Holy Orders or Ordination gives the ordained person a sacred power in the name and authority of Christ and through the Holy Spirit, to serve the people of God.

There are three different orders or dimensions of ordination in the Catholic Church: bishop, priest and deacon.

In the Roman Catholic Church, bishops and priests are obliged to celibacy, that is, to remain unmarried. Married men may be ordained as deacons.

In the Ordination ceremony, the bishop places his hands on the head of the one being ordained and prays that God will give him the special gifts of the Holy Spirit needed to carry out his ministry.

pdf Ministerial Priesthood (108 KB)