Ministers in the church, as they are called. Hierarchy of clergy in the Orthodox Church

The hierarchical principle and structure must be observed in any organization, including the ROC, which has its own church hierarchy. Surely every person attending divine services or otherwise involved in the activities of the church paid attention to the fact that each clergyman has a certain rank and status. This is expressed in a different color of attire, a type of headdress, the presence or absence of jewelry, the right to conduct certain sacred rites.

Hierarchy of clergy in the Russian Orthodox Church

Russian clergy Orthodox Church can be divided into two large groups:

• white clergy (those who can marry and have children);
• black clergy (those who renounced worldly life and took monastic orders).

Ranks in the white clergy

Even in the Old Testament scripture it is said that before Christmas, the prophet Moses appointed people whose task was to become an intermediate link in God's communication with people. In the modern church system, this function is performed by white priests. Inferior representatives white clergy do not have holy orders, they include: altar boy, psalmist, subdeacon.

altar boy- a person who helps the clergyman in conducting services. Also, such people are called sexton. Staying in this rank is a mandatory step before receiving the holy dignity. The person who performs the duties of an altar boy is worldly, that is, he has the right to leave the church if he changes his mind about connecting his life with the service of the Lord.

His responsibilities include:

• Timely lighting of candles and lamps, control over their safe burning;
• Preparation of robes of priests;
• Offer prosphora, Cahors and other attributes of religious rites in time;
• Light a fire in a censer;
• Bring a towel to your lips during communion;
• Maintenance internal order in church buildings.

If necessary, the altar boy can ring the bells, read prayers, but he is forbidden to touch the throne and be between the altar and the Royal Doors. The altar boy wears ordinary clothes, a surplice is put on top.

Acolyte(otherwise - a reader) - another representative of the white lower clergy. His main duty: reading prayers and words from Holy Scripture (as a rule, they know 5-6 main chapters from the Gospel), explaining to people the basic postulates of the life of a true Christian. For special merits, he may be ordained a subdeacon. This procedure is carried out by a clergyman of a higher rank. The clerk is allowed to wear a cassock and a skuf.

subdeacon- Father's assistant in conducting services. His attire: surplice and orarion. With the blessing of the bishop (he can also elevate the psalm-reader or altar boy to the rank of subdeacon), the subdeacon receives the right to touch the throne, as well as enter the altar through the Royal Doors. His task is to wash the hands of the priest during divine services and give him the items necessary for the rites, for example, ripida and trikiriya.

Church orders of the Orthodox Church

The above ministers of the church do not have a holy order, and, therefore, are not clergymen. These are ordinary people living in the world, but wanting to get closer to God and church culture. They are accepted to their positions with the blessing of the clergy who are higher in rank.

Diaconal Degree of Churchmen

Deacon - lowest rank among all churchmen who have holy orders. His main task is to be an assistant to the priest during worship, they are mainly engaged in reading the gospel. Deacons do not have the right to conduct worship on their own. As a rule, they carry out their service in parish churches. Gradually, this church rank loses its significance, and their representativeness in the church is steadily declining. Deacon ordination (the procedure for ordination to church rank) is carried out by a bishop.

Protodeacon- chief deacon at the temple or church. In the last century, this rank was obtained by a deacon for special merits; at present, 20 years of service in the lower church rank are required. The protodeacon has a characteristic attire - an orarion with the words “Holy! Holy! Holy." As a rule, these are people with a beautiful voice (they sing psalms and sing at divine services).

Pastoral Degree of Ministers

Priest in Greek means "priest". Junior title of the white clergy. The ordination is also carried out by the bishop (bishop). The duties of a priest include:

• Conducting sacraments, divine services and other religious rites;
• Conducting communion;
• Carry the covenants of Orthodoxy to the masses.

A priest does not have the right to consecrate antimensions (clothes of matter made of silk or linen with a particle of the relics of an Orthodox martyr sewn into it, located in the altar on the throne; a necessary attribute for holding a full liturgy) and to conduct the sacraments of ordination of the priesthood. Instead of a klobuk, he wears a kamilavka.

