The Liturgy of St. Basil the Great
The Entrance Prayers
Deacon: Bless, Master.
Priest:+ Blessed is our God always, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
Deacon: Amen.
Deacon: Glory to You, our God; glory to You!
O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, You are everywhere and fulfill all things. Treasury of Blessings and Giver of Life, come and abide in us and cleanse us from every impurity and save our souls, O Good One!
Holy God! Holy Mighty! Holy Immortal! Have mercy on us. (3x)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
O most-holy Trinity, have mercy on us!
O Lord, cleanse us from our sins!
O Master, pardon our transgressions!
O Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Your name’s sake!
Lord, have mercy. (3x)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
Priest:For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
Deacon: Amen.
Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us; for laying aside all excuse, we sinners offer to You, as to our Master, this supplication: have mercy on us.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
O Lord, have mercy on us, for in You have we put our trust. Do not be angry with us, nor remember our iniquities, but look down on us even now, since You are compassionate, and deliver us from our enemies. For You are our God, and we are Your people; we are all the work of Your hands, and we call upon Your Name.
...now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Deacon: O blessed Theotokos, open the doors of compassion to us whose hope is in you, that we may not perish but be delivered from adversity through you, who are the salvation of the Christian people.
Clergy, in order of rank, venerate the icon of Christ, and say:
Clergy:We venerate Your most pure image, O Good One, and ask forgiveness of our transgressions, O Christ our God. Of Your good will You were pleased to ascend the cross in the flesh and deliver Your creatures from bondage to the enemy. Therefore with thankfulness we cry aloud to You: You have filled all with joy, O our Savior, for You came to save the world.
They also venerate the icon of the Theotokos and say:
Deem us worthy of mercy, O Theotokos, Fountain of Tenderness. Look on us sinful men and reveal your power as always, for we have put our hope in you. Rejoice! we cry to you, as once did Gabriel, the leader of the bodiless hosts.
Deacon: Let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.
Priest:O Lord, stretch forth Your hand from Your holy dwelling place on high, and strengthen me for this, Your appointed service, that standing without condemnation before Your throne, I may offer the bloodless sacrifice. For Yours is the power and the glory unto ages of ages. Amen.
They turn and bow to the people, asking forgiveness:
Address: Forgive me, brothers and sisters.
Response: God forgives all.
They enter the Sanctuary - the Priest through the North door and the Deacon through the South door, saying:
Deacon: I will enter Your house, I will worship toward Your holy temple in fear of You. Lead me, O Lord, in Your righteousness because of my enemies; make my way straight before You. For there is no truth in their mouth; their heart is destruction, their throat is an open sepulcher, they flatter with their tongue. Judge them, O God, let them fall by their own counsels; because of their many transgressions cast them out, for they have rebelled against You. But let all who take refuge in You rejoice, let them always sing for joy; and dwell in them, that those who love Your name may exult in You. For You bless the righteous, O Lord, You cover us with good will as with a shield.
They bow 3 times before the Altar Table. The Priest kisses the Holy Gospel, the Altar Table, and the Cross. The Deacon kisses the Altar Table.
Then each takes his robe (Sticharion) and, bowing 3 times towards the East, prays silently:
O God, cleanse me a sinner, and have mercy on me.
Vesting of the Deacon
The Deacon, with his robe (Sticharion) and stole (Orarion) in hand, goes to the Priest and bows his head, saying:
Deacon: Bless, Master, the Sticharion and Orarion.
Priest:+ Blessed is our God always, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
Deacon: Amen.
The Deacon goes to the side of the Sanctuary. Vesting himself with the Sticharion, he prays:
Let us pray to the Lord. My soul shall rejoice in the Lord, for He has clothed me with the garment of salvation; He has covered me with the robe of gladness; as a bridegroom He has set a crown on me; and as a bride adorns herself with jewels, so has He adorned me.
After kissing the Orarion, the Deacon places it on his shoulder. He may say:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord of Sabaoth: heaven and earth are full of Your glory.
As he puts on the cuffs (Epimanikia), he recites the following:
(Right) Your right hand, O Lord, has been glorified in power. Your right hand, O Lord, has shattered Your enemies. In the greatness of Your majesty, You have overthrown Your adversaries.
(Left) Your hands have made and fashioned me. Give me understanding that I may learn Your commandments.
Then the Deacon goes to the Table of Preparation (Oblation), and sets the Holy Vessels in place for the Priest.
The Vesting of the Priest
The Priest blesses his own Sticharion:
Priest:+ Blessed is our God always, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
He vests himself with the Sticharion, saying:
My soul shall rejoice in the Lord, for He has clothed me with the garment of salvation; He has covered me with the robe of gladness; as a bridegroom He has set a crown on me; and as a bride adorns herself with jewels, so has He adorned me.
He blesses the stole (Epitrachelion), and says, as he vests:
+ Blessed is God, Who pours out His grace upon His Priests, as myrrh upon the head, that runs down the beard, the beard of Aaron, that runs down the border of his robe.
He blesses the belt (Zone), and says, as he vests:
+ Blessed is God, Who girds me with strength and makes my way blameless. He made my feet like hind’s feet, and set me secure on the heights.
As he puts on the cuffs (Epimanikia), he recites the following:
(Right) Your right hand, O Lord, has been glorified in power. Your right hand, O Lord, has shattered Your enemies. In the greatness of Your majesty, You have overthrown Your adversaries.
(Left) Your hands have made and fashioned me. Give me understanding that I may learn Your commandments
If he has been awarded the shield (Epigonation), he puts it on, saying:
Gird Your sword upon Your thigh, O Mighty One, in Your comeliness and in Your beauty. Go forth and prosper and reign, because of truth and meekness and righteousness. Your right hand shall guide You wondrously always, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
He blesses the chasuble (Phelonion), and prays, as he vests:
+ Your Priests, O Lord, shall clothe themselves with righteousness, and Your saints shall shout with joy always, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
The Priest then washes his hands, saying:
I wash my hands in innocence, and go about Your altar, O Lord, singing aloud a song of praise, and telling all Your miracles. O Lord, I love the beauty of Your house, and the place where Your glory dwells. Do not sweep my soul away with sinners, nor my life with bloodthirsty men, men in whose hands are evil devices, and whose right hands are full of bribes. But as for me, I walk in my integrity; deliver me, and have mercy on me. My foot stands on level ground; in the churches I will bless the Lord.The Liturgy of Preparation
(Proskomedia)
The Priest and Deacon bow 3x before the Table of Preparation, saying quietly each time:
Clergy:O God, cleanse me a sinner, and have mercy on me.
The Priest removes the communion cloths from the Chalice and the paten (Diskos), saying:
Priest:O Bethlehem, be prepared; Eden is opened to all; O Ephratha, be made ready; for in the cave the tree of life has blossomed forth from the Virgin; for her womb has been shown to be a spiritual paradise, in which is the divine plant, from which having eaten, we will live and not die as Adam did. Christ is born to raise the image that had fallen.
By Your precious Blood You have redeemed us from the curse of the law. By being nailed to the Cross and pierced with a spear, You have poured immortality upon men. O our Savior, glory to You!
The Deacon raises his Orarion, saying:
Deacon: Bless, Master.
------------------------ 1st Loaf - The Lamb -------------------------
The Priest makes the sign of the Cross + with the first loaf of bread, saying:
Priest:Blessed is our God, always, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
Deacon: Amen.
The Priest takes the prosphora in his left hand and the spear in his right, and makes the Sign of the Cross + over the seal 3 times, saying each time:
Priest:In remembrance of our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ. (3x)
The Priest pierces the prosphora with the spear to the right of the seal, and, cutting along the right side, says:
Deacon:Let us pray to the Lord.
Priest:As a sheep led to the slaughter,
Deacon: Let us pray to the Lord.
Cutting the left side, the Priest says:
Priest:or a spotless lamb before its shearers is dumb, so He opens not His mouth.
Deacon: Let us pray to the Lord.
Cutting the upper side:
Priest:In His humiliation justice was denied Him
Deacon: Let us pray to the Lord.
Cutting the lower side:
Priest:Who will explain His generation?
The Deacon then points to the Holy Bread with his hand and Orarion, and says:
Deacon:Take up, Master.
The Priest, piercing the prosphora on the bottom right side and cutting, then lifts out the Lamb, saying:
Priest:For His life is taken up from the earth.
