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The Sacrament of Holy Orders
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. Catechism of the Catholic Church 1536
What is the Sacrament of Holy Orders?The Sacrament of Apostolic Ministry by which the mission entrusted by Christ to his Apostles continues to be exercised in the Church through the laying of hands. This Sacrament has three distinct degrees or “order”: deacon, priest, and bishop. All three confer a permanent, sacramental character. To learn more about becoming a priest or deacon, visit the Archdiocesan Office for Vocations website.
What is a Vocation?
In the simplest terms, “vocation” means a “call.” So, in general terms your vocation is what God calls you to do with your life. Everybody is called by God to know, love and serve him. The difference is how each one does this.
Many people are called to marriage, while others may be called to the vocation of priesthood, to consecrated life as a Sister or Brother, or to the diaconate. Equally, Christ calls some to the commitment of single life. However, we usually use “Vocation” to mean a call to the consecrated, religious or priestly life. For more information about discerning your vocation, visit the Archdiocesan Office for Vocations website. Text taken from www.vocation.comWhy Does Vocation Matter?
“What will you do with your life? What are your plans? Have you ever thought of committing your existence totally to Christ? Do you think that there can be anything greater than to bring Jesus to people and people to Jesus?” –Pope John Paul II
“Dear young people: Do not be afraid of Christ. He takes nothing away, and He gives you everything. When we give ourselves to Him, we receive a hundredfold in return.” –Pope Benedict XVI