Holy Orders

The sixth Sacrament is Holy Orders. There are seven orders: priesthood, 

deaconate, subdeaconate, acolyte, exorcist, lector, and porter. Tonsure 

(clerk-ship, clericatus) is not an order, but a formal profession of giving 

one's life to the divine ministry. The episcopate is rather a dignity than 

an order. The matter of this Sacrament is that matter which is handed 

over to the candidate at the conferring of the order. Thus, priesthood is 

conferred by the handing over of the chalice, and so each order is 

conferred by the handing over of that matter which in a special way 

pertains to the ministry of that particular order. The form of this 

Sacrament is this: "Receive the power to offer sacrifice in the Church for 

the living and the dead." And similarly power is conferred in the other 

orders. The minister of this Sacrament is the bishop who confers the 

orders. The effect of this Sacrament is an increase of grace for the 

performance of the duties of a worthy minister of Christ.

Concerning this Sacrament was the error of Arius, who taught that the 

priesthood could not be distinguished from the episcopate.