The Priest inverts the Lamb, placing the seal upon the Diskos, while the Deacon says:
Deacon: Sacrifice, Master.
The Priest cuts the Lamb cross-wise, taking care not to cut through the seal, and says:
Priest:Sacrificed is the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world, for the life of the world and its salvation.
The Priest inverts the Lamb again so that the seal is on top, while the Deacon says:
Deacon:Pierce, Master.
The Priest pierces the right side of the Lamb under the letters IC and says:
Priest:One of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. He who saw it has borne witness, and his witness is true.
(Additional Lambs for Liturgies of the Presanctified Gifts are prepared, doing the same for each Lamb, beginning with, “In remembrance of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ...")
The Deacon takes the wine and water and says to the Priest:
Deacon: Bless, Master, the holy union.
As the Deacon pours the wine and water into the Chalice, the Priest blesses the diaconal action with the Sign of the Cross +, saying:
Priest:Blessed is the union of Your holy things...
Deacon: always, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
-------------------- 2nd Loaf - The Mother of God --------------------
The Priest takes the second prosphora into his hand and says:
Priest:In honor and memory of our most-blessed Lady, the Theotokos and ever-Virgin Mary. Through her intercessions, O Lord, accept this sacrifice upon Your heavenly Altar.
The Priest removes a triangular particle of the prosphora and places it on the right side of the Lamb, saying:
The Queen stood on Your right side, arrayed in golden robes, all glorious.
----------------- 3rd Loaf - The Nine Orders of Saints ---------------
The Priest takes the third prosphora and says:
Of the honorable, glorious prophet and forerunner, John the Baptist.
The Priest removes a particle and places it on the left side of the Lamb, making it the first particle of the first row. Removing a second particle from this same prosphora and placing it below the first, he says:
Of the holy and glorious prophets: Moses and Aaron, Elijah and Elisha, David and Jesse, the three Holy Children, Daniel the Prophet, and of all the holy prophets.
Removing a third particle from this same prosphora and placing it below the second, he says:
Of the holy, glorious and all-laudable apostles Peter and Paul, of the Twelve and of the Seventy, and all the holy apostles.
Removing a fourth particle from this same prosphora and placing it next to the first particle (thus making the top of a new row), he says:
Of our fathers among the saints and hierarchs: Basil the Great; Gregory the Theologian; John Chrysostom; Athanasius and Cyril; Nicholas of Myra in Lycia; (Peter, Alexis, Jonah, and Philip of Moscow; Nicetas, Bishop of Novgorod; and Leontius, Bishop of Rostov;) the North American hierarchs Innocent, Tikhon, Nicholas, and John; and of all the holy hierarchs.
Removing a fifth particle from this same prosphora and placing it below the fourth (second row), he says:
Of the holy apostle and Archdeacon, the First-martyr Stephen; of the holy Great martyrs: Demetrius, George, Theodore of Tyre, Theodore Stratelates. And of the martyrs of North America: Juvenaly, Peter, John and Alexander. And of the Women-martyrs: Thecla, Barbara, Kyriake, Euphemia, Paraskeve, Catherine. And of all the holy martyrs.
Removing a sixth particle from this same prosphora and placing it below the fifth (second row), he says:
Of the venerable and God-bearing monastic fathers: Antony, Euthymius, Sabbas, Onuphrius, Athanasius of Athos; (Anthony and Theodosius of the Caves in Kiev, Sergius of Radonezh, Seraphim of Sarov, and Barlaam of Khutinsk). Of the venerable mothers: Pelagia, Theodosia, Anastasia, Eupraxia, Fevronia, Theodulia, Euphrosyne, Mary of Egypt, and of all the venerable fathers and mothers.
Removing a seventh particle from this same prosphora and placing it next to the fourth (thus making another row), he says
Of the holy Wonderworkers and Unmercenaries: Cosmas and Damian, Cyrus and John, Panteleimon and Hermolaus, and of all the holy unmercenary saints.
Removing an eighth particle from this same prosphora and placing it below the seventh (third row), he says:
Of the holy and righteous Ancestors of God, Joachim and Anna; Saint __(patron of Church)__, Saint(s) __(of the day)__ whom we commemorate today; (of the holy Methodius and Cyril, Equals to the Apostles and Teachers of the Slavs; of the holy Great Prince Vladimir, Equal to the Apostles;) and of all the saints, by their prayers visit us, O God.
Removing a ninth particle from this same prosphora and placing it below the eighth (third row), he says:
Of our father among the saints, John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, (or Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea).
----------------------- 4th Loaf - The Living ------------------------
The Priest takes a particle from the fourth prosphora and, placing it at the foot of the Lamb (at the letters NIKA), he prays:
Remember, O loving Master, the whole Episcopate of the Orthodox Church, Metropolitan ______; our Bishop (or Archbishop) ______, the honorable Priesthood, the Diaconate in Christ and the whole priestly and monastic order; [in a monastery: our Archimandrite (or Abbot) ______]; [our brethren the concelebrating Priests and Deacons]; and of all our brotherhood, which You have called into Your communion through Your compassion, O gracious Master.
The Priest then remembers any other living faithful, removing a particle from the fourth prosphora for each and placing it next to the first, saying with each name:
Remember, O Lord, Your (servant, handmaid) ______.
---------------------- 5th Loaf - The Departed -----------------------
The Priest takes a particle from the fifth prosphora and, placing it below the above row, remembers the departed, saying:
In blessed memory and for the remission of sins of the most holy Patriarchs, Bishops, Priests, Deacons, and all monastics; and of all Orthodox and God-fearing rulers; and of all blessed founders of this holy church (or monastery).
The Priest then remembers any other departed faithful, removing a particle from this fifth prosphora for each and placing it next to the first, saying with each name:
Remember, O Lord, Your (servant, handmaid) ______.
When he finishes remembering the departed, the Priest prays this prayer:
Remember all of our Orthodox fathers and brethren who have departed in the hope of resurrection to eternal life in Your communion, O Lord, the Lover of mankind.
Taking the appropriate loaf, the Priest then remembers the Bishop who ordained him, and concludes the remembrance:
Remember, O Lord, Your unworthy servant and forgive me all my sins, both voluntary and involuntary.
The Priest kisses the spear and sets it aside. (Other Priests may now make commemorations, if they wish.) The Table is cleared and arranged as needed.
The Deacon presents the censer to the Priest, saying:
Deacon: Bless, Master, the censer. Let us pray to the Lord.
Priest:+ We offer You incense, O Christ our God, for a perfume of spiritual fragrance. Receive it upon Your heavenly Altar, and send down upon us in turn the grace of Your all-Holy Spirit.
Deacon: Let us pray to the Lord.
...for star-cover:
The Priest censes the star and places it over the Holy Bread, saying
:Priest:And the star came and stood over the place where the young Child was.
Deacon: Let us pray to the Lord.
...for Diskos veil:
The Priest censes the first veil and places it over the Diskos, saying:
Priest:The Lord reigns; He is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed, He is girded with strength. The world is established; it shall never be moved. Your throne is established from of old; You are from everlasting. The floods have lifted up, O God; the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods have lifted up their roaring. Mightier than the thunder of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the Lord on high is mighty. Your decrees are very sure; holiness befits Your house, O Lord, forevermore.
Deacon: Let us pray to the Lord. Cover, Master.
...for Chalice veil:
The Priest censes the second veil and places it over the Chalice, saying:
Priest:Your virtue has covered the heavens, O Christ, and the earth is full of Your praise.
Deacon: Let us pray to the Lord. Cover, Master.
...for aer:
The Priest censes the large veil (aer) and places it over both the Diskos and the Chalice, saying:
Priest:Cover us with the shelter of Your wings, and drive away from us every foe and adversary. Grant peace to our lives, O Lord. Have mercy on us and on Your world, and save our souls, for You are good and love mankind.
The Priest then takes the censer and censes the Offerings, saying 3 times:
Blessed is our God, Who is thus well-pleased. Glory to You! (3x)
After each of the above, the Deacon raises his Orarion and concludes:
Deacon: ...always, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. (3x)
Both bow before the Offerings 3 times. The Deacon then takes the censer from the Priest and says:
Deacon: For the precious Gifts now offered, let us pray to the Lord.