Archpriest- a title awarded to representatives of the white clergy for special merits. The archpriest, as a rule, is the rector of the temple. His attire during worship and church sacraments is an epitrachelion and a riza. An archpriest who has been awarded the right to wear a miter is called a mitre.

Several archpriests can serve in one cathedral. The consecration to the archpriest is carried out by the bishop with the help of chirotesia - the laying on of hands with prayer. Unlike ordination, it is held in the center of the temple, outside the altar.

Protopresbyter - highest rank for the white clergy. Assigned in exceptional cases as an award for special services to the church and society.

The highest church ranks belong to the black clergy, that is, such dignitaries are forbidden to have a family. A representative of the white clergy can also take this path if he renounces worldly life, and his wife supports her husband and becomes a nun.

Also on this path are dignitaries who have become widowers, since they do not have the right to remarry.

The ranks of the black clergy

These are people who have taken monastic vows. They are forbidden to marry and have children. They completely renounce worldly life, giving vows of chastity, obedience and non-possession (voluntary renunciation of wealth).

The lower ranks of the black clergy have many similarities with the corresponding ranks of the white. Hierarchy and responsibilities can be compared using the following table:

Episcopal degree of clergy

Bishop belongs to the category of bishops. In the process of ordination, they received the highest Lord's grace and therefore have the right to conduct any sacred actions, including the ordination of deacons. All bishops have the same rights, the eldest of them is the archbishop (has the same functions as the bishop; raising to the rank is carried out by the patriarch). Only the bishop has the right to bless the service with the antimis.

He wears a red robe and a black hood. The following appeal is accepted to the bishop: "Vladyka" or "Your Eminence."

He is the head of the local church - the diocese. Chief pastor of the district. Elected Holy Synod by order of the patriarch. If necessary, a vicar bishop is appointed to assist the diocesan bishop. Bishops wear a title that includes the name of the cathedral city. A candidate for bishopric must be a member of the black clergy and over 30 years of age.

Metropolitan is the highest title of a bishop. Reports directly to the patriarch. Has a characteristic attire: a blue mantle and a hood white color with a cross made of precious stones.

San is given for high services to society and the church, is the oldest, if you start counting from the formation of Orthodox culture.

Performs the same functions as the bishop, differing from him in the advantage of honor. Before the restoration of the patriarchate in 1917, there were only three episcopal sees in Russia, with which the rank of metropolitan was usually associated: St. Petersburg, Kyiv and Moscow. There are currently over 30 metropolitans in the Russian Orthodox Church.

Patriarch- the highest rank of the Orthodox Church, the chief priest of the country. Official representative ROC. From the Greek patriarch is translated as "the power of the father." He is elected at the Bishops' Council, to which the patriarch reports. This is a life-long dignity, the deposition and excommunication of the person who received it, is possible only in the most exceptional cases. When the place of the patriarch is not occupied (the period between the death of the previous patriarch and the election of a new one), his duties are temporarily performed by the appointed locum tenens.

He has the primacy of honor among all the bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church. Carries out the management of the church together with the Holy Synod. Contacts with representatives of the Catholic Church and the highest dignitaries of other faiths, as well as with state authorities. Issues decrees on the election and appointment of bishops, directs the institutions of the Synod. Accepts complaints against bishops, giving them a move, rewards clerics and laity with church awards.

A candidate for the patriarchal throne must be a bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church, have a higher theological education, be at least 40 years of age, and enjoy a good reputation and the trust of the church and people.

Orthodox worship can only be performed by people who have undergone a special initiation - ordination. All together they make up the church hierarchy and are called the clergy.

Priest in full dress

Only a man can be a priest in the Orthodox Church. Without detracting from the dignity of a woman, this institution reminds us of the appearance of Christ, who is represented by the priest during the celebration of the sacraments.

But not every man can be a priest. The Apostle Paul names the qualities that a clergyman should possess: he should be blameless, once married, sober, chaste, honest, disinterested, quiet, peace-loving, should not love money. He must also govern his family well, so that his children are obedient and honest, because, as the apostle notes, “whoever does not know how to govern own house, will he care for the Church of God?

In the Old Testament times (about 1500 years before the birth of Christ), by the will of God, the prophet Moses chose and consecrated special persons for worship - high priests, priests and Levites.

