Chapter VIII — On Holy Orders

1. What is the sacrament of Holy Orders?

Holy Orders is the sacrament that gives the power to exercise the sacred ministries that concern the worship of God and the salvation of souls, and which imprints on the soul of him who receives it the character of minister of God.

2. Why is it called Order?

It is called Order because it consists in various degrees, one subordinated to the other, from which results the sacred Hierarchy.

3. Which are these degrees?

Supreme among them is the Episcopate, which contains the fullness of the priesthood; then the Presbyterate or simple Priesthood; then the Diaconate, and the Orders called minor.

4. Did Jesus Christ immediately institute all the degrees of Holy Orders?

Jesus Christ immediately instituted the two higher degrees of Holy Orders, which are the Episcopate and the simple Priesthood; through the Apostles, then, He instituted the Diaconate, from which derive the other inferior Orders.

5. When did Jesus Christ institute the Sacerdotal Order?

Jesus Christ instituted the Sacerdotal Order at the Last Supper, when He conferred on the Apostles and on their successors the power to consecrate the Most Holy Eucharist. On the day of His resurrection He then conferred on them the power to forgive and to retain sins, thus constituting them the first priests of the new law in all the fullness of their power.

6. Who is the minister of this sacrament?

The minister of this sacrament is the Bishop alone.

7. Is, then, the dignity of the Christian Priesthood great?

The dignity of the Christian Priesthood is very great, by reason of the twofold power which Jesus Christ has conferred on it over His real Body and over His mystical Body, which is the Church; and by reason of the divine mission entrusted to the priests of leading all men to eternal life.

8. Is the Catholic Priesthood necessary in the Church?

The Catholic Priesthood is necessary in the Church; because without it the faithful would be without the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and most of the sacraments, would have no one to instruct them in the faith, and would remain as sheep without a shepherd at the mercy of the wolves; in short, the Church as Jesus Christ instituted her would no longer exist.

9. So, will the Catholic Priesthood never cease on earth?

The Catholic Priesthood, notwithstanding the war which hell wages against it, shall last to the end of the ages; Jesus Christ having promised that the powers of hell shall never prevail against His Church.

10. Is it a sin to despise priests?

It is a most grave sin, because the contempt and insults that are directed against priests fall upon Jesus Christ Himself, who said to His Apostles: "He who despises you despises Me."

11. What must be the end of one who embraces the ecclesiastical state?

The end of one who embraces the ecclesiastical state must be solely the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

12. What is necessary to enter the ecclesiastical state?

To enter the ecclesiastical state there is necessary, first of all, the divine vocation.

13. What must be done to know whether God calls to the ecclesiastical state?

To know whether God calls to the ecclesiastical state, one must: 1. pray fervently to the Lord to manifest what His will is; 2. take counsel from one's own Bishop or from a wise and prudent director; 3. examine with diligence whether one has the ability necessary for the studies, the ministries, and the obligations of this state.

14. Would one who entered the ecclesiastical state without a divine vocation do wrong?

One who entered the ecclesiastical state without a divine vocation would do a grave wrong and would place himself in danger of perdition.

15. Do parents who, for temporal motives, induce their children to embrace without vocation the ecclesiastical state do wrong?

Parents who, for temporal motives, induce their children to embrace without vocation the ecclesiastical state likewise commit a most grave fault, because by this they usurp the right which God has reserved to Himself alone to choose His ministers, and place their children in danger of eternal damnation.

16. What are the duties of the faithful toward those who are called to the sacred Orders?

The faithful must:

1. leave their children and dependents full freedom to follow the vocation of God;

2. pray to God that He deign to grant His Church good pastors and zealous ministers, the fasts of the Ember Days being instituted also for this end;

3. have a singular respect for all those who are, through the Orders, consecrated to the service of God.