Services
SERVICES
(According to the Greek Orthodox tradition)
Of Vesper, Matins and the Divine Liturgy.
Certainly there are lots of ritual arrangements in the services of the worship life in our church. Not only have they differed between nations but also between places and among Monasteries. The main reasons for these difference are mainly because of the climatic causes concerning the races and the respect concerning the builders’ institution regarding the Monasteries. This fact is not so important. The way of praying is not so important, but the prayer itself to God and his continuing doxology of His.
We present here a Typical ordinance that as we have found reigns in a lot of Monasteries and Temples of Greece with very few variations between them. To ease the studiers of this section, we have separated the Typicon into three chapters:
- Typicon of the period of Paraklitikis (Oktoekhos)
- Typicon of the period of Triodion
- Typicon of the period of Pentecostarion
TYPICON OF PARAKLITIKIS (OKTOEKHOS)
General observations: The Typical ordinance of this period is divided in three occasions: a) The every day service (when the saint of the day does not have Great Doxology). b) The day with a Saint whom has Doxology. c) Of the great feasts (of Jesus Christ and Holy Mother etc.). One way to distinguish the above occasions is the following: We see in the Menaion what the Service of the day contains: If the Saint of the day has three Troparia in the “Lord, I have cried out to you…” and the “Glory to the Father…. Both now and forever….” is Theotokion or Stavrotheotokion, and there are no Aposticha, (maybe the Saint of the day has “Glory to the Father….” thus “now and forever….”) then we perform the following: During the typicon for this period we use the following books: I. Paraklitiki (Oktoekhos) II. Menaion III. Great Orologion IV. Psalmbook
A) For the everyday Service. (Without the great Doxology)
INTRODUCTION:
1. In the everyday Service, the Priest does not serve from the Holy Step but stands outside of it near the psalter. When the time comes for him to read the prayers and to voice sound petitions e.t.c. stands in front of the icon of Despot Christ, which resides on the temple (in the right of the Beautiful Gate).
2. Also, The Priest on top of the raso (the robe) wears only the Epitrachelionand also wears the kalimafhi (the Hieromonks also the koukouli). When he reads the prayers is always bareheaded. In many Monasteries there is permanently a hanged epitrahilio, between the Beautiful Gate and the icon of Christ.
3. In the particular typical arrangement the Beautiful Gate is always closed.
4. Wherever in the following texts we refer the “Proestos”, his place can be replaced with the Psalter or the Reader.
5. If there is no Priest we start the service saying” Through the prayers of our holy fathers…”. The same we say at the end of the Service. The prayers, the petitions e.t.c. which the Priests narrates, are not being told.
(A1) Before Vespers:
(9th Hour)
Before Vespers: The Priest receives the Epitrachelion and after he blesses it and kisses it, he wears it and in front of the Icon of Master Christ (on the temple) covered with the kalimafhi, he exclaims:
Blessed is our God always, now and for ever and to the ages of ages. Chanter: Amen. Priest: Glory to You, our God, glory to You. Heavenly King, Comforter…………… Reader: Holy God, Holy Mighty………. (Trisagion). Priest: For Thine is the kingdom and the power…………….. Chanter: Amen.
The Priest goes to his seat and the Reader continues:
Lord, have mercy. (12). Glory to the Father…. Both now and forever…. Come, let us worship and bow down before our King and God. Come, let us worship and bow down before Christ our King and God. Come, let us worship and bow down before Christ himself, our King and God.
And in the continuing, the Ninth Hour, as it is in the Great Orologion. After we read the three psalms of the Ninth Hour (the last verse is repeated) the Reader continues:
Glory to the Father…. Both now and forever…. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia. Glory to you, O God (3). Lord, have mercy Lord, have mercy, Lord, have mercy, Glory to the Father…. (Read the Apolitikion of the Saint of the Day)
Both now and forever…. The Theotokion of the Orologion “O Thou Who for our sake was born of a Virgin….”and continues, “Deliver us not up utterly…”and directly after,
“Holy God, Holy Mighty………. “(Trisagion). Priest: For Thine is the kingdom and the power…………….. Reader: Amen. And reads the Kontakion of the Saint of the day. The “Lord, have mercy. (12)”, “At all times and in every hour…”, “Lord, have mercy. (3)” “Glory to the Father…. Both now and forever….”,“More honorable than the Cherubim…”, “In the name of the Lord, Father bless”.
The Priest returns in front of the icon of Master Christ and exclaims “May God have compassion on us and bless us” and the Proestos or Reader read the prayer “O Master, Lord Jesus Christ our God...”.