In the times of the New Testament, Jesus Christ chose 12 closest disciples - the apostles - from the multitude of His followers. The Savior has given them the right to teach, worship, and lead the believers.

At first, the apostles did everything themselves - baptized, preached, dealt with household issues (collection, distribution of donations, etc.). But the number of believers quickly increased. In order for the apostles to have enough time to fulfill their direct mission - to perform divine services and preach, they decided to entrust economic and material issues to specially selected people. Seven people were chosen to become the first deacons of the Christian Church. After praying, the apostles laid hands on them and dedicated them to the service of the Church. The ministry of the first deacons (Greek: "servant") consisted of caring for the poor and helping the apostles in the performance of the sacraments.

When the number of believers went into the thousands, twelve people could no longer physically cope with either the sermon or the sacred rites. Therefore, in big cities the apostles began to ordain some people, to whom they transferred their duties: to perform sacred actions, teach people and manage the Church. These people were called bishops (from the Greek "overseer", "guardian"). The only difference between the bishops and the first twelve apostles was that the bishop had the right to minister, teach and govern only in the territory entrusted to him - his diocese. And this principle has been preserved to our time. Until now, the bishop is considered the successor and representative of the apostles on earth.

Soon the bishops also needed helpers. The number of believers grew, and the bishops big cities every day I had to perform divine services, baptize or bury - and at the same time in different places. The bishops, to whom the apostles gave the power not only to teach and serve as priests, but also to ordain priests, began to ordain priests following the apostolic example. They had the same power as bishops with one exception - they could not ordain people and performed their ministry only with the blessing of the bishop.

Deacons helped both priests and bishops in their ministry, but they did not have the right to perform the sacraments.

Thus, from the time of the apostles to today There are three levels of hierarchy in the Church: the highest is the bishop, the middle is the priest, and the lowest is the deacon.

In addition, all the clergy are divided into " white" - married, and " black"- the monks.

Priestly ranks of white and black clergy

There are three hierarchical levels of the priesthood, each with its own hierarchy. In the table you will find the ranks of the white clergy and the corresponding ranks of the black clergy.

The deacon assists bishops and priests during divine services. Having received a blessing, he has the right to participate in the celebration of church sacraments, to concelebrate with bishops and priests, but he does not perform the sacraments himself.

A deacon in the monastic rank is called a hierodeacon. The senior deacon in the white clergy is called the protodeacon - the first deacon, and in the black - the archdeacon (senior deacon).

Subdeacons (assistant deacons) participate only in the hierarchal service: they dress the bishop in sacred clothes, hold and serve him dikirion and trikirion, etc.

A priest can perform six sacraments of the Church except for the Sacrament of Ordination, that is, he cannot elevate to one of the sacred degrees church hierarchy. The priest is subordinate to the bishop. Only a deacon (married or monastic) can be ordained to the priesthood. The word "priest" has several synonyms:

– priest(from Greek - sacred);

– presbyter(from Greek - elder)

The elders of the priests of the white clergy are called PROTOPRIESTS, PROTOPRESTS (protopresbyter is a senior priest in a cathedral), that is, the first priests, the first presbyters.

A priest who is in the monastic rank is called HIEROMONAKH (from Greek - "priest-monk"). The elders of the presbyters of the black clergy are called IGUMENS (leaders of the monastic brethren). The rank of abbot usually has the abbot of an ordinary monastery or even a parish church.

The dignity of ARCHIMANDRITE relies on the abbot of a large monastery or lavra. Some monks receive this title for special services to the Church.

Is "pop" a good word?

In Russia, the word "pop" never had negative value. It comes from the Greek "pappas", which means "daddy", "father". In all ancient Russian liturgical books, the name "priest" is found very often as a synonym for the words "priest", "priest" and "presbyter".

Now, unfortunately, the word "pop" has taken on a negative, contemptuous connotation. This happened during the years of Soviet anti-religious propaganda.

At present, among the South Slavic peoples, priests continue to be called priests, without putting any negative meaning into this word.

