Holy Orders
The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that “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. It includes three
degrees: episcopate, presbyterate, and diaconate.” (CCC 1536) In other
words, bishop, priest and deacon.
Holy Orders is conferred when a man is ordained. The Catechism tells
us that ordination is “the sacramental act which integrates a man into the
order of bishops, presbyters, or deacons, and goes beyond a simple election,
designation, delegation, or institution by the community, for it confers
a gift of the Holy Spirit that permits the exercise of a “sacred power”
(sacra potestas) which can come only through Christ himself through
-
ders “confers an indelible spiritual character and cannot be repeated or
conferred temporarily.” (CCC 1582) This is why there’s a saying in the
Church: Once a priest, always a priest. Though a priest can be laicized (a
popular word is “defrocked”), “the character imprinted by his ordination
is forever.” (CCC 1583)
Episcopal ordination (bishop) is the fullness of the sacrament of Holy
Orders. Thus, only a bishop can confer the sacrament on another. A new
bishop is ordained by multiple bishops, while a priest or deacon is ordained
31
by only one bishop.
Finally, just like all of us, every bishop, priest and deacon is a sinner. But
don’t let that throw you. The Catechism tells us, “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.” (CCC
1584) Translation: Christ uses even sinful men to transmit His graces.
For further study:
CCC 1536-1600