Holy Orders
Overview
One of the Sacraments of the Church is that of Holy Orders, a special initiation into the service of Our Lord Jesus Christ. It is available to qualified candidates who feel a calling to devote themselves to Christ in this intimate way.
Holy Orders empowers the candidate to perform the sacred duties of the Church. The ritual of ordination is an outward act of a transformed inner reality. Each order is an initiation in itself, with its own value. Once a person has been spiritually prepared, he or she is ready to advance to the next stage of development. These ordinations link the candidate with Christ. It is said that Holy Orders were instituted by Christ and that the first bishops were consecrated by the apostles to act as instruments through which Christ performs His work.
There are two groups of orders -- the minor and the major. In the Catholic Apostolic Church of Antioch, the Minor Orders are Cleric, Doorkeeper, Reader, Healer, Acolyte and Subdeacon. The Major Orders are Deacon, Priest, and Bishop. Each order emphasizes a special attribute and is intended to produce a precise effect. With each succeeding order, the candidate makes a determined effort towards the unfoldment of the characteristics of that order in each stage of their development.
“Ordination is the sacrament (or Holy Mystery) of holy Orders. The Greek words used for ordination are cheirotonia and cheirothesia, both of which mean "the laying on of hands." Members of the major orders of the clergy—bishop, priest, and deacon—are ordained during the Divine Liturgy by the bishop, who is usually assisted by several priests. According to Orthodox teaching, the process of ordination begins with the local congregation; but the bishop alone, who acts in the name of the universal Church, can complete the action. The ordination itself for those entering the major orders takes place within the altar. Those who are placed into the minor orders (subdeacon, reader, and in some traditions, cantor) are done so by cheirothesia, which also means "laying on of hands", but has come to be a technically distinct term from cheirotonia, which is used only for the major orders. According to the DEC, cheirothesia is not regarded as part of the Holy Mystery of ordination (p. 117). The ordination for those entering the minor orders takes place within the nave of the church.” • Blackwell Dictionary of Eastern Christianity (DEC), p. 117 • Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (ODCC), 3rd ed., pp. 1188-8
Founder's Vision
As part of the ongoing discernment process of the Future Church of Antioch and Sophia Divinity School, in 2020, we began re-focusing our course structure on our founder, Archbishop Herman Spruit’s vision of consciousness-raising through holy orders and ministries of presence with a focus on the Christian Mystical Tradition.
To that end, respecting Herman Spruit's vision, a decision by the Board was taken to retain all of the major and minor orders due to the understanding that the Seminary is a journey into consciousness and a ministry of the presence of the divine.
While other denominations may be retaining only some of the orders, we reaffirm the significance of each order in the steps to Christ consciousness informed by today’s understanding of the stages, states, and structures of consciousness in societies, cultures, and organizations.
Each level conveys a different gift of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, knowledge, understanding, fortitude, counsel, piety, and awe, leading to corporal works of Mercy which continue as one's mission after ordination and is concretized in one's Ministry.
An Inward Unfolding of Consciousness
It is important that we understand the "process" of ordination as a transformation of consciousness during Spiritual Formation. It is not a "climbing higher", a hierarchical elevation in "rank", but a process of going deeper within, more like walking a labyrinth, to discover, or awaken to, the Divine beauty, truth, goodness and oneness which upwells from within one's center as the ever-present origin of each soul as well as the underlying originating principle of the entire universe.
This "Cosmic Christ Consciousness" is not something we strive for or "will", but it is done unto us. We make room for the Divine by relinquishing our attachments to all forms of control ("power over" and judgement of others, the world and even ourselves) though "kenosis", or "letting go". We learn the value of spiritual tools of contemplative practices such as psalmody, centering prayer, contemplation, whole-body meditation, including walking meditations in Nature. We learn the Word in Scripture, in tradition, and in Nature. We value the rigor of the course structure fusing Old and New Testament theology and mysticism with ethics of care for all creation exhibited by societal "movements" throughout the history of the Abrahamic traditions in which we have our roots. It is our continuous process of "Oneing" as Julian of Norwich explains and some may refer to it as "Theosis", or "divinization". It is a path unique to each individual via their experience through participation in the "letting go" process. The deepening experience/consciousness of participating in a new way of experiencing the Divine energies, continually manifesting in all creation not just human, is seeing as Christ sees. This translates into a new way of being and path of serving in this world.
We are blessed to have many Mystics and Saints in the past to guide us in this Wisdom Tradition. We have also been blessed in the recent past with notable theologians (Teilhard de Chardin, Thomas Merton, Raymond Panikkar, Karl Rahner, and philosophical "thinkers" (Jean Gebser, Ken Wilber, Paul Smith) whose body of work has helped understand the levels of consciousness existing in societies both past and present, not only in individuals but in communities, cultures and particularly in organizations and institutions. Stages, states and structures of consciousness have all been put forward as a means of understanding "the other" with for the purpose of connecting and living in peaceful harmony- not conversion or coercion or appropriation of an attitude of superiority exhibited in exclusivity. We understand more clearly the writings of the Mystics and Saints as they struggled just as we do today.