The bishop celebrates all divine services and all seven holy sacraments. Only he can ordain others as priests through the Sacrament of Ordination. A bishop is also called a bishop or hierarch, that is, a priest. Bishop - a common title for a clergyman standing at this level of the church hierarchy: this can be called a patriarch, and a metropolitan, and an archbishop, and a bishop. By ancient tradition only priests who have taken the monastic rank are consecrated to the rank of bishop.

The dignity of a bishop in administrative terms has five degrees.

Vicar Bishop("vicar" means "viceroy") directs the parishes big city.

Governs the parishes of an entire region, called a diocese.

Archbishop(senior bishop) often governs a larger diocese.

Metropolitan- this is the bishop of a large city and the surrounding area, who may have assistants in the person of vicar bishops.

Exarch- the commanding bishop (usually metropolitan) of a large metropolitan city; he is subject to several dioceses that are part of the exarchate with their bishops and archbishops.

- "father leader" - the primate of the Local Church, elected and appointed at the Council - the highest rank of the church hierarchy.

Other Ministers of the Church

In addition to persons of holy orders in church services the laity also take part - subdeacons, psalm-readers and sextons. They are among the clergy, but they are not ordained to serve through the sacrament, but simply bless - the rector of the temple or the ruling bishop.

Readers(or readers) read and sing during the service, and also help the priest with the fulfillment of the requirements.

Ponomari perform the duties of bell ringers, serve a censer, help during worship at the altar.

The emergence of Christianity is associated with the coming to earth of the son of God - Jesus Christ. He miraculously incarnated from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, grew up and matured as a man. At the age of 33, he went to preach in Palestine, called twelve disciples, performed miracles, denounced the Pharisees and Jewish high priests.

He was arrested, tried and subjected to a shameful execution by crucifixion. On the third day he rose again and appeared to his disciples. On the 50th day after the resurrection, he was taken up to God's palaces to his Father.

Christian worldview and dogmas

The Christian church was formed over 2 thousand years ago. It is difficult to determine the exact time of its beginning, since the events of its occurrence are not documented. official sources. The study of this issue is based on the books of the New Testament. According to these texts, the church arose after the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles (the feast of Pentecost) and the beginning of their preaching of the word of God among people.

The rise of the apostolic church

The apostles, after gaining the ability to understand and speak all languages, went around the world preaching a new doctrine based on love. This teaching was based on the Jewish tradition of worship of the one God, the foundations of which are set forth in the books of the prophet Moses (Pentateuch of Moses) - the Torah. The new faith proposed the concept of the Trinity, which singled out three hypostases in the one God:

The main difference between Christianity was the priority of God's love over the law, while the law itself was not canceled, but supplemented.

Development and dissemination of the doctrine

Preachers followed from village to village, after their departure, the adepts that arose united in communities and led the recommended way of life, ignoring the old foundations that contradict the new dogmas. Many officials of that time did not accept the emerging doctrine, which limited their influence and called into question many established provisions. Persecution began, many followers of Christ were tortured and executed, but this only strengthened the spirit of Christians and expanded their ranks.

By the fourth century, communities had grown throughout the Mediterranean and even widened beyond its borders. Byzantine Emperor Constantine was imbued with the depth of the new teaching and began to establish it within his empire. Three saints: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, developed and structured the teaching, approving the order of worship, the formulation of dogmas and the canonicity of the sources. The hierarchical structure is being strengthened, several local Churches are emerging.

The further development of Christianity takes place rapidly and over vast areas, but at the same time two traditions of worship and dogmas arise. They develop each in their own way, and in 1054 there is a final split into Catholics who professed the Western tradition, and Orthodox supporters of the Eastern tradition. Mutual claims and accusations lead to the impossibility of mutual liturgical and spiritual communion. Catholic Church considers the Pope as its head. The Eastern Church includes several patriarchates formed at different times.

