# The Rite of the Consecration of a Bishop in the Catholic Church

* related portals: Catholicism.
* sister projects: Wikidata item.
THE RITE
OF THE
CONSECRATION OF A BISHOP
IN
The Catholic Church
Permissu Superiorum.
London: THOMAS RICHARDSON AND SON, 172, FLEET STREET; 9, CAPEL STREET, DUBLIN; AND DERBY.
MDCCCXLVIII.
THE RITE OF The Consecration of a Bishop IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.
GENERAL RUBRICS.
IT is proper that the Consecrating Bishop, as well as the Bishop Elect, should fast, on the day before consecration.
The Consecration ought to be on a Sunday, or on the Feast of an Apostle: but it may be, by the special grant of the Holy See, on any other Festival.
Unless the Consecration be celebrated at Rome, it should be solemnized in the Church, or at least within the Province, to which the Elect has been promoted.
In the Church appointed for the Consecration, two Chapels are to be prepared; a larger for the Consecrator, a smaller for the Elect.
The former is to be furnished with an Altar, decorated as is usual; with a Crucifix in the middle, and at least four lights.
The Chapel of the Elect must also he furnished with an Altar, having on it a Crucifix, and two lights.
The Bishop Elect is to present himself to the Consecrator robed as a Priest, with a cope; and whatever be the colour for the day, all the vestments he wears must be white.
There must be, at least, two Assistant Bishops, robed in rochets, amices, stoles, and copes, and wearing white mitres.
All being thus prepared, at the appointed hour, the Bishops, with their attendants, assemble before the altar; and after the Consecrating Bishop has offered up a short prayer, he and the Elect proceed to their respective Chapels, and there put on their robes.
This done, the Elect, with an Assistant Bishop on each hand, places himself before the Consecrating Bishop, seated in the middle of the Altar.
The Senior Assisting Bishop then says:
The Consecrating Prelate asks,
Senior Assistant Prelate replies.
The Consecrating Prelate,
The Apostolic mandate is read. The Bishop Elect then kneeling before the Consecrating Prelate, takes the usual oath, which being pronounced, the Consecrating Prelate says,
The Bishops are then seated and mitred, and the Elect also takes his seat. The Consecrating Prelate then proceeds to the examination.
The Bishop Elect standing uncovered replies,
In all the other answers the Elect rises and stands uncovered in the same manner.
Then the Consecrating Prelate says,
All answer, Amen.
Then the Consecrator says,
All answer, Amen.
The examination being ended, the Elect is conducted, by the Assisting Bishops, to the Consecrating Bishop, and kneeling before him, reverently kisses his hand.
The Consecrating Bishop's Mitre is taken off, and turning to the Altar with his Assistants, he begins the Confiteor in the usual manner; the Elect remaining at his left hand. The Assistant Bishops, with their Chaplains, say the Confiteor, at their seats.
This being said, the Consecrating Bishop goes up to the Altar, ​which he incenses, as usual, and then continues the prayers of Mass, to the end of the Epistle and Tract.
The Elect is conducted by the Assisting Bishops to his Chapel. There the cope is taken off, and he is vested with sandals, pectoral cross, flowing stole, tunic, dalmatic, chasuble, and maniple. He then proceeds to the Altar, and recites the service of the Mass, to the end of the Epistle and Tract. But at the Dominus vobiscum, he does not turn to the people.
Besides the Collects of the Day, one is said, the last in order, for the Bishop Elect, and is as follows:
The Epistle and Tract being finished, the consecrating Bishop sits down.
The Bishop Elect stands before him.
The Consecreting Bishop thus addresses the Elect:
All rise, and the Consecrating Bishop standing mitred, says to the Congregation:
Here the Consecrating Bishop, rising, and holding the crosier in his left hand, turns to the Elect, and says as follows, making at the words, "Bless, Sanctify, Consecrate," the sign of the Cross over the Elect: ?hc Assistant Bishops say and do the same, kneeling in their places:
The Consecrating Bishop again kneels, and the Litany is continued.
At the end of the Litany all rise. The Consecrating Bishop stands before his seat mitred, and the Elect kneels before him. The Consecrating Bishop takes the book of the Gospels, and with the assistance of the other Bishops, in silence, places it open, over the neck and shoulders of the Elect; and in this position it is held by one of the Clergy, until the tradition of the Gospels, to the Elect, as hereinafter mentioned.
Then the Consecrating Bishop, and the assisting Bishops, each touching with both hands, the head of the Elect, say,
The Consecrating Bishop, standing uncovered, then prays:
The Consecrating Bishop, standing with his hands extended, then commences the Consecration Preface.
The Consecrating Bishop discontinues the Preface.