Priest:O God, our God, Who sent the heavenly Bread, the food of the whole world, our Lord and God, Jesus Christ, to be our savior, redeemer, and benefactor, blessing and sanctifying us: Bless this Offering, and accept it upon Your heavenly Altar. Remember those who offered it and those for whom it was offered, for You are good and love mankind. Preserve us blameless in the celebration of Your divine Mysteries. For sanctified and glorified is Your most honorable and majestic Name: of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
Deacon: Amen.
The Priest then concludes the Liturgy of Preparation with the Dismissal:
Priest:Glory to You, O Christ our God and our hope; glory to You.
Deacon: Glory to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Father, bless.
Priest:May [on Sundays: He Who rose from the dead,] Christ our true God, through the prayers of His most pure Mother; of our father among the saints Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia and of all the saints: have mercy on us and save us for He is good and loves mankind.
The Deacon censes the Offering; then he goes to the Altar Table and censes around it cross-wise, saying:
Deacon: In the tomb with the body, in hell with the soul as God, in paradise with the thief and on the throne with the Father and the Spirit, were You, O boundless Christ, filling all things.
Then he recites Psalm 50 (51)
“Have mercy on me, O God...” as he censes the Table of Preparation, the Altar Table, the High Place, all of the Sanctuary icons, and then the Priest and all those in the Sanctuary. Exiting through the North door, he censes the Iconostasis (beginning with the Royal Doors, the right side and then the left), the right and left choirs (if there be), the faithful and then, descending from the solea, all of the icons and people in the church, beginning with the right (or South) side, and ending with the center analoy. Again ascending the solea, he censes the Royal Doors, the icons of Christ and of the Theotokos, enters the Sanctuary through the South door, censes the front of the Altar Table again. He then goes to the High Place, crosses himself, bows, turns, bows to the Priest, and puts away the censer.
Acolytes (or Deacons) prepare the Antidoron for distribution. (Part of the 1st loaf is reserved for the celebrant to take home.)
DIVINE LITURGY OF ST. BASIL THE GREAT
All:O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, You are everywhere and fulfill all things. Treasury of Blessings and Giver of Life, come and abide in us and cleanse us from every impurity and save our souls, O Good One!
Clergy: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will to men. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Your praise.
Deacon: It is time for the Lord to act. Let us begin the service to the Lord. Bless, Master.
Priest: + Blessed is our God, always, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
Deacon: Amen. Pray for me, Master.
Priest: May the Lord direct your steps.
Deacon: Remember me, holy Master.
Priest: + May the Lord God remember you in His kingdom always, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
Deacon: Amen.
Deacon:Bless, Master.
Priest:+ Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
People:Amen.
The Great Litany
Deacon: In peace let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For the peace from above and for the salvation of our souls, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For the peace of the whole world, for the welfare of the holy churches of God, and for the union of all, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For this holy house and for those who enter it with faith, reverence, and the fear of God, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For [his Beatitude] Metropolitan ______; for [his Grace] our Bishop ______; for the honorable priesthood, the diaconate in Christ, for all the clergy and the people, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For the President and all civil authorities of this country, and for those serving in its Armed Forces, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For this city, for every city and countryside, and for the faithful dwelling in them, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For favorable weather, for an abundance of the fruits of the earth, and for peaceful times, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For travelers by land, by sea, and by air; the sick; the suffering; the captives; and for their salvation, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For our deliverance from all affliction, wrath, danger, and distress, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and keep us, O God, by Your grace.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: Commemorating our most holy, pure, most blessed and glorious Lady, the Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary with all the saints, let us commend ourselves and each other, and all our life unto Christ our God.
People: To You, O Lord.
Priest: O Lord our God, Your power is incomparable. Your glory is incomprehensible. Your mercy is immeasurable. Your love for mankind is inexpressible. Look down on us and on this holy house with compassion, O Master, and impart the riches of Your mercy and Your compassion to us and to those who pray with us,
for to You belong all glory, honor, and worship: to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
People:Amen.
First Antiphon - Psalm 93
Choir:It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to Your name, O Most High,
People:Refrain - Through the prayers of the Theotokos, O Savior, save us.
Choir: To declare Your loving kindness in the morning and Your faithfulness throughout the night,
People: Repeat Refrain
Choir: For the Lord is upright, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.
People: Repeat Refrain
Choir:Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen,
People: Repeat Refrain
The Little Litany
Deacon: Again and again in peace, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and keep us, O God, by Your grace.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: Commemorating our most holy, pure, most blessed and glorious Lady, the Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary with all the saints, let us commend ourselves and each other and all our life unto Christ our God.
People: To You, O Lord.
Priest: O Lord our God, save Your people and bless Your inheritance. Preserve the fullness of Your Church. Sanctify those who love the beauty of Your house; glorify them in turn by Your divine power, and do not forsake us who put our hope in You,
for Yours is the majesty, and Yours is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory: of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
People: Amen. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Second Antiphon - Psalm 94
Choir The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty, the Lord is clothed, He has girded Himself with Strength.
People: Refrain: O Son of God who arose from the dead, save us who sing to you: Alleluia
Choir: For He established the universe, it shall never by moved.
People: Repeat Refrain
Choir: Your decrees are very sure, holiness befits Your house, O Lord, forever more.
People: Repeat Refrain
Choir: Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
People: Refrain - now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen
Only-begotten Son and immortal Word of God, Who for our salvation willed to be incarnate of the holy Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary, who without change became man and was crucified, O Christ our God, trampling down death by death. You are one of the Holy Trinity, glorified with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Save us!
The Little Litany
Deacon: Again and again in peace, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and keep us, O God, by Your grace.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: Commemorating our most holy, pure, most blessed and glorious Lady, the Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary with all the saints, let us commend ourselves and each other and all our life unto Christ our God.
People: To You, O Lord.
Priest:O Lord, You have given us grace to make our common supplications to You with one accord, and have promised that when two or three are gathered together in Your name, You would grant their requests. Fulfill now, O Lord, the petitions of Your servants as may be best for them. Grant us in this world the knowledge of Your truth, and in the world to come, life eternal,
For You are a good God and You love mankind, and to You we ascribe glory: to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
People: Amen.
Third Antiphon - Psalm 95
Chanter: Come, let us sing to the Lord;
Let us make a joyful noise to God our Savior!
Let us come into His presence with thanksgiving;
And with psalms let us make a joyful noise to Him!
People: Lenten Troparion Hymn of the Day (found in Appendix B)
Chanter: For the Lord is the great God,
In His hand are the depths of the earth;
The heights of the mountains are His also.
The sea is His, for He made it;
And His hands formed the dry land.
People: Repeat Lenten Troparion Hymn of the Day
Chanter: Come, let us worship and bow down;
Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
For He is our God,
And we are the people he shepherds
and the flock he guides.
People:Repeat Lenten Troparion Hymn of the Day
The Little Entrance
Deacon: (quietly) Let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.
Priest: O Master and Lord, our God, You have appointed in heaven orders and hosts of angels and archangels to serve before Your glory: grant that with our entrance there may be an entrance of holy angels, serving with us and glorifying Your goodness. For to You belong all glory, honor, and worship: to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
Deacon: Amen. Bless, Master, the holy entrance.
Priest: + Blessed is the entrance into Your holy place always, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Deacon: Wisdom! Let us attend!
People:Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ Who rose from the dead, O Son of God, save us who sing to You: Alleluia!
The choir sings the appointed Kontakion and Theotokion Hymns while the Priest prays the Trisagion prayer: (found in Appendix B)
Priest: O Holy God, You rest in the holy place. You are hymned by the seraphim with the thrice-holy cry, glorified by the cherubim, and worshipped by every heavenly power. Out of nothing You brought all things into being. You have created man after Your own image and likeness, and have adorned him with Your every gift. You give wisdom and understanding to everyone who asks. You do not despise the sinner, but instead have appointed repentance unto salvation. You have graciously granted us, Your humble and unworthy servants, even in this hour to stand before the glory of Your Holy Altar, and to offer worship and praise which are Your due. Master, accept also from the mouths of us sinners the thrice-holy hymn, and watch over us in Your goodness. Forgive us every transgression, both voluntary and involuntary. Sanctify our souls and bodies, and enable us to serve You in holiness all the days of our life, through the intercessions of the holy Theotokos and of all the saints who from the beginning of the world have pleased You,
Deacon: Bless, Master, the time of the Thrice-holy.
Deacon: Let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Priest: For You are holy, O our God, and to You we ascribe glory: to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever...
Deacon: O Lord, save those who fear You, and hear us.
