SERVICE FOR MAKING DEACONS.

(From the order of the Book of Common Prayer 1662).

When the day chosen by the Bishop has come, the service shall begin with a SERMON, about the calling and work of a deacon. Then the Archdeacon, or one chosen in his place, shall present those to be ordained to the bishop, who is sitting in front of the altar, and say:

Reverend Father-in-God, I present to you these persons to be made deacons.

Bishop: Are you sure that these men are well chosen for their learning and good life for their service of God, to his honour, and the building up of the Church?

Archdeacon: I have asked people about them and also examined them, and think they are.

Bishop: My people, if any of you know any serious evil doing by any of these men or other reason why they should not be made deacons, stand up now in the name of God and tell us what it is. My people, let us all pray for these men.

Then the Bishop or one chosen in his place, will lead the clergy and people in singing or saying the LITANY.

Then the EUCHARIST will begin, with the following collect, epistle, and gospel.

The collect:

Almighty God, in your divine wisdom you have given different orders of ministry to your church, and you led the Apostles to choose Saint Stephen the first Martyr, with others to be deacons. in your mercy, look on these your servants now called to the same work. Fill them always with the truth of your teaching. Decorate them with holiness of life in what they say and do, so that they may serve you truly in this work, to the glory of your name and the building up of your church, through our Saviour Jesus Christ, who lives and rules with you and the Holy Spirit, now and forever.

The Epistle: 1 Timothy 3 vvs 8-13.

The Questioning:
The Bishop sitting in his chair, shall ask those to be ordained the following questions, in front of all the people.

Bishop: Do you trust that the Holy Spirit is leading you to do this work; to serve God, to show his glory and to lift up his people?
Answer: Yes I do.

Bishop: Do you think that you are truly called according to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, to the Ministry of the church?
Answer: Yes I think so.

Bishop: Do you truly believe all the scriptures of the Old and New Testament?
Answer: Yes, I do.

Bishop: It is the work of a Deacon to help the Priest in the worship of the Church, to be Deacon at the Eucharist, to assist with administration of Holy Communion and to read the Holy Scriptures in the church, to give religious instruction, to baptize children where there is no Priest, and to preach if the Bishop licenses him. Also, the Deacon is to look for the sick, the poor and the helpless people of the area, and to let the Priest know who they are and where they live, so that they can be helped by the ekalesia or other people. Will you do this gladly and willingly?
Answer: I will with God’s help.

Bishop: Will you work hard to make your lives and the lives of your families as Christ teaches, and to try to make them and yourselves good examples of Christ’s people?
Answer: Yes, I will, with God’s help.

Bishop: Will you reverently obey your Bishop, other chief Ministers of the Church, and those who have responsibility and authority over you? Will you gladly and willingly follow their advice and directions?
Answer: Yes I will try, with God’s help.
 

THE LAYING ON OF HANDS.

Each ordinand will kneel in front of the bishop in turn. The Bishop will lay his hands on each one, saying the following words to each.

Take the authority to carry out the work of a deacon in the church of God which is given to you. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

A stole is placed on the deacon. Then the Bishop gives a New Testament to him and says:

Take the authority to read the gospel in the Church of God and to preach it as well, if you are licenced by the Bishop.

Then one of them, appointed by the Bishop, shall read:

THE GOSPEL: Luke 12 vvs 35-38.

The Bishop then continues the Eucharist. The following collects are said before the blessing.

Bishop: Almighty God, giver of all good things, of your great goodness you have promised to accept and take these your servants into the order of Deacons in your Church. We ask you Lord, to make them holy, humble, and faithful in their work and to be ready to carry out all spiritual practices, so that they may do the work of a deacon faithfully and well, and be found suitable to be made priests or bishops, through your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and honour, world without end. Amen.

Lead us Lord, in everything we do, with your care and help, that in all our work which we have started and are doing and hope to finish in your name, we may glorify you and finally by your mercy have everlasting life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
 

THE ORDINATION OF PRIESTS.

(From the order of the Book of Common Prayer 1662).

When the day chosen by the Bishop has come, the Ordination will begin with a Sermon, about the calling and work of a priest. Then the Archdeacon, or one chosen in his place, shall present those to be ordained to the Bishop, who is sitting in front of the altar, and say:

Reverend Father-in-God, I present to you these persons to be ordained priests.

Bishop: Are you sure that these men have learned and understood the Christian Faith and are living a Christian life? Do you think they can do the work of a priest properly, giving honour to God, and building up his Church?

Archdeacon: I have asked them questions and examined their lives and I believe they are fit to be priests.

The Bishop speaks to the people: Good people, I believe it is God’s will that we should ordain these men as priests today. We have examined their lives carefully and I think there is nothing to stop us ordaining them. I believe God has called them to do this work, and I think they will do it well. However, if any of you know something so bad in the life of any one of them that he should not be made a priest, you must now stand up and tell us what is wrong with him.

