Thesis 11: HOLY ORDERS

“I am reminding you now to fan into a flame the gift of God that you possess through the laying on of my
hands” (2 Tm 1:6).

Introduction:

Holy Orders1 refer to the sacrament through which the mission entrusted by Christ to His Apostles continues to be
exercised in the Church until the end of time. This is the sacrament of apostolic ministry which includes three degrees:
episcopate, presbyterate and diaconate. Together with Matrimony, this sacrament is called the social sacrament inasmuch
as it is instituted for the salvation of others. And if ever the ordained 2 person is saved, it is because of his service to others.

I. Ecclesial Leadership and Sharing in the Threefold Office 3 of Jesus Christ

In the OT, we see that even in the most primitive times, families and tribes assembled to give public worship to God.
After the flood, Noah offered a sacrifice to God (Gen 8:20). We also see Melchizedek, a priest of God Most High, offer a
sacrifice of bread and wine to God (Gen 14:18). 4 Later on, among the twelve tribes of Israel, the tribe of Levi (the Levites)
is set aside for worship. However, among the Levites, priesthood was established in the line (lineage) of Aaron. 5

In the NT, the letter to the Hebrews refer to Jesus as the “High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek” (Heb. 5:10).
This indicates that Jesus is not a priest by reason of any ordinary human lineage just like Melchizedek. His priesthood
comes from that fact that He is the Son of God. 6 Later on, Jesus commissioned His Apostles to continue His mission of
salvation to all people (Mt. 28:19-20) as can be seen in the Acts of the Apostles. 7

While all who receive Baptism, and are incorporated into the Body of Christ, share in His priesthood (called the common
priesthood8), there are those who are called to the ministerial priesthood (Holy Orders) in order to serve the Body of
Christ in a special way. For even during the time of Jesus, He chose the Twelve in order to shepherd and lead the people.
Later on, these Apostles were considered as leaders of the Christian community. 9 This is known as ecclesial leadership.

The leadership authority entrusted by Jesus to the Apostles and their successors is a leadership of service to the people.
This leadership is a participation in the threefold office of Christ: 1) kingly (to rule the people of God through service in
order to build up the Church); 2) prophetic (to be ministers of God’s word); 3) priestly (to offer the Eucharistic sacrifice

1
The word “order” in Roman antiquity designated an established civil body, especially a governing body.
2
Ordination is the sacramental act which integrates a man into the order of bishops, presbyters or deacons, through which the gift
of the Holy Spirit is conferred that permits the exercise of a “sacred power” which can come only from Christ through His Church.
3
The word “office” (a position of authority and responsibility) seems to be used for the ministerial priesthood (priest and bishop),
while the word “mission” is for the common priesthood. The term “office” seems to apply also to the deacon inasmuch as he has
received the authority to serve the people of God. [to be clarified]
4
Formal acts of worship were performed by either the head of the group or by someone who is appointed other than the head of
the group.
5
In general, a priest is someone who mediates between God and men, officially designated to bring God from men homage and
sacrifice, and to bring to men from God divine truth and blessing.
6
As the High Priest, Jesus is the fulfillment of the OT priesthood. He is the unparalleled mediator between God and man inasmuch as
only He can bring sacrifice and redemption to God and man, respectively. Also, it is universal inasmuch as it embraces the whole
human race. His priesthood replaces all others. Therefore, there is only one true priest (Jesus Christ); the rest are his ministers.
7
In the Acts, the Apostles continued Jesus’ ministry of salvation by healing, preaching, exorcising, leading and celebrating the
Eucharist for the people.
8
By virtue of our common priesthood, we are called to offer spiritual sacrifices, preach the Gospel and serve others.
9
Though the NT does not have an organized blueprint for the sacrament of Holy Orders, still it indicates how the Apostles and the
disciples of Jesus developed a system of structured leadership to guide the Christian community: 1) Peter as the spokesperson for
the Apostles (Acts 2:14); 2) the Apostles were respected as instructors and leaders (Acts 2:42); 3) the selection of deacons for the
physical needs of the people (Acts 6:4); 4) the installation of presbyters by Paul and Barnabas (Acts 14:23).
on behalf of the people).10 The main purpose of this leadership is the salvation of all people and the building up of the
Church.

II. The Nature of the Episcopate, of the Presbyterate and of the Diaconate 11

There are three levels of priesthood in the priestly office of Christ: episcopate, presbyterate and diaconate.

Those who are in the episcopate (the bishops) receive the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders, the fullnes of
priesthood. They are the successors of the Apostles, transmitters of the apostolic line and the apex of the sacred ministry. 12

Those who are in the presbyterate (the priests) are known as co-workers of the bishop. They also enjoy the sacerdotal
dignity although they are subordinate to the bishops. They do not receive the fullness of priesthood unlike the bishops.
They are dependent on the bishop in their exercise of power. They are consecrated to preach the Gospel, to shepherd the
people and to celebrate the divine worship. They share in the threefold office of Christ in a lesser degree. 13

At the lower level of the hierarchy are those who are in the diaconate. Those who are in the diaconate (Gk: “diakonia” =
service) are ordained in order to serve the people, especially at the liturgy of the Word. They receive the imposition of
hands, not unto priesthood, but unto the ministry (Acts 6:6). 14

III. The Essential Elements15 of the Episcopal, Presbyteral and Diaconal Ordination Rites

For the three levels of Holy Orders (bishops, priests and deacons), the essential elements of the ordination rites are: 1)
matter (the imposition of hands on the candidate) & 2) form (specific consecratory for each level or degree). Through the
essential elements, all receive the gift of the Holy Spirit but in different levels. 16

