Minor orders?

Shawn Tribe at NLM has posted an excellent question on whether, particularly in light of the forthcoming Motu Proprio, it would be good to re-institute the Minor Orders, contra Ministeria Quaedam. I've always been of the otherwise uneducated opinion that the abolition of the Minor Orders was, and is, not a good idea. Certainly from the discussion in the combox you can see the Orders were in significant need of overhaul, but it has always felt to me that doing away with them completely missed the opportunity to properly reform them. Do read the combox discussion, it is quite educational.

I do have one question, however: if one is instituted to the ministry of Acolyte or Lector and then enters seminary, how would that interact with the Orders of Acolyte and Lector? I suppose, naturally, that would have to be handled by the document re-instituting the Orders. What do you think? Are Minor Orders a good thing the Church is missing or an unnecessary addition it was right to do away with?

Tags: Catholic, Vocations