Old Holy Roman Church of the English Rite: Document Archives

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.