Orthodox communities with patriarchy status

Each patriarchy is headed by a patriarch. Patriarchates may include Autocephalous Churches, Exarchates, Metropolises and Dioceses. The table lists modern churches that profess Orthodoxy and have patriarchal status:

• Constantinople, formed by the Apostle Andrew in 38. From 451, it receives the status of Patriarchate.
• Alexandria. It is believed that the apostle Mark was its founder around the year 42, in 451 the ruling bishop received the title of patriarch.
• Antioch. Founded in the 30s AD. e. apostles Paul and Peter.
• Jerusalem. Tradition claims that at first (in the 60s) it was headed by relatives of Joseph and Mary.
• Russian. Founded in 988, an autocephalous metropolia since 1448, in 1589 a patriarchate was introduced.
• Georgian Orthodox Church.
• Serbian. Receives autocephaly in 1219.
• Romanian. Since 1885 officially receives autocephaly.
• Bulgarian. In 870, she achieved autonomy. But only in 1953 was it recognized as a patriarchy.
• Cypriot. It was founded in 47 by the apostles Paul and Barnabas. He received autocephaly in 431.
• Helladic. She achieved autocephaly in 1850.
• Polish and Albanian Orthodox churches. Gained autonomy in 1921 and 1926, respectively.
• Czechoslovakian. The baptism of the Czechs began in the 10th century, but only in 1951 did they receive autocephaly from the Moscow Patriarchate.
• Orthodox Church in America. Recognized in 1998 by the Church of Constantinople, it is considered the last Orthodox Church to receive patriarchy.

The head of the Orthodox Church is Jesus Christ. It is governed by its primate patriarch, consists of members of the church, people who profess the teachings of the church, who have passed the sacrament of baptism, and regularly participate in divine services and sacraments. All people who consider themselves members are represented by a hierarchy in the Orthodox Church, the scheme of their division includes three communities - the laity, the clergy and the clergy:

• The laity are members of the church who attend services and take part in the sacraments performed by the clergy.
• The clergy are pious laymen who perform the obedience of the clergy. They ensure the approved functioning of the church life. With their help, the cleaning, protection and decoration of churches (workers), ensuring the external conditions for the order of worship and the sacraments (readers, sextons, altar servers, subdeacons), economic activity churches (treasurers, elders), as well as missionary and educational work (teachers, catechists and educators).
• The clergy or clergy are divided into white and black clergy and include all church orders: deacons, priesthood and bishops.

The white clergy include churchmen who have passed the sacrament of ordination, but have not taken monastic vows. Among the lower ranks, there are such titles as deacon and protodeacon, who received grace to perform the prescribed actions, helping to lead the service.

The next rank is the presbyter, they have the right to perform most of the sacraments accepted in the church, their ranks in the Orthodox Church in ascending order: priest, archpriest and the highest - mitred archpriest. Among the people they are called fathers, priests or priests, their duty is to be rectors of churches, head parishes and associations of parishes (deanery).

The black clergy include church members who have taken monastic vows that limit the freedom of a monk. Consistently, tonsure into the cassock, mantle, and schema are distinguished. Monks usually live in a monastery. At the same time, the monk is given a new name. A monk who has passed the deacon's ordination is transferred to the hierodeacon, he is deprived of the opportunity to perform almost all the sacraments of the church.

After priestly ordination (performed only by a bishop, as in the case of the ordination of a priest), the monk is given the rank of hieromonk, the right to perform many sacraments, to head parishes and deaneries. The following ranks in monasticism are called - hegumen and archimandrite or sacred archimandrite. Wearing them presupposes taking the position of senior leader of the monastic brethren and the economy of the monastery.

The next hierarchical community is called the episcopate, it is formed only from the black clergy. In addition to bishops, here archbishops and metropolitans are distinguished by seniority. Episcopal ordination is called consecration and is carried out by a college of bishops. It is from this community that the heads of dioceses, metropolitanates, and exarchates are appointed. It is customary for the people to address the heads of dioceses as a bishop or bishop.

These are the signs that distinguish church members from other citizens.

In order to navigate in more detail who leads the service in the church or who speaks on television from the Russian Orthodox Church, it is necessary to know exactly what ranks are in the Church and the Monastery, as well as their hierarchy. We recommend that you read

In the Orthodox world, Church ranks are divided into ranks of the white clergy (Orders of the Church) and ranks of the black clergy (Monastic ranks).

