Brian Walsh, of the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit on Palmerston North's Broadway Ave and chaplain to the local Marist Sports Club, has recently been named a Monsignor by Pope Francis.

When a Bishop believes one of the priests in his area should be honoured for his exceptional service to the church, he can nominate that priest for the title of Monsignor.

The Pope reviews the nomination and makes the final decision. If the title is granted, the nominee receives a formal parchment from the Vatican.

"I decided to nominate Monsignor Brian because of his mana within both the Church and civic community, his great generosity of spirit and his wise down-to-earth counsel to so many including myself," said Charles Drennan, the Bishop of Palmerston North.

He added that Walsh also has a great sense of humour and is a tough competitor on the golf course.

Monsignor Brian said, "If I was asked about this before the application was put in, I would have said no; but it's an honour for the Catholic community I serve as much as it is for me".

Others have been direct in their praise of Monsignor Brian. Tony Murphy, Manager of the Diocese of Palmerston North, said, "This is a truly deserved recognition for a good Kiwi bloke, whose outstanding commitment and leadership shows in his care of those within the Church and the wider community."

Steph Grantham, who works with Monsignor Brian at the Cathedral, said many people have contacted the Parish Team offering congratulations and messages of support.

"Everyone is just so pleased and excited that he and his work have been acknowledged in this way," she said.

The Marist Sports Club is delighted to find they share a chaplain with the Pope.

Paul O'Brien, well-known local businessman and Marist Sports executive director, said "I and all of us at Marist are delighted to hear that Brian has been recognised in this way for his extraordinary good work.

With his new title, Monsignor Brian is officially part of the Papal Household or whanau.

Bishop Charles said that while this has little impact when living so far away from Rome, it does mean that if Monsignor Brian is ever in Rome he would be expected to support or tautoko the Pope through his participation in Papal ceremonies at St Peter's.

In 2014, Pope Francis made it harder for priests to be granted the title, due to concerns that it might lead to careerism within the Catholic Church.

This makes his appointment of Monsignor Brian all the more noteworthy.

Source

Supplied

The change is not not retroactive however Bishops must resubmit any pending requests for papal honours in accordance with the new rules.

The new rules were announced in a letter from the Vatican Secretariat of State to nunciatures around the world, along with instructions to inform local bishops.

The new rules do not affect Vatican officials or members of religious orders.

Of the three grades of monsignor: Apostolic protonotary, honorary prelate of His Holiness, and chaplain of His Holiness, only the last will be available to diocesan priests who meet the new age requirement.

Pope Francis has often warned clergy against the temptations of careerism and personal ambition.

Vatican spokesman, Fr Federico Lombardi, said reformed the system of ecclesiastical honours should been in the same way as Pope Paul VI in 1968 simplified the system, reducing the number of titles to three.

Sources

• CNS
• Image: Quo Vadis

The Tablet's Rome correspondent Robert Mickens said the pontiff first made the decision in April shortly after his election as pope.

The title monsignor is an honorific of sorts normally granted to priests as a reward for service to the church or as a sign of some special function they serve in church governance.

The title is usually granted by the pope on the recommendation of the priest's local bishop.

The only exception is for those clerics who work in the Holy See's diplomatic service. The Rome daily, Il Messaggero said.

It is not clear if the discontinuation of permitting priests to take the title "monsignor" will remain just temporary provision, or if the title will be made obsolete permanently.

Sources

The Tablet

NCR Online

Image: The Telegraph