Catechism of the Catholic Church · Part Two › Section Two › Chapter Three · Article 6 (§§1536–1600)
Paragraphs · 65
The Catechism's text is under copyright, so each paragraph is quoted briefly here with a link to the full text at vatican.va.
The Sacrament of Holy Orders
- §1536 — Holy Orders is the sacrament through which the mission entrusted by Christ to his apostles continues to be exercised in the Church until the end of time: thus it is the sacrament of apostolic ministry.vatican.va
I. Why Is This Sacrament Called "Orders"?
- §1537 — The word order in Roman antiquity designated an established civil body, especially a governing body. Ordinatio means incorporation into an ordo. In the Church there are established bodies which Tradition, not without a basis in Sacred Scripture, has since ancient times called taxeis (Greek) or ordines.vatican.va
- §1538 — Integration into one of these bodies in the Church was accomplished by a rite called ordinatio, a religious and liturgical act which was a consecration, a blessing or a sacrament.vatican.va
The priesthood of the Old Covenant
- §1539 — 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; God himself is its inheritance.vatican.va
- §1540 — Instituted to proclaim the Word of God and to restore communion with God by sacrifices and prayer, this priesthood nevertheless remains powerless to bring about salvation, needing to repeat its sacrifices ceaselessly and being unable to achieve a definitive sanctification, which only the sacrifice of Christ would accomplish.vatican.va
- §1541 — 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.vatican.va
- §1542 — At the ordination of priests, the Church prays:vatican.va
- §1543 — In the consecratory prayer for ordination of deacons, the Church confesses:vatican.va
- §1544 — 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…vatican.va
- §1545 — The redemptive sacrifice of Christ is unique, 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…vatican.va
- §1546 — Christ, high priest and unique mediator, has made of the Church "a kingdom, priests for his God and Father." The whole community of believers is, as such, priestly.vatican.va
- §1547 — The ministerial or hierarchical priesthood of bishops and priests, and the common priesthood of all the faithful participate, "each in its own proper way, in the one priesthood of Christ."vatican.va
- §1548 — 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.vatican.va
- §1549 — 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.vatican.va
- §1550 — 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.vatican.va
- §1551 — This priesthood is ministerial. "That office . . which the Lord committed to the pastors of his people, is in the strict sense of the term a service."vatican.va
- §1552 — 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.vatican.va
- §1553 — "In the name of the whole Church" does not mean that priests are the delegates of the community. the prayer and offering of the Church are inseparable from the prayer and offering of Christ, her head; it is always the case that Christ worships in and through his Church.vatican.va
III. The Three Degrees of the Sacrament of Holy Orders
- §1554 — "The divinely instituted ecclesiastical ministry is exercised in different degrees by those who even from ancient times have been called bishops, priests, and deacons." Catholic doctrine, expressed in the liturgy, the Magisterium, and the constant practice of the Church, recognizes that there are two degrees…vatican.va
- §1555 — "Amongst those various offices which have been exercised in the Church from the earliest times the chief place, according to the witness of tradition, is held by the function of those who, through their appointment to the dignity and responsibility of bishop, and in virtue…vatican.va
- §1556 — To fulfil their exalted mission, "the apostles were endowed by Christ with a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit coming upon them, and by the imposition of hands they passed on to their auxiliaries the gift of the Spirit, which is transmitted down to our day through episcopal consecration."vatican.va
- §1557 — The Second Vatican Council "teaches . . that the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders is conferred by episcopal consecration, that fullness namely which, both in the liturgical tradition of the Church and the language of the Fathers of the Church, is called the high priesthood, the acme (summa) of the sacred ministry."vatican.va
- §1558 — "Episcopal consecration confers, together with the office of sanctifying, also the offices of teaching and ruling.... In fact ... by the imposition of hands and through the words of the consecration, the grace of the Holy Spirit is given, and a sacred character is impressed…vatican.va
- §1559 — "One is constituted a member of the episcopal body in virtue of the sacramental consecration and by the hierarchical communion with the head and members of the college."vatican.va
- §1560 — As Christ's vicar, each bishop has the pastoral care of the particular Church entrusted to him, but at the same time he bears collegially with all his brothers in the episcopacy the solicitude for all the Churches: "Though each bishop is the lawful pastor only…vatican.va
- §1561 — 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.vatican.va
