The Promise of Obedience: A Ritual History - Softcover

Strieder, Leon

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0814660169 ISBN 13: 9780814660164

Publisher: Liturgical Press, 2001

Synopsis

Obedience is an intrinsic part of the nature of the ministerial structure of the Church. Apostles were sent, bishops were chosen, presbyters were called, and deacons were needed, all because obedience to the will of God determined these ministers were essential for the work of the Church.

In The Promise of Obedience, Father Leon Strieder provides the only study available to date of the history and theology of both the Promise of Obedience and the modern issues which play a major role in the Church between religious and bishops, and bishops and the pope. Strieder also connects the theological issues of promises of obedience with their historical development in ordination rituals and religious vows.

Chapter one is a historical introduction which traces the origin and development of the Promise of Obedience and its ritual connection with the bestowal of the pallium. Chapter two details the development of the Promise of Obedience in ordination rites in the pontificals up through Trent. Using the principles of the comparative method of textual analysis, Strieder follows the development of the promises of obedience in ordination rites and explores the rationale for each change. Chapter three is a study of the relationship between promises of obedience in ordination rites and those in monastic/mendicant rites of profession and the blessing of abbots. Chapter four considers the developments of Vatican II concerning promises of obedience in ordination rites. Chapter five studies the revisions of the 1990 second typical edition of the ordination rites. Chapter six examines the Eastern Rites and Eastern Catholic Churches to recognize their importance in any further development in the ecclesial understanding of ordained ministry for the entire Catholic Church.

Chapters are "Roman Beginnings and the Pallium," ?Ordination Rites and Roman Pontificals,? ?Monastic and Mendicant Rites,? ?The Second Vatican Council,? ?The Revisions of 1990,? ?Eastern Rites and Eastern Catholic Churches,? ?Conclusions.?

About this title

About the Author

Leon Strieder, PhD, is vice-rector of St. Mary's Seminary and adjunct professor of liturgy and sacraments at the University of St. Thomas, Houston, Texas.

From the Back Cover

Obedience is an intrinsic part of the nature of the ministerial structure of the Church. Apostles were sent, bishops were chosen, presbyters were called, and deacons were needed, all because obedience to the will of God determined these ministers were essential for the work of the Church. In The Promise of Obedience, Father Leon Strieder provides the only study available to date of the history and theology of both the Promise of Obedience and the modern issues which play a major role in the Church between religious and bishops, and bishops and the pope. Strieder also connects the theological issues of promises of obedience with their historical development in ordination rituals and religious vows. Chapter one is a historical introduction which traces the origin and development of the Promise of Obedience and its ritual connection with the bestowal of the pallium. Chapter two details the development of the Promise of Obedience in ordination rites in the pontificals up through Trent. Using the principles of the comparative method of textual analysis, Strieder follows the development of the promises of obedience in ordination rites and explores the rationale for each change. Chapter three is a study of the relationship between promises of obedience in ordination rites and those in monastic/mendicant rites of profession and the blessing of abbots. Chapter four considers the developments of Vatican II concerning promises of obedience in ordination rites. Chapter five studies the revisions of the 1990 second typical edition of the ordination rites. Chapter six examines the Eastern Rites and Eastern Catholic Churches to recognize their importance in any further development in the ecclesial understanding of ordained ministry for the entire Catholic Church. Chapters are ?Roman Beginnings and the Pallium,? ?Ordination Rites and Roman Pontificals,? ?Monastic and Mendicant Rites,? ?The Second Vatican Council,? ?The Revisions of 1990,? ?Eastern Rites and Eastern Catholic Churches,? ?Conclusions.??Fr. Strieder has cast valuable light on a neglected subject, and provided us with a thought-provoking book.? The Furrow

