The Sacraments of Service are comprised of the sacraments of Holy Orders and Matrimony (marriage). They are directed toward the salvation of others; if they contribute as well to personal salvation, it is through service to others that they do so. They confer a particular mission in Church and serve to build up the People of God.
The Sacrament of Matrimony is one of the two sacraments of service. Married couples promise to serve each other with love and to serve the whole Church. They enter into a lifelong covenant of love. This is their vocation. The movement toward this life choice, the union of marriage, is a moment requiring careful deliberation and spiritual preparation.
The Sacrament of Holy Orders is the sacrament through which the ordained ministry of bishops, priests, and deacons is conferred by the laying on of hands followed by the prayer of consecration. Ordination is the sacramental ceremony in which a man becomes a deacon, priest, or bishop and enabled to minister in Christ’s name and that of the Church.
