Holy Orders
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Sacrament of Service
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"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…It includes three degrees of order: episcopate, presbyterate, and diaconate" (CCC 1536). Deacons, priest, and bishops are essential to the Catholic Church because we believe that they continue the work begun by the apostles.
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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. (CCC 1593)
Ordination is the rite at which the Sacrament of Holy Orders is bestowed. The bishop confers the Sacrament of Holy Orders by the laying on of hands which confer on a man the grace and spiritual power to celebrate the Church’s sacraments.
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 ordained the graces of the Holy Spirit required for his ministry. Ordination imprints an indelible sacramental character. (CCC 1597)
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“Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”
Luke 5:10
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1120 The ordained ministry or ministerial priesthood is at the service of the baptismal priesthood. The ordained priesthood guarantees that it really is Christ who acts in the sacraments through the Holy Spirit for the Church. The saving mission entrusted by the Father to his incarnate Son was committed to the apostles and through them to their successors: they receive the Spirit of Jesus to act in his name and in his person. The ordained minister is the sacramental bond that ties the liturgical action to what the apostles said and did and, through them, to the words and actions of Christ, the source and foundation of the sacraments.
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.
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. The ordained ministers exercise their service for the People of God by teaching (munus docendi), divine worship (munus liturgicum) and pastoral governance (munus regendi).
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 the order of Melchizedek"
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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. Church authority alone has the responsibility and right to call someone to receive the sacrament of Holy Orders. (CCC 1598)
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. (CCC 1599)
The Second Vatican Council reminds us that the mission of ordained clergy, while unique, is interrelated to the mission of the lay faithful:
Though they differ from one another in essence and not only in degree, the common priesthood of the faithful and the ministerial or hierarchical priesthood are nonetheless interrelated: each of them in its own special way is a participation in the one priesthood of Christ. The ministerial priest, by the sacred power he enjoys, teaches and rules the priestly people; acting in the person of Christ, he makes present the eucharistic sacrifice, and offers it to God in the name of all the people. But the faithful, in virtue of their royal priesthood, join in the offering of the Eucharist. They likewise exercise that priesthood in receiving the sacraments, in prayer and thanksgiving, in the witness of a holy life, and by self-denial and active charity. (Lumen Gentium 10)
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Visit the Diocese of Joliet vocations website for information on how to begin the discernment process.
Office of Vocations Reverend Steven Borello Tamara "Tami" Brongiel
Diocese of Joliet-in-Illinois Director of Vocations Program Coordinator/ Administrative Assistant
Blanchette Catholic Center (815) 221-6100 (815) 221-6171
16555 Weber Road [email protected] [email protected]
Crest Hill, IL 60403
[email protected]
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The Role of the Deacon
A deacon is called to be an icon of "Christ the Servant". Many think of the story of Christ washing the feet of the Apostles at the Last Supper as a demonstration of the diaconal spirit. Deacons are called to serve with this spirit in the diocese they belong to. Deacons preside at weddings, baptisms, and funerals and may bring Viaticum to the dying. They assist at the altar, proclaim the Gospel, catechize, preach, and are ordinary ministers of Holy Communion -- most especially pertaining to the Chalice of His Blood.
The deacon does not belong to the parish, per se. He belongs to the bishop of the diocese. In the early centuries of the Church, deacons were responsible for assisting their bishop in ministering to the needs of the community and keeping him informed of those needs. Having become expert administrators -- and as the presbyters (priests) fulfilled their sacerdotal duties of celebrating Mass, forgiving sins, and preaching the Gospel -- more than a few deacons were directly appointed successors to their bishops in lieu of priests.
This continued for many years until dioceses grew exponentially, and a need for more priests to administer the sacraments led most deacons to progress to the priesthood. Over time, the diaconate became a "transitional" office of Holy Orders and eventually went dormant from its original, semi-permanent form.
It wasn't until the ecumenical council of Vatican II that the permanent diaconate was awakened from its millennia-long slumber. Pope Paul VI permitted this reawakening for the purpose of returning to the Church a "permanent" diaconate open to both single and married men, differentiated from the "transitional" diaconate that aspiring priests still pass through today. The Church discerned that those who were already active in the way of service and charity -- but not ordained -- had the right to receive the grace of the sacrament of Holy Orders to assist them in their work.
Today, there are more than 18,000 permanent deacons in the United States and more than 45,000 worldwide.Discerning a call to the diaconate?
Please plan to meet with the pastor of Sacred Heart to discuss your interest in the diaconate. Contact the Office at (630) 627-0687
Visit the Diocese of Joliet diaconate website for additional information on how to begin the application and discernment process. Formation is typically a 4 1/2-year program that will take you through the minor offices of Candidate, Lector, and Acolyte on the way to ordination to the diaconate.
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Resources on Religious Life
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Vocation and Discernment
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