Sakrament kapłaństwa i problem sakramentalności święceń kapłańskich w pismach św. biskupa Józefa Sebastiana Pelczara

Abstract

St. Joseph Sebastian Pelczar (1842–1924), the Bishop of Przemyśl, was not only an extraordinary Polish pastor, an organizer of Church life, a spiritual guide but also an erudite and theologian. The article discusses selected issues related to Bishop Pelczar’s teachings on the sacrament of Holy Orders (Priesthood), particularly the sacramentality of Holy Orders. This is a traditional teaching on the subject matter, reflecting the contemporary state of theological knowledge, mainly based on the decrees of the Trent Council. The sacrament of Holy Orders is approached and explained above all in relation to the Holy Mass regarded as a sacrifice as well as the power to consecrate (St Thomas Aquinas). This outlook was reflected in the choice of approach to almost all the issues presented here (the name of the sacrament, the time and reason for its establishment, the authority received through this sacrament, Holy Orders, Minor Orders, as well as the matter and form of the sacrament). Bishop Pelczar did not focus his attention on the sacramental ministry of Holy Orders in relation to the priesthood of all baptized people. He concentrated on the sacrament as the administration of authority and on the aspect of sacramental worship. Worth stressing is the interrelationship of the three forms of authority fulfilled by the priest (prophetic, priestly and pastoral) with the sacrament of Holy Orders. The study of sacramentality of Holy Orders has not been fully defined yet. Pelczar’s approach to the sacramentality of a bishop’s consecration reveals traces of neo-scholastic thinking. He recognized the sacramentality of a bishop’s consecration, presbyterate and diaconate, whereas minor orders were not considered a sacrament. This is a traditional approach to the sacrament of Holy Orders, one that emphasizes its static metaphysical dimension and the authority and dignity bestowed in this manner, as illustrated by the expression Sacerdos alter Christus.