The Episcopal rite of ordination is rooted in the life and ministry of the ancient Church and has been received and shaped through the Anglican tradition. Through prayer and the laying on of hands by the bishop, joined by the priests present, the Church invokes the Holy Spirit and ordains the candidate to share in Christ’s priestly ministry. The liturgy both affirms the Church’s discernment of God’s call and entrusts the newly ordained priest with the sacred responsibilities of proclaiming the Gospel, administering the Sacraments, and caring for God’s people.