A celebret, in
Catholic canon law
The canon law of the Catholic Church () is "how the Church organizes and governs herself". It is the system of religious laws and ecclesiastical legal principles made and enforced by the hierarchical authorities of the Catholic Church to regul ...
, is a letter from a
bishop
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
or
religious superior
In a hierarchy or tree structure of any kind, a superior is an individual or position at a higher level in the hierarchy than another (a "subordinate" or "inferior"), and thus closer to the apex.
General
A superior generally has the power t ...
authorizing a
priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...
to say
Mass
Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...
in a
diocese
In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...
other than his own. The name of the document is taken from the Latin , meaning “may he celebrate”, as it is traditionally the
first word of the text therein.
History
The
Council of Trent
The Council of Trent (), held between 1545 and 1563 in Trent (or Trento), now in northern Italy, was the 19th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. Prompted by the Protestant Reformation at the time, it has been described as the "most ...
(Sess. XXIII, chap. xvi on Reform) lays down the rule that "no cleric who is a stranger shall without
letter commendatory from his own
ordinary be admitted by any bishop to celebrate the divine mysteries". Ordinarily, permission is not to be given to a priest from another diocese or archdiocese to say Mass without this certificate signed and duly sealed.
The seal is the more important requisite, as it is the safer guarantee against forgery. The ''celebret'' itself should be officially recognized by the diocesan authority of the place where a priest may wish to say Mass. One who has his ''celebret'' in due form, or who is certainly known to be in good standing in his own diocese, may be allowed to celebrate until he has had sufficient time to comply with this rule. A priest with proper credentials cannot reasonably be prevented from saying Mass, though he will be expected to comply with reasonable restrictions which may be imposed.
In the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, the
Third Plenary Council of Baltimore, as a regulation against collectors of funds for other dioceses or countries, enacted a decree (No. 295) that priests on such a mission should not be allowed to celebrate Mass even once until they had received permission from the ordinary. This rule has generally been enforced in diocesan synods.
The absence of the ''celebret'' does not suffice denial of permission to say Mass, if persons worthy of belief bear positive testimony to the good standing of the priest. If the permission is unreasonably refused, the priest may say Mass privately if no scandal is given. Yet, the
rectors of churches are not obliged to incur any expenses the celebration may involve. (S.C.C., 15 December 1703).
Sources
Instruction ''Redemptionis Sacramentum''(April 23, 2004), Chapter V, 111.
* {{Catholic Encyclopedia, wstitle=Concelebration
Sacramental law
Mass in the Catholic Church