Ordination to Priesthood (Teachings of the Orthodox Church)

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And if thy hand cause thee to stumble, cut it off: it is good for thee to enter into life maimed, rather than having thy two hands to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire. where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thy foot cause thee to stumble, cut it off: it is good for thee to enter into life halt, rather than having thy two feet to be cast into hell, where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thine eye cause thee to stumble, cast it out: it is good for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell; where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

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	Ordination to Priesthood (Teachings of the Orthodox Church)

QUESTION:

I am interested in the priesthood, and I am new to the Orthodox faith, coming over from Roman Catholic, where I was a member of a religious order. Can you tell me what I need to do?

ANSWER:

Assuming that you are now a member of a parish of the Orthodox Church in America, one would normally enroll in one of the OCA's seminaries and obtain a MDiv degree in preparation for ordination to the priesthood. It is also recommended that one who has converted to Orthodoxy be an active member of a parish for an appreciable period of time prior to entering seminary.

If you are an older individual who perhaps already has an MDiv, you might consider the OCA's late vocations program. However, study at one of the seminaries is highly recommended for anyone capable of doing so.

Published in January 2011.

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