|
I served as sub-deacon today. At All Saints' that means sitting beside the celebrant, facing the congregation. It's an interesting view. I was surprised by how much happens at the back of church during the Eucharist. Comings and goings of all sorts, chatting in the narthex, lighting votives...my favourite was people stopping on the sidewalk (the doors were wide open in the nice weather) to peer in and catch a fleeting glimpse of church. The sub-deacon does different things in different churches. In Canada, I gather, it tends to be an ordained position. At All Saints' it's a lay person. In some churches the sub-deacon reads the Epistle, leads the Prayers of the People, and other such important bits. At the Cathedral it's basically for balance...the celebrant stands centre, with the deacon on his or her right. The sub-deacon makes the picture prettier. (not a job I ever thought I'd be doing...) We do a couple of things but really it's less active than, say the thurifer. It's just that the sub-deacon is fully vested (in a tunicle) and is sitting there in full view! Nervous? Yes. Like an actor with too little rehearsal. But I lived, and next week it'll be easier. Just before the Eucharist, the Dean leaned over to me and said, "Some day I'll be sub-deacon when you celebrate." His saying that, and the act of vesting, calmed me down considerably. Somehow donning the tunicle, which hundreds have worn before me and which I've seen on people I respect and admire, made the experience less daunting... After church I packed. I already have maybe 15 boxes stacked alongside my bed...I'm going to have to ship some things, I can tell. I'll wait till I have boxes of towels and clothes, which will cost considerably less to mail than books. So...many...books. |
