community.

Deacons

• History: In Acts of the Apostles (6:2-4), there was a need for more assistance with the poor, Apostles delegated works of charity.
• Seven men officially became deacons.
• St. Stephen was the 1st martyr.
• Called to Serve as Jesus did.
• Has special call to minister to the poor.
• Diaconate became known as a stage to priesthood in the 6th century.

Types of Deacons

• Transitional: Ordained in preparation of becoming a Priest.
• Permanent: Deacon conferred on Single and married men, tend to be older men at least at 25 years old.

Mass Responsibilities of a Deacon

• Helps Bishops and Priests at Mass.
• Reads the Gospel.
• Preaches the Homily.
• Baptizes infants.
• Witnesses marriages.
• Preside at funerals.
• Helps with religious education programs a the Parish level.

Holy Orders

• Bishop: Overseer
• Bishop: Belongs to a special "college"
• Deacon: Means to wait upon or to serve
• Priest: Comes from the word "presbyteroi"
• Bishop: Descendants of the apostles
• Bishop: Belongs to a special "college"
• Bishop: Possesses the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders

Apostolic Succession

• Handing on of the Apostles' preaching that occurred directly from the Apostles to the bishops' authority.
• Accomplished through the laying on of hands when a bishop is ordained in Sacrament of Holy Orders.
• Extends back to the 12 Apostles.

College of Bishops

• All Bishops together.
• Head of the college of Bishops = Pope.
• Bishops can administer all 7 sacraments.
• Bishops can confer the 3 degrees of the Sacrament of Holy Orders.
• Episopate - position or office of a bishop
• Diocese - A regional community of believers, commonly gather in parishes, under the leadership of a bishop.