Faculty (instrument)

In the Roman Catholic Church, it is "the authority, privilege, or permission, to perform an act or function. In a broad sense, a faculty is a certain power, whether based on one's own right, or received as a favour from another, of validly or lawfully doing some action."[1] The most common use of the term is in the context of 'priestly faculties', which is the permission given to a priest by his diocesan bishop or religious superior, legally permitting him to perform the Sacraments. Normally, a priest's faculties only permit him to celebrate within his own diocese or religious institute.

In the Eastern Orthodox Church a bishop formally grants priestly faculties by giving a priest chrism and an antimension. He may withdraw faculties by demanding the return of these items.

In the Church of England (whose canons have the status of national law) the "faculty jurisdiction" is set out in the Care of Churches and Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction Measure 1991, and the Faculty Jurisdiction Rules 2015.[2] A faculty is the required permission to carry out works on the church and its curtilage; in most cases this is required instead of planning permission, although both are required for major external work. The parish has to prepare a petition for the faculty and the chancellor of the diocese may grant the faculty after due consideration.[3] Where the work is listed on Schedule 1 List A,[4] no faculty is required and where it is on List B[4] the faculty may be granted by the archdeacon rather than the chancellor.

• Care of Churches and Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction Measure
• Faculty Jurisdiction Rules 2000
• "Canonical Faculties" article from The Catholic Encyclopedia (1909)