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Expert: Fr. Timothy Johnson - 12/20/2007


Question
Fr. Timothy,

Could you please explain the hierarchy, or rankings, of the different Catholic religious orders?  For example, my college was run by Dominican Friars and my high school by Marianist.  Where do they stand against Jesuits and others?

Thank you.

Answer
Hi, Joe:
Thanks for the question.
Actually the "Hierarchy" refers to those in the Church with the power of Governance, i.e. the Bishops.  So technically speaking, the Religious Orders, as such, do not constitute the Hierarchy; nevertheless, there might be Bishops who were ordained from among the members of a particular Religious Order.
Tongue-in-cheek, of course, each Religious Order would probably pride itself as being the BEST, or the model non-plus-ultra among all the Orders because of their particular, special charism of how to attain perfection and holiness by the fidelity of the members to the rule of that particular Religious Order.
Oh - by the way: I suppose that you could say that there is a hierarchy of grades of the Sacrament of Holy Orders, within itself.  These would be, from lowest to highest, Deacon, Priest, and Bishop.  Each is a member of the Clergy strictly speaking, and each grade is received prior to receiving the next highest.  In other words, a Priest would have been ordained a Deacon prior to being ordained a Priest; and a Bishop would have already received Priesthood and Diaconate.

Fr. Timothy Johnson

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Fr. Timothy Johnson

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A Traditional Catholic Priest, validly and licitly ordained, incardinated legally and canonically in the Diocese of Fargo, and in good-standing with my Local Ordinary (Bishop) on active assignment at a rural Tri-Parish. I can provide honest and balanced answers to questions on topics pertaining to Traditional Roman Catholicism of the Latin Church (Councils of Trent and Vatican II)and a lot about the Eastern Catholic Churches, including the Sacred Liturgy, Sacred Scripture, Church History, the use of the Latin language, the tradition of Sacred Music, and current events in the Catholic Church from a traditional, historical and balanced perspective.

Experience

I have been ordained a Roman Catholic Priest since June 2001.

Organizations
Knights of Columbus; Church Music Association of America (CMAA)

Education/Credentials
Ordained Priest, 02 JUN 2001; Ordained Deacon, 27 JAN 2001; MA - Dogmatic/Systematic Theology; MDiv - Professional Degree from Seminary; 2-Years formation with Canons Regular of Premontre including studies and experience in Sacred Liturgy, Chant, Latin, Sacraments, Spirituality. BA - Scholastic/Thomistic Philosophy; BA - Liberal Arts; AA - General Studies.

Past/Present Clients
I serve 3-small, rural Parish Communities in Easter North Dakota
I converted to the Roman Catholic Church in 1981, at the age of 15. Over the years I have done work as an organist, cantor, and choir director for the Latin Rite (English & Latin) Mass (Liturgy of the Eucharist), and even for the Hours of the Divine Office. I have worked as a cantor for a Melkite Byzantine Catholic Church. Presently my pastoral and administrative duties as a Catholic Priest do not allow me as much time as I used to have to devote to Sacred Music; but for my weekend Masses and Solemnities within my Tri-Parish, I offer High Sung Mass in English. Weekday Mass is typically Low Mass (recited Mass) in English, though on occasion I will offer the "Tridentine Mass" in Latin, which I usually offer on my "Day Off", as well. And now, in light of the "Motu Proprio" by his Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI placing the extraordinary usage of the Roman Rite back into the mainstream of the Catholic Church, I have been offering a regularly scheduled SUN, 2:00 PM Tridentine Latin Mass with a community of the faithful that has a stable existence.

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