The Roman Catholic Church in its Latin Rite traditionally
distinguished between the major orders (holy orders) of bishop,
priest, deacon and subdeacon, and four minor orders, that of
acolyte, exorcist, lector and porter (in descending sequence).13
In 1972, the minor orders were renamed "ministries", with those
of lector and acolyte being kept throughout the Latin Church.4
The rites by which all four minor orders were conferred are
still employed for members of some Roman Catholic religious
institutes and societies of apostolic life authorized to observe
the 1962 form of the Roman Rite. In view of the 1972 renaming,
what they are inducted into are now canonically called
ministries, with those of lector and acolyte being kept
throughout the Latin Church in general. From the beginning of
the 3rd century there is evidence in Western Christianity of the
existence of what became the four minor orders (acolytes,
exorcists, doorkeepers and readers), as well as of cantors and
fossores (tomb diggers). The evidence for