Why is holy orders a sacrament of service

Bishops, priests and deacons each have a distinct role to play in serving the members of the Body of Christ. That role can best be understood in light of the three sacred duties entrusted by Christ to the Church: to teach, to govern and to sanctify.

Early on, as the Church experienced rapid growth, the apostles found themselves in need of helpers. The first bishops were men such as Timothy and Titus, chosen by the apostles from among the faithful to share in their authority by the laying on of hands. In St. But bishops are not mere administrators. As successors of the apostles, they possess the fullness of holy orders, meaning every bishop is also a priest and a deacon.

Christ establishes a new priesthood, as the Letter to the Hebrews attests. I remember being vested in the chasuble and stole by my brother Jon. I remember the priests of Baltimore sharing in the celebration that day. And I remember concelebrating the Eucharist for the first time. As Cardinal Keeler concluded his homily, he gave us an instruction on the meaning of what was happening in this sacrament:. Therefore, carry out the ministry of Christ the Priest with constant joy and genuine love, attending not to your own concerns but to those of Jesus Christ.

This reminds us that the priesthood truly is a sacrament at the service of communion Catechism of the Catholic Church, Almost two years ago, I was asked to consider becoming part of a ministerial team to provide pastoral care to the six parishes and one mission in Western Allegany and Northern Garrett Counties. Six parishes? Press ESC to cancel.

Ben Davis April 24, Why are Holy Orders and Matrimony called the sacraments at the service of communion? What is the ongoing effect of marriage? What is the difference between priest and pastor? Then the bishop prays a prayer of consecration or the prayer that "makes holy". Each candidate for the priesthood is also anointed with holy oil. This is a sign of his special sharing in Christ's own priesthood through the ordained ministry. Each new priest receives a paten and a chalice with which to lead the community in celebrating the Eucharist.

Priests are Christ's representatives on earth. Like Baptism and Confirmation, Holy Orders confers an indelible character and cannot be repeated.

The sacrament of holy orders is conferred in three ranks: bishops, priests, and deacons. Ordination is the sacramental ceremony in which a man becomes a deacon, priest, or bishop and enabled to minister in Christ's name and that of the Church. There are three ordinations in the Sacrament of Holy Orders: diaconate; priesthood; and episcopal.

Bishops episcopoi are those who have care of multiple congregations diocese and have the task of appointing, ordaining, and disciplining priests and deacons, and shepherding the larger Christian community.