Subdeacon (Noun)
Meaning
A clergyman an order below deacon; one of the Holy Orders in the unreformed western Christian church and the eastern Catholic Churches but now suppressed in the Roman Catholic Church.
Classification
Nouns denoting people.
Examples
- The subdeacon played a significant role in the ancient Christian liturgy, particularly in the celebration of the Mass.
- Historically, the subdeacon was responsible for preparing the altar and the sacred vessels before the start of the Eucharistic service.
- Although the office of subdeacon has been suppressed in the Roman Catholic Church, it still exists in some Eastern Catholic Churches.
- In the early Christian Church, the subdeacon was one of the major orders of clergy, ranking below the deacon but above the minor orders.
- The traditional functions of the subdeacon, such as assisting the deacon and priest during the liturgy, have largely been assumed by lay ministers in the modern Roman Catholic Church.