The Sacrament of Holy Orders is when a member of the Church is ordained or

accepts the responsibilities of a spiritual leader in the church. To become

ordained, you must be both a man and a baptized member of the Church. As a
leader of the Church, ordained individuals are responsible for spreading the word
of the Gospel and for making the other sacraments available to members of the
Church.

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The History of Holy Orders

The Sacrament of Holy Orders has grown and changed over the past 2,000 years. The Catholic
Church wasn't the first religion to invent or use priests. The Old Testament, known as the Torah
in the Jewish religion or the first half of the Bible for Christians, discusses the role of priests in
the Jewish community. Priests were not officially ordained. Instead, they were called upon to
fulfill a responsibility based on their tribe or family, and their status as the head of a family or
household.

Deacons, priests, and bishops as we know them today, began at the Last Supper. According to
Christian beliefs, Jesus Christ gathered his apostles and had one final meal before being
sentenced to death. The apostles were Christ's closest and most devoted followers.

At the Last Supper, Christ gave the apostles certain rights and authority to continue to spread
the word of God after he ascended into heaven. The apostles had the authority to govern,
sanctify, and teach. In other words, they were allowed to create and enforce rules for the
Church, forgive sins on behalf of Jesus Christ, and to tell others about the Church's message
and important lessons from God.

The apostles were effectively the first bishops. Unlike the Jewish tradition of the priesthood, the
Last Supper created what's called the ministerial priesthood where, instead of religious
responsibilities coming from your family status, ministerial priests were chosen and ordained
because of their dedication to spreading the word of God and teaching the followers of the
Church. They then began to pass on the authority to other individuals who they ordained as
bishops or priests.

Deacons became an important part of the Church during this time as well. Early deacons were
men, and sometimes women, who were active in their communities and could help spread the
word of God. Many deacons became assistants to the bishops and helped them with their
ministerial responsibilities.
Scriptural foundations

The beginnings of the priesthood are found in the Old Testament. Melchizedek was a
priest of God, the first to offer bread and wine (Genesis 14:18).

Then, beginning with Aaron, the Levites were especially chosen for priestly service
(Numbers 3:5-10), and they were consecrated for this sacred duty in a carefully
prescribed ordination ritual (Exodus 29; Leviticus 8). The Levites presided over the
affairs of the Temple and served as mediators in the offering of sacrifice on behalf of
sinners.

The priesthood of the first covenant anticipates Jesus, the one and only eternal high
priest, “the one mediator between God and the human race” (1 Timothy 2:5), and
ordained priests participate in his priesthood.

Divine call

The call to a vocation to the priesthood begins with God, not the person. The letter to
the Hebrews explains, “No one takes this honor upon himself but only when called by
God” (Hebrews 5:4). The priest is “taken from among men and made their
representative before God,” and it is the priest’s duty “to offer gifts and sacrifices for
sins” (Hebrews 5:1).

The priest serves “in persona Christi,” Latin for “in the person of Christ.” He never
serves on his own behalf. Rather, Christ takes over his very being, and in his humble,
loving service, he is the visible presence of Christ in the community.
Holy orders come in three degrees: deacon, priest or presbyter, and bishop.