the end of the second century, both the threefold office and the administration of the sacraments by bishops and presbyters were widely followed in the church. During the medieval era, an understanding of ordination developed in which it was seen as conferring a special power on priests that limited a proper administration of the Lord’s Supper to them.6 The contemporary formulation in the Catholic Catechism reflects the idea developed over a number of centuries: “Only validly ordained priests can