What happens during the rite of ordination?

The ordination rite has several key moments:

• Calling of the Candidates: In the ordination rite, after the opening prayers of the Mass and the scripture readings, the presentation of the candidate takes place. The candidate responds, “Present,” (in Latin, “Adsum”) steps forward and makes a sign of reverence.
• Presentation, Inquiry and Acceptance: The bishop then asks for testimony that the candidate has received proper training and is worthy of ordination. Father Christopher Gober, diocesan vocation director, attests that the candidate is prepared. The bishop then says: “Relying on the help of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ, we choose this man, our brother, for the Order of the Priesthood.” The people respond “Thanks be to God,” and also give their approval by a hearty round of applause.
• Examination of the Candidate: After the homily, the candidate approaches the bishop, who asks him if he is willing to serve Christ and His Church as a faithful priest. The examination concludes with this exchange: The bishop, “Do you resolve to be united more closely every day to Christ the High Priest, who offered Himself for us to the Father as a perfect sacrifice, and with Him to consecrate yourself to God for the salvation of all?” Candidate, “I do, with the help of God.”
• Promise of Obedience: The candidate then promises obedience to the authority of the Church and to his own religious superiors, as he kneels before the bishop. Why? The bishop is the head of the local Church. St. Ignatius of Antioch said the bishop is “typos tou Patros” – he is like the living image of God the Father. (CCC 1549) “The promise of obedience they make to the bishop at the moment of ordination and the kiss of peace from him at the end of the ordination liturgy mean that the bishop considers them his co-workers, his sons, his brothers and his friends, and that they in return owe him love and obedience.” (CCC 1567)
• Prayer for the Candidates: The bishop kneels and invites all of those present to join in prayer for the candidate. This period of prayer includes the Litany of Supplication (commonly called the Litany of the Saints). The chanting of this ancient litany is an especially moving and memorable moment in the ordination ritual. The candidate prostrates himself before the altar as the prayers of the litany invoke God’s saving mercy and the intercession of all the saints to send down the Holy Spirit upon this man, soon to be a priest.
  The Litany of the Saints is an ancient prayer. The Catholic Encyclopedia says, “It was used in the ‘Litania Septiformis’ of St. Gregory the Great, and in the procession of St. Mamertus. In the Eastern Church, litanies with the invocation of saints were employed in the days of St. Basil (d. 379) and of St. Gregory Thaumaturgus (d. about 270). It is not known when or by whom the litany was composed, but the order in which the Apostles are given, corresponding with that of the Canon of the Mass, proves its antiquity.”
• Imposition of hands: This is an outward sign of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Just as Jesus conferred His priesthood on His Apostles, so too does the bishop and other priests lay hands upon the ordinand. It is the most ancient and universal outward ritual of the Church. “The laying on of hands by the bishop, with the consecratory prayer, constitutes the visible sign” of ordination. (CCC 1538) In this moment, as the bishop lays his hands upon the head of the kneeling ordinand, he prays silently for the invocation of the Holy Spirit.
  All the other priests who are present also join in the ordination ceremony. Each one in turn lays his hands silently upon the head of the candidate. This signifies that they all belong to, and participate in, the one priesthood of Jesus Christ. It is also a sign welcoming the newly ordained into the common brotherhood as priest
• Prayer of Consecration: The bishop prays: “Grant, we pray, Almighty Father, to this, your servant, the dignity of the priesthood; renew deep within him the Spirit of holiness; may he henceforth possess this office which comes from You, O God, and is next in rank to the office of Bishop; and by the example of his manner of life, may he instill right conduct. May he be a worthy coworker with our Order, so that by his preaching and through the grace of the Holy Spirit the words of the Gospel may bear fruit in human hearts and reach even to the ends of the earth.”
• Vesting the New Priest: The newly-ordained priest now removes his deacon’s stole and is presented with the symbols of his new office in the Church: a priestly stole and chasuble. This is called the investiture.
• Anointing of the Hands: The bishop anoints the palms of the new priest with sacred chrism, praying, “The Lord Jesus Christ, whom the Father anointed with the Holy Spirit and power, guard and preserve you that you may sanctify the Christian people and offer sacrifice to God.” After the anointing with the oil, the priest’s hands are wrapped with a linen cloth. Anointing with sacred oil, or chrism, symbolizes the Holy Spirit. It is another ancient ritual that has Old Testament roots.
• Presentation of the Gifts: After the gifts of bread and wine are brought to the altar, the bishop gives to the new priest a chalice containing the wine, mixed with water, and the paten holding the bread. These are the sacred vessels used at each Mass to hold the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist. As the priest receives the chalice and the paten, the bishop says: “Receive the oblation of the holy people, to be offered to God. Understand what you do, imitate what you celebrate, and conform your life to the mystery of the Lord’s cross.”
• Kiss of Peace: Lastly, the bishop gives the kiss of peace to the new priest, saying: “Peace be with you.” The Mass continues as usual, with the new priest concelebrating fully in his first Eucharistic Sacrifice, standing close to Bishop Martin in a place of honor before the altar. The new priest also helps distribute Holy Communion.

— Catholic News Herald