Sacrament of Holy Orders

 Priestly and religious vocations are dedicated to the service of the Church as the universal sacrament of salvation.

Archdiocese of New York
Office of Vocations
201 Seminary Avenue 
Yonkers, NY 10704-1896 
914-968-1340 
Fr. Christopher Argano
Vocation Director 

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• Catholics on Call: assists young adults reflect on God's call in their lives, who may be considering the possibility of a life of service in the Church as a lay minister, religious sister or brother, or priest.
• Glossary of Terms: an alphabetical list of terms associated with vocations.
• Hearing the Call: Thinking about religious life? These may be a help.
• Vocation Tree: each individual Christian is uniquely called by God, beginning at Baptism, to go into the world and to bear much fruit. The Vocation Tree artwork helps to illustrate that this unique, individual vocation given to each Christian embodies many components.  Interactive website. 
• What is a vocation? Answers to questions regarding the nature of a vocation, what a priest is, a sister is, a brother is, etc.

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.

The ministerial priesthood differs in essence from the common priesthood of the faithful because it confers a sacred power for the service of the faithful. The ordainedministers exercise their service for the People of God by teaching (munus docendi), divine worship (munus liturgicum) and pastoral governance (munus regendi).

Priests are united with the bishops in sacerdotal dignity and at the same time depend on them in the exercise of their pastoral functions; they are called to be the bishops’ prudent co-workers. They form around their bishop the presbyterium which bears responsibility with him for the particular Church. They receive from the bishop the charge of a parish community or a determinate ecclesial office.

Deacons are ministers ordained for tasks of service of the Church; they do not receive the ministerial priesthood, but ordination confers on them important functions in the ministry of the word, divine worship, pastoral governance, and the service of charity, tasks which they must carry out under the pastoral authority of their bishop.

In the LatinChurch the sacrament of Holy Orders for the presbyterate is normally conferred only on candidates who are ready to embrace celibacy freely and who publicly manifest their intention of staying celibate for the love of God’s kingdom and the service of men.

Priesthood Vocation

• Archdiocesan Vocations Office for Priesthood: the official website for priestly vocations in the Archdiocese of New York.
• Cathedral Prep Program: a program for young men of high school age who are seriously considering the call to be a priest.
• Eucharistic Adoration for the Sanctification of Priests and Spiritual Maternity: a guide to promote Eucharistic adoration for priestly vocations.
• ForYourVocation.org: vocation resources from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop.
• Priesthood: a short YouTube video on the priesthood.

Diaconate Vocation (Deacon)

• Permanent Deacons: official website for the permanent diaconate in the Archdiocese of New York
• Dicaonate FAQ's: Frequently Asked Questions About Deacons
• The Diaconate in Three Minutes: video about the ministry of deacons

Religious Life Vocation

• A Nun's Life: is about just that--LIFE--and how to live it fully in light of the Gospel! People from around the world gather to explore God’s calling in their lives.
• Catholic News Publishing Company: Guide to Religious Ministries: publication with information on men and women's communities and volunteer opportunities.
• ForYourVocation.org: vocation resources from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop.
• Jeopardy Game on Single and Religious Life: based on the game show, it contains categories based on vocations to the single and religious life.