Ordination Section Introduction
"He
tends his flock like a shepherd: he gathers the lambs in his arms and carries
them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young." (Is 40:13)
We are glad you have come to this page and are potentially discerning a
call to feed and take care of the Lord's flock with us.
The call to ministry is a wonderful thing and we wish to encourage you in
your consideration of what your call means. A call to ministry is also a
serious undertaking; ordination is a lifelong commitment, and your felt inward
call should therefore not be acted upon hastily but be given time to grow and be
fully discerned. If you have done that and possess the conviction that you
have a inward call to lifelong ministry, the second step is an outward
affirmation. In the United Catholic Church, the outward affirmation has
two parts, first an affirmation by people in your local community, and then also
by this church on behalf of the whole church and the apostolic tradition.
This step involves deliberately testing and assessing your potential for service
to the body of Christ.
In our discernment of
a candidate's call, we are looking to affirm that the individual has the
capacity to teach and preach Christian Catholic doctrine in good conscience, and
with an understanding and personal conviction that is accountable to the faith
which has been passed on to us by the apostles.
The General
Requirements page will help you with your
self-evaluation on whether you meet this criteria. The information in both
the
History
and Faith sections of the website, and the Code of Canons in
the main Documents Section will also help you discern if the Untied
Catholic Church is a good fit for you.
A psychological
profile is done as the first step in the process. Here we are seeking to
determine if the candidate possesses the personal gifts for ministry including a
realistic self-awareness, the ability to work patiently with others, and the
ability to share agape love in service to others. A background check is
also performed. The academic study thresholds for the Deaconate and
Priesthood are outlined in the
Education page of this section.
In considering your
call, it should be noted that the United Catholic Church ordains or incardinates
a cleric only in relation to an approved ministry; we do not support general
ordination. We believe that ordination to the ministry is a lifelong
call and not just for a season. Clergy people in this church are therefore
also expected to maintain an active approved ministry going forward and to
participate in continuing education.
The
Process and Application
page describes the contents of the multi-part application that is
submitted, and also the process used by this church to evaluate a candidate for
either incardination or ordination in more detail.
May God guide you and
bless you on your journey to serve Him and His people!
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