Holy Orders — the sacrament also known informally as ordination — is a point that distinguishes the Independent Catholic movement from both Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. Here are a few ways the movement differs:
Sacramentality
Multi-tiered Ministry
Apostolic Succession
Bivocational Ministers
Married Priests
Women Priests
Queer and Divorced Priests
Priesthood of All Believers
Sacramentality
Like Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches, but unlike many Protestant churches, ordination is considered a sacrament by Independent Catholics. In some cases, this is an important difference; most Catholics see ordination, like the other six sacraments, as actually mediating God’s grace, while some Protestants may see it as only symbolic. In other cases, the difference can be one of semantics. For instance, Lutherans have only two sacraments, but they define a sacrament as something instituted by Jesus Christ, which carries forgiveness of sins, and which is joined to something physical. These points exclude all sacraments besides Baptism and Holy Communion from being described by that word for Lutherans, but most in that tradition do not see the other five as merely symbolic. They simply do not fit their definition of the word “sacrament.” (See the comment thread below.)
Multi-tiered Ministry
Independent Catholics typically hold to the multi-tiered ministry traditionally practiced by Catholic and Orthodox churches throughout Christian history. In the Catholic tradition, three Major Orders exist — bishop, priest or presbyter, and deacon. Bishops are responsible for oversight of the church and so direct the work of priests, deacons, and laity under their charge. They also retain sole authority to ordain new priests and deacons and to consecrate new bishops. Some bishops also retain authority to administer Confirmation. Under nearly all circumstances, bishops must be ordained priests prior to their consecration.
Priests are responsible for the administration of all other sacraments — Baptism, Holy Communion, Holy Marriage, Confession or Reconciliation, and Anointing of the Sick. In some cases, priests are authorized by their bishop to confirm people in their parish, and a particular order of priest (often called archpriest, vicar forane, etc.) is often authorized to confer Minor Orders (see below). There are many honorary titles given to priests throughout the Catholic world — too many to enumerate here. However, all these clerics still belong to the Order of Priests. Priests are usually ordained transitional deacons prior to their ordination to the priesthood.
Deacons are responsible for ministry to the marginalized and poor in a particular diocese or denomination. They are also charged with administration of two sacraments — Baptism and Holy Marriage. Unlike in some Protestant churches, deacons in the Catholic world are clergy, not laity. Traditionally, only deacons and above are permitted to read the Gospel during Mass, though some churches dispense with this tradition. For some, the diaconate is their permanent ministry and calling, but for many it is a transitional step on the way to the priesthood.
Subdeacons are variously considered Major Orders or Minor Orders, depending on the church. The subdiaconate exists primarily as a liturgical ministry assisting the bishop during Mass, and is usually only a stepping stone to ordained ministry as a deacon or priest.
Finally, there are the Minor Orders. Many Independent Catholic churches have retained these offices, though the Roman Catholic church suppressed them during Vatican II. They are four or five in number and are used both as specialized ordinations and as stepping stones to Major Orders. The orders, from least to greatest, are cleric (usually an introductory order, only found in some churches), porter or doorkeeper, lector or reader, exorcist or healer, and acolyte. These are usually not considered sacramental ordinations, only preparation for ordination or lay ministry.
Apostolic Succession
Like other churches in the Catholic world, but unlike most Protestant churches, Independent Catholic communities consider the apostolic succession — the tradition that all bishops are consecrated through the laying-on of hands by bishops tracing back to the Apostles — as an important part of their identity. For some churches, this is mandatory for performing any kind of sacramental ministry — they believe ministers working outside this succession (also called the historic episcopate) are not true ministers. Other churches believe it is important but optional, and so recognize the ministries of Protestant clergy as being effective.
Bivocational Ministers
A small percentage of mainstream pastors and priests serve a church only part-time (or not at all); either their primary ministry is outside the parish, or they have a secular job on the side. In the Independent Catholic world, this is much more common — in fact, nearly all priests in the movement are bivocational, because parishes simply do not have the resources to financially support a full-time pastor. Often, this can be quite positive, as the congregation is required to take ownership of the parish’s ministry, becoming much more involved in evangelism, counseling, and other ministries of the church.
A frequent side-effect of this tendency toward bivocational priests is that many clergy are not educated in traditional three- or four-year Master of Divinity programs. Instead, they are formed as clergy through “reading for orders” (mentor-directed home study of theology and other subjects), hands-on work in their home parish, and other methods. This fits in with the desire of most in the movement to discern and recognize calls to the ministry that mainstream churches do not necessarily nurture. A few Independent Catholic clergy do obtain traditional seminary degrees, but most priests who have M.Div. degrees came to the movement from other churches — for instance, former Roman Catholic priests.