- §1562 — "Christ, whom the Father hallowed and sent into the world, has, through his apostles, made their successors, the bishops namely, sharers in his consecration and mission; and these, in their turn, duly entrusted in varying degrees various members of the Church with the office of their ministry."vatican.va
- §1563 — "Because it is joined with the episcopal order the office of priests shares in the authority by which Christ himself builds up and sanctifies and rules his Body.vatican.va
- §1564 — "Whilst not having the supreme degree of the pontifical office, and notwithstanding the fact that they depend on the bishops in the exercise of their own proper power, the priests are for all that associated with them by reason of their sacerdotal dignity; and in…vatican.va
- §1565 — Through the sacrament of Holy Orders priests share in the universal dimensions of the mission that Christ entrusted to the apostles. the spiritual gift they have received in ordination prepares them, not for a limited and restricted mission, "but for the fullest, in fact the…vatican.va
- §1566 — "It is in the Eucharistic cult or in the Eucharistic assembly of the faithful (synaxis) that they exercise in a supreme degree their sacred office; there, acting in the person of Christ and proclaiming his mystery, they unite the votive offerings of the faithful to…vatican.va
- §1567 — "The priests, prudent cooperators of the episcopal college and its support and instrument, called to the service of the People of God, constitute, together with their bishop, a unique sacerdotal college (presbyterium) dedicated, it is, true to a variety of distinct duties.vatican.va
- §1568 — "All priests, who are constituted in the order of priesthood by the sacrament of Order, are bound together by an intimate sacramental brotherhood, but in a special way they form one priestly body in the diocese to which they are attached under their own bishop.vatican.va
- §1569 — "' 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."vatican.va
- §1570 — 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.vatican.va
- §1571 — Since the Second Vatican Council the Latin Church has restored the diaconate "as a proper and permanent rank of the hierarchy," while the Churches of the East had always maintained it.vatican.va
IV. The Celebration of This Sacrament
- §1572 — Given the importance that the ordination of a bishop, a priest, or a deacon has for the life of the particular Church, its celebration calls for as many of the faithful as possible to take part.vatican.va
- §1573 — 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 ordinand and in the bishop's specific consecratory prayer asking God for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and his gifts…vatican.va
- §1574 — As in all the sacraments additional rites surround the celebration. Varying greatly among the different liturgical traditions, these rites have in common the expression of the multiple aspects of sacramental grace.vatican.va
V. Who Can Confer This Sacrament?
- §1575 — Christ himself chose the apostles and gave them a share in his mission and authority. Raised to the Father's right hand, he has not forsaken his flock but he keeps it under his constant protection through the apostles, and guides it still through these same pastors who continue his work today.vatican.va
- §1576 — Since the sacrament of Holy Orders is the sacrament of the apostolic ministry, it is for the bishops as the successors of the apostles to hand on the "gift of the Spirit," The "apostolic line."vatican.va
VI. Who Can Receive This Sacrament?
- §1577 — "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.vatican.va
- §1578 — No one has a right to receive the sacrament of Holy Orders. Indeed, no one claims this office for himself; he is called to it by God.vatican.va
- §1579 — All the ordained ministers of the Latin Church, with the exception of permanent deacons, are normally chosen from among men of faith who live a celibate life and who intend to remain celibate "for the sake of the kingdom of heaven."vatican.va
- §1580 — In the Eastern Churches a different discipline has been in force for many centuries: while bishops are chosen solely from among celibates, married men can be ordained as deacons and priests.vatican.va
The indelible character
- §1581 — This sacrament configures the recipient to Christ by a special grace of the Holy Spirit, so that he may serve as Christ's instrument for his Church.vatican.va
- §1582 — As in the case of Baptism and Confirmation this share in Christ's office is granted once for all. the sacrament of Holy Orders, like the other two, confers an indelible spiritual character and cannot be repeated or conferred temporarily.vatican.va
- §1583 — It is true that someone validly ordained can, for a just reason, be discharged from the obligations and functions linked to ordination, or can be forbidden to exercise them; but he cannot become a layman again in the strict sense, because the character imprinted by ordination is for ever.vatican.va
- §1584 — Since it is ultimately Christ who acts and effects salvation through the ordained minister, the unworthiness of the latter does not prevent Christ from acting.vatican.va
- §1585 — The grace of the Holy Spirit proper to this sacrament is configuration to Christ as Priest, Teacher, and Pastor, of whom the ordained is made a minister.vatican.va
