Wikipedia's first sentence called it “process where clergy become authorized by their denomination to perform religious rituals and ceremonies”. Today it says “process by which individuals are consecrated”.
Found by software in Wikipedia's own edit history. Not yet read by hand. The quoted words are Wikipedia's.
Compared with the live article on 2026-08-04.
We saved snapshots of this article over twenty years; you are reading the 2005 one. Red dashes: removed from Wikipedia since.Pale dots: rewritten; the numbered note shows what it says now.Red text: written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot.1 tap a number or a side note to jump between them
The opening as it read in 2005
Ordination is the process where clergy become authorized by their denomination to perform religious rituals and ceremonies. While governed by the laws and procedures of the clergy person's church, being ordained is often a requirement specified in state laws to officiate weddings. Other ceremonies that typically require endorsement of a church to perform are funerals, baby namings, baptisms, commitment ceremonies, and holiday ceremonies.1
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 17857392.
The opening as it stood in 2010 3 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated , that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies.The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination .One who is in preparation for, or who is undergoing the process of ordination, is sometimes called an ordinand .The liturgy used at an ordination is sometimes referred to as an ordinal .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 367574392.
The opening as it stood in 2015
Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated , that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies . The process and ceremonies of ordination varies by religion and denomination . One who is in preparation for, or who is undergoing the process of ordination is sometimes called an ordinand. The liturgy used at an ordination is sometimes referred to as an ordinal.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 668843517.
The opening as it stood in 2020
Ordination of a Deacon, a.d. 1520 Bishop gives the vestments of that period.Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated , that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy , who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform various religious rites and ceremonies .The process and ceremonies of ordination vary by religion and denomination . One who is in preparation for, or who is undergoing the process of ordination is sometimes called an ordinand. The liturgy used at an ordination is sometimes referred to as an ordination.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 960726430.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Process by which individuals are consecrated as clergy This article is about the process of ordaining clergy.Ordination of a Catholic deacon , 1520 AD: the bishop bestows vestments . Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated , that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy , who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform various religious rites and ceremonies . The process and ceremonies of ordination vary by religion and denomination . One who is in preparation for, or who is undergoing the process of ordination is sometimes called an ordinand . The liturgy used at an ordination is sometimes referred to as an ordination. From a sociological perspective, ordination legitimates the ordinand's role as clergy and performance of rituals.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1173071829.
The opening as it stood in 2025
Process by which individuals are consecrated as clergy This article is about the process of ordaining clergy. Ordination of a Catholic deacon , 1520 AD: the bishop bestows vestments . Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated , that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy , who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination vary by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is undergoing the process of ordination is sometimes called an ordinand . The liturgy used at an ordination is commonly found in a book known as an Ordinal which provides the ordo (ritual and rubrics) for celebrations. From a sociological perspective, ordination legitimates the ordinand's role as clergy and performance of rituals.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1294694047. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.
Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “process where clergy become authorized by their denomination to perform religious rituals and ceremonies”. Today it says “process by which individuals are consecrated”. Read the current article and compare.
2005
2010
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
Counts in the opening at each snapshot. Green: the word gained ground. Red: it was cut. Grey: no change.
What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2005, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
process where clergy become authorized by their denomination to perform religious rituals and ceremonies
Now
process by which individuals are consecrated
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.