10
The deacon, even without the ministerial priesthood, participates in a special way in the Eucharist because of the ministry that
they have received at ordination.
11
For this topic, read also Lumen Gentium (chapter 3 & 4).
12
The bishops are to be regarded as shepherds of the Church who by “divine institution” have succeeded to the place of the
apostles. Vatican II teaches that the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders is conferred by Episcopal consecration. The council
states that Episcopal consecration confers three offices of sanctifying, teaching and governing. By the imposition of hands and
through the words of consecration, the grace of the Holy Spirit is given, and a sacred character is impressed such that, in an
immanent and visible manner, the bishop takes the place of Christ himself as teacher, shepherd and priest, and acts as his
representative. His consecration however is collegial in nature. Though each bishop has the pastoral care of a church entrusted to
him, he at the same time bears collegiality with all his brothers in the episcopacy the solicitude for all Churches: which means that he
is responsible, with the other bishops, for the apostolic mission of the Church under the authority of the Pope. Only the bishop can
ordain because only he has the fullness of priesthood.
13
The priests are appointed as co-workers of the bishops for the proper fulfillment of the apostolic mission that had been entrusted
to them by Christ. They are united with the bishops in sacerdotal dignity and at the same time depend on them in the exercise of
their pastoral functions. Through the anointing of the Holy Spirit, they are signed with a special character and so are configured to
Christ in such a way that they are able to act in the person of Christ the head (in persona Christi Capitis). In the Eucharistic assembly,
they exercise in the supreme degree their sacred office; there acting in the person of Christ and proclaiming His mystery, they unite
the votive offerings of the faithful to the sacrifice of Christ their head and make present the offerings of Christ to the Father on the
cross until he comes. From this unique sacrifice, their whole priestly ministry draws its strength.
14
At the ordination to the diaconate, only the bishop lays hands on the candidate, thus signifying the deacon’s special attachment to
the bishop in the task of his “diakonia.” Among his tasks are: 1) assisting the bishop in the celebration of the divine mysteries (above
all the Eucharist), 2) distribution of Holy Communion, 3) assisting at marriages, 4) proclamation of the Gospel and preaching, 5)
presiding over at funerals, 6) various ministries of charity. For the ordination to the priesthood, the other priests lay hands on the
ordained in order to signify that they belong to each other.
15
Note that in all the sacraments, the essential elements are always the matter and form.
16
In the Latin Church, the rites consist of the following: 1) initial rites (presentation and election of the ordinand, instruction by the
bishop, examination of the candidate, litany of the saints); 2) act of consecration; 3) other rites {bishop (anointing with holy chrism
[a sign of the special anointing of the Holy Spirit who makes the ministry fruitful], giving of the book of the Gospels [a sign of his
apostolic mission to proclaim the Word of God], ring [fidelity to the Church], miter [his office as shepherd of the Lord’s flock], crosier
[his office as shepherd of the Lord’s flock]); priest (anointing with holy chrism [a sign of the special anointing of the Holy Spirit who
makes the ministry fruitful], presentation to the priest of the paten and chalice [the offering of the holy people which he is called to
Fathers of the Church & Councils:

Letter of Clement - indicates that in the Corinthian community leadership and liturgy (the offering of sacrifice) were the
official functions since the office was both presbyterial and Episcopal in structure, there were also deacons... were
compared to the Jewish hierarchy for the first time.

Ignatius of Antioch - proposed the "monarchical episcopate", a typology that does not correspond to the later Catholic
hierarchy.

Tertullian - first to refer to the bishops as "summus sacerdos" or high priest probably under the influence of a
Melchizedek theology. He gave a collective Latin technical name to the Church's officeholders: ordo.

Cyprian - for him sacerdotium 'relates to the Eucharistic altar; he speaks of a clericus (Greek Kleros, lot), referring to
those who, because of their state, have a special concern for and relationship to God. He called the various offices in the
one ordo "grades", thus carrying the hierarchical trend further.

Hippolytus - brought together elements of the liturgy and theology of orders in his Apostolic Tradition. The office of
bishop, with its duties of preaching, shepherding, and priestly service, is the complete form of the ecclesial office that is
conferred through prayer and imposition of hands. In this consecration, the power of the spirit of leadership is implored
for and bestowed upon the candidate.

The post-biblical development led to formation of a structure of Church offices and within that structure, to the dominance
of the bishop, a position that was theologically justified on the basis of apostolicity.

Reformers - restored the idea of the "universal priesthood" (common priesthood). There is no distinction between the
clerics and the laity. Thus they disputed the existence of the sacrament of orders and the power of orders conferred by it.
Luther says that Baptism ordains all Christians as priests and bishops... so there's no need of priestly mediation

Council of Trent - opposed this idea of the reformers and defended the existence of a visible, external priesthood, in such
a way that "priestly service" is the over-aching concept for and institution that exists by "divine command" and is
arranged in hierarchical stages; Strengthened the teaching of the existence of the sacrament of holy orders.

Vatican II - taken effort to renew, particularly through a wealth of biblical and patristic studies and research in the history
of liturgy, the main emphases in the theology of orders. These efforts were reflected in the Vatican II documents on the
constitution on the liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium and especially in the Dogmatic Constitution of the Church, Lumen
Gentium.

NB: Also be familiar with the important canonical considerations concerning Holy Orders in the supplementary reviewer.

present to God]); deacon (giving the book of the Gospels [a sign of the mission to proclaim the Gospel of Christ])}.