Nicklaus Ewald Winker

What is Ordination?

Ordination is the comman name used for the sacrament of Holy Orders. As you might remember from the Baltimore Catechism: "Holy Orders is the sacrament through which men receive the power and grace to perform the sacred duties of bishops, priests, and [deacons]." The important term is "order," meaning a rank or group. The sacrament of Holy Orders is a ritual sign which sets a man apart for service to God. There are three orders, or roles of service in the Church established by Christ. The first order is deacon. Deacons receive the Holy Spirit in order to be ministers of the word and to share especially in the servanthood of Christ. The second order is priest. Priests receive the Holy Spirit so that they have the power to celebrate Mass and forgive sins. Priests can celebrate Mass, turning bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus. Priests also can hear confessions and give absolution in the name of Jesus. The third order is bishop. Bishops have the fullness of the priesthood and lead the Church.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church on Holy Orders
The Surprisingly Accurate Wikipedia Entry on Holy Orders

What happens at an Ordination?

Mass begins as usually but after the Gospel the men to be ordained are called up to the altar. There the priest in charge of the seminary presents them to the bishop and testifies that they are ready to be ordained to the priesthood.

The homily

The bishop then delivers his homily and instructs the men in the duties of the priesthood. He does this from his chair, or cathedra to show both is authority as bishop and his father like care for those to be ordained.

The candidate then make promises to live a holy life, to not get married and of obedience. To make the promise of obedience the candidate kneels before the bishop and places his hands into the bishops hands.

The Litany of the Saints

After the promises the Church invokes the prayers of the saints over the men while they lie prostrate in supplication. This act of laying down expresses the man humility before God. Everyone in the church, led by the bishop kneels, in prayer for the men while they sing the litany of the saints. The litany calls upon many saints to help the men become good priests. laying on of hands

The the bishop and then all the priests present lay hands on each man to call down the Holy Spirit. This is an ancient gensture used to confer the Holy Spirit by the Apostles themselves. This is shown in Acts 4:17 "Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit." It was also used to by St. Paul to ordain Timothy a bishop, Tim 4:14

The Bishop prays a prayer of consecration and the men are now priests. The new priests put on priestly vestments with the help of another priest. Annointing of hands with chrisim

After they have been vested the bishop in an ancient sign of the priesthood anoints their hands with oil in preparation for the holy work they have ahead of them as priests. This blessed oil, chrism was blessed by the bishop on holy Thursday and is used for the sacrament of Confirmation. It is a richly perfumed oil and has a strong smell which is hard to get out. This oil is wiped off on a cloth which is traditionally given to the man's mother.

The bishop also places into their hands a bread and wine for the day's Mass entrusting them with their priestly duty to celebrate Mass for God's people.
Finally the bishop and all the priests greet the new priests with the sign of peace and Mass continues with the new priests concelebrating with the bishop.

How long does it take?

The Ordination Mass will probably be a little over two hours long.

4431 Lindell Boulevard
St. Louis, Missouri 63108

View Larger Map

http://cathedralstl.org/

Where to Park?

Unfortunately the current parking lot for the Cathedral is rather limited. By the time of Ordination the new surface parking lot one block west on Lindell should be complete. Another good place to look is behind the church on Maryland Ave. As long as you stay west of St. Louis University, you should not have to feed meters on a Saturday.

View The Cathedral in a larger map

Where should I sit?

While there should be plenty of room in the Cathedral for anyone who wants to be there, there are certain pews reserved for immediate family. This is so my or one of my classmate's mother is not stuck in the back. So please be respectful of the reserved pews, but if the spot is not reserved your welcome to sit there.