CHURCH OFFICERS OR WHITE clergy

CHURCH OFFICES - ALTAR

In the worldly sense lately Church rank The altar boy began to disappear, and instead of him the rank of Sexton or Novice is increasingly mentioned. The tasks of the altar boy include the duties to follow the instructions of the rector of the temple, as a rule, such duties include maintaining a candle fire in the temple, lighting lamps and other lighting devices in the altar and iconostasis, they also help the priests put on clothes, bring prosphora, incense to the temple and perform other draft work. The altar server can be recognized by the sign that he wears a surplice over worldly clothes. We recommend getting to know

CHURCH OFFICES - READER

This is the lowest rank of the church and the reader is not included in the degree of priesthood. Reader's duties include reading sacred texts and prayers during worship. In case of advancement in the rank, the reader is ordained a subdeacon.

CHURCH OFFICES - SUBDEACON

It is something of an intermediate rank between the laity and the clergy. Unlike readers and altar servers, the subdeacon is allowed to touch the throne and the altar, and also to enter the altar through the royal gates, although the subdeacon is not a clergyman. It is the duty of this Church rank to assist the Bishop in Divine Services. We recommend that you read

CHURCH OFFICES - DEACON

The lowest level of clergy, as a rule, the duties of deacons include helping priests in worship, although they themselves do not have the right to conduct public worship and be representatives of the church. Since the priest has the opportunity to perform rites without a deacon, the number of deacons is currently being reduced, since they are no longer needed.

CHURCH OFFICES - PROTODEACON OR PROTODEACON

This rank indicates the chief deacon in cathedrals, as a rule, such a rank is assigned to a deacon after at least 15 years of service and is a special award for service.

CHURCH OFFICES - PRIEST

Currently, this rank is worn by priests, and is marked as a junior title of a priest. Priests, receiving power from bishops, have the right to conduct church rites, teach people the Orthodox faith and perform other sacraments, but at the same time, priests are forbidden to conduct ordination to the priesthood.

CHURCH OFFICERS - ARCHPRIEST

CHURCH OFFICES - PROTOPRESBYTER

The highest Church rank in the white clergy is not, as it were, a separate rank and is assigned only as a reward for the most meritorious deeds before Orthodox faith and is appointed only by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.

MONastic ranks or black clergy

The hierarchy of the Christian Church is called the "triple" because it consists of three main steps:
- diaconate,
- the priesthood
- Bishoprics.
And also, depending on the attitude to marriage and lifestyle, the clergy is divided into “white” - married, and “black” - monastic.

Members of the clergy, both "white" and "black", have their own structures of honorary titles, which are awarded for special services to the church or "long service".

Deacon(servant) is called so because the duty of a deacon is to serve at the Sacraments. Initially, the position of a deacon consisted in serving at a meal, in taking care of the maintenance of the poor and sick, and then they also served in the celebration of the Sacraments, in the administration of public worship, and in general were assistants to bishops and presbyters in their ministry.
Protodeacon- chief deacon in a diocese or cathedral. The title is given to deacons after 20 years of service in holy orders.
Hierodeacon- a monk with the rank of deacon.
Archdeacon- the eldest of the deacons in the monastic clergy, that is, the senior hierodeacon.

Priest(priest) by the authority of his bishops and on their “order” can perform all divine services and Sacraments, except for the Consecration (Priesthood - Ordination to the holy dignity), the consecration of the World (Fragrant oil) and the antimension (a quadrangular board made of silk or linen matter with sewn-in particles of relics where the Liturgy is celebrated).
Archpriest- senior priest, the title is given for special merits, is the rector of the temple.
Protopresbyter- the highest title, exclusively honorary, is given for special church merits on the initiative and decision His Holiness Patriarch Moscow and all Russia.
Hieromonk- a monk who has the rank of priest.
hegumen- the abbot of the monastery, in the women's rooms - the abbess.
Archimandrite- monastic rank, given as highest award monastic clergy.
Bishop(guardian, overseer) - not only celebrates the Sacraments, the Bishop also has the power to teach others through the laying on of hands the gift of grace to celebrate the Sacraments. The bishop is the successor of the apostles, having the grace-filled authority to administer all the seven sacraments of the Church, receiving in the Sacrament of Ordination the grace of archpastorship—the grace of administering the Church. The episcopal degree of the sacred hierarchy of the church is highest degree, on which all other degrees of the hierarchy (presbyter, deacon) and the lower clergy depend. Consecration to a bishop occurs through the Sacrament of Priesthood. The bishop is chosen from among the monastic clergy and ordained by the bishops.
An archbishop is a senior bishop overseeing several ecclesiastical areas (dioceses).
Metropolitan - the head of a large church area, uniting the dioceses (metropolis).
Patriarch (forefather, ancestor) - the highest title of the head of the Christian church in the country.
In addition to the sacred ranks in the church, there are also lower clerics (official positions) - altar servers, subdeacons and readers. They are among the clergy and are appointed to their position not through ordination, but by the blessing of a bishop or rector.

