HOLY ORDERS
The Priesthood in Scripture
1. How is the priesthood prefigured in the Old
Testament?
The
chosen people were constituted by God as "a kingdom of priests and a holy
nation" (Ex 19:6; cf. Isa 61:6). The priests are "appointed to
act on behalf of men in
relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins" (Heb 5:1;
cf. Ex 29:1-30; Lev 8).
The ordained ministry of the New Covenant is prefigured by the
priesthood of Aaron and the service of the Levites, as in the institution of
the 70 elders (Num
2. What do we mean by the priesthood of Jesus
Christ?
Everything
that the priesthood of the Old Covenant prefigured finds its fulfillment in Christ Jesus, the "one mediator between God and
men" (1 Tim 2:5). This one
priesthood of Christ is made present through the ministerial priesthood without
diminishing the uniqueness of Christ's priesthood. "Only Christ is the true priest, the
others being his ministers"
(Heb
8:4). The ministerial and hierarchical
priesthood of bishops and priests, and the common priesthood of all the
faithful participate, each in its own way, in the one
priesthood of Christ. [1544-1546].
3. How is the priesthood of Jesus Christ
related to the Priesthood in the Church?
The
ministerial priesthood is a means by which Christ unceasingly builds up and
leads his Church. For this reason it is
transmitted by its own sacrament, the sacrament of Holy Orders. Through the ordained ministry, especially
that of the bishops and priests, the presence of Christ as head of the Church
is made visible in the midst of the community of believers. [1547-1553].
The Sacrament of Holy Orders
4. What is the Sacrament of Holy Orders?
Holy
Orders is the Sacrament of apostolic ministry by which
the mission entrusted by Christ to his apostles continues to be exercised in
the Church through the laying on of hands.
This sacrament of Service has three degrees or "orders":
deacon, priest (presbyter) and bishop. [glossary, 1593*, 1536].
5. What are the essentials of the rite of Holy
Orders?
The
essential rite of the sacrament of Holy Orders for all three degrees
consists of the bishop's imposition
of hands on the head of the ordinand, and in the
bishop's specific prayer of consecration, asking God for the outpouring of the
Holy Spirit, and the bestowal of his gifts proper to the ministry to which the
candidate is being ordained. As in all
the sacraments, additional rites surround the celebration. [1597*, 1573, 1574].
6. Does the sacrament of Holy Orders imprint a
permanent character on the soul?
Each
of the degrees of Holy Orders, the episcopacy, the presbyterate
and the diaconate, impresses a permanent character on the soul, so that each
degree can be received only once. It is
true that someone validly ordained can, for grave reasons, be discharged from
the obligations and functions linked to ordination, but he cannot become a
layman again in the strict sense.
[1597*, 1121, 1563, 1570, 1582-1583].
7. Who can confer the sacrament of Holy Orders?
Since
Holy Orders is the sacrament of the apostolic
ministry, it is for the bishops as successors of the apostles to hand on the
apostolic line. Only validly ordained
bishops, i.e. those who are in the line of apostolic succession, can validly
confer the three degrees of the sacrament of Holy Orders. [1600*, 1575, 1576].
8. Who can receive the sacrament of Holy Orders?
Only
a baptized man validly receives sacred ordination. As a matter of discipline,
priests ordained in the Latin rite are celibate. Men who are already married may be ordained
as deacons, but after ordination they may not marry should their wives precede
them in death. Married deacons, as a matter of discipline, may not be ordained
as priests. In the Eastern Church
married men can be ordained as deacons and priests, but bishops are chosen only
from among the celibate. [1598*, 1599*, 1577-1580].
Prophet, Priest and King
9. What are the effects of the sacrament of
Holy Orders?
Holy orders confers a special grace of the Holy Spirit so that
the ordained minister may serve as Christ's instrument in his Church, acting in
the triple office of priest, prophet and king.
[1546, 1581].
10. What is meant by the triple office of
priest, prophet, and king?
