According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, "Holy Orders is the sacrament through which the mission entrusted by Christ to his apostles continues to be exercised in the Church until the end of time: thus it is the sacrament of apostolic ministry. It includes three degrees: episcopate, presbyterate, and diaconate."

1) The bishop, or episcopus, shares the the fullness of the sacramental and pastoral ministry of Jesus Christ. Our Diocesan Bishop, the Most Reverend Edward Malesic, is the chief shepherd of all of the faithful in the Diocese of Greensburg.

2) The priest, or presbyter, is the coworker of the bishop and shares in his ministry of preaching the Word of God, celebrating the sacraments, and leading people to eternal life. The priesthood in the Diocese of Greensburg is open all unmarried Catholic men that are faithful to Jesus and the teachings of the Catholic Church. If you would like more information on discerning the Catholic priesthood, we encourage you to contact Fr. Tyler Bandura of the Diocesan Office for Clergy Vocations at 724-733-8870 or via email at tbandura@dioceseofgreensburg.org.

3) The deacon is a man ordained by the diocesan bishop to be a servant of charity in the diocese and to assist the bishop and priests of the diocese in the celebration of the divine mysteries, above all the Eucharist, in the distribution of Holy Communion, in assisting at and blessing marriages, in the proclamation of the Gospel and preaching, in presiding over funerals, and in dedicating themselves to the various ministries of charity. There are two types of deacons:
   a) Transitional Deacons - Transitional deacons are men that are in formation to be ordained priests of the diocese. Men are typically ordained transitional deacons six months to one year before they are ordained to the priesthood.
   b) Permanment Deacons - Permament deacons are single or married men, 35 years of age or older, that ordained to serve as deacons for the remainder of their life. Men who are 30 or older are invited to contact the Diocesan Office for Clergy Vocations for more information.