The name of St. Stephan, is the Greek word 'stephanos', which means 'crown'. So, the wearing of a crown, by a deacon, is, in and of itself, no different than a the service books of the Church, prior to the Schism, and after, playing on his name to bring out his work.
Thus, in the early, and late medieval West, before the Schism, and then for many centuries afterwards, on the Feast of St. Stephan after Christmas, if possible, the Deacons were to sing the Prose, during the Procession before Mass, but, after the Responsory and before the Antiphon. Thus, the Deacons would sing, at a station, sing:
Prose: All the ends of the world praise thee the Protomartyr,
V. Who first running to the glorious CROWN of Martyrdom,
V. Today, filled with sacred, grace,
V. Thou followest the foot-steps of the Lord,
V. The Sight of Whom,
V. Thou didst obtain,
V. in the Father's Glory.
V. That thou mightest be struck while pleading for the pardon of the stone-throwers' crimes.
Plead that we, who truly love thee, may have portion in thy name.
So, the Deacon sung the Prose, because the day was in honor of the Protomarytred Deacon, and asked for a portion in his name.
And even prior to the Introit being sung, two cantors, Deacons if possible, were to announce the Introit, or Officium. Two deacons were to chant:
V. With him there standeth the white robed company, and the entire heavenly chorus awaiteth to blend their voices.
R. We are eager to chant our canticles unto the King of kings, Who doth so triumph in His spiritual warrior today.
V. Praiseworthy is it to sing unto Christ; now with harmonious jubilation say ye:
R. Alleluia, we Levites, now exulting, are jubilant for Stephan whom the Highest Height did select among the seven in number, say ye thus: (then the Introit is sung).
Even the Introit was interwoven with a play on St. Stephan's name; since it had by 9th and 10th centuries, be woven with tropes which say:
"Today the stricken martyr Stephan doth ascend crowned unto Paradise"
And even making mention of the diaconal office further down, which office is often called that of Levites, by saying:
"Come ye, let us companions of the Levites chant in chorus at the Heavenly Birth of the Protomartyr Stephan, exulting over his very existence with the Psalmist:"
Even the Sequence made reference to the similarity between St. Stephan's name and the word 'crown', when it says:
"Great is the Lord in all the Earth,
Great are His works in Heaven all above,
And in the Earth below, everywhere they are,
He is the King of kings, and Lord of all,
Before all worlds Begotten of the Father.
He of His Love and Truth doth Stephan now
Exalt from Earth to Heaven,
And in eternal life ADORN HIS BROW
WITH GLITTERING MARTYR CROWN....."
So important was St. Stephan's day, that the pre-schism Western Church had done something that only few Masses had, that is, it even troped the Offertory and Offertory Verses even! And it even had an extended offertory, longer than any other in the year. The extended Offertory chant goes to say:
"The crown of the Kingdom with the triumph of praise, Behold!"
and
"To the highest of the Levites! Behold! Behold! Behold! Alleluia!"
And even the Blessings with the Holy Mysteries found in the Benedicitionals, which blessings took place before the Agnus Dei, and which were still practiced until the Counter-Reformation period, say,
"V. May God, Who CROWNED the blessed Protomartyr Stephan, by both the Martyr's confession of Faith and his agony, surround your minds in the present age with the CROWN of justice, and lead you in the future to the CROWN of Glory. R. Amen."
Notice how everything about St. Stephen is about being 'crowned' or 'crowns' or 'the brown' or 'surround your minds' (that is, hearkening to the head)?
And, to go to Constantinople and the East, can anyone forget the Tropar that says:
O First Martyr and Apostle Of Christ,
Thou hadst fought the good fight.
And didst expose the perversion of the persecutors,
For when thou wast killed by stoning at the hands of wicked men,
Thou didst receive a CROWN from the right hand on high,
And didst cry out to God saying,
"O Lord do not charge this sin against them!"
Whether one like the position of the Armenian Church or not, one cannot refuse to acknowledge that the practice of their Jerusalem churches, is not fundamentally different in 'liturgical' intention, than that of the above.
Fr. Augustine