Major orders
The term major orders was a part of the clerical terminology of the Roman Catholic Church before the Second Vatican Council. During the Counter-reformation, the Council of Trent
issued a decree outlining seven orders of the clergy. The first four, the minor orders, had various liturgical functions and were conferred upon seminarians studying for the priesthood. The
major orders were the final three orders in the list. They are:
A man could be admitted to the major orders only after receiving the minor orders. The major orders had a common vestment, the
maniple, which was worn in liturgical functions until the
Second Vatican Council.
The reason why these orders were considered "major" was that both the recitation of the Liturgy of the Hours and perpetual celibacy were requirements for their members. The minor orders did not have this requirement; thus an
acolyte did not have to pray the Divine Office and, if he left the seminary before becoming a subdeacon, could still marry. Only the deacon and the
sacerdos, though, were a part of the sacrament of Holy Orders, as the
rest of the orders were seen as simply liturgical functions which could be changed or removed. This is exactly what happened
after the Second Vatican Council when Paul VI in 1972 suppressed the minor orders and the subdiaconate.
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