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. [Catechism of the Catholic Church No. 1536]

Holy Orders is the consecration of a baptized Catholic male to be a deacon, priest or bishop

A deacon can do much of what a priest does. He can baptize, witness Weddings, give blessings, preach the Gospel and preach homilies and assist at Mass. He cannot hear confessions, anoint the sick or confect the Eucharist.

There are two types of deacons, permanent and transitional. A permanent deacon can be married or single. If he is married when he is ordained he remains married and if he is single when he is ordained he remains single. If he is married when he is ordained and his wife dies he will remain single from then on. A transitional deacon is a man who going to be ordained into the priesthood at a later date and is only a deacon for a short time, usually six to twelve months. Since a transitional deacon is going to be ordained a priest he needs to be single.

Priests have never been allowed to get married. But in the past, married men have been allowed to become priest. The discipline of the Church for the last four hundred years has been that only single men are allowed to become priest. This discipline is not likely to change. Priests take a vow of celibacy, promising not to marry, which is a very wonderful and very powerful gift of themselves fully to God, just as a married man promises to give himself fully to his wife promising never to leave her and marry another woman.

Bishops are successors to the Apostles and only a priest whom the Pope has selected can be ordained as a bishop.

Becoming a nun is a wonderful vocation of giving yourself fully to God to serve Him but becoming a nun is not part of Holy Orders.

There are two types of priest, religious and secular. A secular priest, sometimes called a diocesan priest, is a parish priest who belongs to a particular diocese. Monsignor Horrigan and Fr. Wassinger are secular priests. They will always remain in the Archdiocese of Denver although they will move from parish to parish within the archdiocese. They go wherever the Archbishop tells them to go.

A religious priest belongs to a religious order. Religious order priests have different charisms or missions, which vary from order to order. Some do missionary work like the Maryknoll Fathers. Some work with the poor like the Franciscans and Capuchins. Some teach like the Dominicans and the Jesuits.

All nuns belong to a religious order and each religious order has different charisms or missions. Nuns work in parishes, do missionary work, work in hospitals and schools, they work with the poor, all depending on which religious order they belong to.

First thing to do is to pray and to listen to God. Then if you think that you are called to be a priest or deacon or nun then talk to one of the priest at the parish or someone who can answer any questions you might have. Also contact the vocation office at the chancery.

http://www.archden.org/vocations/

Feel free to contact any religious order you feel drawn to.

Missionaries of Charity. Mother Teresa of Calcutta’s order that works with the poorest of the poor. http://www.geocities.com/Athens/2960/mothert.htm

Religious Sister of Mercy Who teach at the Seminary and who work in hospitals.

http://www.rsmofalma.org/apostolate.htm

Dominican Priest and Nuns. A teaching order.

http://www.dominicans.org

Franciscan Priest and Nuns. Work with the Poor all around the world.

http://www.franciscan.org

Capuchin Priest. Archbishop Chaput is a Capuchin. Capuchins are a branch of the Franciscan order and they work with the Poor. They run the Samaritan House in Denver that is a homeless shelter. http://www.capuchin.org/

Jesuit Priest. A teaching order. http://www.jesuit.org

Maryknoll Priest and nuns. A missionary order. http://www.maryknoll.org/

Sisters of Mercy. Work in hospitals and with the sick. http://www.sistersofmercy.org/

Dominican Sisters St. Cecilia Congregation from Nashville, Tennessee. A teaching order. http://www.ewtn.com/religiouslife/women/sister11.htm

Little Sisters of the Poor. Nuns who work with the Aged.

http://www.catholicvocation.org.au/LSP.htm

Poor Clares. A cloistered convent of nuns dedicated to prayer.

http://www.poorclare.org/mission/index.html

http://www.ewtn.com/religiouslife/women/relwoman.htm

http://www.ewtn.com/religiouslife/men/relmen.htm