Music for Ordination of a Bishop, of Priests, and of Deacons

Introduction

"Christ, whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world (cf. John 10:36), through his Apostles has made their successors, namely, Bishops, sharers in his consecration and mission. They in turn have lawfully handed on the office of their ministry in several degrees to different individuals in the Church. Thus the divinely established ecclesiastical ministry is exercised in different Orders by those who even from antiquity have been called Bishops, Priests, and Deacons."
– Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen gentium, no. 28, quoted in Ordination of a Bishop, of Priests, and of Deacons (OBPD), no. 2

Ordination of a Bishop, of Priests, and of Deacons, being implemented in the United States in the late fall of 2021, is enriched with many chant settings for the actions connected with the rites of ordination.

To assist choirs and in the preparation of worship aids, the various chants are made available here. At this time, settings intended for choral use (such as hymns, litanies, and antiphons with psalm texts) could be used immediately, but chants intended for the ordaining bishop (prayers of ordination and texts before and after the litanies) can be used only after the printed ritual edition becomes available, expected in October or November 2021. For easier reference and use, the titles of some chant settings on this webpage vary slightly from those found in the ritual book.

The following music and texts may be reproduced free of charge in printed form, for non-commercial purposes, in publications not for sale, by parishes, dioceses, schools, and religious communities, provided that the copyright acknowledgment which appears at the foot of each page is included.

Chapter I – The Ordination of a Bishop

"[T]he Order of Bishops succeeds the College of the Apostles in teaching authority and pastoral rule; indeed in the Order of Bishops the apostolic body continues to perdure… [T]he individual Bishops, who are placed in charge of the particular Churches, exercise their pastoral governance over the portion of the People of God entrusted to their care; they are the visible principle and foundation of unity in these particular Churches. These Churches are formed according to the image of the universal Church, and in them and from them the Catholic Church has her existence."
– OBPD, nos. 12, 13

Chapter II – The Ordination of Priests

"Priests… take part in the Bishop’s Priesthood and mission. As trustworthy co-workers with the episcopal Order, called to serve the People of God, they constitute one Presbyterate in union with their Bishop, while being charged with different duties."
– OBPD, no. 101

Chapter III – The Ordination of Deacons

"It belongs to the Deacon, insofar as competent authority assigns it to him: to administer Baptism solemnly, to safeguard and dispense the Eucharist, to assist at and bless marriages in the name of the Church, to bring Viaticum to the dying, to read the Sacred Scripture to the faithful, to instruct and exhort the people, to preside at the worship and prayer of the faithful, to administer sacramentals, and to preside at funeral and burial rites."
– Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen gentium, no. 29, quoted in OBPD, no. 174

Chapter IV – The Ordination of Deacons and the Ordination of Priests to Be Conferred in the Same Liturgical Celebration

Chapter V – Texts to Be Used in the Celebration of Ordinations

The English translation and chants of Ordination of a Bishop, of Priests, and of Deacons © 2018, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation (ICEL); excerpts from the English translation and chants of The Roman Missal © 2010, ICEL. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

The Abbey Psalms and Canticles, prepared by the monks of Conception Abbey © 2010, 2018 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC. All rights reserved.

English Psalm Tones © 2014 Adam Bartlett. Used with permission. All rights reserved.