The Catechism of the Summa - Tertia Pars - XLII. OF THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY ORDERS; OF PRIESTS, BISHOPS, AND THE SOVEREIGN PONTIFF; AND OF THE CHURCH, MOTHER OF SOULS (A)

(A)
What is the sacrament of Holy Orders?

It is that sacred rite instituted by Jesus Christ in order to confer on certain men a special power whereby they are enabled to consecrate His Body for the benefit of His mystical Body (XXXVII. 2).

Is this power that is conferred one or manifold?

It is manifold; but this does not prejudice the unity of the sacrament of Holy Orders, for the inferior orders are a participation of the higher order (XXXVII. 2).

What is this higher order?

It is the order of priests who receive at their consecration the power to consecrate the Holy Eucharist (XXXVII. 2).

And what are the inferior orders?

They are all the orders below the priesthood whose duty' it is to minister to the priest in the act of consecration. First of all come those who serve the priest at the altar, namely the deacons, sub-deacons and the acolytes: the first of these have the power of distributing the Holy Eucharist at least under the species of wine on those occasions when the Holy Eucharist is distributed under both species; the second prepare the matter of the sacrament in the holy vessels; and the third present this matter. Then come those whose office it is to prepare the recipients of the sacrament, not by sacramental absolution which the priest alone has the power to give, but by turning away those that are unworthy, or by instructing the catechumens, or by exorcising the possessed: all of which offices had their raison d'être in the primitive Church, and they have always been kept in the Church in order to safeguard the integrity of its hierarchy (XXXVII. 2).

Which of these orders are called major orders, and which minor orders?

The major orders are the priesthood, diaconate, and sub-diaconate. The minor orders are four in number, viz., the acolytes, the exorcists, the readers, and the doorkeepers (XXXVII. 2, 3).

Where are these orders to be found, as a general rule, with the exception of the priesthood?

They are to be found in ecclesiastical establishments, where the members of the clergy are educated and are prepared for the priesthood.

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