THE FIRST DIOCESAN BULL OF RHOSMARK AND THE PREFECTURE OF THE PRIESTHOOD

[Malins Welcome 1519]

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THE FIRST DIOCESAN
BULL OF RHOSMARK

And the Prefecture for the Priesthood

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OPENING PRAYER ༻⊰──────⋅

 

HEAVENLY FATHER, whose continuous outpouring of grace constantly fills and overfills the world, help us to be wise and willing stewards oaf the gifts you have given us: to give as you have given, to love as you have loved, and always remember with love and gratitude the source from which all goodness flows 

 

THE LIBATION SERVICE OF THE TRUE FAITH ༻⊰──────⋅

 

Across the lands of the faithful and constant throughout the history of the faithful are beautiful and varied churches and cathedrals. These buildings are iconic of religion, and though it is manifest to all that they are set aside for the worship of God, what is often unclear is how they are supposed to serve this function. Often, the caretakers of these houses of worship are left to improvise their own rites of worship or, as is more often the case, leave these beautiful structures empty and unused outside weddings and funerals.

 

Not having found an official rite of general worship, the Prefecture for the Priesthood has promulgated the Libation Service of the True Faith to be the centerpiece of divine worship, along with the accompanying Antiphonarium. 

 

The Libation Service was written to be simple, easily performed, not drawn out in length and with space for liturgical expression, through the writing of Antiphons, and for appropriate participation of the laity, while still expressing and deepening the worship of God through the Church.

 

To promote the Libation Service and clerical activity more broadly, the Prefecture for the Priesthood establishes two orders of merit:

 

The Order of the Holy Tabernacle, conferred upon those who display outstanding diligence in the frequent and devout performance of the Libation Service.

 

The Order of the Antiphonarium, granted in recognition of those who have made exceptional contributions to the composition of Antiphons.

 

We eagerly anticipate the spiritual renewal that will come from an active clergy and a laity constantly being drawn back to the worship of God. Any questions regarding the liturgy can be directed to myself personally.

 

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THE SAINT PIUS MISSION INSTITUTE ༻⊰──────⋅

 

It has pleased the Almighty Father to adorn His theater of virtue with a homeland of faith. This gift ought not to be taken lightly. The church has an obligation to turn the gifts God has given her to His service, which means, in part, to share those gifts with others. This begins with the greatest gift of all, which is the faith itself.

 

It is my intention that Rhosmark should become a world center for evangelization, and to this end I look to the great convert to the faith, St. Pius of Sutica, through whom the light of the faith shown so clearly that he came to be called the Angelic Doctor, thus we who look to his example will call ourselves Anglicans, true messengers of the true God.

 

When I consider the piety of the people of Ravenmire and the excellence of those who have committed to aid me, especially Father Jude and Father Albert, and even more so the progress already being made through Father Fear-Gawd's ministry among the Kruggim, I am fully confident that what is sown in Earosgrad will be reaped across the middle plane.

 

THE CENSUS OF THE PRIESTHOOD ༻⊰──────⋅

 

As Prefect of the Priesthood, it is my duty to undertake the occasional census of our clerics. Please fill out and submit the census form at your earliest convenience.

 

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CORRECTIONS CONCERNING THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE ༻⊰──────⋅

 

Reconciliation is a byword of my ministry. Weddings and baptisms are well and good, but what I have most enjoyed about being an ordained minister of God is that I am empowered to make peace between Him and His wayward children. 

 

Penance can not be understood outside of this sacramental context. Once the sin has been formally forgiven, the purpose of Penance is to heal the threefold injuries caused by that sin: the rupture between man and God, the rupture between man and his brothers, and the rupture between man and himself. A wise confessor and a confessor guided by the grace of his priesthood will be able to devise penances which repair all three.

 

I have noticed an unfortunate tendency by well-meaning persons, to view personal penances as a kind of judicial penalty rather than as a healing balm. I have seen this manifest in a number of ways:

An interest to the point of inquiry into penances imposed upon others.

A demand that penances be imposed upon others.

Enforcing as a third party another persons' penance.

 

These matters ought to remain between each person and God, mediated through the person of a priest. It is not for the laity to meddle in such matters, and doing so perverts the sacrament and adds unnecessary difficulty to the already arduous process of repentance and healing. I do not wish to see any more of this sort of behavior and I enjoin the laity to look to their own sins and repentance rather than the sins and repentance of others.

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Saint Pius of Sutica, pray for us

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James Cardinal Rhosmark