Through the ministry of the priests the unique
sacrifice of Christ on the cross is made present in the Eucharistic sacrifice
called the
11. How do ordained ministers exercise their
service to the faithful?
These
ministers exercise their service by teaching, by divine worship, and by
pastoral governance. They preach the Gospel, celebrate divine worship, and
shepherd the people. [1592*,
1564].
12. What is the priesthood of the faithful?
Christ
made his Church a "kingdom of priests". and
gives the faithful a share in his priesthood through the sacraments of Baptism
and Confirmation, whereby they are called to take part in the celebration the
liturgy. The faithful are also called to
participate in Christ's mission of priest, prophet and king. [1591*, 784, 1119, 1546].
The Three Degrees of Holy
Orders
13. What distinguishes the three degrees of the
sacrament of Holy Orders?
The
divinely instituted ecclesiastical ministry is exercised in three different
degrees by those who from ancient times have been called bishops, priests, and
deacons. There are two degrees of
ministerial participation in the priesthood of Christ: the episcopate and the presbyterate. The
diaconate is intended to help and serve them.
Yet all three degrees are conferred by a sacramental act called
"ordination", that is by the sacrament of Holy Orders. [1554].
14. What is the New Testament terminology for
bishops, priests and deacons?
In
the New Testament there is a frequent recurrence of three Greek words which the
Church interprets as those in Holy Orders.
The word episkopos
for bishop is sometimes translated as overseer, the word presbyteros for priest is
generally translated as presbyter or elder, and the word diakonos for deacon is sometimes
translated as servant. It is now common
practice in the Church to use the word presbyter as synonymous with priest, and
presbyterate as a synonym for priesthood. [1554].
15. What is the significance of episcopal ordination?
The
bishops of the Church have an unbroken succession that goes back to the
beginning, so they are transmitters of the apostolic line. Each bishop has
received the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders, which makes him a member
of the episcopal college, and a successor of the
apostles. He is the shepherd of a
particular Church entrusted to him. By
virtue of the Holy Spirit bishops have been constituted true and authentic
teachers of the faith. The special grace
received by the bishop impels him to preach the Gospel to all, to be the model
for his flock, to go before it along the way of sanctification by identifying
himself in the Eucharist with Christ the priest and victim, not fearing to give
his life for his sheep. [glossary, 1594*, 1555-1561, 1586].
16. What is the significance of priestly
ordination?
Priests
or presbyters are coworkers with their bishops and form a unique sacerdotal
college called a "presbyterium" or presbyterate dedicated to assist their bishops in priestly
service to the People of God. The
function of the bishop's ministry is handed over in a subordinate way to
priests. Through the ministry of priests, the unique sacrifice of Christ on the
cross is made present in the Eucharistic sacrifice of the Church. Priests are
consecrated in order to preach the Gospel and shepherd the faithful, as well as
to celebrate divine worship. [glossary, 1595*, 1554, 1562, 1567, 1587].
17. What is the significance of diaconal
ordination?
The
deacon is ordained not to priesthood but for ministry and service. Deacons are ordained to assist the bishop and
priests in the celebration of the
divine mysteries, above all the Eucharist, in the distribution of Holy
Communion, in assisting at and blessing marriages, in the proclamation of the Gospel and
preaching, in presiding over funerals, and in dedicating themselves to the
various ministries of charity. [glossary, 1596*, 1569, 1571, 1588].
18. Which sacraments can be celebrated by those
in Holy Orders?
Bishops
are ordinary ministers for celebrating all of the sacraments. Priests are ordinary ministers for
celebrating all of the sacraments except Ordination and Confirmation. They cannot ordain, but they can celebrate
Confirmation as extraordinary ministers by delegation from a bishop. Deacons
are ordinary ministers for Baptism, and they can also be witnesses to
marriages. In the sacrament of matrimony the couple
themselves are the ministers. [1411*, 1600*, 1256,
1312, 1313, 1516, 1623].