People:O Lord, save those who fear You, and hear us.
Deacon: ...and unto ages of ages.
People:Amen.
The Trisagion Hymn
People: Holy God! Holy Mighty! Holy Immortal! Have mercy on us. (3x)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Holy Immortal! Have mercy on us.
Holy God! Holy Mighty! Holy Immortal! Have mercy on us.
Deacon:Command, Master.
Priest:Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Deacon:Bless, Master, the High Place.
Priest:+ Blessed are You on the throne of the glory of Your Kingdom, seated upon the Cherubim; always, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
Deacon:Bless, Master the incense.
Priest:+ Blessed is our God, always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.
Deacon:Amen.
The Epistle Reading
Deacon:Let us attend!
Priest:+ Peace be unto all.
Reader:And to your spirit.
Deacon:Wisdom!
Reader:The Prokeimenon in the _____ tone:
(The Reader chants the first verse of the Prokeimenon)
Choir:(sings the first verse of the Prokeimenon)
Reader:(chants the second verse of the Prokeimenon)
Choir:(sings the first verse of the Prokeimenon)
Reader:chants the first half of the first verse of the Prokeimenon)
Choir:(sings the second half of the first verse of the Prokeimenon)
Deacon:Wisdom!
Reader:The reading is from the Epistle of the Holy Apostle; to the _____).
Deacon:Let us attend!
Reader:Brethren
Priest:Peace be to you who reads.
Reader:And to your spirit. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
The Reader chants the Alleluia verses
Priest:Wisdom!
Deacon:Let us pray to the Lord.
People:Lord have Mercy
Priest:Illumine our hearts, O Master, Lover of mankind, with the pure light of Your divine knowledge. Open the eyes of our mind to the understanding of Your gospel teachings. Instill also in us the fear of Your blessed commandments, that trampling all carnal desires, we may enter upon a spiritual manner of living, both thinking and doing such things that are well-pleasing to You, for You are the illumination of our souls and bodies, O Christ our God, and to You we ascribe glory, together with Your Father, Who is without beginning, and Your all-holy, good, and life-creating Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
People:Amen.
The Gospel
Deacon:Bless, Master, him who proclaims the glad tidings of the holy Apostle and Evangelist (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John the Theologian).
Priest:+ May God, through the prayers of the holy, glorious, and all-laudable Apostle and Evangelist_______, enable you to proclaim the glad tidings with great power, to the fulfillment of the gospel of His beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Deacon:Amen. Wisdom! Let us attend! Let us listen to the Holy Gospel.
Priest:+ Peace be unto all.
People:And to your spirit.
Deacon:The reading from the Holy Gospel according to Saint ____.
People:Glory to You, O Lord, glory to You.
Deacon:Let us attend!
Priest:+ Peace be to you who have proclaimed the gospel.
People:Glory to You, O Lord, glory to You.
Homily
The Litany of Fervent Supplication
Deacon:Let us say with all our soul and with all our mind, let us say.
People:Lord, have mercy.
Deacon:O Lord almighty, the God of our fathers, we implore You, hear us and have mercy.
People:Lord, have mercy.
Deacon:Have mercy on us, O God, according to Your great goodness, we implore You, hear us and have mercy.
People:Lord, have mercy. (3x)
Deacon:Again we pray for [his Beatitude] Metropolitan ______, for [his Grace] our Bishop ______, for priests, deacons, and all other clergy, and for all our brethren in Christ.
People:Lord, have mercy. (3x)
Deacon:Again we pray for the (President) and all civil authorities of this country and for those serving in its Armed Forces.
People:Lord, have mercy. (3x)
Deacon: Again we pray for the blessed and ever-memorable holy Orthodox Patriarchs; for the blessed and ever memorable founders of this holy house; for all our fathers and brethren, the Orthodox departed this life before us, [especially ………and all those] who here and in all the world lie asleep in the Lord.
People:Lord, have mercy. (3x)
Deacon:Again we pray for mercy, life, peace, health, salvation, and visitation for the servants of God [especially ______], and for the pardon and remission of their sins.
People:Lord, have mercy. (3x)
Deacon:Again we pray for those who bring offerings and do good works in this holy and all-venerable house; for those who labor and those who sing; and for all the people here present, who await Your great and rich mercy.
People:Lord, have mercy. (3x)
Priest:O Lord our God, accept this fervent supplication of Your servants, and have mercy on us according to the multitude of Your mercy. Send down Your bounties upon us, and upon all Your people who await the rich mercy that comes from You,
for You are a merciful God, and You love mankind, and to You we ascribe glory: to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
People:Amen.
The First Litany of the Faithful
Deacon:Let us, the faithful, again and again in peace, pray to the Lord.
People:Lord, have mercy.
Deacon:Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and keep us, O God by Your grace.
People:Lord, have mercy.
Deacon:Wisdom!
Priest: You, O Lord, have revealed to us this great mystery of salvation. You have permitted us, Your humble and unworthy servants, to be ministers at Your Holy Altar. By the power of Your Holy Spirit, enable us also to perform this service; so that standing blamelessly before Your holy glory, we may offer You a sacrifice of praise. For You alone accomplish all things in all men. May our sacrifice be acceptable and well-pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, for our sins and for the errors of all Your people,
for to You belong all glory, honor, and worship: to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
People:Amen.
The Second Litany of the Faithful
Deacon:Again and again in peace let us pray to the Lord.
People:Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and keep us, O God, by Your grace.
People:Lord, have mercy.
Deacon:Wisdom!
Priest:O God, in mercy and compassion You have visited our lowliness. You have set us, Your humble and sinful and unworthy servants, to serve at Your Holy Altar before Your holy glory. By the power of Your Holy Spirit, strengthen us for this service; and grant speech to our lips so that we may call down the grace of Your Holy Spirit on the gifts that are about to be offered,
that guarded always by Your might we may ascribe glory to You: to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
People:Amen. Amen.
The Cherubic Hymn
People:Let us who mystically represent the cherubim, and who sing the thrice-holy hymn to the life-creating Trinity, now lay aside all earthly cares.
Priest: No one who is bound with the desires and pleasures of the flesh is worthy to approach or draw near or to serve You, O King of Glory; for to minister to You is great and awesome even for the heavenly powers. Nevertheless, through Your inexpressible and boundless love for mankind, You became man, yet without change or alteration; and as Ruler of all, You became our High Priest, and committed to us the ministry of this liturgical and bloodless sacrifice. For You alone, O Lord our God, rule over those in heaven and on earth. You are borne on the throne of the cherubim. You are Lord of the seraphim and King of Israel. You alone are holy and rest in the heavenly sanctuary. Therefore, I entreat You, Who alone are good and ready to listen: look down on me, a sinner, Your unprofitable servant, and cleanse my soul and my heart from an evil conscience; and by the power of the Holy Spirit enable me, who am endowed with the grace of the priesthood, to stand before this, Your Holy Altar, and perform the sacred mystery of Your holy and pure body and precious blood. For I draw near to You, and bowing my neck I implore You: do not turn Your face away from me, nor cast me out from among Your children; but account me, Your sinful and unworthy servant, worthy to offer gifts to You. For You are the Offerer and the Offered, the Receiver and the Received, O Christ our God, and to You we ascribe glory, together with Your Father, Who is without beginning, and Your all-holy, good, and life-creating Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
The Great Entrance
Deacon:His Beatitude, the Most-blessed ______, [full title], his Grace, the Right Reverend ______, [full title], may the Lord God remember in His kingdom, always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.
People:Amen
Priest:Our (President) and all civil authorities of this country and those serving in its Armed Forces, may the Lord God remember in His kingdom, always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.
People: Amen
Priest:The servant(s) of God, ______, that (he, she, they) may have mercy, life, peace, health, salvation, and visitation, pardon and remission of their sins, may the Lord God remember in His kingdom, always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.
People:Amen
The servant(s) of God departed this life in the hope of the resurrection and life eternal, ______, may the Lord God remember in His kingdom, always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.
People: Amen
Priest:You and all Orthodox Christians, may the Lord God remember in His Kingdom always, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
People: May the Lord God remember your priesthood in His kingdom.
People:Amen. That we may receive the King of all, Who comes invisibly upborne by the angelic hosts. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Priest: The noble Joseph, when he had taken down Your most pure Body from the tree, wrapped it in fine linen and anointed it with spices and placed it in a new tomb.
