That's what I meant, proper form. What I was driving at, is whether the words themselves are sufficient to confer valid episcopal consecration.
1. We must apply the standard of the Magisterium, not our own opinions to this question. The standard is clear.
Here are the words from Leo XIII in
Apostolicae Curae:
"All know that the Sacraments of the New Law, as sensible and efficient signs of invisible grace, ought both to signify the grace which they effect, and effect the grace which they signify." Here are the words from Pius XII in
Sacramentum Ordinis:
"Now it is agreed among all the Sacraments of the New Law, as being sensible signs and invisible efficiency of grace, that they ought to give grace and signify what they effect and effect what they signify."
2. We must then compare the words of the Traditional and Conciliar "forms," which Pius XII defines as "the [entire] Preface" found in the Ordination Rite.
OLD EPISCOPAL CONSECRATION PREFACE
Vere dignum et justum est, aequum et salutare, nos tibi semper, et ubique gratias agere, Domine sancte, Pater omnipotens, aeterne Deus, honor omnium dignitatum, quae gloriae tuae sacris famulantur ordinibus. Deus, qui Moysen famulum tuum secreti familiaris affatu, inter cetera coelestis docuмenta culturae, de habitu quoque indumenti sacerdotalis instituens, electum Aaron mystico amictu vestiri inter sacra jussisti, ut intelligentiae sensum de exemplis priorum caperet secutura posteritas, ne eruditio doctrinae tuae ulli deesset aetati. cuм et apud veteres reverentiam ipsa significationum species obtineret, et apud nos certiora essent experimenta rerum, quam aenigmata figurarum. Illius namque Sacerdotii anterioris habitus, nostrae mentis ornatus est, et Pontificalem gloriam non jam nobis honor commendat vestium, sed splendor animarum. Quia et illa, quae tunc carnalibus blandiebantur obtutibus, ea potius, quae in ipsis erant, intelligenda poscebant. Et idcirco huic famulo tuo, quem ad summi Sacerdotii ministerium elegisti, hanc, quaesumus Domine, gratiam largiaris, ut quidquid illa velamina in fulgore auri, in nitore gemarum, et in multimodi operis varietate signabant, hoc in ejus moribus actibusque clarescat. Comple in Sacerdote tuo ministerii tui summam, et ornamentis totius glorificationis instructum, coelestis unguenti rore sanctifica.
It is truly worthy and just, fair and salutary, that we should always and everywhere give thanks to you, holy Lord, almighty Father, eternal God, the honor of all dignities, which are served by the sacred orders of your glory. O God, who gave your servant Moses a familiar secret, among other heavenly docuмents of culture, and also instituting the habit of priestly clothing,
you ordered the chosen Aaron to be clothed in a mystical garment during the ceremonies, so that the succeeding posterity might acquire a sense of intelligence from the examples of the former, so that the learning of your doctrine would not be lacking in any age. Whereas among the ancients the very appearance of signs obtained reverence, and with us the experiments of things are more certain than the riddles of figures. For his former habit of priesthood is the adornment of our minds, and the honor of the pontifical glory is no longer commended to us by the honor of the vestments, but by the splendor of the souls. Because even those who were then blindly flattered by the carnal, sought rather to understand what was in them. And therefore to this servant of yours, whom you have chosen for the ministry of high priesthood, grant,
we beseech you, Lord, this grace, so that whatever those veils signified in the glitter of gold, in the luster of gems, and in the variety of many kinds of work, this may be made clear in his manners and actions.
Complete in your Priest the sum of your ministry, and equipped with the ornaments of all glorification, sanctify with the dew of heavenly ointment. (Google Translate)
NEW EPISCOPAL ORDINATION PREFACE
Deus et Pater Domini nostri Iesu Christi, Pater misericordiam et Deus totius consolationis, qui in excelsis habitas et humilia respicis, qui cognoscis omnia antequam nascantur, tu qui dedisti in Ecclesia tua normas per verbum gratiæ tuæ, qui prædestinasti ex principio genus iustorum ab Abraham, qui constituisti principes et sacerdotes, et sanctuarium tuum sine ministerio non dereliquisti, cui ab initio mundi placuit in his quos eligisti glorificari: Et nunc effunde super hunc electum eam virtutem, quæ a te est, Spiritum principalem, quem dedisti dilecto Filio tuo Iesu Christo, quem ipse donavit sanctis Apostolis, qui constituerunt Ecclesiam per singula loca ut sanctuarium tuum, in gloriam et laudem indeficientem nominis tui. Da, cordium cognitor Pater, huic servo tuo, quem elegisti ad Episcopatum, ut pascat gregem sanctum tuum, et summum sacerdotium tibi exhibeat sine reprehensione, serviens tibi nocte et die, ut incessanter vultum tuum propitium reddat et offerat dona sanctæ Ecclesiæ tuæ; da ut virtute Spiritus summi sacerdotii habeat potestatem dimittendi peccata secundum mandatu m tuum; ut distribuat munera secundum præceptum tuum et solvat omne vinculum secundum potestatem quam dedisti Apostolis; placeat tibi in mansuetudine et mundo corde, offerens tibi odorem suavitatis, per Filium tuum Iesum Christum, per quem tibi gloria et potentia et honor, cuм Spiritu Sancto in sancta Ecclesia et nunc et in sæcula sæculorum.
