A Catechism on the Sacrament of Holy Orders

The Consecration of Archbishop Matthew Parker at Lambeth Palace, 17 December 1559


What is the Sacrament of Holy Orders? Did Our Lord institute it? What is its function?

The Sacrament of Holy Orders, or the Apostolic Ministry, is the Sacrament by which particular men, called and chosen of God, are admitted to the Sacred Ministry of Bishops, Priests, and Deacons in the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. There is actually only one Sacrament of Orders, in three levels or degrees: the fullness of the Apostolic Ministry resides in the office of the Bishop, the Episcopate (from the word episkopos, meaning 'overseer,' or 'governor').

The Bishop is the successor of the Holy Apostles, a latter-day Apostle, who possesses the full power and authority and commission of the Ministry which Christ Himself gave to the Apostles as His representatives on earth. The Bishop is the source of all sacramental grace, the Fountain of the Sacraments, the centre and source of unity in the Church. 'Without the Bishop, there is no Church.' 'Without the Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, the name of 'Church' is not given.' 'Wherever the Bishop is, there is Jesus Christ; just as where the congregation is, there is the Catholic Church.' (Saint Ignatius of Antioch). The Bishop is the 'High Priest' of the Church, the chief priest and pastor of his people, the defender and teacher of the Catholic Faith, who holds his ministry in a direct line of succession from the Apostles. The Bishop is the proper minister of all Sacraments, the chief Shepherd of the local Church.

In fact, the Catholic Church is present in its fullness wherever there is a Bishop at his Altar, celebrating the Eucharist, with his people in the Diocese gathered around him. Only a Bishop may administer Confirmation, which is the Sacrament of the Seal of the Holy Spirit for baptised Christians, and Ordination - for only the Bishop can extend his ministry as an Apostle and share it with others in the Priesthood and Diaconate. Bishops share their ministry, which is the One Priesthood of Christ, the sacerdotium, with Priests or presbyters ('elders') in the Priesthood or Presbyetrate.

Priests, ordained by Bishops, may celebrate the Holy Mass or Eucharist, absolve sinners in Penance, baptise, preach, anoint the sick, witness marriages, teach, instruct, bury the dead, and bless in God's Name. Priests derive their authority and commission to celebrate the Sacraments and preach the Word of God from the Bishop, whose ministry they share as co-workers.

Deacons, ordained by Bishops, do not possess the Priesthood, but serve the Bishop as assistant ministers. Deacons read the Gospel at Mass, preach, and administer the Chalice at Holy Communion. They cannot offer Mass, not being Priests. Deacons may baptise in the absence of a Priest and may administer the consecrated Eucharist to the sick.

All three offices comprise the Sacrament of Orders: these three function together in the Church.

Our Lord Jesus Christ instituted this Sacrament at the Last Supper and reiterated its commission on the first Easter evening: 'Do this remembrance of Me' (1 Corinthians 11. 23-32). 'Receive the Holy Ghost. Whosoever sins you forgive, they are forgiven, and whosoever sins you retain, they are retained' (Saint John 20). Our Lord instituted a Sacrament by which He would continue His own very Ministry, His work of redemption, in the Church He founded, until the end of time. The threefold Apostolic Ministry is of Christ's institution and creation, and is necessary for the life and continuance of the Catholic Church. Without this Sacrament, there could be no other Sacraments, save Baptism and Matrimony. Christ gave authority to His Apostles and their co-workers to administer the Sacraments and proclaim the Gospel. Our Lord continues to authorise men as His Apostles and Apostolic co-workers through the Sacrament of Orders. Men who are ordained to His Sacred Ministry function by a Sacrament in the name and person of Christ, in persona Christi. They are 'another Christ,' alter Christus, actually 'standing in Our Lord's place' at the Altar and in all the Sacraments. They are the ambassadors of the Lord who speak in Christ's stead, sacramentally representing Jesus as living Icons of Christ. They are the Image of Christ the Bridegroom to the Bride, the Church, showing forth the male incarnate Christ to His Spouse, our Holy Mother.

Only a baptised, confirmed man may be ordained to the Apostolic Ministry, because this Sacrament is an Image or Icon of the Incarnation, manifesting and revealing the truth that God the Son became Man in the Incarnation from the Blessed Virgin Mary. Holy Tradition for 2,000 years, in accordance with Holy Scripture, has consistently held that only men may be admitted to the Sacrament of Orders, because maleness is part of the physical element of the Sacrament, the matter and subject. Our Lord ordained male Apostles to represent Him sacramentally, and they in turn ordained men to this Ministry by His institution. It is Christ's will for His Church, His divine plan. Bishops, Priests, and Deacons continue the very work of Jesus Christ in the Church; they are organs of Christ in His Church; they are living instruments of Christ. Ordination is an unrepeatable Sacrament which confers an indelible character, an unerasable mark on the soul: once ordained, forever ordained. The ordained can never lose the ontological character of Ordination, even if he ceases to function sacramentally as a minister of the Church.

The outward and visible sign of Ordination is the Laying-on-of-hands by a Bishop in Apostolic Succession upon a baptised, confirmed man, with the invocation of the Holy Ghost for the gift of the Order being conveyed. The inward and spiritual grace of Ordination is the 'Holy Ghost for the Office and Work of the Ministry,' the gift of the Holy Spirit which unites the man in body and soul to Christ, making Him a sacramental Image of the Lord, giving the man grace to fulfil the Ministry to which he has been ordained. The Sacrament of Orders is the extension of Christ's Ministry and presence through history, in the Church, until the end of time. It is Christ continuing His Priesthood amongst us. The Sacrament of Orders exists to govern, teach, and sanctify the People of God, the Church.