Those seeking to become deacons, priests, or bishops in the United Catholic Church must satisfy the ordaining or receiving bishop of their suitability and readiness for ministry.

While there are normal and usual requirements, any or all of them may be waived at the discretion of the bishop. The bishop in turn must consider the guidance and opinions of the other bishops and the Church as a whole.

Bishops are admonished to exercise care in discerning the suitability and readiness of applicants for ordination. All too often, ill-prepared candidates to independent churches have been accepted for Holy Orders and become ineffective (and in some cases counterproductive and downright scandalous) clergy. At the same time, we do not want our bishops to be bound by legalism. Requiring many years of seminary training has not prevented mainline churches from being saddled with lazy priests, poor homilists, ambitious bishops, and child molesters among their clergy.

It should be noted that the following requirements are the minimum for ordination.   For clergy seeking certification in specific fields (military chaplain, hospital chaplain, for example), further requirements will be imposed.  Ordination does not automatically qualify one for these certifications.

I. You must be Christian

First and foremost, we expect our clergy (like the Apostles) to be followers of Jesus. Non-Christians, no matter how learned or eloquent, need not apply. We expect our clergy not only to believe in Jesus as the living Son of God, but also to have acted upon that belief by giving their lives to Christ. That means a conscious effort to walk in the footsteps of Jesus, adopting his attitudes and (inasmuch as possible) following his example.  All of us fall into sin occasionally, but those who are habitual, unrepentant, public sinners are not suited for ordination.  Needless to say, those who are pedophiles or abusers are unacceptable.  This Church is a pedophile-free zone, and we intend it to stay that way.  Likewise we will not ordain those who are blatantly promiscuous, regardless of their sexual orientation.  Similarly, those who are dishonest will not be accepted.  There have been too many charlatans in too many churches parading as men of the cloth.  To be ordained is to be set apart to serve.   This means following the example of Jesus as he washed the feet of the disciples at the last supper.  It means at least trying to follow him in all things.

This in turn requires that one be as familiar as possible with the One we are to emulate. This requires familiarity with the Scriptures, especially the Gospels. Applicants should have gone beyond just reading the Gospels to a deep and prayerful study of them, absorbing the words of Christ and reflecting on their application to our lives and the lives of those to whom we minister. Whether this was done in a seminary setting, in weekly Bible study sessions, or in private is immaterial (although interaction with others studying the same passages can be extremely valuable). What’s important is that our clergy have an insight into the mind of God through familiarity with the words and actions of Jesus.

II. You must be Catholic

Secondly, since we are a Catholic Church, applicants should be "catholic" Christians. That means that in addition to the common Christian beliefs contained in (for example) the Nicene Creed, applicants should have an appreciation for the Apostolic Succession, should believe that the seven sacraments are a means used by God to impart grace, and should believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. (Note that this does NOT require acceptance of the legalistic formulations in the relatively recent Roman Catholic doctrine of transsubstantiation.) Since one of the primary duties of Catholic clergy is the administration of the sacraments, there’s no sense becoming a Catholic priest if one does not believe that sacraments can really "do" anything. Likewise, why become a priest if one believes that it doesn’t make any difference and that it desn’t empower one to make Christ present for his people at the Mass? Likewise, it would be hypocritical to seek the sacrament of Holy Orders if one believes that this act cannot confer grace nor empower or change one.

III. You must be called

The third requirement is that this Catholic Christian person has received and accepted a call to the ordained ministry. There are many wonderful ways for Catholic Christians to serve God’s people in "unordained ministry." This includes teaching, volunteering at soup kitchens, counseling, even preaching. While opportunities for preaching are greatly expanded by ordination, they exist for others as well. A desire to preach, by itself, should not be considered a good reason for ordination beyond the Diaconate. The office of deacon is valued highly in the Church. It predates the Christian priesthood and should in no way be considered subordinate or inferior. It is different. Those who feel they are being called to ministry must at some point decide if they are being called to ministry as a priest, a deacon, or a layperson. Just because some churches require you to be a priest in order to do almost anything in the church doesn’t mean we have to follow that same practice ... and we don’t. Being a counselor, for example, requires lots of education, training, and experience. But it doesn’t require Holy Orders.

