Degrees Of Holy Orders — Episcopacy
By DON FIER Both the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) and the documents of Vatican Council II are unwavering in proclaiming that “the whole Church is a priestly people” (CCC, n. 1591). All members of the faithful, through Baptism, share in the one priesthood of Christ and are called to participate in His mission of priest, prophet, and king. This baptismal vocation, as we saw last week, is called the common priesthood of the faithful or the universal priesthood. Likewise, “based on this common priesthood and ordered to its service, there exists another participation in the mission of Christ: the ministry conferred by the sacrament of Holy Orders, where the task is to serve in the name and in…Continue Reading