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The path to the activities of the priest, as well as to anyprofession, begins with a special education. To become a priest, you must graduate from a theological seminary. To arrive there can the man at the age of 18-35 years, having full secondary education, single or consisting in the first marriage (the way divorced or married again for a seminary is closed). In addition to the usual documents, which are presented in all educational institutions, the applicant must submit a recommendation of the Orthodox clergyman, the written blessing of the bishop, the baptism certificate, and if the applicant is married - about the wedding. The submission of all necessary documents does not guarantee admission to the entrance examinations. The entrant must pass an interview in which his beliefs and motives for entering the seminary are checked. The main entrance examination is the Law of God. Here you need to demonstrate the knowledge of Orthodox teaching, sacred history and the liturgical statute. Other examinations are church history and church singing. The future seminarians and the examination of the Russian language in the form of an essay are handed over, but a special one is a church historical one. In addition, the entrant must know by heart a lot of prayers and read freely in Church Slavonic. They study at the seminary for 5 years. Future priests study not only theology, liturgical disciplines and church singing, but also philosophy, logic, rhetoric, literature and other humanitarian subjects. A graduate of a seminary should decide whether he will be a monk or a parish priest. In the second case, he is obliged to marry. But receiving special education does not mean that a person became a priest, because the priesthood is one of the sacraments. A person becomes a priest in the ordinance of consecration - ordination. At the same time the Holy Spirit descends upon him, and due to this the priest becomes not only a spiritual mentor for the lay people, but also a bearer of Grace. Only the bishop can perform ordination, this occurs in the altar during the liturgy.Hirotonia must be preceded by hirotésia - ordination to subdeacons. This is not a clergyman, but a clergyman. At the time of hirotésia, you do not have to be married, but if you did not get married before ordination, you can no longer marry later. An apodiac can be ordained a deacon - this is the first step in the church hierarchy. The deacon participates in the performance of the sacraments, but does not perform them independently - with the exception of Epiphany. The next step is ordination to priests. The priest, unlike the deacon, has the right to perform ordinances, except for ordination. If it is not a monk, the absolute monogamy is required of the ordained person. Not only is the divorce and remarriage of the initiate himself (even in the case of the death of the first wife) not permitted-he should not be married to a widow or a divorced woman. A person should not be a church or secular court or be bound by public duties that can interfere with priestly ministry. And, of course, from the future priest special moral and spiritual qualities are required. This is revealed in a special stavlinic confession. The third step of the hierarchy is the bishop. Such ordination is performed by the Council of Bishops. Not every priest can become a bishop, this is available only to hieromonks - priests-monks. The bishop has the right to perform all the sacraments, including ordination, and to consecrate the churches according to the full order.