altar boy- the name of a layman helping the clergy at the altar. The term is not used in canonical and liturgical texts, but became generally accepted in this sense by the end of the 20th century. in many European dioceses in the Russian Orthodox Church. The name "altar" is not generally accepted. In the Siberian dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church, it is not used; instead, in this sense, the more traditional term is usually used sexton, as well as novice. The sacrament of the priesthood is not performed over the altar boy, he only receives a blessing from the rector of the temple to serve at the altar. The duties of the altar boy include overseeing the timely and correct lighting of candles, lamps and other lamps in the altar and in front of the iconostasis, preparing the vestments of priests and deacons, bringing prosphora, wine, water, incense to the altar, kindling coal and preparing a censer, serving a fee for wiping the lips during Communion, assistance to the priest in the performance of the sacraments and rites, cleaning the altar, if necessary - reading during the service and performing the duties of a bell ringer. The altar boy is forbidden to touch the throne and its accessories, as well as to move from one side of the altar to the other between the throne and the Royal Doors. The altar boy wears a surplice over lay clothes.

subdeacon- a clergyman in the Orthodox Church, serving mainly under the bishop during his sacred rites, carrying in front of him on the indicated occasions the trikirion, dikirion and ripids, laying the eagle, washes his hands, vests and performs some other actions. In the modern Church, a subdeacon does not have a sacred degree, although he wears a surplice and has one of the accessories of the deacon's dignity - an orarion, which he puts on crosswise over both shoulders and symbolizes angelic wings. Being the most senior clergyman, the subdeacon is an intermediate link between clergymen and clergymen. Therefore, the subdeacon, with the blessing of the serving bishop, may touch the throne and the altar during the service and at certain moments enter the altar through the Royal Doors.

Reader- in Christianity - the lowest rank of clergy, not elevated to the degree of priesthood, reading texts during public worship Holy Scripture and prayers. In addition, according to ancient tradition, readers not only read in Christian churches, but also interpreted the meaning of difficult-to-understand texts, translated them into the languages ​​of their locality, delivered sermons, taught converts and children, sang various hymns (chants), did charity work, had and other church obediences. In the Orthodox Church, readers are consecrated by bishops through a special rite - chirotesia, otherwise called "ordaining." This is the first consecration of a layman, only after which can his consecration to the subdeacon, and then the ordination to the deacon, then to the priest and the highest - to the bishop (hierarch) follow. The reader has the right to wear a cassock, a belt and a skuf. During the tonsure, he is first put on a small felon, which is then removed, and a surplice is put on.
Monasticism has its own internal hierarchy, consisting of three degrees (belonging to them usually does not depend on belonging to one or another proper hierarchical degree): monasticism(ryassofor), monasticism(small schema, small angelic image) and schema(great schema, great angelic image). Most of today's monastics belong to the second degree - to actual monasticism, or the lesser schema. Only those monastics who have exactly this degree can receive ordination to the hierarchal rank. The particle “schema” is added to the title of the rank of monastics who have accepted the great schema (for example, “schiegumen” or “schematropolitan”). Belonging to one or another degree of monasticism implies a difference in the level of rigor of monastic life and is expressed through differences in monastic clothing. During monastic tonsure, three main vows are made - celibacy, obedience and non-possession (a promise to endure any sorrow and tightness of monastic life), and a new name is assigned as a sign of the beginning of a new life.