The Sacrament of Holy Orders refers to a unique office of pastoral leadership in the Church. The mission of the ordained priest is to be a sign, to 'make present' the leadership which Christ gives to the Church. Through the Holy Spirit, the priest is ordained as one consecrated to God as a sharer in Christ's mission to serve, teach and govern the people of God. His is more than a managerial role; this kind of leadership involves a 'holy ordering' of the many gifts of the Spirit in the Church community, and to be a unifying focal point for all the gifts. Further, in the midst of the church community he is a permanent and irrevocable sign of the saving presence of Jesus Christ. Like Christ, the priest is a servant-leader. He represents Christ and the Church.

Holy Orders is a threefold sacrament: The Bishop embodies the fullness of the sacrament and, as 'chief shepherd', has overall responsibility for the faith and unity of the Diocese. Bishop Anthony Taylor is the Bishop of the Diocese of Little Rock. Priests extend the ministry of the bishop throughout the diocese and serve in many of our parishes and schools. There are also a number of faithful and dedicated deacons in the diocese who also share in this Sacrament as ordained clergy of the church.

The Sacrament of Holy Orders presents a powerful and challenging vocation for eligible men. Parishioners are urged to identify and invite men with the appropriate gifts to consider this vocation, for the sake of our diocese. We have listed to your left the link that takes you to the Vocation web site sponsored by the diocese.

In addition to the the above, the Church also recognizes that one of the most ancient calls for men and women is to religious life. We are blessed to have Fr. William in our parish who is both our Pastor as well as a Benedictine monk of Subiaco Abbey. To learn more about religious life and specifically the monastic life, click on the link to your left that will take you to the web site of Subiaco Abbey. We have also listed two links to the Benedictine women's communities in our diocese.