Holy Orders

A special vocational calling from God is the duty to care and administer to God’s people through the sacrament of Holy Orders. The man who is ordained to such a task receives a gift of the Holy Spirit that gives him a sacred authority that is conferred upon him by Christ through the bishop (cf. YOUCAT 249).

Priests of the Old Testament Covenant saw their duty as mediating between heavenly and earthly things, between God and his people. Since Christ is the “one mediator between God and men” (1 Tim 2:5), he perfected and ended that old priesthood. After Christ there can be an ordained priesthood only in Christ, in Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross, and through a calling and apostolic mission from Christ (YOUCAT 250).

The sacrament of holy orders has three degrees: bishop (episcopate), priest (presbyterate), deacon (diaconate) (YOUCAT 251). A bishop leads through service at a diocesan level, in a 2000-year unbroken line of succession, to the  apostles. A priest represents the local bishop at a parish level, helping guide members of the Church through the faith, the Sacred Word and the sacraments. A deacon is a special ordination to service, usually answered by a married man.

A man who feels that they may be called to ministry in the Sacrament of Holy Orders should first contact their parish priest. A path of careful discernment must be followed, and formation takes a good number of years before the calling is confirmed through ordination.