holy orders

Holy Orders — • The sacrament by which grace and spiritual power for the discharge of ecclesiastical offices are conferred. Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Holy Orders     Holy Orders      …   Catholic encyclopedia

Holy orders — Holy Ho ly, a. [Compar. {Holier}; superl. {Holiest}.] [OE. holi, hali, AS. h[=a]lig, fr. h[ae]l health, salvation, happiness, fr. h[=a]l whole, well; akin to OS. h?lag, D. & G. heilig, OHG. heilac, Dan. hellig, Sw. helig, Icel. heilagr. See… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

holy orders — n. 1. a) the sacrament or rite of Christian ordination b) the state of having received Christian ordination 2. the ranks or grades of Christian ordination; specif., in the Roman Catholic Church, those of bishop, priest, or deacon take holy orders …   English World dictionary

holy orders — noun plural the ceremony during which someone is officially accepted into the Christian church as a priest …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

Holy Orders — The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry. In the Roman Catholic (Latin: sacri ordines), Eastern Catholic, Eastern Orthodox (ιερωσύνη [hierōsynē] …   Wikipedia

Holy orders — Order Or der, n. [OE. ordre, F. ordre, fr. L. ordo, ordinis. Cf. {Ordain}, {Ordinal}.] [1913 Webster] 1. Regular arrangement; any methodical or established succession or harmonious relation; method; system; as: (a) Of material things, like the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

holy orders — 1. the rite or sacrament of ordination. 2. the rank or status of an ordained Christian minister. 3. the major degrees or grades of the Christian ministry. [1350 1400; ME] * * * noun [plural] : the position of a Christian priest, bishop, etc. He… …   Useful english dictionary

holy orders — also Holy Orders N PLURAL Someone who is in holy orders is a member of the Christian clergy. He took holy orders in 1935 …   English dictionary

Holy Orders — see holy orders …   English dictionary

Holy Orders —    A term used to designate the Sacred Ministry, and is expressive of the position and authority of the Ministry of the Church. Holy Scripture as well as ancient authors and the universal practice of the Church bear witness to the fact that… …   American Church Dictionary and Cyclopedia

holy orders — Synonyms and related words: acolyte, acolytus, apostleship, apostolic orders, appointment, baptism, call, calling, canonization, care of souls, conferment, confirmation, consecration, deacon, diaconus, doorkeeper, election, exorcist, exorcista,… …   Moby Thesaurus