Holy Orders

There are three levels or degrees of Holy Orders: Bishop, Priest and Deacon. They are the ministers of the Catholic Church. By ancient tradition, the sacrament of Holy Orders can only be conferred by a bishop.

Priests, deacons and bishops continue the mission entrusted by Christ to His apostles. They are important to the Church because they dedicate their lives to ministering to the People of God in the service of the Church.

Since the time of the Apostles, the work of ordained ministry has been vital for the Christian community, and men who feel themselves called towards this ministry should carefully consider it in prayer and with the help of spiritual directors. Men who feel called to this sacrament go through many years of study and discernment before becoming ministers.

If you feel a call to the priesthood or the deaconate, talk to your local priest or visit the Diocesan Vocations Office website. Fr. Mark Mleziva  serves as the Director of Vocations for the Diocese of Green Bay and meets with men individually to help them discern a vocation and also guide them in their studies.

For more information, visit the Diocese of Green Bay website.

Lord, my God and my loving Father, you have made me to know you, to love you, to serve you, and thereby to find and to fulfill my deepest longings. I know that you are in all things, and that every path can lead to you.

But of them all, there is one path especially by which you want me to come to you. Since I will do what you want of me, I pray you, send your Holy Spirit to me: into my mind, to show me what you want of me; into my heart, to give me the determination to do it, and to do it with all my love, with all my mind, and with all of my strength right to the end. Jesus, I trust in you. Amen.