Priestly Ordination, a popular devotional depiction of ordination in the Roman Catholic Church from the 1920s.
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry.
In the Roman Catholic (Latin: sacri ordines), Eastern Catholic, Eastern Orthodox (ιερωσυνη, ιερατευμα, Священство), Oriental Orthodox, Anglican, Assyrian, Old Catholic, Independent Catholic churches and some Lutheran churches Holy Orders refers to the three orders of bishop, priest and deacon, or the sacrament or rite by which candidates are ordained to those orders. These churches regard ordination as a sacrament (the sacramentum ordinis).
Protestant denominations have varied conceptions of church offices. In the Anglican tradition and some Lutheran churches the traditional orders of bishop, priest and deacon are also bestowed using ordination rites. The extent to which ordination is considered sacramental in these traditions has, however, been a matter of some internal dispute. Many other denominations do not consider the role of ministry as being sacramental in nature and would not think of it in terms of "holy orders" as such.
Historically, the word "order" (Latin ordo) designated an established civil body or corporation with a hierarchy, and ordinatio meant legal incorporation into an ordo. The word "holy" refers to the Church. In context, therefore, a holy order is set apart for ministry in the Church.
Other offices such as pope, patriarch, cardinal, monsignor, archbishop, archimandrite, archpriest, protopresbyter, hieromonk, protodeacon, archdeacon, etc., are not sacramental orders. These are simply offices or titles.
The Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Catholic Churches number Holy Orders, which is the Sacrament that confers ordination as bishops, priests, and deacons of the church, among three sacraments that create an indelible mark called a sacramental character on the recipient's soul (the other two are baptism and confirmation).
The purpose of the Sacrament is to constitute a person as a minister within the Church.
Deacons are ministers of service, delegated to act in the name of the Church and therefore are able to witness marriages (the Sacrament of Matrimony is actually conferred by the couple on each other, with the deacon as witness), to baptize solemnly (any human being may baptize in an emergency but a deacon may do so on ordinary occasions with full ceremony), and to preach.
In the Roman Catholic theology, there is a belief that the apostle Peter had a role of leadership in the college of apostles, which the pope retains today among the bishops; this is often accepted by the Orthodox churches, but with significant modifications). Bishops, since they have the "fullness of orders," may administer all the sacraments (except marriage, which the man and woman administer to each other) and are empowered to lead the Church in terms of sound doctrine and pastoral administration. Bishops are governors of the church to the point where a bishop in the Catholic Church, even if not given authority over a functional diocese, will be given a "titular" diocese (a diocese that no longer exists on earth) as a sign of the leadership with which all bishops are charged; modern exceptions to use of a "titular" diocese are for coadjutor (arch)bishop and (arch)bishop emeritus.
Priests, as cooperators of the bishops in their sacramental ministry, may confect all of the sacraments except Holy Orders, the sacrament of governance, itself.
Until 1972, the Latin Church inside the universal Catholic Church also had four minor orders leading up to the major order of subdeacon, which were conferred on all seminarians before they became deacons. The minor orders and the subdiaconate were not considered sacraments proper and were practically suppressed under Pope Paul VI as part of the implementation of the Second Vatican Council. They were, however, retained by the Eastern Catholic Churches and by traditionalist Roman Catholics, including papally-approved priestly associations that use the approved (1962) extraordinary form of the Roman Rite. Only the sacramental orders (deacon, priest, bishop) were retained in the reformed Latin Rite, but modern Catholic seminarians are "instituted" in "ministries" called acolyte and reader or lector, which replace the former "minor orders."
The Eastern Orthodox Church considers Ordination (known as Cheirotonia, "laying on of hands") to be a Sacred Mystery (what in the West is called a sacrament). This Mystery is limited in that it may only be conferred by a bishop, and not by a priest (all of the other Mysteries may be performed by a priest). Certain archimandrites may be given permission to bestow minor orders, but only a bishop may ordain a priest, deacon or, normally together with at least one or two other bishops, another bishop.
It was the mission of the Apostles to go forth into all the world and preach the Gospel, baptizing those who believed in the name of the Holy Trinity (Matthew 28:18-20). In the Early Church those who presided over congregations were referred to variously as episcopos (bishop) or presbyteros (priest). These successors of the Apostles were ordained to their office by the laying on of hands, and according to Orthodox theology formed a living, organic link with the Apostles, and through them with Jesus Christ himself. This link is believed to continue in unbroken succession to this day. Over time, the ministry of bishops (who hold the fullness of the priesthood) and presbyters or priests (who hold a portion of the priesthood as bestowed by their bishop) came to be distinguished. In Orthodox termology, the terms priesthood and sacerdotal refer to the ministry of bishops and priests. All of the ordination ceremonies take place during the Divine Liturgy.
