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So I Affirm, So Profess, So I Swear…
By Fr. Dennis | September 19, 2007
In a little less than 25 hours, my classmates and I will stand before the entire seminary community gathered in the chapel, and we will profess our fidelity to the teachings of the Church, promise obedience to our respective bishops, promise to live celibate the rest of our lives, and declare that these promises were made with complete freedom. So that will be that.
I’m including the text of each declaration (the first of which we each had to write out by hand) below:
Declaration of Freedom
I the undersigned, Dennis Schenkel, son of John and Lorna Schenkel, of the Diocese of Memphis, having presented my petition to the Bishop for receiving the Order of Diaconate, do now, as Sacred Ordination is at hand, having diligently weighed the matter before God, testify under oath that I am not motivated by an force or fear in receiving this Sacred Order but ask it of my own free will and choice because I believe that I am truly called by God to do so.
I assert that one and all the duties flowing from this Sacred Order are fully known to me, which duties I willingly accept and propose with God’s help to carry out most diligently all the days of my life.
Especially I swear that I clearly understand the implication of the law of celibacy and that I freely embrace it and will keep it faithfully with God’s help until the end of my life.
Finally, I faithfully swear that, according to the norms of the Sacred Canons, I shall obey most faithfully in all matters which my superiors command and the discipline of the Church demands and that I am prepared to give a good example in word and deed, relying in the hope that I may be rewarded by God for receiving this Order.
So I affirm, so I profess, so I swear; so help me God and these holy Gospels which I touch with my hand.
Oath of Fidelity
I, Dennis Schenkel, in assuming the office of Deacon, promise that both in my words and in my conduct, I shall always preserve communion with the Catholic Church.
I shall carry out with the greatest care and fidelity the duties incumbent on me toward both the universal Church and the particular Church in which, according to the provisions of the law, I have been called to exercise my service.
In fulfilling the charge entrusted to me in the name of the Church, I shall hold fast to the deposit of faith in its entirety, I shall faithfully hand it on and explain it, and I shall avoid any teachings opposed to that faith.
I shall follow and foster the common discipline of the whole Church and I shall observe all ecclesiastical laws, especially those which are contained in the Code of Canon Law.
In Christian obedience I shall unite myself with what is declared by the bishops as authentic doctors and teachers of the faith or established by them as those responsible for the governance of the Church; I shall also faithfully assist the diocesan bishops, in order that the apostolic activity exercised in the name and by mandate of the Church may be carried out in communion of the same Church.
So help me God, and God’s holy Gospels, on which I place my hand.
Profession of Faith
I, Dennis Schenkel, with firm faith believe and profess each and everything that is contained in the Symbol of faith, namely:
I believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earthy,
of all that is seen and unseen.I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God,
begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation, he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit,
he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered, died and was buried.
On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
I look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come.
Amen.With firm faith I also believe everything contained in God’s word, written or handed down in tradition and proposed by the Church, whether by way of solemn judgment or through the ordinary and universal magisterium, as divinely revealed and calling for faith.
I also firmly accept and hold each and everything that is proposed definitively by the Church regarding teaching on faith and morals.Moreover, I adhere with religious submission of will and intellect to the teachings which either the Roman Pontiff or the college of bishops enunciate with they exercise the authentic magesterium, even if they proclaim those teachings by an act that is not definitive.
So help me God, and God’s holy Gospels, on which I place my hand.
Topics: Seminary Life |
September 20th, 2007 at 11:43 am
May God be with you this evening as you receive your Orders. May this be smooth bridge between your secular life and your reception of Orders to the priesthood. Thank you for answering the call to serve.
Okay, who wants to start the “Dennis’ Episcopal Ordination” pool? I call dibs on 25 years from now.
September 20th, 2007 at 1:07 pm
Oh, don’t misunderstand. I’m only making promises tonight. That takes place separately from my diaconate ordination, which is November 3. It’s just that after today, I will be under “vows.”
Thanks for your prayers. But, um, I wouldn’t ask God to make me a bishop. That’s not something I’m interested in (reserving all rights to God and the Holy See, of course).
September 21st, 2007 at 8:30 am
Oops. My mistake. Well, when you do post something just prior to your diaconate ordination, please feel free to move my comment to that one.
As for becoming a bishop, what you want doesn’t really matter, does it? You chose your path when you accepted the calling; now The Good Lord will lead you to where He wants you.
God Bless you and all your class.
September 21st, 2007 at 8:36 am
That last paragraph, where you pledge obedience to Magisterial teachings, even if they are not proclaimed definitively, is an interesting one. It would be nice if more of us adhered to that. We often place more importance on understanding than obedience, when it should be the other way around.
September 26th, 2007 at 6:18 pm
Oops somehow my RSS feed reader missed your last couple of posts! I am sure this day was a blessed day.
April 4th, 2008 at 5:41 am
[...] like last fall, when I made promises of obedience, celibacy, and fidelity before I was ordained a deacon, last night I made similar promises prior to my priesthood ordination. It’s a lot like a [...]