Consecration is the solemn

Ritual

A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value. It may be prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. The term usually excludes actions which are arbitrarily chosen by the performers....

 dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred

Sacred

Holiness, or sanctity, is in general the state of being holy or sacred...

". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups. A synonym

Synonym

Synonyms are different words with almost identical or similar meanings. Words that are synonyms are said to be synonymous, and the state of being a synonym is called synonymy. The word comes from Ancient Greek syn and onoma . The words car and automobile are synonyms...

 for to consecrate is to sanctify; an antonym

Antonym

In lexical semantics, opposites are words that lie in an inherently incompatible binary relationship as in the opposite pairs male : female, long : short, up : down, and precede : follow. The notion of incompatibility here refers to the fact that one word in an opposite pair entails that it is not...

 is to desecrate.
"Consecration" is used in the Catholic Church as the setting apart for the service of God of both persons and objects.
The ordination

Holy Orders

The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....

 of a new bishop

Bishop (Catholic Church)

In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....

 is also called a consecration.