When does a priest promise celibacy in the ordination process?

Q: I recently attended an ordination, and that got me wondering: Hypothetically, what would happen if the bishop accidentally left out the part of the ordination Mass where the future priest promises celibacy? That wouldn't mean that the new priest was actually free to marry, would it?

A: The short answer is no, if for some reason a new priest "missed" making a direct promise of celibacy out loud, this is not a loophole that would allow him to marry.

But for a longer answer, it might interest you to know that new priests generally don't promise celibacy at their priestly ordination Mass because they actually do this earlier, when they are ordained deacons.

For background, holy orders is one sacrament with three degrees. All ordained men start out as deacons, a grade of holy orders that is focused specifically on proclaiming the word of God and on charitable service. Deacons do not have the power to consecrate the Eucharist or to sacramentally forgive sins in the confessional, but they are able to read the Gospel at Mass, preach homilies and confer baptism outside of danger of death situations. They can also impart some blessings.

This diaconal call to prayer and service forms the vocational foundation for those men who will go on to be ordained as priests. Ordained priests can baptize, celebrate Mass, absolve sins, anoint the sick and, in some cases, administer the sacrament of confirmation. Some priests in turn will be called to the fullness of holy orders and ordained as bishops. A bishop can do everything a priest or deacon can, but a bishop is called to a wider apostolic mission that includes the power to ordain other men.

Many of us are familiar with the vocation of the permanent diaconate from our experience of parish life. A permanent deacon is a man who is called simply to this first degree of holy orders, and mature men can be ordained as permanent deacons even if they are married.

On the other hand, a transitional deacon is a man who has been ordained a deacon in preparation for his ultimate vocation to priesthood. Usually, transitional deacons serve as deacons for six months to a year before their priestly ordination. In the Latin (aka "Roman") Catholic Church, with very few exceptions, transitional deacons are unmarried men who are committing themselves to a life of celibacy.

Candidates for priesthood make their official promise of celibacy during their transitional diaconate ordination when the ordaining bishop asks them: "Do you resolve to keep forever this commitment to remain celibate as a sign of your dedication to Christ the Lord for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven, in the service of God and man?"

However, it's not so much the case that the Church imposes this obligation on candidates for holy orders, as much as it is that the Church chooses to call men who already intend to dedicate themselves to evangelical celibacy for the sake of the kingdom, patterning themselves after Christ's own way of life.

This is the case for "secular" diocesan clergy, but this dynamic is even clearer for priests who are members of religious communities (such as the Franciscans or Jesuits), since priests who are also religious generally profess their final religious vows of poverty, chastity and obedience prior to being ordained.

So even if for some reason a candidate for priesthood did not make his promise of celibacy during his diaconate ordination, it would still be understood that this was his intention when approaching the sacrament.

And even beyond this, holy orders are an impediment for contracting marriage validly in the Catholic Church (see Canon 1078, 2 of the Code of Canon Law). Even a married permanent deacon, once ordained, is not permitted to remarry if his wife dies. If it happened that a new priest didn't actually wind up promising celibacy during his ordination ceremony, the law itself would prevent him from marrying afterwards.