Deacon

After the Bishop has said the ekphonesis: And the mercies of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, shall be with all of you, [two Subdeacons take the candidate to the middle of the church, with one hand on his neck and with the other holding his hands; and they bow him as low as possible. One Deacon in the Sanctuary says Give the order.[1] They bring the candidate forward and bow him down again; and another Deacon says: Give the order. They bring him near the Holy Doors and bow him low before the Bishop, who is seated on his small throne in front of the Altar, slightly to the left. The Archdeacon says: Give the order, Holy Master.] Then two Deacons come from the Sanctuary and take the one who is to be ordained Deacon, who is standing on the Solea, and bring him into the Sanctuary, circling the Altar as they sing the following Troparia[, which are repeated by the Singers]:

Holy Martyrs, who fought the good fight and were crowned, intercede with the Lord to have mercy on our souls.

Glory to you, Christ God, boast of Apostles, joy of Martyrs, whose preaching was the consubstantial Trinity.

Isaias dance: the Virgin has conceived and given birth to a Son, Emmanuel, who is both God and man. Orient is his name, whom we magnify as we call the Virgin blessed.

[The candidate each time kisses the four corners of the Altar and knee of the Bishop on his epigonation.]

Then he approaches the Bishop and is signed three times on the head. After this the Bishop orders him to be ungirded and the towel to be removed. Then the one to be ordained leans his forehead [on his hands, which he has laid crossed and palms downward] on the Holy Table and bends his right knee. When the Archdeacon has exclaimed Let us attend, the Bishop, with his right hand placed on the head of the ordinand, declaims:

Divine grace, which always heals what is infirm and completes what is lacking, ordains N., the most devout Subdeacon, as Deacon. Let us therefore pray for him, that the grace of the All-Holy Spirit may come upon him.

And at once Lord, have mercy is chanted three times by those in the Sanctuary [by those on the right and three times by those on the left] and [in the same way] by those outside. The Bishop signs his head three times, and when the Deacon has said Let us pray to the Lord, the Bishop, with his hand on the head of the ordinand prays as follows in a low voice:

Lord, our God, by your foreknowledge you send down the gift of your Holy Spirit upon those who are appointed by your inscrutable power to become ministers and to assist in the service of your most pure Mysteries. Keep this man also, Master, whom you have been well pleased to ordain through me to the ministry of the Diaconate, in all soberness, holding the mystery of faith with a pure conscience. Give him the grace which you gave to Stephen the Protomartyr, whom you also called first to the work of your service. Count him worthy to administer in accordance with what is well pleasing to you the rank that has been given him by your loving kindness — for those who have served well, gain for themselves a fair rank — and show him to be your perfect servant. For yours is the Kingdom and the power and the glory, of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

After the Amen the Archdeacon says in a quiet voice, such that the Deacons present can hear and respond, the following Diaconal Litany:

For the peace from on high and for the salvation of our souls, let us pray to the Lord.

For the peace of the whole world, for the welfare of the holy Churches of God, and for the union of all, let us pray to the Lord.

For our Archbishop N., for his Priesthood, for help, continuance, peace, health, salvation and for the work of his hands, let us pray to the Lord.

For the servant of God N., who is now ordained Deacon, and for his salvation, let us pray to the Lord.

That our God who loves mankind will grant that his Diaconate may be without spot or blemish, let us pray to the Lord.

For our Sovereign Lady, Queen Elizabeth, the Royal Family, her Government, and all in authority, let us pray to the Lord.

For this city, for every city, town and village, and for the faithful who dwell in them, let us pray to the Lord.

For favourable weather, an abundance of the fruits of the earth, and temperate seasons, let us pray to the Lord.

For those who travel by land, air or water, for the sick, the suffering, for those in captivity, and for their safety and salvation, let us pray to the Lord.

For our deliverance from all affliction, wrath, danger and constraint, let us pray to the Lord.

Commemorating our all-holy, pure, most blessed and glorious Lady, Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, with all the Saints, let us entrust ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God.

While this is being said the Bishop, keeping his hand on the head of the candidate, prays as follows in a low voice:

God our Saviour, with your immortal voice you laid down for your Apostles the law of the Diaconate and declared the Protomartyr Stephen to be one, and proclaimed him the first to fulfil the work of the Deacon, as it is written in your Holy Gospel: Whoever wishes to be first among you, let him be your deacon. Master of all things, fill this servant of yours, whom you have counted worthy to enter upon the ministry of the Deacon, with all faith, love, power and sanctification by the indwelling of your holy and life-giving Spirit; for it is not by the laying on of my hands, but by the visitation of your rich acts of compassion that grace is given to your worthy ones, so that he, having become free of every sin, may take his stand before you without blame on the dread day of your judgement, and receive the unfailing reward of your promise. For you are our God, and to you we give glory, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

And after the Amen he places the Orarion of the newly ordained on his left shoulder, saying: Axios! And this is normally chanted three times by those in the Sanctuary, and three times by the Singers.

[Then the Bishop gives him the Cuffs, likewise saying: Axios! And this is normally chanted three times by those in the Sanctuary, and three times by the Singers.]

Then the Bishop gives him a Fan, likewise saying: Axios! [And this is normally chanted three times by those in the Sanctuary, and three times by the Singers.] And all the Deacons kiss him.

The newly ordained, taking the Fan, stands on the right-hand side of the Holy Table and fans above the Holy Things. The other Deacon stands outside the Sanctuary and says:

Having commemorated all the Saints, again and again in peace, let us pray to the Lord, etc.

At the moment of Communion the newly ordained Deacon partakes of the divine Mysteries first, before all the other Deacons, and says the Diaconal Litany in its place, that is to say:

This is the order when there is a complete Liturgy. But when the ordination takes place at the Liturgy of the Presanctified, it is to be noted that after the Presanctified Gifts have been placed on the Holy Table, before the Deacon says: Let us complete our evening prayer to the Lord, the candidate is brought forward and the Ordination takes place as we have described.

[1] In Greek Kelefsate. This is said twice in the plural and the third time in the singular, addressed to the Bishop. The latter is the exact equivalent of the Latin Jube, Domne, as in the old rite for Compline, Jube, Domne, benedicere. The meaning is really something like, ‘If you please’, ‘With your permission’. The same expression is used when a Bishop presides Vespers or a Vigil. The canonarch announces the Tone to be sung by saying to the Bishop, ‘With your permission, holy Master, Tone x’. At an ordination the expression is, in effect, the request for the clergy, the people and the Bishop to give their consent to the candidate’s ordination. The cry ‘Axios!’, ‘Worthy!’, occurs after the ordination has taken place.