The sacrament of holy orders in the Catholic Church includes three orders: bishop, priest, and deacon. In the phrase “holy orders”, the word “holy” simply means “set apart for some purpose.” The word “order” designates an established civil body or corporation with a hierarchy, and ordination means legal incorporation into an order. In context, therefore, a group with a hierarchical structure that is set apart for ministry in the Church. While there are lay ministries there are also ordained ministries, and Holy Orders refer to the ordained ministries of the Church which are different from the ministries performed by the laity.
As with Baptism and Confirmation, the sacrament is said to convey a special indelible “character” on the soul of the recipient. During the rite, which typically occurs during the Mass of Ordination, a prayer and blessing is offered as a bishop lays his hands on the head of the man being ordained. In the case of the ordination of priests and bishops, this act confers the sacramental power to ordain (for bishops), baptize, confirm, witness marriages, absolve sins, and consecrate the Eucharist. Deacons can baptize, witness marriages, preach, and assist during the mass, but they cannot consecrate the Eucharist or hear confessions. With the exception of married deacons, an order restored by the Second Vatican Council, all ordained men are to be celibate.
The Sacrament of Holy Orders has grown and changed over the past 2,000 years. The Catholic Church wasn’t the first religion to invent or use priests. The Old Testament, known as the Torah in the Jewish religion or the first half of the Bible for Christians, discusses the role of priests in the Jewish community. Priests were not officially ordained. Instead, they were called upon to fulfill a responsibility based on their tribe or family, and their status as the head of a family or household.
Deacons, priests, and bishops as we know them today, began at the Last Supper. According to Christian beliefs, Jesus Christ gathered his apostles and had one final meal before being sentenced to death. The apostles were Christ’s closest and most devoted followers.
At the Last Supper, Christ gave the apostles certain rights and authority to continue to spread the word of God after he ascended into heaven. The apostles had the authority to govern, sanctify, and teach. In other words, they were allowed to create and enforce rules for the Church, forgive sins on behalf of Jesus Christ, and to tell others about the Church’s message and important lessons from God.
The apostles were effectively the first bishops. Unlike the Jewish tradition of the priesthood, the Last Supper created what’s called the ministerial priesthood where, instead of religious responsibilities coming from your family status, ministerial priests were chosen and ordained because of their dedication to spreading the word of God and teaching the followers of the Church. They then began to pass on the authority to other individuals who they ordained as bishops or priests.
Only those who have received a special calling from God peruses a vocation in religious life or Priesthood. They include those who are undergoing formation in a seminary for the Priesthood or Religious Life. There are those from the Parish of Katukurunda who have already entered the Priesthood and the Religious life in the recent past. Many men have entered the priesthood and the religious life, comparatively in the recent history only a few women have opted for a religious life from this parish.
The Parish Priest is the principal agent of vocations in the Parish coordinating between the diocesan vocation office and the parish community. Through the Parish Priest youngsters in the Parish and devout parents with sons and daughters are encouraged to pursue the possible divine calling of their sons and daughters into the priesthood and consecrated life in collaboration with the Parish Priest.