In the tomb with the body, in hell with the soul as God, in paradise with the thief and on the throne with the Father and the Spirit, You were, O boundless Christ, filling all things.
Bearing life and more fruitful than paradise, brighter than any royal chamber: Your tomb, O Christ, is the fountain of our resurrection.
Deacon: Do good, Master.
Priest: Do good to Zion, O Lord, with Your goodwill, and let the walls of Jerusalem be built. Then You will delight in the sacrifice of righteousness, in offering and whole burnt offerings. Then they will offer young bulls on Your altar.
Priest: Remember me, brother and fellow-minister.
Deacon: May the Lord God remember your priesthood in His kingdom
Deacon: Remember me,(us) holy Master.
Priest: + May the Lord God remember your diaconate in His kingdom always, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
Deacon: Amen.
The Litany of Supplication
Deacon:Let us complete our prayer to the Lord.
People:Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: the precious gifts now offered, let us pray to the Lord.
People:Lord have mercy.
Deacon:For this holy house, and for those who enter it with faith, reverence, and the fear of God, let us pray to the Lord.
People:Lord, have mercy.
Deacon:For our deliverance from all affliction, wrath, danger and distress, let us pray to the Lord.
People:Lord, have mercy.
Deacon:Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and keep us, O God, by Your grace.
People:Lord, have mercy.
Deacon:That the whole day may be perfect, holy, peaceful, and sinless, let us ask of the Lord.
People:Grant it, O Lord.
Deacon:For an angel of peace, a faithful guide, a guardian of our souls and bodies, let us ask of the Lord.
People: Grant it, O Lord.
Deacon:For pardon and remission of our sins and transgressions, let us ask of the Lord.
People:Grant it, O Lord.
Deacon:For all things that are good and profitable for our souls, and peace for the world, let us ask of the Lord.
People:Grant it, O Lord.
Deacon:That we may complete the remaining time of our life in peace and repentance, let us ask of the Lord.
People: Grant it, O Lord.
Deacon:For a Christian ending to our life: painless, blameless, and peaceful; and a good defense before the dread judgment seat of Christ, let us ask of the Lord.
People: Grant it, O Lord.
Deacon:Commemorating our most holy, pure, most blessed and glorious Lady, the Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary with all the saints, let us commend ourselves and each other, and all our life unto Christ our God.
People:To You, O Lord.
Priest:O Lord, our God, You have created us and brought us into this life. You have shown us the ways to salvation, and have bestowed upon us the revelation of heavenly mysteries. You have appointed us to this service in the power of Your Holy Spirit. Therefore, O Lord, enable us to become servers of Your new Covenant and ministers of Your holy Mysteries. Through the magnitude of Your mercy, accept us as we draw near to Your Holy Altar, so that we may be worthy to offer to You this reasonable and bloodless sacrifice for our sins and for the errors of Your people. Having received it on Your holy, heavenly and ideal altar as an offering of sweet spiritual fragrance, send down on us in turn the grace of Your Holy Spirit. Look down on us, O God, and observe this our worship. Accept it as You accepted the gifts of Abel, the sacrifices of Noah, the whole burnt offerings of Abraham, the priestly offices of Moses and Aaron, and the peace-offerings of Samuel. As You accepted this true worship from Your holy Apostles, so now, in Your goodness, accept these gifts from the hands of us sinners, O Lord, that having been permitted to serve without offense at Your Holy Altar, we may receive the reward of wise and faithful stewards on the awesome day of Your just retribution,
through the compassion of Your only-begotten Son, with Whom You are blessed, together with Your all-holy, good, and life-creating Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
People:Amen.
Priest:+ Peace be unto all.
People:And to your spirit.
Priest:Let us love one another, that with one mind we may confess:
People: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! The Trinity, one in essence, and undivided!
Priest:I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my firm foundation, my refuge, and deliverer.
Priest:Christ is with us.
People: He is and always will be!
The clergy, servers and people exchange the kiss of peace
Deacon:The doors! The doors! In wisdom, let us attend!
Nicene Creed
All: I believe in one God, the Father almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only-begotten, begotten of the Father before all ages. Light of light; true God of true God; begotten, not made; of one essence with the Father, by Whom all things were made; Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man. And He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried. And the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead; Whose Kingdom shall have no end. And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life, Who proceeds from the Father; Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; Who spoke by the prophets. And in one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
The Anaphora
Deacon:Let us stand aright! Let us stand with fear! Let us attend, that we may offer the holy oblation in peace.
People:An offering of peace, a sacrifice of praise!
Priest:+ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.
People:And with your spirit.
Priest:Let us lift up our hearts.
People:We lift them up unto the Lord.
Priest:Let us give thanks to the Lord.
People:It is fitting and right to worship the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit: the Trinity, one in essence, and undivided.
Priest:O Existing One, Master and Lord; O God, the almighty and adorable Father: it is truly proper, right, and befitting the majesty of Your holiness to praise You, to hymn You, to bless You, to worship You, to give thanks to You, to glorify You, the only God Who truly exists, and to offer You this our rational worship with a contrite heart and in a spirit of humility, for You have granted us the knowledge of Your truth. Who can relate your mighty acts? Or make all Your praises known? Who can tell of all Your miracles at all times? O Master of all, Lord of heaven and earth, and of all creation both visible and invisible, You sit upon the throne of glory and behold the depths. You are without beginning, invisible, incomprehensible, indescribable, and immutable. You are the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the great God and Savior, our hope. He is the image of Your goodness, the seal of Your equal likeness. In Himself He is expressing You, the Father. He is the living Word, the true God, the eternal Wisdom, the Life, the Sanctification, the Power, the true Light. Through Him was revealed the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth; the Gift of sonship; the Pledge of future inheritance; the First Fruits of eternal blessing; the life-creating Power; the Fountain of sanctification. Through Him every creature of reason and understanding is empowered, worshipping You and sending up to You the eternal hymn of glory, for all things are subject to You. You are praised by angels, archangels, thrones, dominions, principalities, authorities, powers, and the many-eyed Cherubim. Around You stand the Seraphim, one with six wings and the other with six wings; with two they cover their faces, with two they cover their feet, and with two they fly, crying one to another with unceasing voices and ever-resounding praises,
singing the triumphant hymn, shouting, proclaiming and saying:
People: Holy! Holy! Holy! Lord of Sabaoth! Heaven and earth are full of Your glory! Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!
Priest:With these blessed powers, O loving Master, we sinners also cry aloud and say: You are holy, most holy, and there are no bounds to the majesty of Your holiness. You are holy in all Your works, for with righteousness and true judgment You have ordered all things for us. When You created man by taking dust from the earth, honoring him with Your own image, O God, You set him in a paradise of delight, promising him eternal life and the enjoyment of eternal blessings in the observance of Your commandments. But when man disobeyed You, the true God Who had created him, and was misled by the deception of the serpent, he became subject to death through his own transgressions. In Your righteous judgment, O God, You expelled him from paradise into this world, returning him to the earth from which he was taken, yet providing for him the salvation of regeneration in Your Christ Himself. For You, O good One, did not desert forever Your creature whom You had made. Nor did You forget the work of Your hands, but through the tender compassion of Your mercy, You visited him in various ways: You sent prophets. You performed mighty works by Your saints who in every generation were well-pleasing to You. You spoke to us by the mouth of Your servants, the prophets, who foretold to us the salvation which was to come. You gave us the law as a help. You appointed angels as guardians. And when the fullness of time had come, You spoke to us by Your Son Himself, through Whom You also made the ages. He, being the Radiance of Your glory and the Image of Your person, upholding all things by the word of His power, thought it not robbery to be equal to You, the God and Father. He was God before the ages, yet He appeared on earth and lived among men. Becoming incarnate from a holy virgin, He emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being conformed to the body of our lowliness, that He might conform us to the image of His glory. For since through a man sin entered the world, and through sin death, so it pleased Your only-begotten Son Who was in the bosom of You, the God and Father, born of a woman, the holy Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary, born under the law, to condemn sin in His own flesh, so that those who were dead in Adam might be made alive in Himself - Your Christ. He lived in this world and gave us commandments of salvation. Releasing us from the delusions of idolatry, He brought us to knowledge of You, the true God and Father. He obtained us for Himself, to be a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. Having cleansed us in water, and sanctified us with the Holy Spirit, He gave Himself as a ransom to death, in which we were held captive, sold under sin. Descending through the Cross into Hades that He might fill all things with Himself, He destroyed the torments of death. And rising on the third day, He made a path for all flesh to the resurrection from the dead, since it was not possible for the Author of Life to be overcome by corruption. So He became the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep, the First-born of the dead, that He, Himself, might truly be the first in all things. Ascending into heaven, He sat down at the right hand of Your majesty on high, and He will come to render to each man according to his works. As memorials of His saving Passion, He has left us these things which we have set forth according to His command. For when He was about to go forth to His voluntary, ever-memorable and life-creating death, on the night in which He gave Himself up for the life of the world, He took bread into His holy and pure hands. And when He had shown it to You, the God and Father, after giving thanks, having blessed it, and sanctified it, and broken it, He gave it to His holy disciples and apostles, saying:
Priest:Take! Eat! This is My Body which is broken for you, for the remission of sins.
