Summary & Effect
Holy Orders is the sacrament in which a man is ordained a deacon, priest, or bishop. The Sacrament of Holy Orders has three degrees: bishop (episcopate), priest (presbyterate), and deacon (diaconate). The effects of Holy Orders are a special relationship to Christ to lead and minister to the Church sacramentally in the place of Christ and an indelible spiritual mark imprinted on the soul. Minister The minister for Holy Orders is the diocesan bishop. He is allowed to ordain priest and deacons as he sees fit serve in his diocese. These priests and deacons vows to be obedient to the diocesan bishop's leadership. A bishop may ordain other bishops only with the permission of the pope. Who Can Receive? A baptized man who has been called for ordination by God can receive Holy Orders. To become a priest (in the Roman Catholic Church) or a bishop, a man must be celibate, although some Eastern Catholic and Orthodox priests may marry. Deacons may be married at the time of their ordination (if they are not going to go on to the priesthood). A man must not have any impediments to undergo ordination. Rite The essential rite of ordination is the laying of hands and the consecratory prayer performed by the bishop.During the ceremony, the men being ordained, must lay prostrate to show their unworthiness of the office to be assumed and his dependence on God and the prayers of his community. Form & Matter The form for Holy Orders is the bishop's specific consecratory prayer asking God for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and his gifts proper to the ministry to which the candidate is being ordained. The matter for the sacrament is the laying on of the bishop's hands with the consecratory prayer. Frequency A man can receive Holy Orders once per stage. A man is ordained a deacon, and then ordained a priest, then ordained a bishop. Impediments -Mental illness: anything that prevents fulfillment of the duties of the priesthood -Physical incapacity to perform the rites of the Church: a priest must have his hands to celebrate the sacrament. He must also be able to ingest the wheat host and the wine (a gluten intolerance is an impediment). -Apostasy, heresy, or schism: previous rejection of the faith which was public and notorious -Attempted marriage: the attempt to marry despite an existing valid marriage or vow of chastity, or the marriage to a woman who had an existing valid marriage or vow of chastity forms an irregularity even after the death of the spouse. -Attempt to perform an act proper to the priesthood or episcopate: this applies to acts such as hearing confessions, etc. when one has not received the proper ordination to do so. -Participation in an abortion or murder: any prior act, statement, financial, or moral support which contributed positively to a specific case of successful abortion or murder is an impediment. -Previous marriage: this applies to Latin Rite priests and bishops and Eastern Catholic bishops only. All previous marriages must be declared null (annulled), or the spouse must have died. In the case of a deceased spouse, most bishops require that the children be raised to adulthood before the man can undertake a vocation to the priesthood. -Political office or other positions that priest is not permitted to occupy: this impediment disappears as soon as the candidate is no longer in office. -Recent baptism: the bishop must determine when a newly baptized person is sufficiently mature in his faith to undertake an ordained ministry in the Church. |
My Parish's Clergy
Our Lady of Mercy does not have any deacons. Our pastor is Rev. Stephen Pietrowski. The associate pastors in my parish are Rev. Patrick Grace and Rev. Nasir Gulfam. OLM does not have any auxiliary bishops. Religious Life Parish priests differ from order priests. Parish priests take a vow of obedience to the diocesan bishop while order priests take a vow of obedience to their rule. The Marianists at Kellenberg follow the Rule of St. Benedict. Entering religious life does not require a sacrament, but some religious monks or brothers ordain members to become priests. |