Bishop Benedict (Aleksiychuk) of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of St. Nicholas in Chicago ordained two men Nov. 5 at St. Constantine Ukrainian Catholic Church in Northeast Minneapolis — one a deacon and the other a subdeacon.
Yuri Ivan, music director at St. Constantine, was ordained to the Church’s subdiaconate, and Subdeacon Nick Modelski, a parishioner for about two years, was ordained to the diaconate. Deacon Modelski was ordained a subdeacon the day before.
Some men in the Ukrainian Catholic Church choose to remain subdeacons and others take the next step to become a deacon, if not on to priesthood from the diaconate.
A subdeacon is the highest of the minor orders in the Ukrainian Catholic Church — between reader and deacon, Deacon Modelski said, and is responsible for directing and training altar servers, and caring for vestments and altar linens.
Both men were ordained readers in May 2022, which means they were then responsible for chanting and singing at Divine Liturgy and other liturgical services, he said.
“If a man discerns he is called, and is deemed worthy to a higher degree of service (than reader), he may be ordained a subdeacon,” Deacon Modelski said, if not a deacon or priest.
A deacon is the lowest of the major orders of clergy in the Ukrainian Catholic Church — below priest and bishop, Deacon Modelski said, and is responsible for leading and directing the congregation in worship, as well as directing the other “major clergy” (priests and bishops) during liturgy, similar to a master of ceremonies, he said.
Deacon Modelski said he believes he may be the first deacon to serve St. Constantine, which was founded in 1913.
To learn more about the parish, visit stconstantine.org.
