HOLY ORDERS
Holy Orders is the sacrament by which the mission entrusted by Christ to his apostles continues to be exercised in the Church until the end of time: therefore, it is the sacrament of the apostolic ministry. It includes three degrees: episcopate, presbyterate, and diaconate.
The Sacrament of Holy Orders is the continuation of the priesthood of Christ, which He bestowed on His Apostles; therefore, the Catechism of the Catholic Church refers to the Sacrament of Holy Orders as "the sacrament of apostolic ministry."
“Ordination” comes from the Latin word ordinatio, which means to incorporate someone into an order. In the Sacrament of Holy Orders, a man is incorporated into the priesthood of Christ, at one of three levels: the episcopate, the priesthood, or the diaconate.
The priesthood of Christ:
The priesthood was established by God among the Israelites during their exodus from Egypt. God chose the tribe of Levi as priests for the nation. Its main functions were the sacrificial offering and prayer for the people.
Christ, by offering himself for the sins of all mankind, once and for all fulfilled the duties of the Old Testament priesthood. But just as the Eucharist makes this sacrifice present to us today, so the New Testament priesthood is a participation in the eternal priesthood of Christ. While all believers are, in a sense, priests, some are set apart to serve the Church as Christ himself did.
Eligibility for the Sacrament:
The Sacrament of Holy Orders can only be validly conferred on baptized men, following the example of Christ and his Apostles, who chose only men as his successors and collaborators. A man cannot demand ordination; the Church has the authority to determine eligibility for the sacrament.
While the episcopate is reserved for single men, the discipline relative to the priesthood varies in East and West. The Eastern Churches allow married men to be ordained as priests, while the Western Church insists on celibacy. However, once a man has received the Sacrament of Holy Orders, he cannot marry.
The form of the sacrament:
As the Catechism of the Catholic Church points out:
The essential rite of the sacrament of Holy Orders for the three degrees consists in the imposition of hands by the bishop on the head of the ordinand and in the specific consecrating prayer of the bishop asking God for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and his own gifts of ministry to that the candidate is being ordained.
Other elements of the sacrament, such as celebrating it in the cathedral (the bishop's own church); holding it during Mass; and celebrating it on Sunday are traditional but not essential.
The Minister of the Sacrament:
Because of his role as successor to the Apostles, who in turn were successors to Christ, the bishop is the proper minister of the sacrament. The grace to sanctify others that he receives in his own ordination enables him to ordain others.
The effects of the sacrament:
The Sacrament of Holy Orders, like the Sacrament of Baptism and the Sacrament of Confirmation, can only be received once per level of ordination. Once a man has been ordained, he is spiritually changed, hence the origin of the saying: "Once a priest, always a priest." He may be excused from his duties as a priest (or even prohibited from acting as a priest); but he remains a priest forever.
Each level of ordination confers special graces, from the ability to preach, given to deacons; to the ability to act in the person of Christ to offer the Mass, granted to priests; to a special grace of strength, granted to the bishops, which allows him to teach and guide his flock, even to death like Christ.
Source: catholicism.about.com
For more information, call our Parish Office.
Contact
(773) 582-4662 or (773) 581-3313
[email protected] or [email protected]
The Sacrament of Holy Orders is the continuation of the priesthood of Christ, which He bestowed on His Apostles; therefore, the Catechism of the Catholic Church refers to the Sacrament of Holy Orders as "the sacrament of apostolic ministry."
“Ordination” comes from the Latin word ordinatio, which means to incorporate someone into an order. In the Sacrament of Holy Orders, a man is incorporated into the priesthood of Christ, at one of three levels: the episcopate, the priesthood, or the diaconate.
The priesthood of Christ:
The priesthood was established by God among the Israelites during their exodus from Egypt. God chose the tribe of Levi as priests for the nation. Its main functions were the sacrificial offering and prayer for the people.
Christ, by offering himself for the sins of all mankind, once and for all fulfilled the duties of the Old Testament priesthood. But just as the Eucharist makes this sacrifice present to us today, so the New Testament priesthood is a participation in the eternal priesthood of Christ. While all believers are, in a sense, priests, some are set apart to serve the Church as Christ himself did.
Eligibility for the Sacrament:
The Sacrament of Holy Orders can only be validly conferred on baptized men, following the example of Christ and his Apostles, who chose only men as his successors and collaborators. A man cannot demand ordination; the Church has the authority to determine eligibility for the sacrament.
While the episcopate is reserved for single men, the discipline relative to the priesthood varies in East and West. The Eastern Churches allow married men to be ordained as priests, while the Western Church insists on celibacy. However, once a man has received the Sacrament of Holy Orders, he cannot marry.
The form of the sacrament:
As the Catechism of the Catholic Church points out:
The essential rite of the sacrament of Holy Orders for the three degrees consists in the imposition of hands by the bishop on the head of the ordinand and in the specific consecrating prayer of the bishop asking God for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and his own gifts of ministry to that the candidate is being ordained.
Other elements of the sacrament, such as celebrating it in the cathedral (the bishop's own church); holding it during Mass; and celebrating it on Sunday are traditional but not essential.
The Minister of the Sacrament:
Because of his role as successor to the Apostles, who in turn were successors to Christ, the bishop is the proper minister of the sacrament. The grace to sanctify others that he receives in his own ordination enables him to ordain others.
The effects of the sacrament:
The Sacrament of Holy Orders, like the Sacrament of Baptism and the Sacrament of Confirmation, can only be received once per level of ordination. Once a man has been ordained, he is spiritually changed, hence the origin of the saying: "Once a priest, always a priest." He may be excused from his duties as a priest (or even prohibited from acting as a priest); but he remains a priest forever.
Each level of ordination confers special graces, from the ability to preach, given to deacons; to the ability to act in the person of Christ to offer the Mass, granted to priests; to a special grace of strength, granted to the bishops, which allows him to teach and guide his flock, even to death like Christ.
Source: catholicism.about.com
For more information, call our Parish Office.
Contact
(773) 582-4662 or (773) 581-3313
[email protected] or [email protected]