The call to ordained ministry as a priest or bishop is essentially a call to administer the sacraments and to evangelize. "Go therefore and make disciples of those in all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Unless one has a desire to celebrate Mass for God’s people, she or he should not seek the priesthood.

IV. You must be educated

The fourth requirement is education. In order to fulfill their duties as confessors, counselors, and homilists, members of the clergy must be highly educated. The normal expectation is that candidates for ordination will have the equivalent of a college liberal arts degree plus two to four years of seminary. Fortunately, we have great latitude in judging the equivalence of one’s education and experience. A young candidate fresh out of college may be asked to complete a couple of years at an approved seminary. Most Old Catholic and Independent Catholic seminaries allow much of the work to be done by correspondence or through the internet and charge very reasonable fees, bringing a seminary education within reach of working people. An older candidate, perhaps with an advanced degree in another field and considerable familiarity with theology may be judged to have the required educational level, lacking only a few specific courses. A candidate who has twenty years teaching church history as a nun may well be judged to have satisfied the educational requirement completely.

In addition to mastery of English and history (which we assume any college graduate to have), most of the specific seminary educational requirements can be obtained from the following three books:

(1) The Bible. While any of the translations is acceptable, our favorites include the New International Version (NIV), the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), the Revised English Bible (REB), the New American Bible (NAB), and the New Jerusalem Bible (NJB). (And, of course, for some purposes we fall back on the King James (KJ) or New King James (NKJ) versions.) It is hoped that candidates will use all these translations at one time or another. A particularly useful book is "The Complete Parallel Bible with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books." published by Oxford University Press. It allows one to instantly read the same passage in four of the most popular translations (NRSV, NAB, REB, and NJB). We also encourage use of the inclusive version of the Scriptures published by Priests For Equality in Hyattsville, MD ( project of the Quixote Center in Washington, DC). The whole Bible isn’t ready yet, but they’re publishing parts of it as they finish the translation. Having said all that, if we had to choose just one Bible to be on our desk, it would be the NIV Study Bible by Zondervan. The study notes, introductions, and illustrations are excellent.

(2) "Catholicism (New Edition)" by Richard P. McBrien (Harper San Francisco 1994). This huge (nearly 1300 pages) book is the basic text used by our seminaries. Written by the head of the Theology Department at Notre Dame University, it contains all the theology one needs to know. Because of his position, McBrien of course presents the official Roman Catholic position on every issue. But he also presents a range of alternative views on each. The student is thus able to make up his own mind and formulate his own beliefs in an informed way. We find that McBrien presents the various arguments on controversial issues (like homosexuality, the Marian doctrines, birth control, etc) in a fair and useful manner. We, of course, do not require students to agree with all McBrien’s conclusions. We certainly do not require acceptance of all official Roman Catholic dogmas and teachings. But we believe our clergy should at least be aware of them and understand them. This book makes that possible.  This book should be studied regardless of which seminary one chooses.

(3) "The Church At Prayer" edited by A. G. Martimort, the Liturgical Press, 1992. The original four volume set (I. Principles of the Liturgy, II. The Eucharist, III. The Sacraments, and IV. The Liturgy and Time) is now available in a single volume. It provides an understanding of the development and meaning of the liturgy and sacraments. Most students will not need to spend as much time on this book as on the preceding two, but should be familiar with its contents and be able to use it as a reference. Students from outside the Catholic tradition would be well to study it in more depth.

In addition to these three basic texts, we expect students to have a familiarity with church history, with the early church fathers, and with modern thinkers like Teilhard de Chardin and Joan Chittester. We also encourage additional reading, even of fiction. The Joshua series of books by Joseph Girzone is especially important, as well as enjoyable. ("Joshua" should be read first. The others can be read in any order. "The Shepherd" should not be skipped.) Finally, the student should be familiar with the specific history and beliefs of the independent Catholic churches and the United Catholic Church in particular. This information can be found on our web site www.rmbowman.com/catholic .