- §1586 — For the bishop, this is first of all a grace of strength (“the governing spirit": Prayer of Episcopal Consecration in the Latin rite): The grace to guide and defend his Church with strength and prudence as a father and pastor, with gratuitous love for all…vatican.va
- §1587 — The spiritual gift conferred by presbyteral ordination is expressed by this prayer of the Byzantine Rite. the bishop, while laying on his hand, says among other things:vatican.va
- §1588 — 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."vatican.va
- §1589 — Before the grandeur of the priestly grace and office, the holy doctors felt an urgent call to conversion in order to conform their whole lives to him whose sacrament had made them ministers.vatican.va
In Brief
- §1590 — St. Paul said to his disciple Timothy: "I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands" (2Tim 1:6), and "If any one aspires to the office of bishop, he desires a noble task."vatican.va
- §1591 — The whole Church is a priestly people. Through Baptism all the faithful share in the priesthood of Christ. This participation is called the "common priesthood of the faithful."vatican.va
- §1592 — The ministerial priesthood differs in essence from the common priesthood of the faithful because it confers a sacred power for the service of the faithful.vatican.va
- §1593 — Since the beginning, the ordained ministry has been conferred and exercised in three degrees: that of bishops, that of presbyters, and that of deacons. the ministries conferred by ordination are irreplaceable for the organic structure of the Church: without the bishop, presbyters, and deacons, one cannot speak of the Church (cf St.vatican.va
- §1594 — The bishop receives the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders, which integrates him into the episcopal college and makes him the visible head of the particular Church entrusted to him.vatican.va
- §1595 — Priests are united with the bishops in sacerdotal dignity and at the same time depend on them in the exercise of their pastoral functions; they are called to be the bishops' prudent co-workers.vatican.va
- §1596 — Deacons are ministers ordained for tasks of service of the Church; they do not receive the ministerial priesthood, but ordination confers on them important functions in the ministry of the word, divine worship, pastoral governance, and the service of charity, tasks which they must carry out under the pastoral authority of their bishop.vatican.va
- §1597 — The sacrament of Holy Orders is conferred by the laying on of hands followed by a solemn prayer of consecration asking God to grant the ordinand the graces of the Holy Spirit required for his ministry.vatican.va
- §1598 — The Church confers the sacrament of Holy Orders only on baptized men (viri), whose suitability for the exercise of the ministry has been duly recognized.vatican.va
- §1599 — In the Latin Church the sacrament of Holy Orders for the presbyterate is normally conferred only on candidates who are ready to embrace celibacy freely and who publicly manifest their intention of staying celibate for the love of God's kingdom and the service of men.vatican.va
- §1600 — It is bishops who confer the sacrament of Holy Orders in the three degrees.vatican.va
Scripture cited · 134 verses
Genesis 14:18 · Exodus 19:6 · Exodus 29:1 · Exodus 29:2 · Exodus 29:3 · Exodus 29:4 · Exodus 29:5 · Exodus 29:6 · Exodus 29:7 · Exodus 29:8 · Exodus 29:9 · Exodus 29:10 · Exodus 29:11 · Exodus 29:12 · Exodus 29:13 · Exodus 29:14 · Exodus 29:15 · Exodus 29:16 · Exodus 29:17 · Exodus 29:18 · Exodus 29:19 · Exodus 29:20 · Exodus 29:21 · Exodus 29:22 · Exodus 29:23 · Exodus 29:24 · Exodus 29:25 · Exodus 29:26 · Exodus 29:27 · Exodus 29:28 · Exodus 29:29 · Exodus 29:30 · Numbers 1:48 · Numbers 1:49 · Numbers 1:50 · Numbers 1:51 · Numbers 1:52 · Numbers 1:53 · Numbers 11:24 · Numbers 11:25 · Joshua 13:33 · Psalm 110:4 · Isaiah 61:6 · Malachi 2:7 · Malachi 2:8 · Malachi 2:9 · Matthew 19:12 · Mark 3:14 · Mark 3:15 · Mark 3:16 · Mark 3:17 · Mark 3:18 · Mark 3:19 · Mark 10:43 · Mark 10:44 · Mark 10:45 · Luke 6:12 · Luke 6:13 · Luke 6:14 · Luke 6:15 · Luke 6:16 · Luke 22:27 · John 10:36 · John 20:22 · John 20:23 · John 21:15 · John 21:16 · John 21:17 · Acts 1:8 · 1 Corinthians 7:32 · 1 Corinthians 11:26 · Ephesians 4:11 · 1 Timothy 3:1 · 1 Timothy 3:2 · 1 Timothy 3:3 · 1 Timothy 3:4 · 1 Timothy 3:5 · 1 Timothy 3:6 · 1 Timothy 3:7 · 1 Timothy 3:8 · 1 Timothy 3:9 · 1 Timothy 3:10 · 1 Timothy 3:11 · 1 Timothy 3:12 · 1 Timothy 3:13 · 1 Timothy 4:14 · 2 Timothy 1:6 · 2 Timothy 1:7 · 2 Timothy 2:5 · Titus 1:5 · Titus 1:6 · Titus 1:7 · Titus 1:8 · Titus 1:9 · Hebrews 5:1 · Hebrews 5:2 · Hebrews 5:3 · Hebrews 5:4 · Hebrews 5:5 · Hebrews 5:6 · Hebrews 5:7 · Hebrews 5:8 · Hebrews 5:9 · Hebrews 5:10 · Hebrews 6:20 · Hebrews 7:11 · Hebrews 7:24 · Hebrews 7:26 · Hebrews 7:27 · Hebrews 9:11 · Hebrews 9:12 · Hebrews 9:13 · Hebrews 9:14 · Hebrews 9:15 · Hebrews 9:16 · Hebrews 9:17 · Hebrews 9:18 · Hebrews 9:19 · Hebrews 9:20 · Hebrews 9:21 · Hebrews 9:22 · Hebrews 9:23 · Hebrews 9:24 · Hebrews 9:25 · Hebrews 9:26 · Hebrews 9:27 · Hebrews 9:28 · Hebrews 10:14 · 1 Peter 2:5 · 1 Peter 2:9 · 1 Peter 5:3 · Revelation 1:6 · Revelation 5:9 · Revelation 5:10