After the prayer, the Priest comes in front of the Beautiful Gate (not over the steps) and looking west makes a small dismissal.
(A2) Vesper (outside of saturday)
After the “Through the prayers of our holy fathers…” he returns in front of the Icon of Master Christ and exclaims: Blessed is our God always, now and for ever and to the ages of ages. Proestos or Reader: Come, let us worship and bow down before our King and God. Come, let us worship and bow down before Christ our King and God. Come, let us worship and bow down before Christ himself, our King and God.
And reads the Indroductory Psalm (103) as it is written in the Orologion. During the Indroductory Psalm, the Priest bareheaded reads in front the Icon of Master Christ the seven prayers of the Vesper.
After the Priest finishes the prayers he is covered again and after the Indroductory Psalm, he exclaims from the place he stands “The Great Ectenia” and return to his seat, while the Reader goes under the chandelier and reads the Psalms of the day.
After the Psalms, the Priest in front of the Icon of Christ he exlaims “The Little Ectenia” and afterwards the Chanter starts to sing the “Lord, I have cried out to you…” in the tone of the week (of Oktoekhos) if the Menaion has three Troparia or the tone of the Menaion if the Menaion has six Troparia.
While the 2nd Chanter sings the “Let my prayer be set forth…” the Priest enters the Sanctuary and receives the incensory (which is already prepared) and incense the Holy Altar. He goes out of the Sanctuary and incense the Beautiful Gate, the icons of the temple and afterwards all the Church as usual. After he finishes the incense, he leaves the incensory, he leaves the Sanctuary and goes to his seat.
After the “Let my prayer be set forth…”, the Reader reads the rest verses of the psalms, starting from the verse “If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities…”, we chant the Troparia like this: First we chant from the Paraklitikon (Oktoekhon) three Troparia (If we notice, the Paraklitikon in the Vesper has two groups of Troparia for example on Monday three “Solemn” and three of the Archangels. The same applies every day (We will choose two Troparia from the first group and one from the second). After we chant the three Troparia of the Oktoekhos by prefixing one verse to each, we continue with three Troparia from the Menaion. Afterwards (in the Menaion) the “Glory to the Father….Now and forever….” the Theotokion or Stavrotheotokion in the Vespers of Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Proestos or Reader (without chanting): “O joyful light………..”. Priest (from his seat) exclaims: “The evening prokeimenon” Chanter sings the “Prokeimenon” of the day thrice. (Before the third time, the verse is recited), and immediately Reader reads the “O Lord, keep us this evening…..”
While the “O Lord, keep us this evening…..”is being read, the Priest returns in front of the Icon of Master Christ and after the Reader is finished, he exclaims, “The Ectenia of Supplication”-”Let us complete our evening prayer to the Lord…”etc., After the “For you are a good…” he turns to the people and blesses the people saying “Peace be unto all.” etc., and reads the prayer (bearheaded). After he exclaims “May the might of your kingdom…”, he returns to his seat and the Chanter sings the Aposticha of the Oktoechos.
Proestos or the Priest recites “Lord, now let your servant…” Reader the “Trisagion” Priest (from his seat) exclaims “For Thine is the kingdom……..”
Chanter “Amen” and continues by chanting the “Apolitikion” of the Saint of the day, “Glory to the Father….Both now and forever….” and the “Theotokion” with the equivalent tone of“Apolitikion”.
While the “Apolitikion” are chanted, the Priest returns in front of the Icon of Master Christ and exclaims the “Ectenia” (Let us all say with our whole soul), etc. Afterwards the Priest comes in front of the Beautiful Gate (not over the steps) and watching toward the west exclaims “Wisdom.” .
Reader: Bless. Priest: Blessed are you, Christ our God, always now and forever and …
Proestos or Reader: Make firm, Lord our God, the holy and pure faith of the pious Orthodox Christians, together with the Holy Church and this city, to the ages of ages.
Priest: All Holy Theotokos, save us Proestos or Reader: More honorable than…… Priest: (coming in the center and watching toward west) Glory to You, Christ our God and our hope, glory to you. Reader: Glory to the Father…. Both now and forever…, Lord, have mercy.(3), Father bless”
Priest: May Christ our true God, through the prayers of His most pure and holy Mother………have mercy on us and save us for He is good and loveth mankind and merciful God.
Proestos or Reader: Receive, Lord God, our prayer of us the sinners and have mercy on us. Reader: Let your mercy, Lord, be upon us, as our trust is in you. Proestos or Reader: Everlasting be the memory of the founders and the renovators of this holy church. Reader: Eternal be their memory. Priest: Through the prayers of our holy father….