(If someone accuses any of them of something very bad, the Bishop shall stop the ordination and find out if it is true or not.)

If no-one speaks, the Bishop shall say.

Are these men ready to be priests?

People: They are ready.

Bishop: Then I ask everyone here to kneel and pray for them.

(The men to be ordained will now humble themselves before God while the Litany, led by the Bishop or one chosen in his place, will now be sung or said. Then the Eucharist will begin with the following Collect, Epistle, and Gospel).

The Collect:

God of power, you have given all good things to us. By your Holy Spirit you have given out the different kinds of ministry in your Church. We pray you now to look with love on these men who have been called to be priests. Give them a full understanding of your teaching. Make their lives beautiful and good; and help them serve you in everything they do, so that people will praise you for their work, and their lights will shine in your Church. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Epistle: Ephesians 4 vvs 7-13.
The Gospel: Matthew 9 vvs 36-38, or John 10 vvs 1-16.

Then the Bishop sitting in his chair, will read out this talk, which sets out what the Anglican Church teaches about the work a priest.

You have heard many times before, and you have heard again today, that this work which God has called you to is a holy work, and a most important work. You must say what God wants you to say, you must watch out to see what God is doing, and you must take care of his Church. You must give the children of God’s family what they need, teach them the truth, and tell them to be careful in life. You must go out and look for God’s sheep who have wandered away, and you must stand by his children in the middle of this sinful world, so that they may be kept safe in Christ forever.

Always keep clearly in your mind, and never forget, what a wonderful treasure God has given you to take care of. They are the people who belong to Christ himself; for them he went through suffering and bloodshed and for them he died. Or think of it like this, God loves his people so much that he has joined himself to them more closely than a husband or a wife; they are like his very own body. When you remember that, think what a terrible thing it will be if your Church, or any member of it gets hurt by your carelessness.

Therefore, think very carefully about the work a priest tries to do. God’s children grow up, and the years of their life go past, and all that time you will be trying to bring them to know him, to believe in him, and to love him so much that they will have no place left for wrong belief or evil doing. You can never stop working, caring or watching over them until their faith is complete.

You can see that the work is both very wonderful, and also very difficult. So you will be thankful for this vocation, and also you will be careful in case you fall down over the difficulties and bring others down with you. You cannot do this work in your own strength; God alone can help you to do it; so you must always be coming to God and praying for the help of his Holy Spirit.

You will work with the deepest things in human life; bringing men and women out of trouble and sin, up to the joy and salvation of Christ. You will only do such a great and heavy work if you follow closely God’s teaching, which is in the Holy Bible. So you must study God’s word every day, and plan your life the way the Bible shows you and teach your family to do the same. if you try to live by those very high standards, you will find, that you have to turn away from some of the things of this world.

I am sure that you have been thinking a lot about all these things for a long time already. I hope that you have made up your mind to give yourself completely to God’s service, and to nothing else. You will always need to pray for the light of the Holy Spirit to show you the way forward, the straight road that Jesus marked out. As you travel the road your priesthood will grow stronger and stronger, and you will bear much fruit. Also, you will need to ask for God’s grace to build up your family and lead them in Christ’s way too.

Remember that when people want to find out Christ’s way from you, they will not only listen to what you say, but also watch what you do.
 

The Questions.

Now I will ask you some questions about all these things. When this congregation hears your answers, they will know you have made up your mind about this work. Also, by making these promises in public you will get more strength to do your duty. I ask these questions in the name of God and on behalf of his Church.

Do you think in your heart that you are truly called by Jesus Christ into the Order and Ministry of Priesthood?
Answer: Yes, I think so.

Bishop: Are you sure that we can find in the holy Bible all the teaching needed for complete saving Christian faith; and that we can teach nothing as needed for that faith except what we can prove from the Bible?
Answer: Yes, I am sure of it.

Bishop: Have you made up your mind to teach your people the faith of the Bible, and that they only need what the Bible shows is true?
Answer: I have made up my mind to teach this, with God’s help.

Bishop: Will you always try very hard to show the teaching, the sacraments, and the way of living, which Christ commanded and as this Anglican Church has understood them, so that your people will get full Christian teaching and be able to follow it?
Answer: I will, with God’s help.

Bishop: Will you be ready to throw out all untrue teachings that are against God’s word, and to give advice and warning to your people when you see it is needed? Will you do this in public and in private for the sick and for the healthy, when people need it?
Answer: I will, if God helps me.

Bishop: Will you be careful to give a lot of time to God in prayer, and in Bible reading, and study to understand the Bible, and not waste time on things that are not important to God, and will pass away?
Answer: I will try to do this, with God’s help.

Bishop: Will you be careful to plan your own life, and your family’s life so that you all live in the way our Lord has taught, and show a good example of Christian living to God’s people and their families?
Answer: I will work hard at this, with God’s help.

