DCSC · Digital Chant Stand Companion
← 2026-05-24

GOA Digital Chant Stand Services for Sunday, May 24, 2026

Midnight Office → Matins → Divine Liturgy → Vespers, in one continuous scroll

Midnight Office

PRIEST

Blessed is our God always, now and ever and to the ages of ages.

READER: Amen.

PRIEST

READER

Trisagion Prayers.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (3)

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

All-holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord, forgive our sins. Master, pardon our transgressions. Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for Your name’s sake.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Both now and ever and to the 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 evil.

PRIEST

For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to ages of ages.

READER

Amen. Lord, have mercy. (12)

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Come, let us worship and bow down before God our King.

Come, let us worship and bow down before Christ God our King.

Come, let us worship and bow down before Him, Christ our King and God.

Psalm 50 (51).

Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy; and according to the abundance of Your compassion, blot out my transgression. Wash me thoroughly from my lawlessness and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my lawlessness, and my sin is always before me. Against You only have I sinned and done evil in Your sight; that You may be justified in Your words, and overcome when You are judged. For behold, I was conceived in transgressions, and in sins my mother bore me. Behold, You love truth; You showed me the unknown and secret things of Your wisdom. You shall sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be cleansed; You shall wash me, and I will be made whiter than snow. You shall make me hear joy and gladness; my bones that were humbled shall greatly rejoice. Turn Your face from my sins, and blot out all my transgressions. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with Your guiding Spirit. I will teach transgressors Your ways, and the ungodly shall turn back to You. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue shall greatly rejoice in Your righteousness. O Lord, You shall open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise. For if You desired sacrifice, I would give it; You will not be pleased with whole burnt offerings. A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit, a broken and humbled heart God will not despise. Do good, O Lord, in Your good pleasure to Zion, and let the walls of Jerusalem be built; then You will be pleased with a sacrifice of righteousness, with offerings and whole burnt offerings; then shall they offer young bulls on Your altar.

CHOIR

Canon for the Trinity.

Ode i.

Mode pl. 2. N/M (When they had walked.)

To the melody, “As on dry land Israel walked.”

Holy Trinity, our God, have mercy on us and save us.

We extol three divine hypostases of single nature, identical essence, our good and humane God, who grants us forgiveness of offenses.

Holy Trinity, our God, have mercy on us and save us.

Only Lord, superessential, thrice-radiant in persons and one Godhead, give us understanding, and count us worthy of Your divine illumination.

Paul, who was like the bridal escort of the Church of the Gentiles, taught her to worship You, one God in three hypostases, from whom and through whom and in whom all things came to be.

Notation for your part

O Theotokos, the spiritual Sun came forth from your womb, and He shined on us with rays of the thrice-radiant Godhead. We devoutly extol Him, and we call you blessed.

Notation for your part

Ode iii.

Mode pl. 2. N/M (No one is holy.)

To the melody, “There is none holy as You, O Lord.”

Holy Trinity, our God, have mercy on us and save us.

O thrice-radiant God, You ordered the heavenly Ranks, and You equipped them to sing thrice-holy hymns. We pray You accept us when we sing with them the praises of Your goodness.

Holy Trinity, our God, have mercy on us and save us.

As we extol the only immutable, triple, consubstantial, single Godhead, we earnestly entreat You to send down to us forgiveness of our many sins.

O Father, the unoriginate Nous, O consubstantial Logos of God, O good and right Holy Spirit, guard all who faithfully extol Your dominion, O compassionate Lord.

Notation for your part

O pure Virgin, my God became man by nature in your womb. He arrested the spread of corruption, and He alone freed our first ancestors from the ancient guilty verdict.

Kathisma.

Mode pl. 2. When You had fulfilled.

To the melody, “Fulfilling the dispensation for our sake.”

Master, Lord and God, we entreat, look down from heaven, * and behold our lowliness, in Your great compassion; * and have mercy, O all-good One, in Your benevolence. * There is no one else from whom we hope * to obtain the forgiveness of * all the sins we are guilty of. * So please be with us, O God, and against us is none.

Notation for your part

Mode pl. 2. When You had fulfilled.

Lady, good and pure, we entreat, look down from heaven, * and behold our many wounds and the pain we suffer; * and have mercy, holy Virgin all-immaculate. * Cure the searing of our consciences * with your mercy like refreshing dew. * We your servants long to hear you say * that you are with us, and thus against us there is none.

Notation for your part

Ode iv.

Mode pl. 2. N/M (The holy Church of God.)

To the melody, “Christ is my power.”

Holy Trinity, our God, have mercy on us and save us.

O thrice-radiant Unity, we implore You exalt our minds, and uplift the souls and hearts of those who extol You, and count us worthy of Your illumination and splendor.