People:Amen
Priest:And likewise, when He had taken the cup of the fruit of the vine and had mixed it, and having given thanks, blessed it and sanctified it, He gave it to His holy disciples and apostles, saying:
Priest:Drink of it all of you! This is My Blood of the New Covenant, which is shed for you and for many, for the remission of sins.
People:Amen.
PriestDo this in remembrance of Me! For as often as you eat this Bread and drink this Cup, you proclaim My death, you confess My resurrection! Therefore, we also, O Master, remembering His saving Passion and life-giving Cross, His three-day Burial and Resurrection from the dead, His Ascension into heaven and Enthronement at the right hand of You, the God and Father, and His glorious and awesome Second Coming,
Priest:Your own, of Your own, we offer to You, on behalf of all and for all.
People kneel:We praise You. We bless You. We give thanks to You, O Lord; and we pray unto You, O our God.
Priest: O Lord, Who sent down Your most Holy Spirit upon Your apostles at the third hour: do not take Him from us, O Good One, but renew Him in us who pray to You.
Deacon: Create in me a clean heart, O God and put a new and right spirit within me.
Priest: O Lord, Who sent down Your most Holy Spirit upon Your apostles at the third hour: do not take Him from us, O Good One, but renew Him in us who pray to You.
Deacon: Cast me not away from Your presence, and take not Your Holy Spirit from me.
Priest: O Lord, Who sent down Your most Holy Spirit upon Your apostles at the third hour: do not take Him from us, O Good One, but renew Him in us who pray to You.
Priest: Therefore, most holy Master, we also, Your sinful and unworthy servants, whom You have permitted to serve at Your Holy Altar, not because of our own righteousness (for we have done nothing good upon the earth), but because of Your mercy and compassion (which You have so richly poured out on us), now dare to approach Your Holy Altar, and to offer You these figures of the holy Body and Blood of Your Christ. We implore You and call upon You, O Holy of Holies, that by the favor of Your goodness Your Holy Spirit may come upon us and upon the gifts now offered, to bless, to sanctify, and to show...
Deacon:Bless, Master, the holy bread.
The Priest blesses the Lamb with the Sign of the Cross +, saying:
Priest:..this bread + to be the precious Body of our Lord and God and Savior, Jesus Christ,
All:Amen!
Deacon:Bless, Master, the holy cup.
The Priest blesses the Chalice with the Sign of the Cross +,saying
Priest:and this cup + to be the precious Blood of our Lord and God and Savior, Jesus Christ,
All:Amen!
Priest: + shed for the life of the world.
The Priest blesses the Holy Gifts, saying:
Deacon: Bless both, Master.
Priest: Making the change by the Holy Spirit
All:Amen! Amen! Amen!
Deacon: Remember me a sinner, holy Master.
Priest: + May the Lord God remember you in His Kingdom, always, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
Priest:And unite all of us to one another who become partakers of the one Bread and Cup in the communion of the one Holy Spirit. Grant that none of us may partake of the holy Body and Blood of Your Christ unto judgment or condemnation. Instead, may we find mercy and grace with all the saints who through the ages have been well-pleasing to You: ancestors, fathers, patriarchs, prophets, apostles, preachers, evangelists, martyrs, confessors, teachers, and every righteous spirit made perfect in faith,
...especially with our most holy, pure, most blessed and glorious Lady, the Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary,
The Hymn to the Theotokos
All: All of creation rejoices in you, O Full of grace; the assembly of angels and the race of men. O sanctified temple and spiritual paradise, the glory of virgins, from whom God was incarnate and became a child, our God before the ages. He made your body into a throne, and your womb He made more spacious than the heavens. All of creation rejoices in you, O Full of grace. Glory to you!
Priest:...with the holy prophet, forerunner, and baptist John; the holy, glorious, and all-laudable apostles; with Saint _____, whom we commemorate today; and with all Your saints; through their prayers, visit us, O God. Remember all those who have fallen asleep before us in the hope of the resurrection to eternal life, especially ______. Grant them rest, where the light of Your countenance shines on them. Furthermore, we implore You: remember, O Lord, Your holy, catholic, and apostolic Church which is from end to end of the universe. Give peace to Your Church whom You have obtained with the precious Blood of Your Christ. Also preserve this holy house until the end of the world. Remember, O Lord, those who offered You these gifts, and those for whom and through whom they offered them, and their intentions. Remember, O Lord, those who bear fruit and do good works in Your holy churches, and those who remember the poor. Reward them with Your rich and heavenly gifts. For their earthly, temporal, and corruptible gifts, grant them Your heavenly, eternal, and incorruptible ones. Remember, O Lord, those who are in the deserts, mountains, caverns, and pits of the earth. Remember, O Lord, those who live in chastity and godliness, in asceticism and holiness of life. Remember, O Lord, this country and all civil authorities. Grant them a secure and lasting peace. Speak good things into their hearts concerning Your Church and all Your people, that we, in their tranquillity, may lead a calm and peaceful life in all godliness and sanctity. Protect in Your goodness those who are good, and in Your kindness make good those who are evil. Remember, O Lord, the people here present, and also those who are absent for honorable reasons. Have mercy on them and on us according to the multitude of Your mercies. Fill their treasuries with every good thing. Preserve their marriages in peace and harmony. Nurture the infants. Guide the young. Support the aged. Give courage to the faint-hearted. Reunite the separated; bring back those who are in error and unite them to Your holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. Free those who are held captive by unclean spirits. Sail with those who sail; travel with those who travel by land and by air. Defend the widows; protect the orphans; deliver the captives; heal the sick. Remember, O God, those who are in courts, in mines, in exile, in harsh labor, and those in every affliction, distress, or crisis. Remember, O Lord our God, all those who entreat Your great compassion, those who love us and those who hate us; those who have asked us to pray for them, unworthy though we may be. And remember all Your people, O Lord, our God. Pour out Your rich mercy on them all. Grant them all the petitions which are for their salvation. And may You, Yourself, O God, remember all those whom we have not remembered through ignorance, forgetfulness, or the multitude of names; since You know the name and age of each, even from his mother’s womb. For You, O Lord, are the Helper of the helpless, the Hope of the hopeless, the Savior of the bestormed, the Haven of the voyager, the Physician of the sick. Be all things to all men, O Lord Who knows each man and his request, his home and his need. Deliver this city and countryside, O Lord, and every city and countryside from famine, plague, earthquake, flood, fire, sword, invasion by enemies, and civil war.
Among the first, remember, O Lord, his Beatitude, Metropolitan ______, his Grace, our Bishop ______, and grant them to Your holy churches for many years in peace, safety, honor, and health, rightly dividing the word of Your truth.
People:And all mankind.
Priest:
Deacon:Remember me, a sinner, holy Master.
(quietly)May the Lord God remember you in His kingdom always, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
Priest:Watch over us in Your kindness, O Lord. Manifest Yourself to us through Your rich compassion. Grace us with temperate and healthful weather. Send gentle showers upon the earth so that it may bear fruit. Bless the crown of the year with Your goodness. Prevent schisms between the churches. Pacify the ragings of the nations. Quickly destroy the uprisings of heresies by the power of Your Holy Spirit. Receive us all into Your Kingdom. Show us to be sons of the light and sons of the day. Grant us Your peace and Your love, O Lord our God, for You have given all things to us.
And grant that with one mouth and one heart we may glorify and praise Your all-honorable and majestic Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
People:Amen
Priest:+ And the mercies of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ shall be with all of you.
People: And with your spirit.
