The early Christians had no doubts about how to determine which was the true church and which doctrines were the true teachings of Christ. The test was simply a trace of the apostolic succession of the claimants.

The essential reference to the Apostles was the grounds for authority for any claim. The creed confesses belief in the apostolicity of the church, not regarding doctrine alone, but also the praxis in the ministry of the church. By claiming apostolicity, the church traces her foundations and mission to the Apostles, chosen and commissioned by Jesus with the mandate to be custodians and communicators of what He (Jesus) taught and did. Thus, the church establishes ‘the apostolicity of both doctrine and ministry, as well as the duty of all members of the church to maintain the link to the apostles through service and witness to the gospel’ (Nickoloff, 2007). The essay explains how this claim of the church has impacted the Eucharistic ministry, with the view that, the Eucharistic ministry is essentially the ministry of Christ, for, “at the Last Supper, on the night when He was betrayed, our Saviour instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice of His Body and Blood” (SC. n.47).

In the Catholic Teaching on Apostolic Succession, CTAS (1973), the church teaches that Christ did not only teach, so that apostolicity could be attributed solely to doctrine, but He instituted “a ministry for the establishment, animation and maintenance of this priesthood of Christians” (Chap. II, n.3), of which the first foundations of this ministry were laid when he called the Twelve. More so, the document explains this apostolicity of faith, doctrine and ministry to be received “in the visible community of the Church” (Chap. V, par. 2) and transmitted “through ordination, including a rite with a visible sign and the invocation of God (epiklesis) to grant to the ordinand the gift of his Holy Spirit and the powers that are needed for the accomplishment of his task” (par. 4). Thus, apostolic succession “bespeaks a relationship between the apostles and the episcopacy” (Macdonald, 2011), the bishops who being successors of the Apostles, are ‘sharers in Christ’ consecration and mission’ (Presbyterorum Ordinis. n.2).

I propose for understanding a dual look at what the Eucharistic ministry means. The Eucharistic ministry should be understood, as both a celebration and doctrine; just as Fulton Sheen (1962) suggests: “the Sacrament of the Eucharist has two sides – it is both a sacrifice and a sacrament.” The Eucharist is essentially the work of Christ on the cross, the ultimate sacrifice of love, an action which he foreshadowed by sacrament (the breaking of bread) on Holy Thursday.

This action was done before the Apostles, who have the mandate to perpetuate this sacramental sacrifice; “Do this in memory of me” (Lk. 22:19). This action is the celebration aspect of the Eucharistic ministry, for the sacrifice is essentially a celebration of thanksgiving (eucharistein). Secondly, Jesus deemed it fit to precede the bloody sacrifice, by the unbloody sacrament – indicative of his true and real presence, one by which one is immediately introduced to the idea of the sacrifice (Sheen, 1962). This sacramentality is what the Apostles are to be custodians of, communicating and teaching it as the true sacrament of salvation. Michael Schmaus (1975, p.5) observes that, “the sacraments are primarily orientated towards the future”, hence the Eucharistic faith is to be taught, transmitted and guarded as pointing towards the future, salvation in Christ. The real presence of Christ in the Eucharist and the salvific character of the Eucharist, is the true doctrine propagated by the Apostles and their successors through time.

Therefore, just as a sacrifice always requires action (celebration), a sacrament requires explanation (teaching of doctrine); and who better truly celebrate the sacrifice and explain what the sacrifice means in sacrament, than those who were eyewitnesses (Apostles) as well as their successors (the bishops who follow an uninterrupted line of succession by ordination from the Apostles and sharing in their ministry).