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A question for the group:

In my random study of the eastern churches I have noticed a lot of mention of the minor orders--particularly subdeacon, lector, etc. Are these the actual minor orders, or is it much as in the western Church, just a term used for someone performing a liturgical role (ie, I am a lector in my RC church in that I read for the assembled, but I am not a Lector invested by a Bishop).

If they are the actual minor orders, how does one go about receiving them. Is it a step towards the priesthood? Or is it a functioning "perminant" ministry?

Forgive an ignorant Roman Catholic if I have misused or misunderstood terms.

Lord Have Mercy,

Neil

Neil,

You actually asked 4 questions.

The answers are yes, yes, yes, and yes.

Altar servers perform the ministry of the subdeacon, and this is carried out by men, teens, and youth. Yet there are some men like myself who have received tonsure and the minor orders of candle-bearer, cantor, and lector at the hands of the eparch (bishop). During the same liturgy, I also received the order of subdiaconate.

At this time, the Metropolia of Pittsburgh has not chosen to make the minor orders a permanent ministry for those who have received them. The minor orders have been received by those men who are preparing for the diaconate and the priesthood and have been called by their respective bishop.

(Subdeacon) John Montalvo

Christ is Baptized in the Jordan! For Our Salvation!

Dear Neil, the particular law for the Ukrainian Catholic Church in the USA has specific provisions for minor orders, especially subdiaconate, who do not wish or are not able to pursue the diaconate and priesthood.

The Instruction for Implementing the Liturgical Prescriptions of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches makes specific mention about recommending the restoration of the minor orders. In fact, Article 74 is titled, "The ancient practice of minor orders is to be maintained". Within Article 74 we read the following: "Far from abandoning them (minor orders) the reforms of the particular laws of the different Churches should rather restore them to greater significance and vitality". Gets to the point right there.

The Toronto Eparchy has a specific subdiaconate training program and a couple other Ukrainian Catholic eparchies are also considering adopting a similar program.

I was ordained to the subdiaconate after the third year of my five-year Ukrainian Catholic diaconate program. I'm sure any of the three Ukrainian eparchial diaconate programs would work with a candidate that wished only to pursue the subdiaconate. Are you the same Neil with a wife expecting her first child I ran into in Orangeville back in 2001 ?

Subdeacon Randolph, a sinner

The holy canons, repeated in the Old Rite sluzhebnik remind us that apart from ordained and tonsured clerics, the only person allowed into the altar is the ponomar - the sexton. If this is obeyed, the subdeacon occupies an important role.

Spasi Khristos -
Mark, mok and sinner

Yes, the minor orders are also alive in the Eastern Orthodox Church, with tonsure as a reader or ordination as a subdeacon still practiced.

Whether or not these are "the first step toward the priesthood" can be debated. Generally, the OCA, with considerable Roman influence in its past, views them that way. However, the Antiochian Archdiocese in North America tonsures females as readers and considers them (tonsured female readers) as among the singers and not the clergy (an interesting maneouver). My friend preached at such a tonsure (it was also his ordination to the subdiaconate) and stated emphatically that this tonsure was NOT the first step toward ordination as a priest(ess).

Regarding subdeacons, they may, in the Byzantine tradition (vs. the Slavic/Rus tradition) serve more as deacons, reading petitions (little litanies) and passing through the royal doors. The Albanians, Antiochians, Greeks and others have kept this tradition for ordained subdeacons, although within the OCA, this has been denied to the Albanians.

The minor orders should be a great blessing and support to the local presbyter and parish.

In Christ.

Dear Friends,

Yes, one may fulfill the liturgical role of Reader or Cantor or Subdeacon (altar server) without being formally blessed by the bishop.

But when individuals are so blessed/tonsured, they are considered to be part of the clergy - absolutely in the Subdeacon's case since if he is ordained Subdeacon in the celibate state, he is no longer free to marry.

Altar Servers in the Eastern Church also go to the priest who is to serve the Divine Liturgy and ask for his blessing to fulfill their role on that day etc.

I believe that in the Anglican Church, one may don the robes of a Subdeacon without having been ordained such and perform that role.

Alex

Thank you for all your responses, much to consider.

I almost went to Orangeville in 2001, but did not, sorry.

Neil

The Armenians, I have been told, will sometimes allow deacons to marry. In the Byzantine tradition, this has been allowed sometimes for subdeacons.

Both of these are exceptions, outside of the canon and usually have been made for men who have already identified or completed an engagement with a woman prior to their ordination. Sometimes they have been ordained because of the needs of a particular crisis and been blessed to marry that same woman shortly thereafter.

I'm not well-disposed to these exceptions, but they have been around "here and there."

In Christ

The ancient canons state this, and my own eparchial bishop is of opinion they're still binding, so my ordination was not celebrated as early as I'd wished.
However, actual practice in our "Uniate" Church
has been very inconsistent and the present CCEO
states nothing about subdiaconate as an marriage impediment.

If our Church is Eastern too, you should replace
"go" and "ask" by "should go" and "should ask".

Sincerely,
subdeacon Peter

Dear Subdeacon Peter,

You are right!

But I think that there is much that our canons and present-day "Uniate" practice omits that is, nevertheless, an integral part of our Eastern, Kyivan Church traditions.

We are all responsible for knowing and obeying the traditions such as you mention WHETHER OR NOT our current rules issued by our bishops require them.

For example, the Orthodox rules requiring fasting - I don't care what our local bishop or national bishops have said on the matter - we are to follow the ancient tradition - PERIOD.

Just when my in-laws are happy that the fasting rules "don't apply to them," their doctor tells them they shouldn't be eating so much meat anyway!

If we limited ourselves to doing only that which is overtly proclaimed by our bishops, we wouldn't be much of an Eastern Church at all!

In our Church, the bishops have "shortened" the Liturgy and this is now the rule. Our Liturgy actually sounds silly with those changes and my parish, at least, ignores the bishops' earlier ruling on the matter and has the full Second Antiphon etc.

Alex