II: Deacons:
The duties of the deacon are to handle the sacred vessels, to be
of service to the priests and Bishops (inside and outside of the
liturgy), to read the Epistle and Gospel at the Mass, to be general
stewards, and to serve the widows and orphans. This Order is
Sacramental, and the first of the three divinely-instituted grades
of the hierarchy of Orders, the others being the priesthood and the
episcopate. The symbols of this office are the dalmatic, the stole
(worn over the left shoulder, as opposed to around the neck as
priests wear them, and under the dalmatic), and the Book of the
Gospels.