Deacons prepare the altar for the Liturgy of the believers by bringing back the stands which carry the Kholagy (Liturgy book)
A deacon will wash the hands of the priest and present him the towel to dry his hands
A deacon will pray “Ensofia” holding the cross and standing on the right side of the altar facing the congregation
Responses will be passed around in the circle to maintain the peace and reverence of the altar in order to keep conversations to a minimum
Responses are to be prayed in the language, speed and tone of the priest you are responding to
One deacon will stand to the left of the priest helping him to flip the pages on the Kholagy or the tablet, another deacon will stand to the right of the priest managing the censor (should be an older experienced deacon)
All other deacons will evenly stand in reverence around the altar
During the Prayer of Reconciliation, a deacon will take the cross and stand across from the priest as he holds the veil up folded in a triangle. When he drops that veil the deacon will stand to the side and put down the cross
Serving priest or highest in rank/age deacon will uncover the altar with the priest and two deacons will fold it and place it behind the throne on the altar
This is when the cross and the Gospel should be moved from the right side of the altar to the back side of the altar on top of the folded prospherine
The censor will be brought to the priest when he says “was incarnate and became Man” so he can put one spoonful of incense in the censor to remember the incarnation.
Censor will be presented to the priest again when he says “He instituted for us a great mystery of Godliness” so he can take 3 handfuls of increase and place them on the bread and the wine
Candles should be lit at the start of the Institution Narrative and turned off at the start of the Litanies
The names of all departed patriarchs should be read silently by a deacon as the priest prays the Commemoration of the Saints or as the deacon says the response “Let those who read..”
Candles should be lit again at the start of the fraction until the end of the liturgy
The response “Saved amen” should be said while the deacon is holding the cross as salvation came through the cross
Deacon saying the response to the confession should stand opposite the priest facing the congregation holding a triangular veil with cross on the right side and candle on the left