Holy Orders and Vocations
"Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
- Matthew 18:18
What are Holy Orders and Vocations?
"Here I am, send me."
Holy Orders is a sacrament through which men are ordained as deacons, priests, or bishops, receiving an indelible and permanent mark on their soul giving them the authority to celebrate the sacraments and shepherd God's people.
A Religious Vocation, such as becoming a sister or nun, is not a sacrament but a consecrated way of life in which a woman professes vows. Typically, poverty, chastity, and obedience are required, and she dedicates her life to prayer, community, and service according to a particular religious order’s mission. While priests are ordained for sacramental ministry, religious sisters are called to live the Gospel through their shared life and apostolic work.
Both are responses to God’s call and begin with prayerful discernment and conversations with a spiritual director.
For Men Discerning
From the moment of Jesus' conception in the womb of Mary until his Resurrection, he was filled with the Holy Spirit. In biblical language, he was anointed by the Holy Spirit and thus established by God the Father as our high priest. As Risen Lord, he remains our high priest. . . . While all the baptized share in Christ's priesthood, the ministerial priesthood shares this through the Sacrament of Holy Orders in a special way.
Ordination to the priesthood is always a call and a gift from God. Christ reminded his Apostles that they needed to ask the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into the harvest. Those who seek priesthood respond generously to God's call using the words of the prophet, "Here I am, send me" (Is 6:8). This call from God can be recognized and understood from the daily signs that disclose his will to those in charge of discerning the vocation of the candidate.
For Women Discerning
From the moment of Jesus' conception in the womb of Mary until his Resurrection, he was filled with the Holy Spirit. In biblical language, he was anointed by the Holy Spirit and thus established by God the Father as our high priest. As Risen Lord, he remains our high priest. . . . While all the baptized share in Christ's priesthood, the ministerial priesthood shares this through the Sacrament of Holy Orders in a special way.
Ordination to the priesthood is always a call and a gift from God. Christ reminded his Apostles that they needed to ask the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into the harvest. Those who seek priesthood respond generously to God's call using the words of the prophet, "Here I am, send me" (Is 6:8). This call from God can be recognized and understood from the daily signs that disclose his will to those in charge of discerning the vocation of the candidate.
