HOLY ORDERS: AN ORDINATION

 PART OF SEVEN SACRAMENTS SERIES 

Photo: Pinterest

Author: Ken Klark L. Flores

Introduction

Ordination is the process of consecrating an individual to the clergy, making them a religious leader authorized to perform rites and ceremonies. The term can also refer to a statistical technique used to analyze data. In a religious context, it is a ceremony where a person is officially made a priest, minister, or rabbi, often through an act like the laying on of hands (Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d.)

Origins and Development

This rite derived the ceremony from the "Semikha", a Jewish custom of ordaining rabbis by the laying on of hands. In the Old Testament, Moses ordained Joshua (Numbers 27:18, 23; Deuteronomy 34:9). In the Early Church Era, there are seven are ordained by Twelve Apostles (Acts 6:6), and Barnabas and Apostle Paul were commissioned by prophets and teachers at Antioch (Acts 13:3).

Ordaination confers a spiritual gift of grace, according to Pastral Letters (1 Timothy 4:14; 2 Timothy 1:6). It also extant the oldest ordination prayers are contained in the Apostolic Hippolytus of Rome. This rite is now known in Catholicism as Holy Orders, although it recognized in Orthodox, Anglicans, and Old Catholics, but their practices may vary.

In the Catholic Church

Holy Orders is a sacrament in the Catholic Church that ordains men to become bishops, priests, or deacons, empowering them to exercise sacred duties and continue the mission of the apostles. Through the rite of ordination, a bishop lays his hands on the candidates and prays for the Holy Spirit's bestowal (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1994, 1536).

In Orthodox

holy orders are the sacrament of ordination through which men are set apart for ministry as bishops, priests, and deacons. This process, which dates back to the apostles, is considered essential for the continuity of the Church and is performed via the laying on of hands by a bishop, granting the recipient the power of the Holy Spirit to serve (St. George media, 2016)

Aside from Major orders, there's Minor orders, consist of Sub-deacon - An ancient order that still exists today, along with others like the Reader and Cantor, and Reader - A commissioned role to perform specific liturgical duties, such as reading scripture (All-Saints Greek Orthodox Church, 2019)

In Protestant Denominations

Anglicans also considers holy orders a sacrament, though some Anglican churches may view it as a sacred rite rather than a sacrament. The ordinal, a book containing the rites for ordination, was first created in 1550 and included in the Book of Common Prayer in 1552 (Holy Trinity Church - Costa Mesa, 2022). Holy Orders is considered one of the seven sacraments by many Anglicans, though it may be viewed as having a lesser status than Baptism and the Eucharist. 

Old Catholic movements view Holy Orders similarly to the Roman Catholic Church, as the sacrament of apostolic ministry, with the three degrees of bishop, priest, and deacon. The Old Catholic understanding is rooted in the transmission of authority from the apostles through the laying on of hands.

Most Protestant Denominations, particularly those with a more developed concept of the "priesthood of all believers," do not consider clergy ordination a sacrament. Some Lutherans recognized as Orders, Plymouth Brethren and Pentecostals uses the term ordinance. Some churches, such as certain Anabaptist groups, have a different understanding of sacraments and rites, with some even considering rites like foot washing as sacraments. 

In Pentecostalism and Evangelicalism, ordination is a formal religious ceremony where individuals are recognized and affirmed by a church for a lifelong ministry role, such as a pastor or minister.

References

Encyclopedia Britannica (n.d.). Ordination | religion.  https://www.britannica.com/topic/ordination

St George Media. (2016). Holy Ordination. https://www.stgeorgemedia.org/ordination

‌ All-Saints Greek Orthodox Church (2019). Holy Orders. https://www.allsaintstoronto.ca/holy-orders

Holy Trinity Church - Costa Mesa. (2022, December 25). Anglican Ecclesiology: Holy Orders and Church Polity. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqqo3FGbN8U

Old Catholicism (2024). Order of the Most Holy Mary Theotokos. Osst-Abbey.org. https://osst-abbey.org/old-catholicism.html

Disclaimer 

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect the views of any religious organization or denomination. This article is for religious and educational purposes only.

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