Rel Ed 4 - Module 9 - Holy Orders - SC - 14 Font
Rel Ed 4 - Module 9 - Holy Orders - SC - 14 Font
Rel Ed 4 - Module 9 - Holy Orders - SC - 14 Font
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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 4_WORSHIP, LITURGY AND SACRAMENTS_MODULE 9
Why is this Sacrament called “orders”?
In ancient Rome, the term order [ordo] means an established civil body (such as
governing body). Ordinatio means being incorporated into an “ordo” (incorporation into
that civil body). Similarly, there are constituted bodies [ordo] in the Church called ordo
episcoporum, ordo presbyterorum, and ordo
diaconorum. Integration into one of these bodies in the
Church was accomplished by a rite called ordinatio.
Ordinatio is a religious and liturgical act which was a
consecration, a blessing or a sacrament. Today the word
"ordination" is reserved for the sacramental act which
integrates a man into the order of bishops, presbyters, or
deacons. It confers a gift of the Holy Spirit that permits
the exercise of a "sacred power" (sacra potestas) which
can come only from Christ himself through his Church.
Ordination is also called consecratio, for it is a setting
apart and an investiture by Christ himself for his Church.
The laying on of hands by the bishop, with the consecratory prayer, constitutes the visible
sign of this ordination.
What are the Three Priestly Powers?
The three Priestly Powers, known as Sacra Potestas, are teaching, sanctifying, and
governing.
1.) Teaching: The ordained ministers have the sacred duty to preach God’s Word in a
dignified, competent, and effective manner.
2.) Sanctifying: The clergy have the obligation to celebrate the Sacraments for the glory
of God and the salvation of souls.
3.) Governing: The successors of the Apostles ought to establish and administer the
Church for love of God and his children.
When did Jesus Institute the Sacrament of Holy Orders?
Jesus instituted the Sacrament of holy Orders during the Last Supper, when he said
to his Apostles: “Do this in memory of me” (Luke 22:19). By so ordering, Christ
conferred on them and their successors the three priestly powers of teaching, Sanctifying,
and Governing the Church.
Lesson 2_The Sacrament of Holy Orders in the Economy of Salvation
The priesthood of the Old Covenant
In the Old Testament, the chosen people was constituted by God as a kingdom of
priests and a holy nation. But within the people of Israel, God chose one of the twelve
tribes, that of Levi, and set it apart for liturgical service. The priests (from the tribe of
Levi) are "appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices
for sins."
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This priesthood was instituted to proclaim the Word of
God and to restore communion with God by sacrifices and
prayer. Nevertheless, this priesthood remains powerless to
bring about salvation, needing to repeat its sacrifices
ceaselessly and being unable to achieve a definitive
sanctification.
The liturgy of the Church, however, sees in the
priesthood of Aaron and the service of the Levites, as in the
institution of the seventy elders, a prefiguring of the ordained
ministry of the New Covenant.
The one priesthood of Christ
Everything that the priesthood of the Old Covenant prefigured finds its fulfillment in
Christ Jesus, the "one mediator between God and men." The Christian tradition considers
Melchizedek, "priest of God Most High," as a prefiguration of the priesthood of Christ, the
unique "high priest after the order of Melchizedek"; "holy, blameless, unstained," "by a
single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified," that is, by the unique
sacrifice of the cross.
The redemptive sacrifice of Christ is unique and
is accomplished once for all; yet it is made present in
the Eucharistic sacrifice of the Church. The same is
true of the one priesthood of Christ; it is made present
through the ministerial priesthood without diminishing
the uniqueness of Christ's priesthood: "Only Christ is
the true priest, the others being only his ministers."
This means that there is only one priesthood and that is
of Christ’s and the ministerial priesthood is a way of
participating in the priesthood of Christ.
Two participations in the one priesthood of Christ
There are two ways of participation in the one priesthood of Christ – that of 1.)
baptismal priesthood (called common priesthood of the baptized) and 2.) the ministerial
priesthood.
Christ, high priest and unique mediator, has made of the Church "a kingdom, priests
for his God and Father." Therefore, the whole community of believers is priestly. The
common priesthood of the baptized is exercised by the unfolding of baptismal grace – a
life of faith, hope, and charity, a life according to the Spirit.
The ministerial priesthood is at the service of the common priesthood of the
baptized. The ministerial priesthood is directed at the unfolding of the baptismal grace of
all Christians. 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.
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Ordained Ministers: In the person of Christ the Head . . .
