PROSTRATION IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH Parts of the Ordination of Deacons: Litany of the Saints and Prostration Deacons prostrate themselves during their ordination as a symbolic gesture of complete humility and submission to God, signifying their willingness to dedicate their lives to service within the Church by "laying themselves down" in devotion and recognizing their unworthiness before the sacred calling they are receiving; this act also represents a complete surrender to God's will and a comm