ARE THERE DIFFERENT TYPES OF PRIESTS?
I will give you Shepherds after my own Heart (Jer 3:15)
Catholic priests are basically differentiated into Diocesan priests and other priests (religious, societal and personal prelature). However, they all share a fundamentally common identity as "alter Christus (another Christ)" and exercise common ministerial functions. Pope John Paul II says, "The priest of tomorrow, no less than the priest of today, must resemble Christ." (Pastores Dabo Vobis, # 5)
Affiliation
Canonically, all priests must be affiliated to one or another ecclesiastical superior. Their affiliation or incardination may be either to a particular church or to an ecclesiastical association. Those who are affiliated to a diocesan bishop are called diocesan priests, those to a religious institute are religious priests and those to a society are priests of the society. Members of a secular institute are often incardinated into a particular church or into the institute itself by virtue of a grant of the Apostolic See. (Ref: Canons 265, 266)
Institutes of Consecrated Life
All members of institutes of consecrated life profess the evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty and obedience, and strive for the perfection of charity in service to the kingdom of God. The state of consecrated life by its very nature is neither clerical nor lay. (Ref: c 588)
Differences of Various Religious Institutes of Consecrated Life
Due to the diverse charisms of the institutes, they differ in their way of expressing their fulfillment of God's will, some by complete dedication to contemplation, and others to diverse apostolic ministries and charitable works (primary attention to education, health care, or service to the poor, etc.) They differ also in diverse orientation of spirituality (e.g. Franciscan, Teresian, Ignatian, Alphonsian, etc.)
Religious and Secular Institutes
In principle, members of religious consecrated institutes through profession of the evangelical counsels (chastity, poverty and obedience) live a stable form of life, in which they strive to follow Christ more closely under the action of the Holy Spirit, and are totally dedicated to God. This new and special title of "religious" signifies their dedication to seek the perfection of charity in the service of God's Kingdom, for the honour of God, the building up of the Church and the salvation of the world. (Ref: c573)
Such religious character entails a separation from the world according to the nature and end of each institute. The "separation" called for may be concretely realized in different forms, ranging from a physically secluded contemplative life to a more spiritual sense of separation from worldliness. The communal efforts of living a life of simplicity, celibacy and obedience result in social patterns, economic interests, and professional attitudes which tend to separate the religious from worldliness, without separating them from the persons with whom and for whom they minister.
In comparison, members of secular consecrated institutes live by choice within the world, and acts as leaven of the kingdom to the world. For that reason, secular members may wear civilian clothing, live in HDB flats and exercise civil professions. In the practice of the evangelical counsels, the secular members would not be different from the religious. However, they exhibit greater "mixing around with worldly people" and make a conscious effort "to be in the world but not of the world."
Secular Priests vs Religious Priests
A religious priest is first and foremost a religious, that is, a member of a religious institute, and only becomes a priest through ordination. For a religious, ordination to the ministerial priesthood is a second calling to express a service to the particular charism of his institute. Not all religious are intended for ordination to deaconate or priesthood unless they belong to a clerical religious institute.
Clerical members of secular institutes of consecrated life and diocesan priests are known as secular priests. They are secular in the sense of "being in the world but not of the world." (Jn 17:14-15) They are closely associated with the laity who live in the world, and being responsible for guiding them in fulfilling their Christian life and mission in the world.
Priests, religious or diocesan, can engage in secular activities and profession only as an exception with expressed approval from the authority.
Diverse Gifts in History
Historically, each religious institute originated from it's specific social-historical situation, and it strived to strengthen the life of the Church and to serve the mission of the church in a particular way. Throughout history, diverse kinds of religious institutes have sprung up through the working of the Holy Spirit as gifts of various charisms to the Church. They include the monastic, the mendicants, and institutes of solemn or simple vows dedicated to a wide variety of works and missionary activities. Each has its unique charism and spirituality.
Present Reality
Today in Singapore, as in many part of the world, the sociological reality of the life and work of diocesan and religious priests, and of religious priests belonging to various institutes are not easily distinguishable. Other then their external garments (habits), and the initial process of introducing their members into the spirit and doctrine of their founders (the novitiate training) being different, almost all priests have had similar basic priestly formation, and share similar life style and ministry. Further more, every priest, regardless of his affiliation, is free to adopt any particular forms or combination of forms of spirituality. As a result, no form of spirituality can be said to belong exclusively to a group. For example, the Ignatian exercises are loved and adopted by many priests who are not Jesuits, and there are some Jesuits who favour the Teresian spirituality.
A religious priest in Singapore who is not wearing his particular habit looks and behaves like a diocesan priest, and vice versa; and a religious who is entrusted the care of a parish as Pastor (Parish Priest) or Parochial Vicar (Assistant Parish Priest) fulfills his responsibilities and exercises his rights just as the parish diocesan priests. What is emphasized in the life of a religious is his community life, his common prayer and spiritual exercises with his fellow religious.
Priesthood in the Singapore Context
Catholic priests in Singapore are either diocesan, or religious (such as the Redemptorists, the Franciscans, the Carmelites, the Jesuits, and the Dominicans), or members of the personal prelature (Opus Dei), or members of foreign missionary societies (MEP Fathers, Sacred Heart Fathers, CICM fathers). Whatever their affiliation, all priests who live in our archdiocese and who exercise some office therein, share in the life of the presbyterium, in corroboration with the pastoral ministry of the Archbishop.
Which Vocation? A Personal Discernment
In spite of all the remaining uniqueness and the individuality of the particular institutes, their differences are no longer strikingly obvious. Experientially, how a person ends out in joining a particular affiliation can be quite mysterious. A young man may initially be drawn to the diocesan priesthood, to a foreign missionary society, to a religious institute, or to a personal prelature (Opus Dei) simply because of his regular association with one or the other in his searching years. He just feels called to be a priest, and God attracts him through one of these communities without him knowing all the details at the beginning.
He gets to know the original spirit and charism, and the evolving character of his affiliation gradually as he enters into formation. Eventually, he may find his "personality" corresponds well with the charism a particular institute, and go on to embrace it fully!
For a young man who is discerning his vocation, and who wishes to find out the specificity of any particular institute or society, a cool and detached study of the character of each institute is not recommended. It is more advisable for him to approach them personally and to experience for himself the life and mission of any institute he is interested in.
