Process for Ordination in The Celtic Episcopal Church

For men who believe themselves to be called to the order of Deacon or Priest and who are not already ordained from a jurisdiction whose bishops are not in apostolic succession, the following applies.

1. Contact the Vocations Director and request the application package.

2. The application package contains the following:
a. Application for ordination.
b. Page 1 of the Personal Reference Questionnaire. The applicant must complete the top part of page 1 including their signature. Three copies of this page must be provided when the application is submitted. This part of the process goes to The Vocations Director only. The vocations director will join page 1 to the second page of the document, there are three altogether with number two being on the reverse of page 1, and The Vocations Director will send them to the people who are annotated on the application as personal references along with a cover letter of explanation. These completed documents will be returned to The Vocations Director in the envelopes provided.
c. A Police Check Form must be filled out and returned to the Metropolitan who will then determine if the applicant has a record as being a convicted sexual predator.

3. Once the completed Application, police check form, and the personal reference questionnaires have been received, and the information is complete to the satisfaction of the Holy Synod of Bishops and the Metropolitan, the applicant will be notified that they have been advanced to the status of Postulant.

4. The postulant will then receive an application for enrollment into the Sacred Theology Licentiate (STL) study program in Celtic Christian Studies. Our website provides the catalog for this program where you can see how the program is designed, what it hopes to achieve, the curriculum of study, and other such details. Each applicant for holy orders must complete this course of study before they can be ordained to the diaconate.

5. This process can take as little as one year to complete, but it may not take longer than two years. The Synod may at their discretion provide additional time, and it is important to note that the Synod seeks to be helpful to the applicant as we understand the dynamics of living life, and sometimes, our particular plans do not fall in line just as we hope they would.

For men who believe themselves to be called to the order of Deacon or Priest and who have already been ordained from a jurisdiction whose bishops are in apostolic succession, the following applies.

1. Contact the Vocations Director and request the application package. The application for ordination is the same one that we use for Incardination.

2. The application package contains the following:
a. Application for ordination.
b. Page 1 of the Personal Reference Questionnaire. The applicant must complete the top part of page 1 including their signature. Three copies of this page must be provided when the application is submitted. This part of the process goes to The Vocations Director only. The vocations director will join page 1 to the second page of the document, there are three altogether with number two being on the reverse of page 1, and The Vocations Director will send them to the people who are annotated on the application as personal references along with a cover letter of explanation. These completed documents will be returned to The Vocations Director in the envelopes provided.
c. A police check form must be filled out and returned to the Metropolitan who will then determine if the applicant has a record as being a convicted sexual predator.

3. Depending upon the circumstances of the clergyman seeking incardination, differing pathways will in all likelihood be provided; however, all persons entering into ministry within The Celtic Episcopal Church must complete the STL study program in Celtic Christian studies. As it states in the catalog, up to 12 hours can be granted as advanced standing once the advanced standing fees are paid.

4. If the applicant for incardination is excepted by the Holy Synod, and the priest already has a congregation, limited faculties will be granted so that the Presbyter or Bishop may continue with their sacramental and liturgical duties. If the applicant is a Deacon who is being called to the priesthood, such a Deacon will not be encouraged to began a parochial work before; nevertheless, if this Deacon already has a congregation, then appropriate faculties and instructions will be provided so that they may continue their pastoral ministry. Otherwise, deacons are encouraged to focus on the STL program of study making it possible for them to be ordained a priest before they seek to develop a local parish.

5. If the applicant is a Deacon who is seeking incardination and is not seeking ordination to the priesthood, there must be some reason why this person would want to be a Deacon such as assistant to the pastor, director of a conference center, administrator of a senior citizen's home, etc., so there must be some explanation regarding a specific chrism that he or she believes the Lord is calling them to perform within the context of the church in holy orders; otherwise, this jurisdiction is not likely to grant incardination to someone who is a Deacon at large without vocations. Female Deacons are customarily referred to as Deaconess which is uniquely vocational and permanent and character. Deaconess are not permitted to pastor churches.

6. If a man is already a Bishop in apostolic succession, the provisions for incardination of bishops is clearly defined within our Book of Canons, and such a Bishop should make contact directly with the Metropolitan.

It is incumbent upon all persons in every category to become intimately familiar with the contents of this website to include the Book of Canons, Book of Services, and our Longer Catechism all of which are available from our Information Page and Links Page on our website.

The Metropolitan and Archbishop Mark are both available by telephone to provide assistance at any time.