In the ecclesial service of the ordained minister, it is Christ himself who is present to
his Church as Head of his Body, Shepherd of his flock, high priest of the redemptive
sacrifice, Teacher of Truth. This is what the Church means by saying that the priest, by
virtue of the sacrament of Holy Orders, acts in persona Christi Capitis (in the person of
Christ).
Through the ordained ministry, especially that of bishops and priests, the presence
of Christ as head of the Church is made visible in the midst of the community of believers.
In the beautiful expression of St. Ignatius of Antioch, the bishop is typos tou Patros: he is
like the living image of God the Father.
This presence of Christ in the minister is not to be understood as if the latter were
preserved from all human weaknesses, the spirit of domination, error, even sin. The power
of the Holy Spirit does not guarantee all acts of ministers in the same way. While this
guarantee extends to the sacraments, so that even the minister's sin cannot impede the fruit
of grace, in many other acts the minister leaves human traces that are not always signs of
fidelity to the Gospel and consequently can harm the apostolic fruitfulness of the Church.
This priesthood is ministerial. Ministerial comes from Latin “ministerium” which
means “service”. It is entirely related to service to Christ and to men; it has been instituted
for the good of men and the communion of the Church. The sacrament of Holy Orders
communicates a "sacred power" which is none other than that of Christ. The exercise of
this authority must be modeled to that of Christ, who by love made himself the least and
the servant of all.
Ministerial priesthood: … "in the name of the whole Church"
The ministerial priesthood has the task not only of representing Christ - Head of the
Church - before the assembly of the faithful, but also of acting in the name of the whole
Church when presenting to God the prayer of the Church, and above all when offering the
Eucharistic sacrifice.
The prayer and offering of the Church are inseparable from the prayer and offering
of Christ, her head. The whole Body, head (Christ) and members prays and offers itself.
The ministers are called ministers not only of Christ, but also of the Church. It is because
the ministerial priesthood represents Christ that it can represent the Church.
Lesson 3_The Three Degrees of the Sacrament of Holy Orders
This divinely instituted ecclesiastical ministry is exercised in different degrees by
those who even from ancient times have been called bishops, priests, and deacons. There
are two degrees of ministerial participation in the priesthood of Christ: the episcopacy
(bishops) and the presbyterate (priest). The diaconate is intended to help and serve them.
For this reason the term sacerdos in current usage denotes bishops and priests but not
deacons. Yet Catholic doctrine teaches that the degrees of priestly participation (episcopate
and presbyterate) and the degree of service (diaconate) are all three conferred by a
sacramental act called "ordination," that is, by the sacrament of Holy Orders.
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1.) Episcopal ordination: fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders
Episcopal or episcopate refers to the bishops. Christ endowed his apostles with a
special outpouring of the Holy Spirit so that the apostles could fulfill their mission. The
apostles in turn, by the imposition of hands, passed on to their auxiliaries the gift of the
Spirit, which is transmitted down to our day through episcopal consecration. Thus, the
bishops became the successors of the apostles. The fullness of the sacrament of Holy
Orders is conferred by episcopal consecration, that fullness namely, is called the high
priesthood, the acme (summa) of the sacred ministry.
The bishops have the office of teaching, sanctifying and governing. And by virtue
of the Holy Spirit who has been given to them, bishops have been constituted true and
authentic teachers of the faith and have been made pontiffs and pastors. When one is
ordained as a bishop, he becomes a member of the episcopal body called College of
Bishops. The Pope, as bishop of Rome, is the head of the College of Bishops.
As Christ's vicar, each bishop has the pastoral care of the particular Church
(Diocese) entrusted to him, but at the same time he bears collegially with all his brothers in
the episcopacy the solicitude for all the Churches.
The above considerations explain why the Eucharist celebrated by the bishop has a
quite special significance as an expression of the Church gathered around the altar, with
the one who represents Christ, the Good Shepherd and Head of his Church, presiding.
However, the bishop’s powers are not greater than the priests’ in the consecration of the
Holy Eucharist. Still, their power is certainly greater regarding the other sacraments and
the instruction and government of the faithful. Only bishops can confer the Sacrament of
Holy Orders. They are also the ordinary ministers of Confirmation and the blessing of oils
and some objects destined for sacred uses. They confer to the priests whatever power
these may have to rule the faithful and preach authoritatively the word of God.
2.) Priestly Ordination
"The function of the bishops' ministry was handed over in a subordinate degree to
priests so that they might be appointed in the order of the priesthood and be co-workers of
the episcopal order for the proper fulfillment of the apostolic mission that had been
entrusted to it by Christ" (PO 2 § 2).
