Abolishment of the Old Minor Orders

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Why were the minor orders of subdeacon, exorcist, and porter abolished?
 
I have to admit that I struggle with the abolishment of the sub-diaconate. It is truly an ancient office and continues to thrive in the East.
 
Starting in the fourth century, the Liturgy became increasingly clericized, and lay participation became very limited. The chancel was physically separated from the nave by a chancel screen, and only clerics were allowed to enter the chancel and participate in the Liturgy. The Liturgy also became a highly intricate affair, especially in cathedrals, involving a whole team of specialized clerics. That is how things would remain until the 1600s, when lay involvement in the Liturgy slowly started to increase, until Vatican II, which greatly increased the role of the laity in the Liturgy. When laymen could be assigned the duties formerly assigned to minor clerics, there was no longer a need for these minor orders. It was basically a practical decision.
 
Technically, they weren’t abolished outright. Their rights and conferral was absorbed and simplified into the Deaconate Ordination. The duties of these Orders are still performed. It was recognized that there needed to be more rigorous human, spiritual, and theological formation for these minor orders to be carried out correctly. Some of the old Minor Orders, such as Lector, Acolyte, and Porter are still used in well established religious orders (which pre-date the 1917 Code of Canon Law changes significantly) where the Cleric state is intimately tied to the progression of the Religious in their Vows, like my own. It is technically not an official “Minor Order”, but the duties play a significant role in the enactment of the religious’ formation and duties.
 
Do you really think that we need to ordain the ushers at church?
 
Do they still exist in the Eastern Catholic Churches?

What about the Anglican Ordinariate or FSSP? Do any of them linger on as part of the Extraordinary Form and its approved communities?
 
Maximilian75 said:
Why were the minor orders of subdeacon, exorcist, and porter abolished?
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My GUESSES are as follows:
  1. subdeacon no longer had a role in the new Mass, and since the subdeacon was primarily a liturgical role for a seminarian, it was viewed as no longer needed.
  2. exorcists tend to be specialized priests. While I don’t know this for sure, I would imagine that it’s been a very long time since the Church was using seminarians as exorcists, esp since many older priests I know refer to priests who specialize in exorcism. My guess is that by the 1970s most bishops were limiting exorcists to experienced priests.
  3. This one seems pretty simple. Most parishes did not have porters and most seminarians were not assigned to a parish where they could even carry out this role. Since seminarians now go to regional or national seminaries, and are not trained at their local parish, very few parishes would have had porters anyway.
God Bless
 
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Maximilian75 said:
Why were the minor orders of subdeacon, exorcist, and porter abolished?
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MINISTERIA QUAEDAM Pope Paul VI

Some of these functions, which were more closely connected with the liturgical celebration, slowly came to be considered as a training in preparation for the reception of sacred orders. As a result, the offices of porter, reader, exorcist, and acolyte were called minor orders in the Latin Church in relation to the subdiaconate, diaconate, and priesthood, which were called major orders. Generally, though not every where, these minor orders were reserved to those who received them as steps toward the priesthood.

Nevertheless, since the minor orders have not always been the same and many functions connected with them, as at present, have also been exercised by the laity, it seems fitting to reexamine this practice and to adapt it to contemporary needs. What is obsolete in these offices will thus be removed and what is useful retained; also anything new that is needed will be introduced and at the same time the requirements for candidates for holy orders will be established.

While Vatican Council II was in preparation, many bishops of the Church requested that the minor orders and subdiaconate be revised.

…

Among the particular offices to be preserved and adapted to contemporary needs are those that are in a special way more closely connected with the ministries of the word and of the altar and that in the Latin Church are called the offices of reader and acolyte and the subdiaconate. It is fitting to preserve and adapt these in such a way, that from this time on there will be two offices: that of reader and that of acolyte, which will include the functions of the subdiaconate.
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http://www.ewtn.com/library/papaldoc/p6minors.htm
 
Perhaps the abolishing of these is a good idea. In recent years there is too much clericalization of the laity, and too many priests taking on actions once mostly reserved for laity. Some ceremonies for installing lay ministers look suspiciously like quasi-ordinations. These minor orders were sort of ambiguous, kinda clerical, but sometimes kinda for laity too. I like firm lines.

About the time the minor orders were sort of eliminated, Pope Paul also squeezed the monsignors from having 14 grades down to 3 grades. Pope Francis has simplified and reduced it more, and many dioceses do not name new ones. It was always kind of a distraction. I prefer emphasis on deacon, priest, bishop. Eliminate the stuff before, or in between. You are ordained, and in the sacrament; or you are not.
 
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Speaking of which, I’m in a youth group and currently I’m in charge of a “school” for Acolytes.

It seems like a very good idea to me, as they don’t only learn what to do, but what is the meaning behind differents aspects of the Mass, from a young age.
 
I would assume you’re talking about altar servers… I don’t think one can be an instituted acolyte at a young age…
 
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