The Bishop's Weekly Column from the Parish Bulletin

OUR LADY OF FATIMA

CATHOLIC CHURCH

The office of Porter
(or the "Liturgical Bouncer")

August 12th, 2006

Bishop Williamson pressed so hard I thought
he was giving me the "Keys to the Kingdom" !

Pope Paul VI (it is said) suppressed the 4 Minor Orders. In the past (it was said) he had suppressed the Mass as well.... Here is the text by which that Order is administered (in English... you understand... not....Latin...Oh! Dear me, no !)

The Order of Porter - The First of the Minor Orders

In the Old Testament Levites were appointed to keep the gates of the tabernacle and later of the temple; they also had charge of the sacred vessels (1 Paral. 9, 26). The sacredness of the house of God in the New Testament and of the vessels used for the celebration of the divine mysteries calls for at least the same care and safekeeping. The ostiarii were the doorkeepers or porters of the church. The word is derived from the Latin ostium, the door.

The office was of special importance during the times of persecution. Reliable men were needed to inform the faithful of the time and place of the divine services, to open and lock the doors, to keep out undesirables. In later times the ringing of bells sufficed for the purpose of informing the faithful of the time of the divine services, since there was no further need of informing them of the place.

Opening of the book for the preacher, mentioned as one of the duties of the porter, must also be understood in the light of earlier times. Those ancient rolls were not as handy as a modern book, but often heavy and of considerable size, and the place for reading could not be found as readily. The porter, therefore, would carry the book to the ambo and open it for the preacher. In the course of time the care of the sacred vessels was also entrusted to porters, which gave the order added importance.

The Rite

The Call. The bishop, with his miter on, sits on the faldstool before the middle of the altar. The archdeacon bids the candidates come forward; the notary reads their names:

Let those come forward who are to be ordained to the order of porter: N. N. etc.

Each one answers, adsum, goes before the altar and kneels, holding the burning candle in his right hand.

The Instruction. When all are assembled, the bishop address them as follows:

Dearly beloved sons, you are about to receive the order of porter. Behold what you must do in the house of God. The duty of the porter is to ring the bells, to open the church and sacristy, and to open the book for the preacher. Take good care, therefore, lest anything in the church perish through your negligence. Open the house of God to the faithful at the appointed hours, and always shut it to unbelievers.

As you open and shut with material keys the visible church, let it also be your endeavor by your word and example to shut to the devil and open to God the invisible house of God, namely, the hearts of the faithful, that they may keep in mind the word of God which they have heard and carry it out in deed. May the Lord in His mercy accomplish this in you.

The Bestowal of the Office. The bishop presents to each one the keys of the church. They touch them with the right hand, while the bishop says:

So act, even as about to give an account to God of the things which are kept under these keys.

Prayer. The porters kneel, while the bishop, with miter on, turned to the ordained, prays:

Dearly beloved brethren, let us fervently beseech God, the Father Almighty, to + bless these His servants, whom He has deigned to elect to the office of porter; may they with utmost care attend to the house of God, by day and night and announce the hours appointed for divine services, through the help of our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with Him in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. R. Amen.

The bishop, with his miter off, turns to the altar and says:

Let Us Pray
Let us bend our knees. R. Arise.

Turning again to the candidates kneeling before him, the bishop prays:

Holy Lord, almighty Father, eternal God, bless + these Thy servants for the office of porter, that among the keepers of the Church they may be devoted to Thy service and together with Thine elect have a share in Thy reward. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who lives and reigns with Thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. R. Amen.

Thus one ordained in the Old Rites of Ordination has a lot more liturgical clout than one who is not... as may be seen from the Rite above....

+TF

PS: It's so nice to know that by virtue of the "powers of ordination" you can become a Divine "security guard" - and, (well - gosh !) sometimes are and have to be! This is one Order I have always loved to exercise...with relish, in fact ! Well, when you have the grace of state...you're ready for anything !