The priests, by the anointing of the Holy Spirit, are signed with a special character
and so are configured to Christ the priest in such a way that they are able to act in the
person of Christ the head. The priests are after the image of Christ, the supreme and
eternal priest, and they are consecrated in order to preach the Gospel and shepherd the
faithful as well as to celebrate divine worship as true priests of the New Testament” (LG
28).
It is in the Eucharistic cult or in the Eucharistic assembly of the faithful (synaxis)
that priests exercise in a supreme degree their sacred office; there, acting in the person of
Christ and proclaiming his mystery, they unite the offerings of the faithful to the sacrifice
of Christ their head. In the sacrifice of the Mass they make present again and apply the
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unique sacrifice of Christ offering himself once for all to the Father. From this unique
sacrifice their whole priestly ministry draws its strength.
The priests, constitute, together with their bishop, a unique sacerdotal college
(presbyterium). In each local assembly of the faithful they represent, in a certain sense, the
bishop, with whom they are associated in all trust and generosity; in part they take upon
themselves his duties and solicitude and in their daily toils discharge them. Priests can
exercise their ministry only in dependence on the bishop and in communion with him. The
promise of obedience they make to the bishop at the moment of ordination and the kiss of
peace from him at the end of the ordination liturgy mean that the bishop considers them his
co-workers, his sons, his brothers and his friends, and that they in return owe him love and
obedience. The communion of the priests is expressed in the custom of priests’ imposing
hands on the new ordinand, after the bishop, during the rite of ordination.
3.) Diaconal Ordination: … "in order to serve"
At a lower level of the hierarchy are to be found deacons, who receive the
imposition of hands 'not unto the priesthood, but unto the ministry. At an ordination to
the diaconate, only the bishop lays hands on the candidate, thus signifying the deacon's
special attachment to the bishop in the tasks of his "diakonia."
Deacons share in Christ's mission and grace in a special way. The sacrament of
Holy Orders marks them with an imprint ("character") which cannot be removed and
which configures them to Christ, who made himself the "deacon" or servant of all. Among
other tasks, it is the task of deacons 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.
There are two kinds of deacons: 1.) the transitional deacons and 2.) the permanent
deacons. The transitional deacons are those who have received the diaconate in
preparation for priesthood. The permanent deacons are those who remain permanently as
deacons. Permanent diaconate can be conferred on single or married man. When a single
man is ordained as permanent deacon, he must remain unmarried. If a married permanent
deacon becomes a widower, he cannot re-marry. Their liturgical vestments are the
Dalmatic and the stole in a diagonal position, from the left shoulder to the right side,
signifying that they assist the Priests but they do not possess the priestly functions.
Lesson 4_The Matter, Form and Rite of Holy Orders
Mater and Form of the Holy Orders
The matter of Holy Orders is the laying on of hands by the ordaining bishop.
The form consists of the words of the ritual accompanying the laying on of hands by
the bishop. It is the essential part of the Consecratory Prayer. It is as follows:
For Deacon:
“Send forth upon him, Lord, we pray, the Holy Spirit, that he may be strengthened
by the gift of your sevenfold grace for the faithful carrying out of the ministry.”
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For Priest:
“Grant we pray, Almighty Father, on this, your servant, the dignity of the
priesthood: renew deep within him the Spirit of holiness; may he henceforth
possess this office which comes from you, O God, and is next in rank to the office
of Bishop; and by the example of his manner of life, may he instill right conduct.”
For Bishop:
“Pour out now upon this chosen one that power which is from you, the Spirit of
governance whom you gave to your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, the Spirit whom he
bestowed upon the holy apostles, who established the Church in each place as your
sanctuary for the glory and unceasing praise of your name.”
Rite of Holy Orders
The ordination is always done during the Holy Mass, before the Liturgy of the
Eucharist, and always in accordance with the approved rite. In the Latin Rite, it begins
with the presentation and election of the candidates, instruction by the bishop, examination
of the candidate and the litany of the saints. These rites are a preparation for the solemn act
of consecration.
Afterwards, the newly ordained bishops or presbyters are anointed with holy chrism,
a sign of the special anointing of the Holy Spirit (who makes their ministry fruitful). A
bishop is given the Book of the Gospels, the ring, the miter, and the crosier. These are
symbols of his mission of announcing the word of God, of his fidelity to the Church and
his office as shepherd of the Lord’s flock. A presbyter is given the paten and chalice. He
is called to present the sacrifice of the people of God. A deacon is given the Book of the
Gospels to proclaim the Gospel of Christ.
