Minor orders

Minor Orders in the Orthodox Church refers to those set aside for service other than the major orders. These commonly include subdeacons and readers, and in some traditions, cantors. The minor orders are conferred through the form of ordination known as cheirothesia.

In the Eastern church, there were other orders which have fallen into disuse: doorkeepers, exorcists, and acolytes.

In the West (i.e., in the Roman Catholic Church), the subdeacon was considered among the major orders after the 13th century, though has now fallen into disuse, as have the orders of doorkeeper and exorcist (since 1972). Only reader and acolyte remain in use. Western Rite Orthodox practice may vary.

Source

• The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, 3rd ed., p. 1090