Holy Orders and Religious Vocations

Holy Orders and Priesthood

Holy Orders is the sacrament of ordination for priests, deacons, and bishops.


If Jesus has placed a desire in your heart for priesthood, no matter what your age, don’t ignore it. Talk to a priest you admire about how you feel.


A priest functions in persona Christi capitas—in the person of Christ, head of the Church. Thus a man who wants to be a priest must love Jesus Christ above all else. And like Jesus, he should have a deep love for the Church, the Bride of Christ. In general, a man who wants to be a priest will find himself drawn to Church teachings and “all things Catholic.”

Go to the Archdiocesan Vocations Website


Consecrated Religious Life


Consecrated Life, or religious life, is a vocation in which members live in a community with a shared apostolate (or mission), charism (the particular expression of the community’s life, the community’s “culture”), and spirituality.


All religious profess the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience (called the evangelical counsels) according to the example and recommendation of Jesus. These vows help the religious to dedicate themselves in love to God alone, and to free themselves for service to the Church.


  • Contemplative religious communities serve God through meditation, prayer and solitude. These groups are known as “cloistered” orders. Contemplative congregations live a life of cloister, constant prayer, offering of self and the daily recitation of the Liturgy of the Hours. Women who belong to this type of a religious community are called nuns and the men are called monks.
  • Apostolic or “active” orders/congregations are formed by women and men who are active in the world, serving others in a variety of ministries and apostolates. Women who belong to an apostolic religious community are called Sisters and the men are called Brothers unless they are ordained priests.
View Local Religious Communities

Vocations out of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church

Currently, one of Immaculate Conception's parishioners is studying to become a priest. Please keep seminarian Ramón Camacho in your prayers. If you would like to view the Solemn Vespers and the Commencement Ceremony this Friday in which he received his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, you may watch the video to the right.


Additionally, out of Immaculate Conception, there have been other vocations.


Priesthood:

Fr. John Amsberry


Deaconate:

Dcn. Chuck Amsberry