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

The Promise of Obedience: A Ritual History by Leon Strieder
© The Order of St. Benedict, Inc., Collegeville, Minnesota. All rights reserved. No part of this may be reproduced by any means, without the written permission of The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota 56321.
Preface
Upon hearing that in revisions of the 1990 second typical edition for the rites of ordinations there had been added a promise of obedience to the local diocesan bishop for religious deacons and presbyters, the seed was planted in my mind that it would be helpful to study not only the rationale for this addition but indeed the entire history of promises of obedience in ordination rites.
Due to the relational and reciprocal nature of obedience, the major questions needed to be centered on the relationship between the parties involved in any promise of obedience; namely, the one making the promise and the one to whom the promise is made. This would include an understanding of the historical context of each rite and promise, but without imposing modern concerns on a previous period of history. It would likewise include an understanding of the theological context in which any rite or promise in ordination rites would be developed. Finally, it would include an understanding of the canonical or juridical context of ordained ministry as these relationships were lived out over the centuries. These three contexts are precedent to and implicit in any ritual expression and, in particular, in any ritual expression of obedience.
The historical method that needed to be followed was quite easy to ascertain. Since the first time we find a promise of obedience in rites of ordination is in the tenth-century Romano-Germanic Pontifical, chapter one is a historical introduction that gives the historical background, tracing the origin and development of the promise of obedience and its ritual connection with the bestowal of the pallium. The key historical personage here is Boniface, and the central ecclesial issue is the freeing of the Church in the face of local lords and proprietary churches.
Chapter two details the development of the promise of obedience in ordination rites in the pontificals up through Trent. Using the principles of the comparative method of textual analysis, we follow the development of the promise of obedience in ordination rites and question the rationale for each change. What is key here is the freedom with which the various compilers moved the promise of obedience within the various rites. This forms the heart of our study.
Due to the reciprocal relationship between promises of obedience in ordination rites and those in monastic and mendicant rites of profession and the blessing of abbots, chapter 3 is a study of that relationship. Beginning with Benedict and following the same historical and comparative method of textual analysis, we are able to show that monastic and mendicant rites have had a rich influence, both theological and ritual, on the promises of obedience in ordination rites.
Chapter four studies the issues and textual developments of the Second Vatican Council concerning promises of obedience in ordination rites. In particular, we have the movement toward a ritual and theological symmetry in which now all three rites of ordination-bishop, presbyter, and deacon-contain similar ritual examinations with promises of obedience immediately prior to the actual ordination. Theologically, the key issues concern the understanding of the relationships between bishops and the pope and between bishops and presbyters and deacons in the light of the teachings of the Second Vatican Council.

Chapter five studies the revisions of the 1990 second typical edition, and because of its recent event, forms a timely section. It is timely because the various episcopal conferences and episcopal committees responsible for the various language groups must prepare both translations and adaptations for their respective constituencies. Theologically it is timely because the ritual developments of a promise of obedience for religious presbyters and deacons to the local diocesan bishop is a most significant statement regarding the future development of the understanding of religious who also share in holy orders. We are most grateful to Professor Reiner Kaczynski for his timely help and documentation of this most recent development.
Chapter six is a study of the Eastern rites and Eastern Catholic churches to recognize their importance in any further development in the ecclesial understanding of ordained ministry for the entire Catholic Church. The key issues here concern the theological and canonical developments in the understanding of the patriarchal and metropolitan structures of the Eastern churches.
The strengths of this study, it would seem, are twofold. First, as we mentioned, is its timeliness with regard to the work of translation and adaptation, which now must occur after the revisions of the second typical edition of the rites of ordination. It is hoped that the questions asked of the texts proposed for our time will be of help for those who must continue the ongoing task of inculturation. Second, it is hoped that the compilation of all the major texts that concern the development of the promise of obedience in ordination rites will be a usable tool for anyone who would wish to know its historical and ritual story.

The weaknesses of this study lie mainly in the fact that this is a ritual, liturgical study, and thus many of the theological and canonical questions remain to be answered, leaving many issues to be resolved. It is hoped that perhaps this work will aid in a decision by those in the related fields of theology and canon law to do just such work.

Edition details

• Publisher: Liturgical Press
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0814660169
• ISBN 13: 9780814660164
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 168