Holy Trinity, our God, have mercy on us and save us.

O only undepictable and unchanging Trinity, transform me and transfigure me from every vice to virtue, and make me resplendent with Your radiance.

O Unity in three hypostases, You first conceived of them and then with wisdom gave existence to the ministering ranks of the Angels. Accept me as I join them praising of Your benevolence.

O ever-virgin Theotokos, it was in your womb that the connaturally uncreated and eternal God assumed created human nature and refashioned it.

Ode v.

Mode pl. 2. N/M (With Your divine light.)

To the melody, “By Your divine radiance, O Good One.”

Holy Trinity, our God, have mercy on us and save us.

O Master, as we consider the divine nature, that it is providential and able to preserve and save all things, and thrice-radiant and one, we rise early in the morning to You, praying that You forgive our sins.

Notation for your part

Holy Trinity, our God, have mercy on us and save us.

O unoriginate Father and God, and co-eternal Son, and Holy Spirit, the monarchical Trinity, we pray You strengthen us who sing Your praise, and deliver us from all abuse and affliction.

Notation for your part

O Sun of glory, train me with Your theurgic radiance, and ever guide me to be well-pleasing to Your Godhead in three hypostases, and make me a partaker of Your Kingdom on high.

O immutable Logos of God, You hold and preserve all things with your almighty hand. Guard and preserve us who are glorifying You, at the intercession of the Mother of God who gave birth to You.

Notation for your part

Ode vi.

Mode pl. 2. N/M (I see when my life.)

To the melody, “Beholding the sea of life.”

Holy Trinity, our God, have mercy on us and save us.

O thrice-radiant Godhead, grant wisdom and understanding to those who sing Your praise, and count them all worthy to be enlightened with the rays of the illuminating beauty of Your benevolence.

Holy Trinity, our God, have mercy on us and save us.

O thrice-radiant Godhead, grant wisdom and understanding to those who sing Your praise, and count them all worthy to be enlightened with the rays of the illuminating beauty of Your benevolence.

O undivided Light, in essence thrice-radiant, almighty, and unapproachable: shine in the hearts of those who faithfully praise Your dominion, and launch them towards Your divine love.

O Ever-Virgin, the Lord who upholds all things clearly dwelt in you, and He taught humanity to worship one thrice-radiant essence of the Godhead.

Notation for your part

Kathisma.

Mode pl. 2. When You had fulfilled.

To the melody, “Fulfilling the dispensation for our sake.”

We entreat You, Father and Son and Holy Spirit, * look upon us who, though clay, join the fiery angels, * as we worship You with faith and as we glorify * Your dominion, O merciful Lord. * e know no other God but You. * We extol You, and we long to hear * You tell us, “I am with you, and against you is none.”

Notation for your part

Mode pl. 2. When You had fulfilled.

Look at us, we pray you, all-lauded Theotokos. * Shine into our darkened hearts God’s illumination, * and enlighten us, your flock, O all-immaculate. * We know that you can do anything * you will, as the Mother of your own * Creator. And we long to hear * you tell us, “I am with you, and against you is none.”

Ode vii.

Mode pl. 2. N/M (In the furnace the Lord’s Angel.)

To the melody, “The Angel made the furnace pour dew.”

Holy Trinity, our God, have mercy on us and save us.

O Unity thrice-radiant in hypostases, grant me a strong mind, that I may keep and obey Your divine commandments, and that I may always sing to You with faith: Blessed are You, the God of our fathers.

Holy Trinity, our God, have mercy on us and save us.

You are extolled as identical in nature, God ineffably single, and in persons having the number of the Trinity. Preserve us, one and all, from various temptations and calamities.

O Trinity, You present the difference in hypostatic properties simply and without confusion, clearly unchanging in nature. We glorify You, one God in essence, consubstantial, and co-eternal.

O immaculate Virgin, our superessential God truly assumed our nature from your pure womb; and He taught all to sing: “Blessed are You, the God of our fathers.”

Ode viii.

Mode pl. 2. N/M (From the flame.)

To the melody, “From the flame You made dew flow for the holy ones.”

Holy Trinity, our God, have mercy on us and save us.

I implore You grant me forgiveness of offenses, and free me from the various passions, O consubstantial Trinity and Unity in three hypostases, that I may glorify You unto all the ages.

Holy Trinity, our God, have mercy on us and save us.

It is said You delight in mercy, O merciful God. O thrice-radiant Unity and consubstantial Trinity, have mercy on all who glorify your majesty.

Co-eternal light of eternal light, the Logos was begotten of the Father, from whom the light, the Spirit, proceeds. In faith we glorify the Trinity, exalting beyond measure, unto all the ages.