Married Priests
Many people are surprised to find out that there are married Catholic priests — the popular understanding is that celibacy is a requirement for ordination. As a whole, the Independent Catholic movement is very inclusive about who can be ordained to the clergy — Episcopalians and other left-leaning Anglican churches are some of the only other churches in the Catholic world with such a broad view of Holy Orders, ordaining married men, women, divorced persons, and GLBTs. However, many traditional churches do ordained married men to the priesthood, including the Roman Catholic Church itself. The RCC has a program, called the Pastoral Provision, under which married Episcopalian priests can be ordained to the priesthood in the Latin Rite. Eastern Rite Catholic churches that are under Rome’s authority, such as the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and the Byzantine Greek Catholic Church, routinely ordain married men as priests, though bishops must still be celibate. The practice in most Eastern Orthodox churches is similar — priests may be married, as long as they marry before their ordination to Major Orders, and bishops must be celibate.
There are many traditional and scriptural justifications for allowing married people to serve as priests and bishops. St. Peter, the first Pope (according to Rome) and the “rock” upon which the traditional church is built, was married. His mother-in-law is mentioned in three Gospels (Matthew 8:14-17, Mark 1:29-31, and Luke 4:38). St. Paul says in his First Letter to Timothy that a bishop must be “the husband of only one wife,” which also suggests marriage for clergy is okay (1 Timothy 3:2). Finally, the experience of the church over centuries has been that the Holy Spirit can indeed work through married people and that such people are indeed called to ministry. For these reasons, most Independent Catholic churches ordain married people to the priesthood.
Women Priests
Many people are also surprised to hear that women have been ordained as Catholic priests. Fewer mainstream churches ordain women as priests, and not all Independent Catholic churches ordain them either. However, they are far from rare, and their work is as powerful as that of Protestant women in ministry. Various historical precedents for the priesthood of women are attested. Scripture attests to the role of St. Mary Magdalene as apostle to the apostles, St. Paul recognizes the ordained ministry (primarily as deacons) of several women in his letters, and many read Galatians 3:28 and numerous themes in the New Testament as breaking down theologies that discriminate on the basis of gender, especially for Holy Orders. It is especially significant that Christ speaks of a priesthood of all believers, not mentioning any deliniation based on gender. After the era of the New Testament, there are various traditions that argue for the priesthood of women, including images of Mary in priestly vestments, stories of female bishops during the medieval period, and so on. We also now have the effective ministry of generations of female priests and Protestant ministers, which suggests, as with the experience of married male priests, that women are effective presiders at the sacraments and do possess valid calls.
For more information on priestly women in the Roman Catholic tradition, see the site Roman Catholic Womenpriests.
Queer and Divorced Priests
Other groups traditionally turned away from orders and religious life in the Roman Catholic tradition are accepted for ordination by many Independent Catholic churches, including gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people. However, Independent Catholic churches do not see themselves as simply ignoring sin to ordain queer* Christians — rather, these churches believe that homosexuality, like heterosexuality, is morally neutral. There are a variety of theological and scriptural arguments for this belief, and the reasoning may differ from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. (Also, fewer Independent Catholic communities ordain queer Christians than ordain women and married men.) For understanding what Scripture does and does not say about homosexuality, Whosoever.org’s essay on the subject is a good start.
As with married men and women, the experience of the churches in the movement which do ordain GLBTs is that their ministries are truly effective and that their calls are genuine. One of their strongest contributions has been the ministry of GLBT priests and bishops to people living with HIV/AIDS, especially the ministry of those priests and bishops who are themselves HIV-positive. The powerful witness of these men and women to their brothers and sisters who have often been forgotten by mainstream churches can scarcely be underestimated. They are a testament to the fact that the marginalized are not merely to be tolerated within Christianity, but should have a central role in the life of the church.
* Some people, especially people older than Generation X, may be surprised at the neutral, even positive use of this word to describe GLBTs. The Unitarian Universalist Association’s Office of Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian and Transgender Concerns has an excellent page describing how this word has been reclaimed by people fighting for civil rights for the GLBT community.
Priesthood of All Believers
A minority of Independent Catholics (which is growing as of late) see ordained priesthood and the priesthood of all believers as (ideally) one and the same. They assert that ordination should be part of the trajectory of all Christians from baptism, that all Christians are called to take part in the church’s sacramental life. This is sometimes connected to the notion of a “free priesthood” — ministry exercised in a hidden way out in the world, rather than visibly in a church setting. The Free Priesthood website is a resource for understanding this notion, and Bp John Plummer’s Living Mysteries: A Handbook for the Independent Priest articulates the idea of an ordained priesthood of all believers.
