minor orders

British  

plural noun

1. RC Church the four lower degrees of holy orders, namely porter, exorcist, lector, and acolyte Compare major orders

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

minor orders

To become a “sworn brother,” Bosch would have had to qualify as one of the four grades of minor orders, which were doorkeeper, reader, acolyte and exorcist.

From New York Times ● Apr. 27, 2016

He even took minor orders in the Roman Catholic Church in 1865, becoming an abbé but appropriately stopping short of the vow of chastity.

From New York Times ● Oct. 22, 2011

He went to Rome with his faithful Princess; in 1865, after he discovered they could not get married, he took minor orders in the Roman Church.

From Time Magazine Archive

The dean sat on one side of him, the precentor on the other, and the rest in due order from the archdeacons and officers down to those in minor orders.

From Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Wells A Description of Its Fabric and a Brief History of the Episcopal See by Percy Dearmer

"A humble brother of minor orders," and he bowed.

From The Mardi Gras Mystery by H. (Henry) Bedford-Jones