The Litany before the Lord’s Prayer
Deacon:Having remembered all the saints, again and again in peace, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon:For the precious Gifts offered and sanctified, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon:That our God, Who loves mankind, receiving them upon His holy, heavenly, and ideal altar as a sweet spiritual fragrance, will send down upon us in turn His divine grace and the gift of the Holy Spirit, let us pray to the Lord.
People:Lord, have mercy.
Deacon:For our deliverance from all affliction, wrath, danger and distress, let us pray to the Lord.
People:Lord, have mercy.
Deacon:Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and keep us, O God, by Your grace.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon:That the whole day may be perfect, holy, peaceful, and sinless, let us ask of the Lord.
People: Grant it, O Lord.
Deacon:For an angel of peace, a faithful guide, a guardian of our souls and bodies, let us ask of the Lord.
People: Grant it, O Lord.
Deacon:For pardon and remission of our sins and transgressions, let us ask of the Lord.
People: Grant it, O Lord.
Deacon:For all things that are good and profitable for our souls, and peace for the world, let us ask of the Lord.
People: Grant it, O Lord.
Deacon:That we may complete the remaining time of our life in peace and repentance, let us ask of the Lord.
People: Grant it, O Lord.
Deacon:For a Christian ending to our life: painless, blameless, and peaceful; and a good defense before the dread judgment seat of Christ, let us ask of the Lord.
People: Grant it, O Lord.
Deacon:Having asked for the unity of the faith, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, let us commend ourselves and each other, and all our life unto Christ our God.
People:To You, O Lord.
Priest:O God, our God Who saves, You teach us to thank You worthily for the good works which You have done and are doing with us. You, our God, have accepted these gifts. Cleanse us of every defilement of flesh and spirit, and teach us how to mature in sanctification in fear of You; so that, receiving a portion of Your Holy Gifts with a pure conscience, we may be united with the holy Body and Blood of Your Christ. Having received them worthily, may we have Christ dwelling in our hearts, and may we become a Temple of Your Holy Spirit. Yes, O our God, let none of us be guilty of these, Your awesome and heavenly Mysteries, nor be infirm in soul and body by partaking of them unworthily. But grant us, even to our last breath, to receive a portion of Your Holy Gifts worthily, as a provision on the road to eternal life and an acceptable defense at the dread judgment seat of Your Christ. May we also, together with all the saints who through the ages have pleased You, become partakers of Your eternal blessings, which You have prepared for those who love You, O Lord,
Priest: and count us worthy, O Master, that with boldness and without condemnation we may dare to call upon You, the heavenly God, as Father, and to say:
The Lord’s Prayer
All kneel Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
Priest:For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
People: Amen.
The Prayer with Heads Bowed
Priest:+ Peace be unto all.
People: And to your spirit.
Deacon:Bow your heads to the Lord.
People: To You, O Lord.
Priest:O Master and Lord, the Father of compassions and God of every consolation: bless, sanctify, guard, fortify, and empower those who have bowed their heads to You. Distance them from every evil deed. Join them to every good work and count them worthy to partake without condemnation of these, Your most-pure and life-creating Mysteries, for the forgiveness of sins and for the communion of the Holy Spirit,
Priest: through the grace and compassion and love toward Mankind of Your only-begotten Son, with Whom You are blessed, together with Your all-holy, good, and life-creating Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
People: Amen.
Priest: Attend, O Lord Jesus Christ our God, from Your holy dwelling-place, from the glorious throne of Your Kingdom, and come to sanctify us, O Lord, Who sit on high with the Father, and are here invisibly present with us; and by Your mighty hand impart to us Your most pure Body and precious Blood, and through us to all the people.
Priest:O God, cleanse me, a sinner, and have mercy on me. (3x)
Deacon:Let us attend!
Priest:The Holy Things are for the holy!
People: One is holy. One is Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.
The Communion Hymn
All: Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise Him in the highest!
1st Sunday of Great Lent - Rejoice in the Lord, O You righteous. Praise befits the just. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia
2nd, 4th, 5th Sunday of Great Lent - The righteous will be remembered forever. He is not afraid of evil tidings. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
3rd Sunday of Great Lent The light of Your countenance has shone on us, O Lord. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia
The Communion
Deacon: Break, Master, the Holy Bread.
Priest: Broken and distributed is the Lamb of God: Who is broken, yet not divided; who is eaten, yet never consumed; but sanctifies those who partake thereof.
Deacon: Fill, Master, the Holy Cup.
Priest: + The fullness [of the cup of faith] of the Holy Spirit.
Deacon: Amen. Bless, Master, the warm water.
Priest: + Blessed is the warmth of Your saints always, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Deacon: The warmth [of faith, full] of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Priest: Deacon, draw near.
Deacon: Behold, I draw near to our immortal King and God. Master, give me, the unworthy Deacon ______, the precious and most holy Body of our Lord and God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Priest: To the Deacon ______ is given the precious, holy, and most pure Body of our Lord and God and Savior, Jesus Christ, for the remission of his sins, and unto eternal life.
Priest: The precious and most holy Body of our Lord and God and Savior, Jesus Christ, is given to me, the unworthy Priest ______ for the remission of my sins, and for eternal life.
Priest:Let us pray together:
All: I believe, O Lord, and I confess that You are truly the Christ, the Son of the living God, Who came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am first. I believe also that This is truly Your own most pure Body, and that This is truly Your own precious Blood. Therefore, I pray to you have mercy upon me and forgive my transgressions, both voluntary and involuntary, of word and of deed, committed in knowledge or in ignorance. And make me worthy to partake without condemnation of Your most pure Mysteries, for the remission of my sins, and unto life everlasting. Amen.
Of Your mystical supper, O Son of God, accept me today as a communicant; for I will not speak of Your mystery to Your enemies, neither like Judas will I give You a kiss; but like the thief will I confess You: remember me, O Lord, in Your kingdom.
May the communion of Your holy Mysteries be neither to my judgment, nor to my condemnation, O Lord, but to the healing of soul and body.
Priest: The precious and most holy Blood of our Lord and God and Savior, Jesus Christ, is given to me, the unworthy Priest ______ for the remission of my sins, and for eternal life. Amen.
Priest: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Behold, this has touched my lips, and shall take away my iniquities, and cleanse my sins.
Deacon, draw near.
Deacon: Behold, I draw near to our immortal King and God. Master, give me, the unworthy Deacon ______, the precious and most holy Blood of our Lord and God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Priest: The servant of God, the Deacon ______, partakes of the precious and most holy Blood of our Lord and God and Savior, Jesus Christ, for the remission of his sins, and unto eternal life.
Behold, this has touched your lips, and shall take away your iniquities, and cleanse your sins.
Deacon: In the fear of God, and with faith and love, draw near!
People:Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord! God is the Lord and has revealed Himself to us!
Priest: (quietly) The servant (handmaid) of God ______, partakes of the precious and most holy Body and Blood of our Lord and God and Savior, Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins and for eternal life.
People: Receive the Body of Christ. Taste the Fountain of immortality.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Deacon: Having beheld the Resurrection of Christ, let us worship the holy Lord Jesus, the only Sinless One. We venerate Your Cross, O Christ, and we praise and glorify Your holy Resurrection; for You are our God, and we know no other than You; we call upon Your name. Come all you faithful, let us venerate Christ’s holy Resurrection! For, behold, through the Cross joy has come into all the world. Let us ever bless the Lord, praising His Resurrection, for by enduring the Cross for us, He has destroyed death by death.
Shine! Shine! O New Jerusalem! The glory of the Lord has shone on you! Exult now and be glad, O Zion! Be radiant, O pure Theotokos, in the Resurrection of your Son!
O Christ! Great and most holy Pascha! O Wisdom, Word, and Power of God! Grant that we may more perfectly partake of You in the never-ending Day of Your Kingdom.
Wash away, O Lord, the sins of all those remembered here, by Your precious Blood; through the prayers of all Your saints.
Priest:+ O God, save Your people, and bless Your inheritance.
People:We have seen the true Light! We have received the heavenly spirit! We have found the true faith! Worshipping the undivided Trinity, who has saved us.
Deacon: Exalt, Master.
Priest: Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and Your glory over all the earth.
Priest:+ Blessed is our God always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.