Minor and Major Orders
Minor Orders
The Order of Cleric:
The Cleric dedicates him or herself to God and to the service of Christ. In manner and speech, the Cleric strives to show beauty and to remember that the physical body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Self-control with regard to the physical body is one of the attributes stressed in this step, and the candidate endeavors to live for the soul.
The Order of Doorkeeper
In former times, it was the duty of the Doorkeeper to ring the church bells and to open the church doors at the appointed time. In our time, the ordination to Doorkeeper relates to transforming the emotions and passions. When the emotions come under control, tranquility follows. The Doorkeeper learns devotion to God and humanity, giving love and throwing open the doors to his or her heart in service, summoning all to the service of God.
The Order of Reader
In the Order of Reader, the candidate works to control the powers of the mind and to devote them to God's service. The transformation of the intellect is the purpose of this step in Holy Orders. After having worked to control both the body and the emotions, the candidate now enters a higher phase of his or her development toward priesthood. In former times, the Reader read for the preacher, intoned the lessons, blessed bread and all first fruits. Now the Reader is asked to dedicate her or his mind to the glory of God, to train and develop the mind to influence others for good and cultivate the power of concentration.
The Order of Healer
In this order the power of the will is more highly developed. The Healer heals through his or her intention, and intention is an operation of the will. The Healer focuses the will on producing wholeness of life in others, for to heal means to make whole. Transformation of the will involves culturing the heart in order to assist others in healing themselves of separateness. The gift of healing will be strengthened by the initiation to the Order of Healer.
The Order of Acolyte
The Acolyte's task is to quicken the intuition and open the self to spiritual influence. This opening requires the transformation of the ego. Through spiritual discipline, the boundaries of the ego are rolled back, and the ego is purified of its egocentricity through obedience to a higher authority. The Acolyte bears the spiritual light of Christ and strives to enkindle the sense of God's Presence within the hearts of others. The Order of Acolyte is intended to help the candidate quicken his or her spiritual faculties and understanding.
The Order of Subdeacon:
The subdiaconate is a preparatory grade of the greater orders of Deacon and Priest. Ordination gives greater strength and steadfastness of purpose. Purified by previous initiations, the stage is set for more profound transformations. Formerly, the Subdeacon was responsible for providing water for the service of the altar, to wash the altar linens, and to guard the gates of the sanctuary. This is the start of one taking his or her place at the altar and assisting in the performance of the rites. The Subdeacon learns control of speech, love of service, and diligence at the altar while tasting the joyful spirit of the major orders.
Major Orders
The Order of Deacon
The deacon is sufficiently empowered by this ordination to administer the sacrament of baptism and marriage, to handle the sacred vessels, and to help in the care of the sick and poor. The Deacon ministers at the altar reads the Gospel and takes a speaking part in the celebration of the rites. In the absence of the priest, the deacon may dispense the reserved sacrament and may conduct final rites. The candidate is generally required to spend at least six months serving as a deacon before being ordained to the priesthood.
The Order of Priest
Ordination to the priesthood effects a most profound transformation. The candidate is empowered by the Holy Spirit to celebrate sacred rites in “Persona Christi”. The priest grows stronger spiritually as this initiation deepens his or her connection with higher spiritual energy, unified with the Lord Christ. The conferring of the priesthood is, above all things, the granting of a wonderful, life-transforming opportunity and no effort is spared to help the recipient to take advantage of it. In addition to the spiritual gifts conferred upon the candidate in the diaconate, the priest has the power to bless objects, to bless people in the Name of the Christ, to anoint and heal, to pronounce the forgiveness of sins, and to preside at the Holy Eucharist. This ministry is the essence of the perpetuation of the ministry of Jesus Christ. Here lies the center and the core of the priesthood. This is not a task one can relinquish whenever so moved. The invitation to service is forever. Priests are called to spend their lives as servants and lovers of God and God's people. This is a costly call, as the priest forsakes being master of his or her talents and time. However, the gifts are well worth the effort.
In Sophia, we journey as "a collective" through the transformative process of the Minor and Major Orders. We view the studies, rites, rituals and practices as initiating "Ministries of Increasing Presence" in our lives, where an experience of an ever-deepening awareness of the wellspring of Divine energy is given the opportunity to indwell in us and erupt outward through us to “the other”. If it does not flow out to others in action, it is not Christ Consciousness. Through the Orders, we embed ourselves (body, mind and spirit) more deeply in this Presence as an abiding state of being.
Principles of the Seven Corporal Works of Mercy