(A3) Midnight (outside Saturday and Sunday)
Before the Matins, we read he midnight, as it follows: Priest: “Blessed is our God always, now and for ever and to the ages of ages.” Chanter: “Amen.“ Priest: “Glory to You, our God, glory to You. Heavenly King, Comforter……………” Reader: “Holy God, Holy Mighty………. (Trisagion).” Priest: “For Thine is the kingdom and the power……………..” Chanter: “Amen.”
The Priest returns to his seat and the Reader (reading) continues the three Troparia, “Having arisen from sleep”, “Glory to the Father…. From my bed and sleep..,”, “Both now and forever..Suddenly the Judge shall come..”. The Lord, have mercy.(3), and the two prayers “Arising from sleep I thank thee…”, and “Glory to thee, King” .
And the Reader continues “Come, let us worship…e.t.c. “, and after the «Amomos» (The Seventeenth Kathisma) in three stops. When the Kathisma is finished “Glory to the Father…. Both now and forever…,”, “I believe in one God…” and at the end the “Trisagion”.
Priest: “For Thine is the kingdom…”
Reader:(reading the Troparia) “Behold, the Bridegroom cometh at midnight..”, “Glory to the Father..Meditating on that terrible day…”, “Both now and forever…. Thee, the unassailable wall..”. Τό «Lord, have mercy» (40), “At all times and in every hour…”, “Lord, have mercy. (3)” “Glory to the Father…. Both now and forever….”, “More honorable than the Cherubim…”, “In the name of the Lord, Father bless”.
Priest: “May God have compassion on us and bless us…”
Proestos: The prayers “O Master God, the Father Almighty…”, “O Lord Almighty, God of hosts…” and “We bless Thee, O Most High God…” (The second wish “O Lord Almighty…”, is being read only from the 22st of September until the week before the Sunday of Palms) Afterwards,
Reader: “Come, let us worship…e.t.c.” and the psalms 120 and 133, “Glory to the Father….Both now and forever…Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia. Glory to you, O God” (3), and the “Trisagion”.
Priest: “For Thine is the kingdom…”
Reader: (Reads the Troparia) “Remember, O Lord, for Thou art good…”, “O Thou Who by the depth of Thy wisdom…”, “Glory to the Father…With the saints give rest…”, “Both now and forever..In all generations we call thee blessed…” and afterwards the « Lord, have mercy» (12),
Proestos: The prayer “Remember, O Lord, our fathers…” Reader: “Most glorious, Ever-Virgin..” Proestos: “My hope is the Father…” Reader: “All my hope…”
And we chant the three Kataniktika Troparia, “Have mercy on us, O Lord….”, Glory to the Father…Lord, have mercy on us…”, “Both now and forever…The door of compassion…”
Priest: (Coming in the center and watching toward west makes the dismissal). Glory to You, Christ our God, our hope, glory to you.
Reader: Glory to the Father…. Both now and forever…, Lord, have mercy.(3), Father bless”
Priest: (dismissal). May Christ our true God, through the prayers of His most pure and holy Mother………have mercy on us and save us for He is good and loveth mankind and merciful God.
Priest:(continues in the place he stands, while the Reader sais in every pray the “Lord, have mercy“) · Let us pray for the peace of the world. · For the pious and Orthodox Christians. · For our pious nation. · For our Archbishop … and for all our brethren in Christ · For our fathers and brethers that have passed on before us. · For them that hate us and them that lone us. · For them that are kind to us and them that serve us. · For them that have asked us unworthy ones to pray for them. · For the deliverance of the imprisoned. · For those sailing upon the sea. · For those bedridden in infirmities. · Let us pray for the abundance of the fruits of the earth. · And for every Orthodox Christian soul.
And by turning toward east the Priest continues,
Priest: “Let us bless our pious kings” Reader: “Let their memory be eternal” Priest: “Orthodox hierarchs” Reader: “Let their memory be eternal” Priest: “The founders of this sacred Church (of Monastery)” Reader: “Let their memory be eternal” Priest: “Our parents, godparents and teachers” Reader: “Let their memory be eternal”
Priest: “And all that have passed on before us, our fathers and brothers and the Orthodox here and everywhere and those who are laid in rest.”
Reader: “Let their memory be eternal”
And again by turning toward west the Priest continues,
Priest: “Let us say also for ourselves the Lord have mercy…” Reader: “Lord, have mercy, Lord, have mercy, Lord, have mercy.” Priest: ”Through the prayers of our holy father…….,” Reader: “Amen.”
