Subdeacon Resources

Requirements to Become a Subdeacon Candidate

  • For the rank of Subdeacon, candidates must first be recommended by their priest in the primary church they attend.

  • A Subdeacon Oral exam and the Subdeacon Written Exam are required for candidates for Subdeacon.

  • Access to the oral exam will only be granted to those who have been recommended by their priest and successfully passed the written portion of the exam.

Instructions for Subdeacon Enrollment

  1. Submit the enrollment form only with the permission of your recommending priest

  2. ⁠Please wait for the father's approval of your request.

  3. You should receive an email from lms@coptic.school with a sign up link.

  4. ⁠Create a password and login.

  5. Use a supported browser (Chrome, Brave, Opera, Edge).

  6. Download Proctorio extension.

  7. Take the exam.

Examination Information

Written Subdeacon Examination Material:
Book 1, The Mystery of Worship (English Pages 10-52, Arabic Pages 4-45)
Book 3, The Eucharistic Rites and Ceremonies in the Coptic Church (English Pages 71-120, Arabic Pages 61-77)

Oral Subdeacon Examination Material:
Rites Workshop by Fr. Joseph Boules
Hymns Workshop by Moalem George Mikhail
Subdeacons Instruction Summary
Subdeacon’s Duties
PDF: Seasonal Rubrics

Resources

Instructions for Serving Inside the Altar
Seasonal Rubrics
Christ in the Eucharist (Arabic)
Christ in the Eucharist (English)

Frequently Asked Questions

  • You must first be recommended by your parish priest to be considered for the rank of subdeacon.

    You must receive permission from your parish priest prior to completing the enrollment form

  • The requirements of subdeacon are as follows:

    1. You must be recommended by your church priest.

    2. You must be High School age or older.

    3. You must have your own e-mail address.

    4. You must create an account with your current e-mail. This account will not be active until your priest recommends you by entering your name and phone number in the database.

  • Once you successfully complete the written exam on Canvas, you will be able to schedule to take the oral exam. The instructions will be viewable only once you pass the written exam. Please follow these instructions closely as they detail the process of completing the oral exam.

  • You can only take the exam once. If time permits, you may retake the exam only once more on the same day. Please be advised if all the time slots are full, you will not be able to retake the exam on the same day. There is a maximum of three attempts to pass the exam per year.

Subdeacon Duties

His duties included:

  1. assisting the deacon at the altar, e.g. washing the hands of the clergy, tending to the church books and clergy vestments. However, he is not allowed to administer the chalice or touch the altar vessels.[1]

  2. preparing the Church for services by attending to the books, filling up oil lamps, preparing the censer, filling up water jugs, etc.

  3. watching the doors of the Church to prevent entry of animals, heretics, and false teachers.

  4. keeping the order in the church during church prayer.

  5. aiding in the distribution of aid to the needy.[2]

  6. Serving as a Reader, if necessary.

Requirements

Those who are nominated for ordination to the rank of Sub-Deacon must meet the following minimum requirements above:

  • He is to be recommended by the people and priest(s), as to his good deeds.

  • He is a good model of virtuous, dedicated, pious Christian.

  • The candidate must be consistent in confession.

  • To test the above candidate must pass the examination provided by the diocese.

Guidelines

  • For those Sub-Deacons who are allowed to assist the deacons in the altar, please see the guidelines listed for Deacons.

  • In the absence of a Deacon, the Sub-Deacon assumes his responsibilities.

Consecration Prayers and Vestments

  • On the day of ordination, the Sub-Deacon should be provided with a liturgical tunic (tunia) and Stole (Batrashel) which he is expected to wear whenever serving. This stole should be distinct (in color or style) from Reader, in order to differentiate the two ranks.[3]

[1] Although originally Sub-Deacons were not allowed in diaconium and could not touch the Church vessels (Canon 21 of Laodicea), under extreme circumstance the Sub-Deacon is permitted to assist at the Altar in place of the Deacon.

[2] Apostolic Tradition, 14; Apostolic Constitutions 8:21; Synod of Laodicea, Canons 21, 22, 23, 25; al-Tartīb al-ṭaqsī, pp. 225-26; Jawharah, 46, 76; Muṣbāh al-ẓulmah, II.10-11, 18-25.

[3] Originally, the Sub-Deacon was not allowed to wear an orarion, but that regulation was relaxed in the middle ages. Ordination texts mention bishop placing orarion on his neck. “The bishop turns to him and places the orarion [ⲡⲓⲟⲩⲛⲁⲣⲓⲟⲛ, الب ريه] on his shoulder [ⲙⲟⲩϯ].” ⲙⲟⲩϯ is translated as shoulder by Dr. Ramez Mikhail, according to many linguistic evidence. And probably falls on front and back. We first observe this in Syrian and Egyptian manuscripts from 5th and 8th centuries.