Holy Orders

A bishop anointing a priest's palm during a Catholic ordination ceremony.

The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus. - St. John Vianney

"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…It includes three degrees of order: episcopate, presbyterate, and diaconate" (CCC 1536). Deacons, priests, and bishops are essential to the Catholic Church because we believe that they continue the work begun by the apostles.

Ordination is the rite at which the Sacrament of Holy Orders is bestowed. The bishop confers the Sacrament of Holy Orders by the laying on of hands which confers on a man the grace and spiritual power to celebrate the Church’s sacraments.

If you have been discerning a call to the Priesthood or the Permanent Diaconate, please visit the Vocations page on the Diocese of Harrisburg website or schedule an appointment with our Pastor to discuss the discernment process in our Diocese.

Diocese of Harrisburg "Called By Name" Campaign: An Initiative to Promote Vocations

The Diocese of Harrisburg has launched the Called by Name Campaign. If you are eligible, we invite you to be open to God’s call to the priesthood or religious life, a beautiful gift to the Church and to those called.

Members of each parish in the diocese are invited to spend time praying and reflecting on someone in our parish who may be called to the priesthood. Forms are available in the parish office to submit their name and contact information. You may also use the link below to submit a name.

The Impact of the Sisters of St. Joseph

The Sisters of St. Joseph of Chestnut Hill were responsible for educating the area’s young people continuously in the 20th century. They were initially in residency at St. Joseph’s Academy in McSherrystown, but in 1950 moved into a convent on North 3rd Street and lived there until 1986. There were several principals of Annunciation School that were Sisters of St. Joseph: Sr. Pierre Immaculate (1973-1979), Sr. Ann Marie Wierman (1980-1985), and Sr. Jude Elizabeth Lindsay (1986-1988). Sr. Ann Marie Wierman returned in 1994 to resume the duties of Principal until the school merged with Sacred Heart School, St. Vincent de Paul School, and Immaculate Conception School to become St. Teresa of Calcutta School.

Annunciation School educated the following women who entered the Sisterhood:

  • 1901: Sr. Eleanor Steffy, Sr. Agnella Klunk

  • 1911: Sr. Cora Joseph Overbaugh

  • 1914: Sr. Francis Leo Klunk, Sr. Marie deSales Smith

  • 1921: Sr. Eymard Noel, Sr. St. Louis Klunk

  • 1923: Sr. Miriam Paul Staub

  • 1925: Sr. Vera Teresa Bunty, Sr. Benedict Joseph Marshall

  • 1927: Sr. Ermenild Conrad

  • 1929: Sr. Agnes Carmel Noel

  • 1932: Sr. Ann Ignatius Wagaman

  • 1936: Sr. Seraphica Yantis

  • 1937: Sr. Ann Veronica Snyder

  • 1938: Sr. Robert Vincent Lawrence

  • 1940: Sr. Adela Slagle, Sr. Ignatia Maria Smith

  • 1941: Sr. Rose Albertine Weaver

  • 1943: Sr. Marie Berenice Weaver

  • 1945: Sr. Carmelita Smith

  • 1947: Sr. Ann Cyril Smith

  • 1949: Sr. Miriam Angela Hemler

  • 1950: Sr. Vincent Mary Staub

  • 1961: Sr. Charles Kathleen Worley

  • 1963: Sr. Jane Small

  • 1970: Sr. Francis Stephen Krichten, Sr. Joseph Doris Staub, Sr. Paula Elizabeth Knox

  • 1973: Sr. Therese Christo Sulusser