V. You must be trained

The fifth requirement is sufficient training so that the candidate is equipped to properly, reverently, and inspirationally celebrate Mass, perform weddings and funerals, deliver outstanding homilies, and administer the sacraments. This is the one requirement that cannot be done by correspondence. The candidate must convince the bishop, usually by demonstration, that she or he is ready to perform these duties. This requirement can be at least partially fulfilled by submitting a videotape of the candidate preaching a couple of sermons and performing various liturgical functions. We put more emphasis on preaching or homiletics than is usually the case in the Roman Catholic Church (although not as much as in the Baptist Church, for example.) The focus of the Mass is the altar, not the pulpit. It is on Jesus, not the celebrant. Still, we believe that there is too much poor preaching in Catholic churches, where the participants at Mass are sometimes treated like a captive audience. We owe our people better than that, and we therefore insist that our clergy be accomplished and powerful preachers. Candidates for the priesthood must have their own Sacramentary and Lectionary, and must know how to use them. (See the listing of clergy supplies.) We suggest that candidates for the priesthood do some private "practice Masses" to become familiar with the rubrics, the page-turning, and the flow of the Mass. They should be ready to celebrate their first public Mass immediately following ordination.

These then are the basic five requirements for clergy in the United Catholic Church: (1) They must be Christians; (2) They must be Catholic; (3) They must be called to the ordained ministry; (4) They must be highly educated; and (5) They must be adequately trained for their duties in the Church.

When the ordaining bishop determines that these requirements have been met, then it is time to plan for the ordination celebration.

Where?

We generally prefer that ordinations take place with the worshipping community of the candidate. As in the early church, we see a community putting forward candidates to minister amongst them. The clergy come from the people; they are not chosen by the hierarchy and imposed upon a local congregation. In a real sense, it is the people who ordain. The bishop merely ratifies their choice and administers the sacrament.

There are cases, however, where the candidate has no worshipping community, but will be building one from scratch after ordination, perhaps in a new location (like a missionary would). In such cases, ordination can take place at a suitable location chosen by the bishop, probably a vibrant parish which agrees to host the celebration. The candidate (or candidates) for ordination are encouraged to bring friends and family to support them.   We also do ordinations at church synods held once or twice a year.

When?

Most ordinations (like weddings) are performed on Saturday (and for most of the same reasons).  Many are performed Sunday morning at the principal Mass of the host parish.  It's up to the host parish and the ordaining bishop.

What?

How much?

Besides the cost of clergy supplies (above), the usual costs associated with the process are as follows (not all apply to every candidate):

Seminary Registration  $ 50 to $250

(Candidates may use any approved seminary. Costs at those run by other churches are generally much higher, often a hundred times as much! We make every attempt to keep the costs down.  If you want to be a military chaplain, you must graduate from an accredited seminary.)

Bachelor of Sacred Theology (120 Credit Hours) $350 to $6,000
Master of Sacred Theology ( 45 Credit Hours) $450 to $3,000
(degrees not required for ordination, but equivalent education is)

There are costs associated with the process of formation.  These include the cost of a criminal background check and psychological profile.  The candidate is expected to cover these costs, which may be anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a little over a thousand.

The cost to the Church for putting on an ordination ceremony is typically about $2,000.   This includes the expenses of the host church, a dinner the evening before the ceremony, a reception following the ordination, travel expenses for the ordaining bishop and other required participants, the printing of programs for the ceremony etc.  It is expected that the ordinands will contribute enough to the Church to cover these costs.   The more people being ordained at the same time, the less the cost to each ordinand.

We do not wish finances to be an impediment to ministry.  In extenuating circumstances, candidates may be granted financial relief.  Discuss this in advance with your ordaining bishop or formation director.

When you have successfully gone through all this and are ordained, you are guaranteed nothing! Not a job, certainly not a salary or health coverage or a car or a house or a retirement plan. Our church is made up of volunteer bishops and worker priests and deacons. It is true that in a few cities the congregations are strong enough that they provide a living wage for their clergy. If you are dedicated and charismatic, you may eventually build such a parish. But most of our clergy get NO salary. So don’t quit your day job ... at least, not yet. If you are already ordained and are joining us from another jurisdiction, the time and money required will be much less, perhaps nonexistent. But the receiving bishop must still be satisfied that you fulfill the five basic requirements.

If all this has not deterred you from seeking ordination or incardination in the United Catholic Church, give us a call at (321) 752-5955 and let’s get started!

How to Get Started?