The Sacrament of Holy Orders and the Sacrament of Marriage are two Sacraments that are at the service of others. Alongside the consecrated life, the consecrated single life, and the permanent diaconate, they are vocations. A vocation is a state of life to which God personally calls an individual. God invites each of us to follow Him and live in the world in a very distinct way.

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. It sets apart an individual man to be a life-long co-worker in the Lord’s vineyard. His entire life, love, and energy is directed to the mission of Christ and His Church. Through ordination a man shares in Christ’s priesthood.

For more information about the priesthood, contact one of our parish priests at 419-738-2115 or check out the Archdiocese of Cincinnati vocations website: http://www.cincinnativocations.org/ You can also click here for more information about the priesthood in general. (Click “Next” to navigate through the pages and read the full section in the Catechism on Holy Orders.)

If you are interested in the permanent diaconate, please see more information here: http://www.catholiccincinnati.org/ministries-offices/diaconate-office/ 

The Consecrated Life or Religious Life is one dedicated to living the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience. Men and Women profess to live these counsels in a permanent state recognized by the Church. This life takes many forms: religious sister, cloistered nun, monk, friar, religious brother, or hermit. For more information about Consecrated Life click here and scroll to paragraph 914. For women’s religious, you can check out all these communities: https://cmswr.org/. If you are interested in the consecrated life, please call one of our priests.