Sacraments
Sacraments at the Service of Communion: Matrimony and Holy Orders
All Christians are called to their vocations to be of service to others. These two sacraments confer a special grace for a particular mission in the Church to serve and build up the People of God.
Sacrament of Marriage
This sacrament celebrates and witnesses the covenant of love between two people and symbolizes in that union Christ’s covenant of love for the Church. It is a liturgical celebration, held in a public liturgy at church, where a baptized man and woman freely express their consent to marry in front of a priest and two witnesses, and an assembly. A Catholic must seek permission to marry a baptized non-Catholic either in a Catholic Church or a non-Catholic Church. An inter-faith marriage between a Catholic and a non-baptized person necessitates a dispensation; while it is not a sacramental marriage, it is valid. For additional information, contact the Tribunal of the Diocese of Richmond.
Holy Orders
This is the sacrament through which the mission entrusted by Christ to his Apostles continues to be exercised in the Church. Orders refers to the three degrees: episcopate (bishop), presbyterate (priest), and diaconate (deacon). A priest is consecrated to preach the Gospel, to celebrate divine worship, especially the Eucharist, and to be a shepherd of the faithful. The deacon is ordained for service and carries this out by the ministry of the Word, of divine worship, of pastoral care and of charity. This sacrament is conferred by the bishop.
