Holy Orders is the sacrament through which the mission entrusted by Christ to his apostles continues to be exercised in the Church until the end of time: thus it is the sacrament of apostolic ministry. It includes three degrees: episcopate (bishops), presbyterate, (priests) diaconate (deacons).

The priestly vocation is a mystery. It is the mystery of a "wondrous exchange" –admirabile commercium– between God and man. A man offers his humanity to Christ so that Christ may use him as an instrument of salvation, making him, as it were, into another Christ. Unless we grasp the mystery of this "exchange," we will not understand how it can be that a young man, hearing the words "Follow me!," can give up everything for Christ in the certainty that if he follows this path, he will find complete personal fulfillment.

To learn about Holy Orders, visit our Faith Formation section on Sacramental Preparation.