Second stage

Deacons

So the first stage ends and the second begins.  The Church was now growing in numbers and the time had come for the Apostles to appoint other people to help them. So they ordained the first deacons, some of whom, besides other duties, also preached and baptised, while the Apostles still administered the other Sacraments themselves, and in particular the Eucharist (Acts 6:1-7).

Presbyters

Soon, as the Apostles, and especially St Paul, set out on their missionary travels, and the Church spread far and wide, they were no longer able themselves to look after all the Christians.  So they appointed in every place men who were at this stage called both presbyters and bishops i.e. both elders (senior men) and overseers.  To these presbyters they gave Our Lord’s own authority to teach and to administer the Sacraments, and especially to celebrate the Eucharist.  So the Christians in each place were able to have the Eucharist every Sunday.  But there were two Sacraments which the Apostles continued to administer themselves.  They were Confirmation by which they made people full members of the Church, and Ordination by which they made presbyters or deacons (Acts 14:23; 20:17,28).

But apart from that there was another important difference between the Apostles and the presbyters.  The Apostles were officers of the whole Church in every part of the world.  That was their Apostolic Commission to go, in Our Lord’s place, and make disciples of all nations.  But the presbyters were only local officers of the particular Church where they were.  This meant that the Apostles had authority in every part of the Catholic Church, presbyters only in their particular church.