One of two Sacraments of Mission or Living a Christian Life in the World
In the celebration of the Sacrament of Holy Orders, a man prepares and is ordained a deacon, priest, or bishop.
A deacon is a man who has committed his life in pastoral service to the church. A deacon may baptize and may officiate at weddings. He is either a “permanent” or a “transitional” deacon. If one is a permanent deacon, he may be married. A transitional deacon is one who intends to become a priest and is typically ordained a deacon one year prior to ordination into the priesthood.
An ordained priest is given the command to teach, minister, and govern. Specifically:
To teach and bring people closer to God,
To minister the sacraments to the people of God,
And to govern the people of God typically through parish ministry.
A priest promises to live a life of celibacy and of obedience to his local bishop. A bishop is a priest ordained to be Shepherd and pastor for the people of a whole Diocese.
For more information on religious vocations:
Contact the Vocation Office of the Archdiocese of St. Paul & Minneapolis. The Vocation Office recruits and assesses candidates for priesthood in the Archdiocese and acts as a resource for people discerning their vocations to priesthood or consecrated life, as well as for families and parishes supporting the culture of religious vocations.
Their website, www.10000vocations.org, provides information on discernment, vocation events, testimonies of seminarians and other people from the archdiocese in formation, and links to many vocation-related sites.
Contacts: