The Catholic hierarchy as we know and understand it today consists of three levels of ordinations: deacons, priests, and bishops.
Most Catholics have the largest number of interactions with priests, and because of this it can be easy to forget that bishops possess the full character of the Sacrament of Holy Orders, are the fullest expression of leadership in the church, and are all direct successors to the role that Christ gave to the Twelve Apostles.
This special role of bishops is crucial for the life of the Church in governance, discipline, dispensing of the Sacraments, and many other responsibilities.
In a similar way to priests, bishops are ordained by the laying on of hands. While we refer to this action for bishops as an ‘ordination’ it is more properly thought of and traditionally referred to as a ‘consecration.’
The reason for this is that when one becomes a bishop he receives the fullness and completion of Holy Orders; it is a perfection of what was there before in his previous deaconal and presbyteral ordinations.
This can also be seen in comparing the rites of priestly ordination and episcopal consecration. In the former, the ordinand receives a chalice with wine and a paten with bread, is told to offer sacrifice for the living and the dead, and has his hands anointed with oils and then bound with cloth.
In the latter, the book of the Gospels is placed on the back of the candidate’s head, his head is bound with a cloth and he is prayed over and asked to be given “the spirit of leadership.” The newly consecrated bishop then receives a mitre and crozier before being seated at a throne or cathedra for the first time.
Thus, it is typically understood that when one becomes a bishop there isn’t a new and indelible mark left on the soul as happens in Baptism or priestly ordination. It is rather a completion of the mark of the priesthood into that of a full leader of the Church.
This is said in no way to undermine the importance or necessity of bishops, but rather to exemplify their office. The overseers of the Church are given the grace of the Holy Ghost in an elevated way from how all the faithful receive Him during Confirmation.
The bishop is a sign of Christ’s Church; as St. Ignatius of Antioch wrote, “Wherever the bishop appears, there let the people be; as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.” What St. Ignatius, a Roman martyr of the early second century, said here is stunningly important: As bishops are to the faithful, so Christ is to the Church.
While the Church today is plagued with scandal after scandal, still it is important to remember that all the leaders of the Church are fallible and sinful men. We owe to the bishops of the world who are faithful (or at least those we know not to be the bearers of scandal, schism, or abuse) the benefit of the doubt, Christian charity, humble obedience, and most importantly our prayers.
Born and Raised to Jewish parents in New York City, Kai Breskin is a recent convert to the Catholic Faith. A member of the Boston College class of 2026, he is studying Political Science, Philosophy, and History. His intellectual passions include Christian theology, history, and liturgical study. His hobbies include sailing, playing the piano, and singing, with a specific focus in Gregorian Chant.
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