
PATRIARCHAL INSTRUCTION ON THE RITES FOR NEW SUB-DEACONS
Investiture with the Amice
When a cleric to be commissioned and ordained a Sub-Deacon is
vesting, he presents himself wearing the cassock and surplice to the
Bishop and kneels. The surplice is removed. The Bishop then invests
him with the amice, saying:
Receive thou the amice, by which is signified restraint of voice. In
the Name of the Father, + and of the Son, + and of the Holy + Ghost.
R. Amen.
The candidate kisses the cross of the amice as usual before the
Bishop places it over his head. The amice is left on the top of the
Sub-Deacons head. The Sub-Deacon then retires to the sacristy to
continue vesting with the alb and cincture, first pulling the amice
off the top of the head and down around the neck.
This ritual takes place at the faldstool immediately before the rite
of ordination to the Sub-Diaconate. All candidates for the
Sub-Diaconate, whether Acolytes or not, process in cassock and
surplice. After being invested with the amice, they retired to the
sacristy and are led back to the Bishop by the Archdeacon or another
appointed priest.
Presentation of the Sacred Vessels
After the rites of ordination are completed and, if the ordination is
conducted during the mass, the mass itself is completed, the Bishop
presents to each new Sub-Deacon the items symbolic of his liturgical
duties. The Bishop receives into his right hand an empty chalice and
into his left hand an empty paten. The Sub-Deacon, kneeling before
the faldstool, touches both the chalice and paten with his right hand
in such a way that his right thumb touches the chalice and his right
index finger touches the paten. This is symbolic of the Sub-Deacon's
right to handle the Sacred Vessels. As the chalice and paten are
presented, the Bishop says:
Behold what ministry is entrusted unto thee. Therefore, conduct
thyself in a manner pleasing to God.
Then the Archdeacon or another appointed priest takes a cruet filled
with wine in his right hand and a cruet filled with water in his left
hand. The Sub-Deacon still kneeling before the faldstool, the
Archdeacon holds the cruets so that the new Sub-Deacon may touch them
with his right hand, the right thumb touching the cruet of wine, and
the right index finger touching the cruet of water. Then the
Archdeacon or another appointed priests takes a lavabo basin in his
right hand and a lavabo towel in his left hand, holding them so that
the new Sub-Deacon, still kneeling at the faldstool, may similarly
touch them with his right hand. His right thumb touches the basin,
the right index finger the towel. This being completing, the
Sub-Deacon kisses the ring of the Bishop, who blesses the Sub-Deacon
with the sign of the Cross. The Sub-Deacon rises and goes to his place.