The essential rite of the sacrament of Holy Orders for all three degrees consists in
the bishop's imposition of hands on the head of the candidate and in 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.
Lesson 5_The Minister, Subject and Effects of the Holy Orders
Who can confer the Sacrament of Holy Orders?
The Minister of Sacred Ordination is a Consecrated Bishop. Only a Bishop can
validly ordain. Priests, not enjoying the fullness of Holy Orders, do not have the capacity
to confer this sacrament.
For the episcopal consecration of a priest (becoming a bishop), the consecrating
bishop should be assisted by at least two other consecrating bishop.
Who can receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders?
Only a baptized man (vir) validly receives sacred ordination. The Lord Jesus chose
men (viri) to form the college of the twelve apostles, and the apostles did the same when
they chose collaborators to succeed them in their ministry. The college of bishops, with
whom the priests are united in the priesthood, makes the college of the twelve an ever-
present and ever-active reality until Christ's return.
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With that decision, Christ probably intended to stress that priests celebrate the Holy
Mass in persona Christi, (in the person of Christ). The sacramental symbolism requires a
natural likeness between the priest and Christ, who was and is a male. The Church
recognizes herself to be bound by this choice made by the Lord himself (in choosing men
as apostles). For this reason the ordination of women is not possible.
For the ordination to be valid, the candidate must have the intention to receive it.
For the ordination to be lawful, there are further conditions:
• The candidate must have a divine vocation, which is comprised of:
o Sound faith, proven virtue and firm and steadfast resolution,
o Aptitude for the exercise of the functions proper to Holy Orders (age, etc.)
o Sufficient knowledge,
o Right intention (the glory of God and the salvation of souls).
• He must have receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.
• He must submit to the bishop a request for ordination written in his own hand,
attesting that he freely asks to be ordained to the diaconate or priesthood, and that
he will devote himself for life to the ecclesiastical ministry.
• Being a sacrament of the living, the candidate must be in a state of grace.
The Effects of the Sacrament of Holy Orders
The effects of the Holy Orders are character and grace.
1.) The indelible character
In the Sacrament of Holy Orders, the character consists in a special configuration of
the subject to Christ, as head of the Mystical Body (the Church). This enables him to
participate in Christ’s priesthood in a most unique way. By ordination one is enabled to
act as a representative of Christ, Head of the Church, in his triple office of priest, prophet,
and king. The character is indelible: the vocation and mission received at his ordination
marks a man as a priest forever. The priest then becomes: 1.) an authoritative minister
(servant) of the word of God (teaching role); 2.) a minister of the sacraments, especially
the Eucharist (sanctifying role); a minister of the people of God, for which he is made a
member of the hierarchy within his own degree (governing role).
There is a hierarchy of order, which is comprised of bishops, priest, and deacons,
ordained to offering the holy sacrifice and the administration of the sacraments.
There is also a hierarchy of jurisdiction, which the pope and the bishops in
communion with him comprise. With regard to this hierarchy of jurisdiction, there are
other accidental degrees that have developed through the centuries: cardinals, patriarchs,
metropolitans or archbishops, etc. Priests and deacons, as such, belong to this hierarchy
only through their cooperation with their respective bishops.
2.) The grace of the Holy Spirit
Holy Orders increases sanctifying grace. It also brings sacramental grace, which, in
this case, consists in the help that is needed to properly perform the functions of the degree
of orders received.
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For the bishop, this is first of all a grace of
strength: the grace to guide and defend his Church with
strength and prudence as a father and pastor, with
gratuitous love for all and a preferential love for the poor,
the sick, and the needy. This grace impels him to
proclaim the Gospel to all, to be the model for his flock,
to go before it on 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.
The spiritual gift conferred by priestly ordination
is the grace and strength to worthily proclaim the Gospel
and to administer the sacraments.
With regard to deacons, strengthened by
sacramental grace they are dedicated to the People of God, in
conjunction with the bishop and his body of priests, in the service (diakonia) of the liturgy,
of the Gospel, and of works of charity.
Learning Resources
Belmonte, Charles, ed. Faith Seeking Understanding, vol 1. Mandaluyong, Metro Manila,
Philippines: Studium Theologiae Foundation, Inc., 2006.
Catechism of the Catholic Church. Makati, Metro, Manila: ECCCE and Word and Life
Publications, 1994.
Pirlo, Paolo. The Seven Sacraments. Paranaque City, Philippines: Sons of Holy Mary
Immaculate Quality Catholic Publications, 2018.