Bishop: Will you teach and stand up for quiet friendliness, peace and Christian love among all people, and especially among your own congregation?
Answer: I will, with God’s help.

Bishop: Will you respect and obey your Bishop and other Church leaders who have authority over you? And will you cheerfully agree to follow their godly advice, and obey their godly decisions?
Answer: I will do this, with God’s help.

Then the bishop will stand and say this prayer:

Almighty God, you have made these men want to be priests: please give them the strength and power to do all things, so that they may finish the work that you have called them to do; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The bishop will then ask the people to kneel and pray for these things in silence. Then the bishop and people, kneeling, will sing a hymn to the Holy Spirit.

(Come Holy Ghost or some other).
 

THE THANKSGIVING AND ORDINATION.

Bishop: The Lord be with you.
People: And with you.
Bishop: Lift up your hearts.
People: We lift them up to the Lord.
Bishop: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
People: It is good and right to do so.

It is good and right that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to you, Lord, holy Father, almighty, everlasting God: because you love us so much that you gave your only Son Jesus Christ, whom you love so dearly to bring us back from sin, and give us new life for ever. We thank you because, when he had finish his work by his death, and ascended into heaven, he sent out apostles, prophets evangelists, teachers and pastors, and by their service and work he gathered a great family of people in every part of the world to praise you. And now we give you thanks because you have called these men here to do the same service and work for your people, And we ask you to give them the grace they need for the work to which you have called them. And we pray that these new servants of yours and the people they serve may always give glory to your name and help your kingdom to grow, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit, be all honour and glory now and for ever. Amen.

Then each man to be ordained will kneel in turn in front of the Bishop, who sits in his chair; and the bishop, with the priests who are there, will lay their hands on his head and the bishop will say:

Receive the Holy Spirit for the ministry and work of a priest in the Church of God, given to you now by the laying on of our hands. If you forgive any man’s sins, they are forgiven: if you will not let them be forgiven, then they are not forgiven. Be faithful in giving out God’s Word and his holy Sacraments; in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The sacramental clothing (the Chasuble) is put on the priest, and his hands are anointed.

For a moment, a chalice and paten are put in his hands.

Then the Bishop gives him a Bible and says:

Take authority to preach the Word of God and to give the holy Sacraments in the congregation to which you will be sent.

When this is done for each priest the Nicene Creed will be sung or said; and then the Bishop will continue the Eucharist. The Bishop may ask the priests to stand at the altar with him and to say the Thanksgiving. He may also ask them to help give the sacrament to the people after they have received it themselves.

BEFORE the blessing the Bishop says this prayer:

Merciful Father, these men are your servants. We ask you to send them your blessing from heaven that they may be clothed with righteousness, and that they may speak your word so well that their speaking will never be wasted. And also give us grace that we may hear and receive what they give that it may help to save us so that in all our words and deeds we may try to glorify you, and make your kingdom grow; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
 

A LITANY

(Which may be used at ordinations.)

God the Father, who made us all of one blood,
Have mercy on us.
God the Son, who saved us out of darkness,
Have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, who gives us guidance, joy and strength,
Have mercy on us.
For our past unfaithfulness,
Lord forgive us.
For missing chances to serve you or serve others,
Lord forgive us.
For not listening to your calls to us,
Lord forgive us.
For being lazy,
Lord forgive us.
By the teaching of Jesus,
Make us strong for your work.
By the example of his life,
Make us strong for your work.
By his death on the Cross,
Make us strong for your work.
By your resurrection power,
Make us strong for your work.
By the gift of your Holy Spirit,
Make us strong for your work.
We sinners pray that you will bring peace to the whole world.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray that you will unite our country in brotherhood and strength.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray that you will guide our leaders so that our country may become a place of growth, beauty, fairness and justice.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray that you will heal the quarrels which divide your Church and spoil its work.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray that you will watch and guide all pastors, ministers and priests.
Lord, hear our prayer.
* We pray that you bless your servants to be admitted to the order of Deacon or Priest, and to pour your grace on them.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray you to increase the work of your children in all the world, and to send out labourers into your harvest.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray you to give them great love for their people.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray that you will make them wise to bring people back to you, and hard-working to keep them and build up their faith.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray you to give them understanding to teach them well, and to show the truth clearly to those in doubt.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray that you will help them to learn the languages of your people.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray that you will go with them in walking and travelling.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray that you will bless their families.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray that you will protect them against danger and temptation to body and soul.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray that you will give them your great strength to beat down the powers of evil.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray that you feed and strengthen them in heat or tiredness, in hunger or sickness,
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray that you will use them to show us the way to heaven, and that at the last you will raise them up also, to be with you in glory.
Lord, hear our prayer.

* At an ordination the Bishop will sing or say this petition if someone else is leading the litany.