The Sacrament of Holy Orders

"What is the sacrament of Holy Orders and why is it necessary?"

3 Scripture passages2 objections answered2 Church Father quotes

The Short Answer

Holy Orders is the sacrament by which men are ordained as deacons, priests, and bishops, receiving the authority and grace to serve the Church through ministry of word, sacrament, and governance.

Quick Overview

Holy Orders is how the Church gets its priests, deacons, and bishops. Through this sacrament, a man receives the authority and grace to act in Christ's name—to celebrate Mass, forgive sins, and shepherd God's people. It's like a spiritual power of attorney: the priest acts not by his own power but by Christ's. This ministry comes down from the apostles through an unbroken chain of ordinations. That's why we have bishops, priests, and deacons—not because one is better than another, but because Christ structured His Church this way.

Biblical Evidence

What the Scriptures say

Acts 6:6

"These they set before the apostles; and they praying, imposed hands upon them."

Why This Matters

The apostles ordained the first deacons through prayer and the laying on of hands—the ritual that continues in ordination today.

1 Timothy 4:14

"Neglect not the grace that is in thee, which was given thee by prophesy, with imposition of the hands of the priesthood."

Why This Matters

Timothy received a grace through ordination by the laying on of hands—showing ordination confers real spiritual power.

Titus 1:5

"For this cause I left thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and shouldest ordain priests in every city, as I also appointed thee."

Why This Matters

Paul instructed Titus to ordain priests—showing an established practice of ordination in the early Church.

What the Church Teaches

Official Catholic doctrine

The Catechism teaches that Holy Orders is 'the sacrament through which the mission entrusted by Christ to his apostles continues to be exercised in the Church' (CCC 1536). It confers an indelible spiritual character (CCC 1582).

Common Objections

Questions answered

Early Church Fathers

What the first Christians believed

St. Ignatius of Antioch

c. 110 AD

"Let everyone respect the deacons as Jesus Christ, the bishop as a copy of the Father, and the presbyters as the council of God."

— Letter to the Trallians, 3

St. Jerome

c. 398 AD

"Without ordination... neither presbyter nor deacon has the right to baptize... This is the fixed practice of the churches."

— Dialogue Against the Luciferians, 9

Antichrist

Adoration

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