General Requirement's for Ordination

Ordination in the Church is not a right but a privilege, and is only offered to those candidates who meet the canonical requirements and who request to be considered for ordination.

Our Church has a local canon that states a mandate for ordination is required for ALL ordinations.

Priest

In this process we consider the following:

1) Potential canonical impediments to ordination;

2) Review of the candidate's record from an approved Orthodox school of Theology;

3) Signed statement from candidate's wife (if married) agreeing to the ordination;

4) Signed statement from the candidate's spiritual father;

5) Review of required psychological exams;

6) Formal background check including police files, etc;

7) Review of the candidate's application including biographical statement, etc.

8) Request and recommendation from the Bishop in whose Diocese the candidate will be assigned.

The complete file, of which the above list is part, is forwarded to the Patriarch and is reviewed by the Synod for approval. No individual Bishop may authorize an ordination. Following receipt of an authorization for ordination which comes through the Office of the Patriarch the local Bishop can schedule the sacrament of ordination.

This is the general outline of the process which we follow.

The Patriarch may waive certain requirements for ordination as me deems necessary.

Signed and dated by the Patriarch
this 12th day of December, 2009
at Sudan, Texas

+Nikon

Patriarch