The ordained ministry or ministerial priesthood is at the service of the baptismal priesthood. The saving mission entrusted by the Father to his incarnate Son was committed to the apostles and through them to their successors: they receive the Spirit of Jesus to act in His name and in His person. The ordained minister is the sacramental bond that ties the liturgical action to what the apostles said and did and, through them, to the words and actions of Christ, the source and foundation of the sacraments. (Catechism of the Catholic Church no. 1120)
For more information about ordained ministry or the religious life (communities of men and women), contact: The Vocations officeat the Diocese of Richmond.
