Возложение руки на главу посвящаемого

Чтение молитвы

Первое омовение рук архиерея

Второе омовение рук архиерея

Архиерейское благословение

3. Идейный смысл священнодействий поставления в иподиакона

The office of a subdeacon - assistant to a deacon - is the highest degree of church service. The rite of consecration to the rank of subdeacon, as well as the rite of consecration to the rank of reader and singer, is performed not in the altar, but, as it is said in the rite, "in the midst of the church." This, according to the explanation of St. Simeon of Thessalonica, means that the consecrated is assigned "not to participate in the prayers of the holy altar, but to serve outside of it and to other affairs according to the needs of the Church."

St. John Chrysostom likens the orarion with which the protégé is girded to angelic wings, and the cross-shaped girdling of the orarion signifies the readiness of the consecrated person to serve in prayer and the Sacraments, which distinguishes the subdeacon from the services of other clergymen who do not have an orarion. The blessing of the head with the sign of the cross means, according to the interpretation of Symeon of Thessalonica, that Christ Himself, who suffered on the Cross, "raises the initiate to perfection and to Him he is consecrated."

The washing vessel and towel serve as a visible expression of the consecrated's care and love for the "splendor of the house" of God, and participation in the rite of washing the hands of the bishop marks the beginning of the subdeacon's ministry.

After the exclamation of the Liturgy, "And let there be mercies," the newly-ordained is taken by the subdeacons to the altar, and, having received a blessing from the bishop, "will become a subdeacon" (Official).

The subdeacon communes of the Holy Mysteries immediately after the deacons, which emphasizes that the office of subdeacon is a preparatory step for the deaconate priesthood.

Ordination to the deacon

1. The history of the establishment of the rite

The rank of deacon in the Christian Church was established by the apostles, who proposed to elect seven people "of renown, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom" to serve the meal in the Jerusalem community. The elect were set before the apostles, and they, "having prayed, laid their hands on them" (Acts 6:1-6). Thus

- through election, ordination before the Apostles, prayer and ordination from the Holy Apostles - the first deacons were consecrated.

Since the time of the Holy Apostles, the deaconate has been continuously preserved in the Orthodox Church as the lowest degree of the priesthood.

In accordance with their initial election to "serve the meals," it is the duty of the deacons to assist the presbyter and bishop in the divine services, in the administration of the flock and its edification. In the Apostolic Decrees it is said: "Let the deacon be in mind, eye, mouth, heart and soul an angel and prophet of the bishop and presbyter." For this reason, deacons, according to the Apostolic Tradition, are, as it were, "ministering spirits, sent to serve for those who have to inherit salvation" (Heb. 1:14). In accordance with this appointment of the deacon, it is indicated that during divine services, as well as outside of divine services, the deacon does not bless, but receives a blessing from the bishop and the prosbyter" (Lent Apostolic, canon 7 of the Sixth Ecumenical Council).

In ancient times, the range of duties of a deacon included, in addition to those listed above, also caring for the poor; the deacons were to deliver the Eucharist to the sick and to those Christians who could not come to the service, and to perform other official functions on behalf of the bishop. Like the first deacons Stephen and Philip (Acts 7, 8, 5, 12, 34-40), deacons in subsequent centuries preached the word of God in divine services. This is what St. John Chrysostom, St. Ephraim the Syrian, and St. Gregory the Great did when they were deacons. Sometimes deacons were confidants of the patriarch or metropolitan in certain matters: for example, St. Athanasius of Alexandria in the rank of deacon was at the First Ecumenical Council, and instead of the holy bishop, on his behalf, he denounced and condemned Arius. Sometimes deacons were instructed to supervise the safety of church property, to test the behavior of persons wishing to become ministers of the Church, and also to take care of widows and orphans (St. Vas. Vel., p. 89).

According to the customs of the ancient Church, ordination to the deacon is performed after a preliminary trial of the person to be consecrated, the cleansing of sins by prayer, fasting and repentance, provided that he enters into a Christian marriage once.