Who and what is an Instituted Acolyte?

-
The Ministry of Instituted Acolyte

In September of 2017, yours truly and one other man from the Roman Catholic Fellowship of Blessed John Henry Newman, the Ordinariate community in Victoria, were installed in the Ministry of Acolyte by the Bishop of the North American Ordinariate, His Excellency Steven J. Lopes. The three day event based in Houston, Texas, was the second of its kind in as many years. Last year, some 60 men were instituted as acolytes.

The ministry of the Instituted Acolyte fully realizes Bl. Pope Paul VI's teaching in his motu proprio Ministeria Quaedam (1972) regarding the appropriate roles of the laity in the Sacred Liturgy. The institution of acolytes in Houston coincided with the patronal feast of The Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter. Some 30 men from across North America were installed in the ministry of acolyte on the occasion of the Feast of Our Lady of Walsingham. And what a feast! Texas hospitality is legendary, and the host parish did not disappoint.

During the course of a very full weekend at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Walsingham, candidates received theological, historical and practical formation provided by Bishop Lopes, Fr. Charles Hough IV (Rector of the Cathedral and Director of Divine Worship, Fr. Timothy Perkins (Vicar General) and Dr. Clinton A. Brand, KSG, Associate Professor of English at the University of St. Thomas, Houston, Texas.

What is an Instituted Acolyte?

Recommended by his pastor, a man is installed in the ministry of acolyte

    “in accordance and compliance with Canon 1035:1 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law.”

Instituted Acolytes are

    “appointed to aid the deacon and to minister to the priest.”

During the celebration of Divine Worship, which is the proper name given to the Ordinariate Mass approved by Pope Francis, Instituted Acolytes may chant the Old and New Testament readings, and are properly formed to exercise the role of Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion when exceptional circumstances merit assistance.

    “Instituted Acolytes provide a ministry in the Church which is intimately connected to the proclamation of the Word and the service of the altar.”—Our Lady of the Atonement Catholic Church, San Antonio, Texas.

The Instituted Acolyte is obliged to

    “participate in the Holy Eucharist with increasingly fervent piety, that he should receive nourishment from it, and that he should deepen his knowledge of it.”

    “Destined in a special way for the service of the altar, the Instituted Acolyte must learn all matters concerning public divine worship and strive to grasp their inner spiritual meaning. In that way he shall be able to offer himself daily entirely to God, be an example to all by his seriousness and reverence in the sacred building and have a sincere love for the Mystical Body of Christ, the people of God and especially the weak and the sick.”

   —Excerpts from the Text to Request Installation in the Ministry of Acolyte (2017), Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter.

The Fellowship of Blessed John Henry Newman (FBJHN) is a small but steadily growing Catholic community that worships at Our Lady of Fatima Parish, our very gracious hosts. Mass is currently 9:30am seven days a week. FBJHN hosts Friday Adoration and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, Saturday Rosary (9am), Wednesday Faith and Scripture Study and daily Sung Mattins.

An Ordinariate Primer

Ordinariate: a diocese-like structure. The Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter includes 47 parishes and communities-in-formation in the United States and Canada. Our Bishop, Steven J. Lopes, is a member of both the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops and the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Divine Worship is one of three forms of the Roman Liturgy (Mass) commonly celebrated: the Ordinary Form, celebrated in most Catholic parishes; the Extraordinary Form, which is celebrated in Latin according to the Missal of Pope John XXIII; and the Ordinariate Form, Divine Worship, celebrated in hieratic (Prayer Book) English and incorporating elements of Anglican liturgical customs approved by Rome. Divine Worship is celebrated ad orientem according to the two-thousand year old practice of the Church. That is, both the congregation and priest together face Eastward (ad orientem) to pray. Several times during the course of the (Ordinariate) Mass, the priest turns toward the congregation to invite the people to pray. Holy Communion is received on the tongue under both kinds. Communicants kneel as they are able to receive both the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.