A bishop is the Teacher of the Faith, the carrier of Sacred Tradition, and the living Vessel of Grace through whom the energeia (divine grace) of the Holy Spirit flows into the rest of the church. A bishop is consecrated through the laying on of hands by other bishops, normally at least two or three, but in emergency situations, such as times of persecution, a single bishop may ordain another. His consecration takes place before the Little Entrance of the Liturgy. A Gospel Book is laid over the head of the one being ordained, and the consecrating bishops lay their hands upon the Gospel Book, while the prayer of ordination is read, after this, he ascends the synthranon (bishop's throne in the sanctuary) for the first time.
A priest may serve only at the pleasure of his bishop. A bishop bestows faculties (permission to minister within his diocese) by giving a priest chrism and an antimins; he may withdraw faculties by demanding the return of these items. The ordination of a priest takes place at the Great Entrance of the Liturgy. During the Entrance, the candidate for ordination carries the Aër (chalice veil) over his head, and comes last in the procession. After the bishop takes the Aër from the candidate and covers the chalice and diskos with it, a chair is brought for the bishop to sit in that is in front of, but to the left (North) of the Holy Table (altar). Two priests then bring the candidate through the Holy Doors and escort him three times around the Holy Table, during which he kisses each corner of the Holy Table. He will also kiss the bishop's palitza and right hand after each circuit. He is then taken to the southwest corner of the Holy Table and kneels on both knees, resting his forehead on the edge of the Holy Table. The ordaining bishop then places his omophor and right hand over the ordinand's head and reads the Prayer of Cheirotonia (prayer of ordination), while the clergy quietly recite a litany amongst themselves and the faithful chant aloud, Kyrie eleison (Lord, have mercy). Afterwards, the bishop brings the newly-ordained priest to stand in the Holy Doors and presents him to the faithful. He then clothes the priest in each of his sacerdotal vestments, at each of which the people sing, Axios! ("He is worthy!"). Later, after the Epiklesis of the Liturgy, the bishop hands him a portion of the Lamb (Host) and says the words:
Receive thou this pledge, and preserve it whole and unharmed until thy last breath, because thou shalt be held to an accounting therefore in the second and terrible Coming of our great Lord, God, and Saviour, Jesus Christ..
A deacon is ordained after the Epiklesis, following the same ceremonial as at the ordination of a priest, except that he is taken three times around the Holy Table by two deacons, and he will kneel on only one knee during the Prayer of Cheirotonia. After being vested as a deacon he will be given an hexapterygion (liturgical fan), and is taken behind the Holy Table where he will gently fan the Holy Gifts (consecrated Body and Blood of Christ). An Orthodox deacon is not permitted to perform weddings or baptisms (except, in the case of baptism in extremis, under which circumstances any Orthodox layman may do the same). An Orthodox deacon will not normally preach, unless he has the bishop's explicit permission to do so.
The Anglican Communion believes its bishops to be in Apostolic Succession, though there is some difference of opinion with regard to whether ordination is to be regarded as a sacrament or not. The Book of Common Prayer provides rites of ordination for bishops, priests and deacons, and permits only bishops to administer ordination. Typically, within Anglicanism three bishops are required for ordination to the episcopate, and one bishop will perform ordinations to the priesthood and diaconate. Anglo Catholics tend to be closer to the Roman Catholic position with regard to the sacramental nature of ordination.
Lutherans reject the Roman Catholic sense holy orders because they do not think sacerdotalism is supported by the Bible. Martin Luther taught that each individual was expected to fulfill his God-appointed task in everyday life. The modern usage of the term vocation as a life-task was first employed by Martin Luther. In Luther's Small Catechism, the holy orders include, but are not limited to the following: bishops, pastors, preachers, governmental offices, citizens, husbands, wives, children, employees, employers, young people, and widows.
The sequence in which holy orders are received are: minor orders, deacon, priest, bishop.
For Catholics, it is typically in the last year of seminary training that a man will be ordained to the diaconate, called by Catholics in recent times the "transitional diaconate". This is to distinguish men bound for priesthood from those who have entered the "permanent diaconate" and do not intend to seek further ordination. Deacons, whether transitional or permanent, are licensed to preach sermons (under certain circumstances a permanent deacon may not receive faculties to preach), to perform baptisms, and to witness Catholic marriages, but to perform no other sacraments. They assist at the Eucharist or the Mass, but are not able to consecrate the bread and wine. Normally, after six months or more as a transitional deacon, a man will be ordained to the priesthood. Priests are able to preach, perform baptisms, confirm, witness marriages, hear confessions and give absolutions, anoint the sick, and celebrate the Eucharist or the Mass.