full, immediate, and universal jurisdiction all over the world, whereas a local bishop, who may also be an archbishop or a cardinal, possesses jurisdiction only in his diocese, which is the typical geographical designation in Catholic governance — an administrative territory.
Dioceses and archdioceses: The areas that bishops govern
Each individual bishop retains his own authority, which comes from episcopal ordination and consecration. Episcopal refers to anything that has to do with a bishop or bishops, and episcopal ordination and consecration is the sacrament by which a priest becomes a bishop. It’s the third and fullest level of the Sacrament of Holy Orders. (The first level is the ordination of a deacon, and the second is the ordination of a priest. Deacons, priests, and bishops are all considered clergy.)
The local bishop runs the diocese. He’s not an ambassador of the pope but governs the local diocese as an authentic successor of the apostles, just as the pope governs the universal Church as the successor of St. Peter.
The pope appoints the bishops, and they must make a visit to the Holy Father every five years and give a report on their particular diocese. The rest of the time, the bishop goes around the diocese confirming adults and teenagers, ordaining men to the diaconate (the office of deacon), and ordaining men to the priesthood once a year. Only bishops have the authority to administer the Sacrament of Holy Orders whereby men are ordained deacons, priests, or bishops. Bishops make pastoral visits to the parishes and chair numerous meetings with their staff. (See Chapter 8 for more on the Sacrament of Confirmation, and see Chapter 9 for more on the Sacrament of Holy Orders.) A bishop is like a pastor of an extra-large parish. (See the later section “The parish priest” for details about pastors.)
The local diocese is a collection of local parishes, just like a state is a collection of counties and cities. Many dioceses are comprised of several state counties, and in a few places, the entire state makes up one diocese.
An archbishop runs a really large diocese, known as an archdiocese. For example, an archbishop is given authority in each of the following archdioceses: Newark, San Francisco, Denver, Hartford, Miami, St. Louis, and Omaha. Sometimes, though, the archbishop is also a cardinal, which is often the case in Philadelphia, New York City, Boston, Chicago, Baltimore, Los Angeles, Detroit, and Washington, D.C.
The bishops within an entire country or nation get together at least once a year in a gathering known as an episcopal conference. The American bishops belong to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB); the Canadian Bishops belong to the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB); in Australia, it’s the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC); and in Great Britain, it’s the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales (CBCEW).
Cathedrals: The place where bishops hang out
The cathedral is to the local diocese what the Vatican is to the universal Church. The cathedral is the official church of the diocese where the bishop’s chair resides, and his chair (cathedra in Latin) is a symbol of his authority as a successor to the apostles.
Bishops celebrate most Masses at the cathedral church. In addition, it’s often the place where the Chrism Mass (also known as the Mass of the Oils) takes place — unless the bishop decides to have it elsewhere in the diocese. (Curious? See the sidebar “Nope, the Mass of the Oils has nothing to do with your car’s engine” for details about this special Mass.)
Cathedrals also have daily and weekly Mass like other parishes, as well as weddings, funerals, baptisms, and such. But the pride of the cathedral is in the ordinations to the episcopacy, priesthood, or diaconate, as well as the Chrism Mass. (For more on ordination and Holy Orders, see Chapter 9.)
Note: Only the bishop may sit in his cathedra, so any other priest celebrating Mass must use another chair.
NOPE, THE MASS OF THE OILS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOUR CAR’S ENGINE
The Chrism Mass takes place on Holy Thursday or some other day of Holy Week (the week before Easter), and all the priests of the diocese are asked to be present if possible. At this Mass, the bishop formally blesses olive oil in enormous multi-gallon containers to be distributed to all the parishes and priests throughout the diocese. Three oils are blessed at this annual Mass:
The Oil of Catechumens (Oleum Catechumenorum) is used to bless people prior to their Baptism and during enrollment as catechumen, students of the faith preparing for Baptism.
The Oil of the Sick (Oleum Infirmorum) is appropriate when administering the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, formerly known as Extreme Unction.
Chrism Oil (Sacrum Chrisma), also called Sacred Chrism, is for newly baptized persons, and the bishop also uses Chrism Oil when administering the Sacraments of Confirmation or Holy Orders and to consecrate altars, churches, chalices, and so on. Balsam is added to olive oil to make it more fragrant.
The vicar general
Vicars general aren’t military leaders like Generals Montgomery, De Gaulle, and MacArthur. They’re priests who are second in command in the diocese and appointed by the bishop to help him govern the local Church. Sometimes, episcopal vicars are also appointed to assist the bishop in certain areas, such as vocations, the marriage tribunal, clergy personnel, Hispanic or minority ministries, and so on. In large dioceses, such as New York or London, vicars general are often auxiliary bishops, ordained bishops who assist the bishop of the diocese in the same way any other vicar general does, except that they can help the bishop ordain deacons and priests and celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation.
Often, these priests are given the honorary title of monsignor at the request of the local bishop. This title has no extra authority, dignity, or salary. You can recognize a monsignor by the color of his cassock — a long, close-fitting garment worn by clerics. This honorary title may be bestowed in three different forms:
Papal Chamberlain: Also known as Chaplain of His Holiness, this is the lowest ranking of the title of monsignor. These monsignors wear black cassocks with purple buttons and trim.
Domestic Prelate: These monsignors are also known as Prelates of Honor, and they wear purple or black cassocks with red buttons and trim.
Protonotary Apostolic: This is the highest