Our Lady of Walsingham, Patron of the North American Ordinariate. The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared in the year 1061 to Richeldis de Faverche, a pious English noblewoman living in the village of Walsingham in Norfolk, England. The Shrine which was built became one of the greatest pilgrimage sites in northern Europe. The 14th-century Slipper Chapel was restored as the Roman Catholic shrine in 1897.

Comments

Post a Comment

Your comments will be appreciated and posted if 1) they are on topic and 2) preserve decorum.

Stand by your word. Do not be anonymous. Use a pseudonym.

Popular posts from this blog

Life At The Altar Rail: 22 Behaviours Categorized

-
Image
Cantius/NLM [ 4 min read ] Some communicants make things interesting (...tricky, delicate, awkward, awesome...) at The Communion. Now don't get the wrong idea. Spoofing one's brothers' and sisters' behaviour is not meant to be proof of one's own moral or spiritual superiority. There's always a need to keep in mind the heart of another when lampooning (or celebrating) the externals, as curious or as laudable as those externals might be. The Moving Target: either the head or the tongue is moving a mile a minute. A good patener knows how to tame the fidget. See also #18: The Rubberneck. The Obstacle Course: fingertips touching the chin or mouth making it difficult for the patener to place the paten beneath the chin. The Curtain: face is completely covered with a veil. The NOFB (Not Open For Business): closed eyes, closed mouth; despite the need for a gentle prompt, typically a deeply reverent person. The Taker: wants to steal the Host from the priest. Note to commu
Read more

You Know You're In A Progressive Catholic Parish When... .

-
Image
... you rarely (if ever) hear the following phrases. "Party like it's A.D. 1570!" "We should sing more plainchant at this parish." "I'd like to thank the choir for their sublime rendition of the Mass For Five Voices by William Byrd." "I just love the way the four torchbearers process in with such dignity." "People treat the Host like a snack. I think it's time we went back to communion on the tongue." "My entire family goes to Confession every week." "We need a central Tabernacle on the altar." "The altar servers' lace cottas are so beautiful." "I just love Father Steve's sermons about the Real Presence and living a Eucharistic life." "People are leaving in droves for Saint Pius X Parish and the reverent Mass there. Do you think we're doing something wrong here at Harvey Milk Parish?" "I'm thrilled that the design for the new church includes a choir loft.
Read more

You know you're a REAL altar server when... .

-
Image
In a movie theatre, you genuflect before entering the aisle to take a seat. Riding a bus, sitting in class or at the doctor's office, and/or when watching TV, you rest your hands palms down on your thighs, finger tips at your knees. You can identify each and every variety of incense used in the Mass simply by its scent. You habitually wear black socks and black dress shoes... even when wearing shorts for gym class or at the beach. You turn a perfect right angle when entering a building. You have nightmares about serving Mass at the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress. You hear a bicycle bell ring and you drop to your knees. You can't resist the urge to lift a curtain from the bottom. You have a copy of Ceremonies of the Roman Rite Described by Adrian Fortescue on your smartphone for recreational reading. You have a copy of Ritual Notes (11th Edition) on your smartphone for recreational reading. As a torchbearer, you can carry a processional candle without spilling one dr
Read more

Clash of the Titans: Strickland v. Martin

-
Image
Elijah versus the prophets of Baal [ 4 min read ] A prophet is not without honour except... . From the Catholic Herald an article by John Lavenburg . Bishop Joseph Strickland on the “basic truths” which include: Christ established only the Catholic Church. It is (a) sacrilege for anyone to unworthily receive communion. Marriage is between one man and one woman. Every human person is created in the image and likeness of God and shouldn’t be supported in attempts to reject their biological identity. Sexual activity outside of marriage is a grave sin. The belief that all men and women will be saved regardless of how they live their lives is false and dangerous. In order to follow Jesus Christ all must willingly choose to take up their cross. “We must hold fast to these truths and be wary of any attempts to present an alternative to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, or to push for a faith that speaks of dialogue and brotherhood, while attempting to remove the fatherhood of God. (...) When we see
Read more
The opinions expressed herein are largely those of the blog author. Every effort is made to conform to Church teaching. Comments are welcome.