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Father of mercy and God of all comfort, who dwellest in the high and looketh down on the lowly, who knowest all things before they are born, thou who gavest ordinances in thy Church by the word of thy grace, who predestined from the beginning the generation of
the righteous from Abraham, who didst appoint princes and priests, and did not leave thy sanctuary without service, to whom it pleased from the beginning of the world to be glorified in those whom thou hast chosen: And now
pour out upon this chosen one that power which is from thee, the governing Spirit, which thou hast given to thy beloved Son Jesus Christ, which he himself gave to the holy apostles, who established the Church in each place as your sanctuary, to the glory and unfailing praise of your name. Grant, Father who knows the heart, to this servant of yours, whom you have chosen for the episcopate, to feed your holy flock and present the highest priesthood to you without reproach, serving you night and day, so that he may unceasingly show your face propitiation and offer gifts to your holy Church; grant that by the power of the Spirit of the high priesthood he may have the power to forgive sins according to your commandment; that he may distribute gifts according to your commandment and release every bond according to the authority which you have given to the apostles; May it please you in meekness and purity of heart, offering you the fragrance of sweetness, through your Son Jesus Christ, through whom be glory and power and honor to you, with the Holy Spirit in the holy Church, now and forever and ever. (Google Translate)
3. Notice in the OLD EPISCOPAL CONSECRATION Preface there is a mystical (mysterious) grace being conferred that can only be touched on in figurative language referring to Aaron and Psalm 133 (and 1 Corinthians 1:10-17; Ephesians 4:1-16):
1 Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell in unity. 2 Like the precious ointment on the head, that ran down upon the beard, the beard of Aaron, Which ran down to the skirt of his garment: 3 as the dew of Hermon, which descendeth upon mount Sion. For there the Lord hath commandeth blessing, and life for evermore. The emphasis here is on the
OILS that the new Aaron's (the Bishops) consecrate, which they then use to consecrate other things in the world, like priests, confirmands, altars, etc.
4. The NEW EPISCOPAL ORDINATION Preface says nothing about that particular grace being conferred. In fact, the new Preface implies simply that priests and princes are "appointed" by the Church. And God is asked to pour out a "governing Spirit" on the new Bishop. He receives the grace of government of a flock. The OLD EPISCOPAL CONSECRATION Preface says nothing about "governing" a flock at all.
5. So, going back to the Magisterial principle laid out in point 1 above that "the form" of the Sacrament "ought to give grace and signify what they effect and effect what they signify," you must admit that the OLD EPISCOPAL CONSECRATION Preface signified something that it is DEFINITELY NOT the same thing signified in the NEW EPISCOPAL ORDINATION. So there are two different things being conferred in those Prefaces.
6. In fact, most of the things that the NEW EPISCOPAL ORDINATION Preface refers to ("
to feed your holy flock and present the highest priesthood to you without reproach, serving you night and day, so that he may unceasingly show your face propitiation and offer gifts to your holy Church; grant that by the power of the Spirit of the high priesthood he may have the power to forgive sins according to your commandment; that he may distribute gifts according to your commandment and release every bond according to the authority which you have given to the apostles; May it please you in meekness and purity of heart, offering you the fragrance of sweetness"), those are all things that are found in the OLD PRIEST ORDINATION Preface. The "governing Spirit" is the only new thing conferred.
7. Therefore, applying the Magisterial principle we must conclude that the NEW EPISCOPAL ORDINATION Preface cannot possibly be a replacement for the OLD EPISCOPAL CONSECRATION Preface because they do not confer the same graces on the recipient. So either the OLD Preface did not do its job because it was unclear (as the NuChurchers say) or the New Preface is a counterfeit of the OLD, effecting something entirely different.