This sacrament celebrates the choice of a person to follow a dedicated religious life to distribute the sacraments and is currently only open to men. This way of life is not chosen by the majority of people but for those who do decide to live their life this way the call to do so is powerful. Men who have a vocation for holy orders often find the force of their calling impossible to resist.

Vocation

A vocation means a call to do something. The call is an inner desire to follow a particular way of life. The idea of vocation is wider than the sacrament of holy orders. Men and women who have a deep urge to live a certain way or to follow a particular career have a vocation. To be a nurse, a surgeon, a social worker, or a teacher to name but a few, can be as much a vocation as holy orders.

Holy Orders

Men who take holy orders (with the exception of some deacons and occasionally some priests) live a celibate life, this means that they choose not to marry or have intimate relationships. No-one pretends that this way of life is easy. It may seem that this vocation means giving up an impossible amount but choosing holy orders can also be deeply rewarding and give a sense of being useful to God and closer to all people because you are not dedicated to a marriage partner and children.

A man who takes holy orders is either a deacon, a priest or a bishop. Holy orders are taken in this sequence so before a man becomes a bishop he would have been a deacon and a priest. Not everybody who takes holy orders becomes a priest or a bishop. All holy orders are received from a bishop. Deacons can be married men or can be celibate men training to be priests. Deacons help in a parish they do not distribute all of the sacraments but they can baptise and preside at a wedding. Deacons also assist in many other ways in parish life especially by proclaiming the Gospel and by preaching the homily (instructional talk after the Gospel).

Priests are usually celibate but there are some married Church of England priests who have been allowed by the Catholic Church to continue to serve as priests, having converted to the Catholic faith. Priests who are in a parish are a focus for the life of the community. Priests also distribute all of the sacraments except holy orders, which is the preserve of a bishop. Priests can also confirm but normally only do so in emergencies though it is quite common for priests to confirm with the bishop.

A Bishop is the authority in a diocese and they are responsible for looking after all Catholics and for maintaining Church teaching in the diocese. Bishops are based in a cathedral but travel around the diocese visiting parishes especially for confirmations. A cathedral is actually the name of the chair within the cathedral building and it is the symbol of the authority of the bishop who sits and teaches from the chair (ex cathedra). Bishops were each ordained by another bishop and this chain of authority stretches back to the Apostles who received their authority from Christ. This is called Apostolic Succession and is an important theme within Catholicism.

Married Priests

It has already been seen that former Church of England priests who were already married and who converted to Catholicism can be Catholic priests. There is a debate whether all Catholic priests should be allowed to marry. Some arguments for married priests are that it would encourage more men to become priests and that for much of the history of the 2000 years history of the Church priests have been allowed to marry. Arguments against married priests include the fact that unmarried priests are the current tradition, unmarried priests distinguish Catholics from other Christians and that unmarried priests can be more dedicated to their vocation.

Women Priests

It has already been noted that the Church of England allows women priests. There is a lively debate in the Catholic Church over whether women should be allowed to be ordained as priests. Both sides of the debate are supported by groups of men and women. Arguments for women priests include gospel evidence that Jesus was close to women and treated them as equals and that there is some evidence that the early Church ordained women. For some the ordination of women priests is about basic equality and other people point out that many women have a valid vocation for holy orders. Those opposed to women priests point out that Jesus was a man and that the person who represents him in the Church should therefore ba a man. Also, they say that the Apostles were all men and that men and women are equal but also different. These people also point out that allowing women priests could cause a horrible split in the Church and so do more har than good.

Website link to the Roman Catholic Women Priests movement.

Religious Orders

The vocation to belong to a religious order is for men and women. These people are called monks or nuns and choose to live a dedicated life living in a religious community. Monks can also be priests although most are not. Living in a religious order means devoting your life to the service of others and not marrying. Some religious orders are devoted to prayer and worship, they are called contemplatives. Contemplative orders pray for individuals, the Church and the world, they believe that their prayers do good. They spend a large part of the day worshiping God as a community. The worship is mostly the singing of Psalms and recordings of this music are now popular as a form of prayer or relaxation for many people around the world. Life in a contemplative order is very structured and stable, this can allow the people in the community to find a great sense of peace. Freed from worrying about what to do, when to do it and how much will it cost, the religious can concentrate on their vocation. The freely chosen enclosure can also be very demanding. Far from being an escape from the world, the life of a contemplative can force them to face uncomfortable truths that others prefer to ignore.

Apostolic orders pray together but are also involved in work in the community like education or nursing. The life in an apostolic order is much more flexible because it has to fit in with the social work of the order. The frequent contact with wider society can be stimulating but it can also cause tension because the person feels pulled between two worlds. Both contemplative and apostolic orders are deeply challenging and require people who are willing to learn and grow from their mistakes.

Both types of order share the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. These promises are taken for life and affect the way that the religious live in community.

Poverty means living simply. Each person in the community has what they need but does not possess property. Each person is dependent on the community and recognises that ultimately all people are dependent on God. Chastity means more than refraining from sexual relationships. Chastity means being open to care for all people because the religious is freed from a dedicated relationship with a family. Obedience is given to a superior in the order. This reminds the religious that they should be obedient to God. Obedience is difficult because it means sacrificing your own wishes for others. Jesus found obedience to the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane difficult too.

The Laity

Parish Life not only involves deacons, priests and bishops. The parishioners have an equal part to play and they are called the laity. Roles within a parish are often called ministries and so Eucharistic ministers help distribute the Eucharist, reading ministers read during mass and people in the ministry of music lead the congregation in musical worship. Lay people may be involved in parish youth work, including confirmation classes, sports teams etc. Groups of people will be responsible for cleaning and preparing the church building, maintaining the structure and tending the garden. There are hundreds of tasks that are all performed as a service for others. Lay groups and societies such as the Saint Vincent de Paul Society or the Legion of Mary have a social focus and look out for the wellbeing of the parishioners and the wider society.

The role of the laity is deeper than the parish jobs they do. Each lay person, because of their baptism is chosen and special. At their baptism they were anointed with Chrism to show that they are called to be priests, prophets and Kings.

As a priest they are to offer their lives to God in their work and home life, the sacrifices they make in their own lives for others gives the life. As a prophet, that are to be an example of truth and to live the Gospel values as a witness for Christ. As a King the lay person shares in the glory of the resurrection. The role of the laity is changing because the world and the Church is changing. Different social situations call for new responses to give service to society through parish work. The decline in numbers of priests means that worship and the receiving of the sacraments must also change. The Church can look at this changing situation as a difficulty or an opportunity.