Ordination comes from the Latin word ordinatio, which means to incorporate someone into an order. In the Sacrament of Holy Orders, a man is incorporated into the priesthood of Christ, at one of three levels: the episcopate (bishop), the presbyterate (priest), or the diaconate (deacon).
The process by which an ordination is accomplished is called in Greek, Cheirotonia, which literally means the “laying on of hands.” Ordinations take place during the Divine Liturgy and with the bishop elevating the candidate through special prayers and by laying his hands upon the candidate’s head just as Christ blessed His Apostles: invoking the Holy Spirit to fill “all that is lacking” in the candidate’s attributes, character, and abilities.
Afterwards, the candidate is vested in his appropriate vesture and presented to the congregation with the phrase “Axios!” – Greek for “He is worthy!” In the olden days, this actually took place prior to the ordination as it was the lay people’s proclamation of assent to “elect” the man for entrance into the Holy Orders.
