The Sacrament of Holy Orders

Jesus Christ gave us the Sacrament of Holy Orders so that He would continue to be present in the Church, especially in the Sacraments and also through the priest himself who acts in the person of Jesus Christ in a unique and powerful way.  The Bishop consecrates and ordains new priests through the laying on of hands and the prayer and intention of the Church.  The priest has a responsibility to strive for holiness and conform himself to Jesus Christ, but the grace of God communicated through the Sacraments is always present regardless of the personal holiness of the priest. 

 

We should all continue to pray that God will call young men to this vocation because the priest brings Jesus to us in the Sacraments.  As Pope St. John Paul II said so beautifully, the priesthood is both a gift and a mystery, and the priest is called by God to bring people to Jesus and Jesus to people.