Holy Orders: The Sacrament of Bishops, Priests, and Deacons

Holy Orders is the sacrament by which the ministry entrusted by Christ to his apostles goes on being exercised in the Church until the end of time. Jesus chose the Twelve, gave them a share in his own mission, and told them to continue his work; the apostles in turn laid hands on successors, and through this unbroken chain the Church has always had ordained ministers. The name comes from the Latin ordo, a governing body, and ordinatio, the act of being set apart for such a role.

What makes Holy Orders distinctive is that the ordained man is empowered to act in the person of Christ the Head (in persona Christi Capitis) — that is, Christ himself acts through him in certain sacred actions, above all in celebrating the Eucharist and forgiving sins. The ordained ministry therefore exists entirely for service: it is not a personal honor but a way Christ continues to teach, sanctify, and shepherd his people through human instruments (CCC 1536–1538).

Holy Orders is conferred in three degrees, each a real participation in Christ's ministry. The episcopate — the order of bishops — is the fullness of the sacrament. A bishop is a successor of the apostles, entrusted with teaching, sanctifying, and governing a local church, and only a bishop can ordain others. The presbyterate — the order of priests — are co-workers of the bishops. Priests preach, celebrate the Eucharist, absolve sins in Confession, anoint the sick, and shepherd parishes, acting in the person of Christ under the authority of their bishop.

The diaconate — the order of deacons — is ordained "not for priesthood but for service." Deacons assist bishops and priests, proclaim the Gospel and preach, baptize, witness marriages, and are especially dedicated to works of charity. The diaconate can be a step toward priesthood or a permanent vocation, and permanent deacons may be married men. Together these three degrees form the ordered ministry that structures the Catholic Church (CCC 1554–1571).

The essential rite of Holy Orders is strikingly simple and has been the same since apostolic times: the bishop lays his hands on the head of the man being ordained, in silence, and then prays the solemn prayer of consecration, asking God to pour out the Holy Spirit and the grace proper to that order. Because ordaining belongs to the fullness of the priesthood, only a bishop can confer the sacrament.

The ceremony surrounds this core with rich signs: the candidate's promise of respect and obedience to his bishop, the anointing of a priest's hands with chrism, the handing over of the chalice and paten to a priest or the book of the Gospels to a deacon, and a kiss of peace welcoming him into his new order. Like Baptism and Confirmation, Holy Orders imprints an indelible spiritual character, so it is conferred once and never repeated; a validly ordained man remains ordained permanently (CCC 1572–1583).

The Catholic Church teaches that it can ordain only baptized men, a practice it understands as bound by the example of Christ, who chose men as his apostles, and by which the Church considers itself not authorized to change. A man cannot claim ordination as a right; it is a call that must be recognized and granted by the Church's authority after discernment and preparation.

In the Latin (Western) Church, priests are normally chosen from among men who undertake celibacy — remaining unmarried "for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven" — which frees them to give themselves entirely to God and to those they serve, and configures them more closely to Christ. It is important to note this is a discipline, not a doctrine: the Eastern Catholic Churches ordain married men to the priesthood, and the permanent diaconate is open to married men throughout the Church. Bishops, however, are chosen from among the celibate (CCC 1577–1580).