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The Sacrament of Holy Orders Holy Orders is the sacrament which continues Christ's mission through the grace and power given to men to carry out the sacred duties of deacons, priests or bishops. Holy orders is best described as the sacrament of Christian ministry. Through the laying on of hands by bishops, the sacrement of Holy Orders confers on certain men a special role of service within the Christian community. The graces of this sacrament help the ordained ministers to fulfill the offices for which they were ordained and strengthen them in thier vocation to become special symbols of the ongoing presence of Jesus Christ. (This is Our Faith by Michael Francis Pennock) This sacrament can be received only once, but a man may also be ordained to a higher order up to the third degree. A man must first be ordained a deacon before being ordained a priest, and he must be ordained a deacon and then a priest before being ordained a bishop. Jesus Christ instituted the Sacrament of Holy Orders at the Last Supper simultaneously with His institution of the Sacrament of Holy Eucharist . In order to be able to change bread and wine into the body and blood, soul, and divinity of Christ, you need priests who’ve been given this power by virtue of their ordination. (www.catholic.org) If you are a single, baptized man and wonder if God may be calling you, please contact Fr. Keith Stripe or check out our diocesan vocations website at www.toledovocations.com.
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