Presbyterium is a modern term used in the Catholic Church and Eastern Catholic Churches after the Second Vatican Council in reference to a college of priests, in active ministry, of an individual particular church such as a diocese or eparchy. The body, in union with their bishop as a collective, is a symbol of the collaborative and collegial nature of their sacerdotal ministry as inspired by the reforms made during the Second Vatican Council. The presbyterium is most visible during the ordination of new priests and bishops and the

Mass of the Chrism The Chrism Mass is a religious service held in Roman Catholicism, Lutheranism, and Anglicanism. The Chrism Mass is one of the most solemn and important liturgies of the Christian liturgical calendar. The ancient Christian Apostolic Tradition ...

: the Holy Thursday Mass where the blessing of the oils used in the sacraments of Baptism,

Confirmation In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. For adults, it is an affirmation of belief. It involves laying on ...

, Anointing of the Sick, and Holy Orders takes place. They are also visible during other special liturgical functions such as the

wake Wake or The Wake may refer to: Culture *Wake (ceremony), a ritual which takes place during some funeral ceremonies *Wakes week, an English holiday tradition * Parish Wake, another name of the Welsh ', the fairs held on the local parish's patron s ...

and

burial Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

of their bishop. Liturgically, within Catholicism, the presbyterium is the area of the church in which the clergy functions. It is more commonly called the sanctuary.

Etymology

The word ''presbyterium'' is the Latinised form of the Greek (), 'council of elders, presbytery', from Greek (), the comparative form of (), 'elder'.

Presbyterate

The presbyterate is another term used to refer to the sacerdotal collegiality of priests with their bishop, commonly used in the Anglican Communion. Within churches which hold

apostolic succession Apostolic succession is the method whereby the ministry of the Christian Church is held to be derived from the apostles by a continuous succession, which has usually been associated with a claim that the succession is through a series of bish ...

, it is reflected in the

concelebration In Christianity, concelebration (from Lat., ''con'' + ''celebrare'', to celebrate together) is the presiding of a number of presbyters (priests or ministers) at the celebration of the Eucharist with either a presbyter or bishop as the ''principal c ...

of the

Eucharist The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instit ...

, in joining the bishop in the laying on of hands on an ordinand to the priesthood, in collegial processions, at inductions, funerals, and other liturgical activities. In the Catholic Church it is used to refer to the second order of priesthood - one is said to be "ordained to the presbyterate". Paragraph 1536 of the

Catechism of the Catholic Church The ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'' ( la, Catechismus Catholicae Ecclesiae; commonly called the ''Catechism'' or the ''CCC'') is a catechism promulgated for the Catholic Church by Pope John Paul II in 1992. It aims to summarize, in book for ...

states that there are three distinct orders of apostolic ministry in the sacrament of Holy Orders: episcopate, presbyterate and diaconate

References

{{reflist

External links

Juridical Manifestations of the Presbyterium
Catholic priesthood Episcopacy in the Catholic Church Anglican ecclesiastical offices ca:Presbiteri gl:Presbiterio hu:Presbyterium pt:Presbitério sv:Presbyterium

Etymology

Presbyterate

See also

References

External links