People: Amen. Let our mouths be filled with Your praise, O Lord, that we may sing of Your glory; for You have counted us worthy to partake of Your holy, divine, immortal, and life-creating Mysteries. Keep us in Your holiness, that all the day we may meditate upon Your righteousness. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
The Litany of Thanksgiving
Deacon:Let us attend! Having partaken of the divine, holy, pure, immortal, heavenly, life-creating, and awesome mysteries of Christ, let us worthily give thanks to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon:Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and keep us, O God, by Your grace.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon:Asking that the whole day may be perfect, holy, peaceful, and sinless, let us commend ourselves and each other, and all our life unto Christ our God.
People: To You, O Lord.
All: We thank You, O Lord our God, for the participation in Your holy, pure, immortal, and heavenly Mysteries, which You have granted us for the benefit and sanctification and healing of our souls and bodies. May You, Yourself, O Master of all, grant that the communion of the holy Body and Blood of Your Christ may become for us a faith unashamed, a love unfeigned, an increase of wisdom, a healing of soul and body, a repelling of every adversary, the observance of Your commandments, and an acceptable defense at the fearful judgment seat of Your Christ,
Priest:For You are our sanctification, and to You we ascribe glory: to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
People: Amen.
Priest: Let us depart in peace.
People: In the name of the Lord.
Deacon: Let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
The Prayer Before the Ambo
Priest:O Lord, You bless those who bless You and sanctify those who trust in You: save Your people and bless Your inheritance. Preserve the fullness of Your Church. Sanctify those who love the beauty of Your house. Glorify them in turn by Your divine power, and do not forsake us who put our hope in You. Give peace to Your world, to Your churches, to Your Priests, to all those in civil authority, and to all Your people. For every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from You, the Father of lights, and to You we ascribe glory, thanksgiving, and worship: to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
People: Amen. Blessed be the name of the Lord henceforth and forevermore.
Priest:+ The blessing of the Lord be upon you through His grace and love for mankind always, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
People: Amen.
Priest: Silently - The mystery of Your saving providence, O Christ our God, has been accomplished and perfected as far as it was in our power; for we have had the memorial of your death.
We have seen the type of Your Resurrection. We have been filled with Your unending life. We have enjoyed Your inexhaustible abundance, which in the age to come, be pleased to grant to us all, through the grace of Your eternal Father, and Your holy and good and life-creating Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Priest: Glory to You O Christ our God, Glory to You.
People:Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
People: Lord, have mercy. (3x) Father, bless.
Priest:May He Who rose from the dead , Christ our true God, through the prayers of His most pure Mother; of the holy, glorious, and all-laudable Apostles; of our father among the saints, St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, of St. Luke the Evangelist, of (Saint of the day) , whom we commemorate today; of the holy and righteous ancestors of God, Joachim and Anna; and of all the saints: have mercy on us and save us for He is good and loves mankind.
People: Amen.
Appendix A
PRAYERS OF THANKSGIVING AFTER COMMUNION
Glory to You, O God. (3x)
I thank You, O Lord my God, for You have not rejected me, a sinner, but have made me worthy to be a partaker of Your holy things. I thank You, for You have permitted me, the unworthy, to commune of Your most pure and heavenly Gifts. But, O Master Who loves mankind, Who for our sakes did die and rise again, and gave us these awesome and life-creating Mysteries for the good and sanctification of our souls and bodies; let them be for the healing of soul and body, the repelling of every adversary, the illumining of the eyes of my heart, the peace of my spiritual powers, a faith unashamed, a love unfeigned, the fulfilling of wisdom, the observing of Your commandments, the receiving of Your divine grace, and the attaining of Your Kingdom. Preserved by them in Your holiness, may I always remember Your grace and live not for myself alone, but for You, our Master and Benefactor. May I pass from this life in the hope of eternal life, and so attain to the everlasting rest, where the voice of those who feast is unceasing, and the gladness of those who behold the goodness of Your countenance is unending. For You are the true desire and the ineffable joy of those who love You, O Christ our God, and all creation sings Your praise forever. Amen.
II. A Prayer of St. Basil the Great:
O Master, Christ our God, King of the Ages, Maker of all things: I thank You for all the good things You have given me, especially for the communion with Your most pure and life-creating Mysteries. I implore You, O gracious Lover of mankind: preserve me under Your protection, beneath the shadow of Your wings. Enable me, even to my last breath, to partake worthily and with a pure conscience of Your holy things, for the remission of sins and unto life eternal. For You are the Bread of Life, the Fountain of Holiness, the Giver of all Good; to You we ascribe glory, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
III. A Prayer by St. Simeon Metaphrastes:
Freely You have given me Your Body for my food, O You Who are a fire consuming the unworthy. Consume me not, O my Creator, but instead enter into my members, my veins, my heart. Consume the thorns of my transgressions. Cleanse my soul and sanctify my reasonings. Make firm my knees and body. Illumine my five senses. Nail me to the fear of You. Always protect, guard, and keep me from soul-destroying words and deeds. Cleanse me, purify me, and adorn me. Give me understanding and illumination. Manifest me to be a temple of Your One Spirit, and not the home of many sins. May every evil thing, every carnal passion, flee from me as from a fire as I become Your tabernacle through communion. I offer You as intercessors, all the saints: the leaders of the bodiless hosts, Your Forerunner, the wise Apostles, and Your pure and blameless Mother. Accept their prayers in Your love, O my Christ, and make me, Your servant, a child of light. For You are the only Sanctification and Light of our souls, O Good One, and to You, our Master and God, we ascribe glory day by day.
IV. Another prayer:
O Lord Jesus Christ our God: let Your holy Body be my eternal life; Your precious Blood, my remission of sins. Let this Eucharist be my joy, health, and gladness. Make me, a sinner, worthy to stand on the right hand of Your glory at Your awesome second Coming, through the prayers of Your most pure Mother and of all the saints.
V. A Prayer to the Theotokos:
O most holy Lady Theotokos, the light of my darkened soul, my hope, my protection, my refuge, my rest, and my joy. I thank you, for you have permitted me, the unworthy, to be a partaker of the most pure Body and precious Blood of your Son. Give the light of understanding to the eyes of my heart, you that gave birth to the True Light. Enliven me who am deadened by sin, you that gave birth to the Fountain of Immortality. Have mercy on me, O loving Mother of the merciful God. Grant me compunction and contrition of heart, humility in my thoughts, and a release from the slavery of my own reasonings. And enable me, even to my last breath, to receive the sanctification of the most pure Mysteries, for the healing of soul and body. Grant me tears of repentance and confession, that I may glorify you all the days of my life, for you are blessed and greatly glorified forever. Amen.
Lord, now let Your servant depart in peace according to Your word. For my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared before the face of all people: a light to enlighten the gentiles and the glory of Your people Israel.
Holy God! Holy Mighty! Holy Immortal! Have mercy on us. (3x)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
O most-holy Trinity, have mercy on us!
O Lord, cleanse us from our sins!
O Master, pardon our transgressions!
O Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Your name’s sake!
Lord, have mercy. (3x)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Your proclamation has gone out into all the earth which was divinely taught by hearing your voice expounding the nature of creatures, ennobling the manners of men. Holy father of a royal priesthood, entreat Christ God that our souls may be saved.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
You were revealed as the sure foundation of the Church, granting all men a lordship which cannot be taken away, sealing it with your precepts, O venerable and heavenly father.
...now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Appendix B
FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT
Orthodoxy Sunday Troparion (Byzantine Chant Tone 8)
We venerate Your most pure image, O Good One, and ask forgiveness of our transgressions, O Christ our God. Of Your good will You were pleased to ascend the Cross in the flesh, and deliver Your creatures from bondage to the enemy. Therefore with thankfulness we cry aloud to You: You have filled all things with joy, O our Savior, for You did come to save the world.
Orthodoxy Sunday Kontakion (Common Chant Tone 8)
No one could describe the word of the Father; but when He took flesh from you, O Theotokos, He accepted to be described, and restored the fallen image to its former state by uniting it to divine beauty. We confess and proclaim our salvation in words and images.
Lenten Theotokion (1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th Sundays of Lent)
To You, our Queen, Leader in battle and defender. We, your people delivered from all peril, offer hymns of victory and thanksgiving, O Theotokos. Since you possess invincible power. Set us free from every calamity, that we may cry to you: Hail, O Bride without Bridegroom.
Communion Hymn
Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise Him in the highest!
Rejoice in the Lord, O You righteous. Praise befits the just. (Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia)
SECOND SUNDAY OF GREAT LENT
St. Gregory Palamas Troparion (Byzantine Tone 8)
O Light of Orthodoxy, teacher of the Church,