The head of the Elect, preparatory to his being anointed, is wrapt round with linen. The Consecrating Bishop kneels before the altar, and commences the hymn below; which is continued to the end, by the assistants and choir. But the consecrating Bishop, at the end of the first verse, rises from his knees, is seated and mitred; he takes off his gloves and ring, but replaces the ring on his finger. An apron is laid on his knees, and he then anoints the head of the Elect, kneeling before him, first round, and then on the crown; and whilst he does so, the Hymn continues to be repeated or sung.
THE HYMN Veni Creator Spiritus.
Whilst the Consecrating Bishop anoints the Elect, he says:
After the anointing, the Consecrating Bishop washes his hands; and continues the Preface, in the same tone as before.
In a lower tone, but so as to be heard by those around him, he thus concludes:
The Preface being ended, the Consecrating Bishop begins the Anthem.
THE ANTHEM IS REPEATED.
At the commencement of the Anthem, the Consecrating Bishop takes his seat, and mitre; the Elect kneeling before him. with joined hands, which the Consecrating Bishop anoints, first crossing them, in the form of a cross, and then anointing the entire palms, saying:
Sitting, he continues,
The anointed hands of the Elect are bound with linen, and the Consecrating Bishop, standing, without mitre, blesses the Crosier, saying:
He sprinkles the Crosier with holy water; and, being seated and mitred, places it between the fingers of the Elect, saying:
The Consecrating Bishop stands up, without mitre, to bless the ring:
He sprinkles the ring with holy water, and being seated and mitred, puts it on the finger of the Elect, saying:
The Consecrating Bishop, and the other Bishops, now receive the newly Consecrated to the Kiss of Peace, each saying to him:
To which he replies:
The newly Consecrated, accompanied by the Assisting Bishops, returns to his Chapel, and having his head and hands wiped from the chrism, with crumbs of bread and linen, washes his hands, as does also the consecrator; and both, in their respective Chapels go on with Mass, to the end of the Offertory.
(For this part, see the Missal.)
At the end of the Offertory, the Consecrator seats himself with his mitre on, before the middle of the Altar; and the newly Consecrated, coming from his Chapel, attended by the Assisting Bishops, reverences on his knees the Consecrator, and makes his offering to him, of two loaves, two vessels of wine, and two wax torches, kissing his hand as he receives them.
After this, the Consecrating Bishop washes his hands, and goes up to the Altar; and the newly consecrated goes to the Epistle side of the same Altar, and having there a Missal placed for him, he accompanies the Consecrating Bishop through the remaining part of the Mass.
At the Communion, they both partake of the same Host and Chalice. To the regular service of the day is added a Secreta prayer for the Consecrated. In the Canon, too, the prayer, infra actionem, has a few additional words. They are as follows:
THE SECRETA.
THE PRAYER. INFRA ACTIONEM.
The Consecrated says,
After the Agnus Dei, the Pax, in the usual way, is given by the Consecrator to the Consecrated, and by him to the Assistant Bishops, in these words:
Answer,
After the communion, the Consecrated, with the Assisting Bishops, goes to the Gospel side of the Altar, and there he continues the Mass, with the Consecrating Bishop, who is on the Epistle side.
An additional Post-Communion is said, for the Consecrated.
After the Ite, Missa est, is said, the Consecrating Bishop blesses the congregation in the usual manner; the form of blessing is hereafter mentioned. He then sits down mitred before the Altar, the Consecrated kneeling before him; and after a short pause, he rises and blesses the Mitre, saying:
After sprinkling it with holy water, he places it on the head of the Consecrated, saying:
The Consecrating Bishop, standing, blesses the Gloves, saying:
The Consecrating Bishop sprinkles them with holy water, and draws them on the hands of the New Bishop, saying:
The Consecrating Bishop now rises and puts the New Bishop in his seat, placing in his hands the Crosier; and then, bowing to the Altar, he gives out the Te Deum.
Whilst this Hymn is sung, the Assistant Bishops in their mitres conduct the New Bishop round the Church, who every where, as he passes, gives his blessing to the people. The Consecrating Bishop remains uncovered in his place.
At the end of the Hymn is sung the Anthem.
The New Bishop having returned to his seat, remains until the Hymn and Anthem are concluded. The Assistant Bishops stand uncovered with the Consecrator.
At the end of the Hymn and Anthem, the Consecrator says:
THE FORM OF BLESSING.
The Consecrating and Assistant Bishops remain as before, standing on the Gospel side, in their mitres, looking towards the New Bishop, who proceeds from the Epistle side towards them, making in the way, three reverences, and at each reverence, saying to them:
He is then received to the Kiss of Peace by the other Bishops, who conduct him away, after saying the last Gospel of the Mass.
FINIS.
In omnibus glorificetur Deus.—Amen.
RICHARDSON AND SON, PRINTERS, DERBY.