The Sacrament of Holy Orders
The whole Church is a priestly people through the initiation of Baptism- Priesthood of Christ. The Sacrament of Holy Orders complement this priesthood of all people (CEO Sydney, 2014). The candidate becomes an ordained priest for the priesthood of the faithful. The ministerial priesthood confers a sacred power for the service of the faithful. The ordained ministers exercise their service for the People of God by teaching (Munus docendi), divine worship (munus liturgicum) and pastoral governance (munus regendi) (1592- Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1993).
By Christian understanding, a "leader" is to serve the community. A priest is the symbol of a community's unity, much like a Bishop is the symbol of unity within the Church Diocese (Saint Patricks Cathedral, 2014). Ordained Ministry has three degrees:
The Bishop receives the fullness of the Sacrament of Holy Orders and makes him a visible head of the Church Dioceses under his care. He has the apostolic responsibility to share the mission of the Church under the authority of the Pope (SPC, 2014) both within his community and the wider Dioceses. Priests are caretakers for parishes within the Dioceses of the Bishop. They serve their people through Word, Action and Sacrament. Priest are often associated with local Catholic schools to encourage the New Evangelisation. Therefore, a Priest needs to encourage the support of Parish life to ensure that positive relationships are adopted and permeate through schools (Porteous, 2013). Deacons are ministers ordained for tasks of service of the Church; they are not necessarily received into the ministerial priesthood (SPC, 2014). They must carry out pastoral service under the authority of their Bishop. Deacons are entrusted to proclaim the Gospel during Mass, preaching and teaching people about the Good News. |
Lets explore the structure of the Mass involving
the Sacrament of Holy Orders for Father John Watkins |