Through the Sacrament of Holy Orders, a man receives the power to act as Christ’s representative; to continue Christ’s mission on earth; to feed the Church by Word and Grace of God; to hand on authentic Church teaching; and to safeguard the Sacraments entrusted to them by God for the benefit of God's people.
By divine institution, the sacrament of orders establishes some among the Christian faithful as sacred ministers through an indelible character which marks them. They are consecrated and designated, each according to his grade (bishop, priest, or deacon), to nourish the people of God, fulfilling in the person of Christ the Head the functions of teaching, sanctifying, and governing (Canon 1008).