In brief, the priest is ordained to celebrate the sacred mysteries, to preach the Word of God and to gather the people of God together. By priestly ordination he is configured to Christ as Head and Shepherd of his people. By the power of the Holy Spirit he is set at the service of the Church for the salvation of the world. “The nature and mission of the ministerial priesthood cannot be defined except through this multiple and rich interconnection of relationships which arise from the Blessed Trinity and are prolonged in the communion of the Church, as a sign and instrument of Christ, of communion with God and of the unity of all humanity” (Pastores Dabo Vobis, 12).