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Holy Orders, Part 2: Now pitching for God’s people, your priest

May 10th, 2013 Posted in Catechetical Corner Tags: Catechetical Corner, holy orders, priesthood

Last issue, we stepped into the “Wayback Machine” and got some historical background from the Old Testament era regarding the Levitical priesthood of Judaism, as a way of laying the groundwork for discussing the priesthood of Jesus Christ as we know it in the church today. This article will focus on the identity of the priest, and connecting his role to that of the bishop. Both the priest and the bishop share in the priesthood of Christ. Note: the role of deacons will be taken up in a later article.

It’s baseball season. I can tell because the Phillies keep moving me from joy to “agita” on a roller-coaster sports ride. I think that baseball might provide us with a good analogy for the priesthood. “How so?” you may ask. Well, priests can be very well analogous to the pitchers on a baseball team. Read more »

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The sacrament of holy orders: Priesthood established by Christ is prefigured in the Old Testament

April 26th, 2013 Posted in Catechetical Corner

By Father James Lentini

This article is the first of a series on the sacrament of holy orders. It will focus on the historical development of the priesthood, and its institution by Christ in the sacrament of holy orders. While some of this history may seem unrelated or arcane, it’s not. It provides us a fuller understanding of the priesthood, which is made present by the sacrament of holy orders.

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Papal heritage: Lives of various popes steeped in world and church history

April 5th, 2013 Posted in Catechetical Corner

By Father James Lentini

This column was going to focus on Holy Orders, but with the election of Pope Francis, I thought taking a look at former popes, one from each century, might be more in order. The Holy Orders article will appear in the next issue.

1st century

Pope Cletus (76-88). Yes, St. Peter is the first and best-known pope. However, Pope Cletus (sometimes called Anacletus) left a legacy we find in the modern church. He created the idea of parishes. Pope Cletus, realizing that administration of the growing church would be difficult, divided Rome into 12 distinct parishes. And we’ve had parishes ever since.

2nd century

Pope Alexander I (105-115). If you ever had your home blessed, you can thank Pope Alexander I. He started the practice of blessing water, mingled with salt (also blessed) and using that water to bless homes. He also instituted the practice of mingling the water with wine during the Mass, a practice that continues today.

3rd century

Pope Pontian (230-235). Pope Benedict XVI was not the first pope to resign. That honor belongs to Pope St. Pontian. When Christianity was persecuted by the Roman Empire, Emperor Maximus Thrax banished Pope Pontian to the island of Sardinia. Fearing his absence from Rome would cause the faithful to be without a shepherd, Pontian resigned as pope in 235, and allowed a new pope to be elected. Read more »

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