Sacraments of Service Exam Definitions

Sacraments A visible sign of God’s invisible presence. Sacraments are rituals used in the Christian Church to represent specific signs of God’s special relationship with us. Sacraments are both a gift from God [grace] and a call to serve God and others. There are seven sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders and Marriage.

Vocation A calling A calling to follow a particular career or occupation in life. Because they belong to Christ through baptism, all Christians have a vocation to become mature disciples of Christ and to become holy as active members of the Church community. They help spread the kingdom of God through a special Christian vocation as lay persons, consecrated religious, or ordained ministers. The Catholic Church outlines four possible vocations – marriage, holy orders, single life and committing oneself to a religious order (i.e. nuns and brothers).

Marriage Marriage can be defined, according to the Catholic Church, as the mutual consent of a man and a woman to live together with the intention of raising a family. It is a commitment made by a man and a woman that they will be united as husband and wife in a union that is permanent, exclusive and open to the possibility of children. When they get married Catholics speak of the sacrament of Marriage or Matrimony because they believe that this union is a mysterious reflection of the shared love between Christ and his Church.

Holy Orders Holy Orders is the sacrament through which the mission entrusted by Christ to his apostles continues to be exercised in the Church until the end of time: thus it is the sacrament of apostolic ministry. It includes three degrees: episcopate, presbyterate, and diaconate. It involves the laying on of hand, with a prayer asking God to give the powers and ministry of a bishop, priest or deacon. Holy Orders celebrate the paradox of service and leadership.

God’s Grace A gift from God received through the sacraments The gift that God freely gives people to enable them to lead good lives. Human beings have been saved by the kindness or grace of God (Ephesians 2:5) Actual grace is given by God as a help for particular human actions. Sanctifying grace is the presence of God within a person.

Laity An everyday person The laity share in the mission of the Church because of their union with Jesus Christ through baptism. This word is commonly used to describe the people of God who have not been ordained deacon, priest or bishop.

Vow A voluntary and deliberate promise made to God to do something that is good and possible. A vow may be made privately or publicly. It is public if it is accepted officially and in front of witnesses in the name of the church e.g. vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, taken by members of religious orders, are sometimes called the Evangelical Counsels.

Covenant A binding agreement between to people or groups. Covenants in ancient times were generally not made in writing, as they are today, but when people gave their word, that was serious and binding. Covenants were made and sealed with a special ceremony, which bound the people to keep their promises.

Covenant (continued) God made a covenant with the people of Israel, which meant that they would be God’s special people and would remain faithful to God. In return, God promised to protect this chosen people. Christians bind themselves to Jesus in the new covenant through Baptism.

Ordination The sacrament celebration of the giving of Holy Orders. In the ceremony the bishop places his hands on the candidate and prays that the Holy Spirit will give him the necessary spiritual gifts for carrying out his ministry of serving the Catholic community. Bishops, priests and deacons are the ordained ministers of the church.

Ordain To consecrate a member of the community for the service of the Church through the sacrament of Holy Orders.

Celibacy The vow a priest makes to remain chaste The state of being unmarried. Priests belonging to the Roman rite, and members of religious orders, remain unmarried by taking a vow of celibacy as a sign of a special kind of dedication to service and the Kingdom of God.

Sexuality Within the Catholic Christian tradition, there are clear views and teachings about sexuality and sex. These are related to the Church's beliefs in the dignity of each human person, and in the sacredness of life. It involves an adult commitment that means it is not just an action of the body but an action of the whole person - an act of self-giving. The sexual relationship between a man and a woman in marriage is considered good and holy by the Church.

Catholic Universal Church

Miter and Crosier Bishop’s hat and staff

Ordination The process of becoming a priest