Notation for your part

O immaculate Virgin, you gave birth to the Physician of humanity, the almighty Logos, Christ the Lord, who heals the ancestral wound of all who exalt Him beyond measure, unto all the ages.

Ode ix.

Mode pl. 2. N/M (It is impossible.)

To the melody, “Impossible it is for mortals to see God.”

Holy Trinity, our God, have mercy on us and save us.

O Master, the ranks of Cherubim, are unable to gaze at the glory of Your beauty. So they cover themselves with their wings and unceasingly sing the thrice-holy hymn, and they glorify Your single Godhead’s dominion in three hypostases.

Notation for your part

Holy Trinity, our God, have mercy on us and save us.

O never-setting Sun, only all-merciful God in three hypostases, grant Your radiance to the hearts of Your servants. Illumine our souls, and free us from many offenses, and count us worthy of Your immortal life.

Notation for your part

O Godhead, coequal, tri-solar, and light-giving light, illumine those who sing of You with faith, and deliver them from dark misdeeds. Count them worthy of Your luminous mansions, O God supremely good.

O all-lauded Virgin, your Son fashioned humanity of old with wisdom, and when it was corrupted He refashioned it through you. And with the never-setting brightness of the divine light, He filled all who glorify you evermore as the true Theotokos.

Notation for your part

If the Lity was not sung at Vespers, sing the following:

Idiomela of the Lity.

Idiomelon. Mode 3.

O holy Fathers, you preserved with precision the Apostolic traditions. You decreed as Orthodox dogma that the Holy Trinity is consubstantial, and in your Councils you refuted the blasphemous teachings of Arius. You denounced Macedonius as a Pneumatomachian. You went on to judge Nestorius, Eutyches, Dioscorus, Sabellius, and Severus the Acephalite. Now we ask you to pray for us, that we may be free of all heresy and may preserve our lives spotless in the faith.

Mode pl. 2.

When You had completed the mystery of Your plan for our salvation, O Lord, You took Your Disciples with You and went up onto the Mount of Olives. And behold, You passed through the sky’s firmament, You who for my sake became poor like me. And now, having ascended to there from where You were never gone, send out Your all-holy Spirit, to illumine our souls.

Notation for your part

Megalynaria to the Trinity

Mode 2.

It is truly proper to extol the Trinity divine and holy: Unoriginate Father, Maker of all, co-eternal Logos, begotten before all time without change from the Father, and the all-holy Spirit, the Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father timelessly.

Notation for your part

It is truly proper to extol and to glorify You, God the Logos. The Cherubim shudder and tremble at You, and the hosts of heaven offer hymns of glory to You; for You rose from the grave within three days. With fear we glorify You, Christ the Giver of Life.

Come and let us all sing inspired songs, * solemnly extolling as is proper to the divine * Father, Son, and all-holy Spirit, one dominion, * one kingdom, one in essence, three in hypostases.

Notation for your part

Immaculate Virgin, when creation saw your Son risen, as befits God, it was filled with great joy and ineffable gladness, and it glorified the Savior, and it honored you.

READER

Trisagion Prayers.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (3)

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

All-holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord, forgive our sins. Master, pardon our transgressions. Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for Your name’s sake.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Both now and ever and to the 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 evil.

PRIEST

For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to ages of ages.

READER: Amen.

Apolytikion. For the Fathers.

Mode pl. 2.

When the angelic powers appeared at Your tomb, * the soldiers guarding it feared and became as dead. * And standing by the sepulcher was Mary, who was seeking Your immaculate body. * Unassailed by Hades, You divested it of spoils. * Then You met the Virgin. You granted life. * O Lord, risen from the dead, glory to You!

or:

Apolytikion of the Feast.

Mode 4.

You ascended in glory, O Christ our God, after You filled the Disciples with joy, by promising to send them the Holy Spirit, and You blessed them and established their faith, that You are the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world.

Notation for your part

Lord, have mercy. (40)

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Greater in honor than the Cherubim, and in glory greater beyond compare than the Seraphim; you without corruption gave birth to God the Word, and are truly Theotokos. You do we magnify.

In the name of the Lord, Father, bless!

PRIEST

May God have compassion on us and bless us; may his face shine upon us and have mercy on us.

READER

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Holy father, bless.

PRIEST

May He who rose from the dead, and ascended from us in glory and is seated at the right hand of God the Father, Christ our true God, through the intercessions of His all-pure and all-immaculate holy Mother, (local patron saint); of the holy and righteous ancestors of God Joachim and Anna, and of all the saints, have mercy on us and save us, as He is good, benevolent, and merciful God.

Let us pray for the peace of the world.

READER (intoned after each petition)

Lord, have mercy.

PRIEST

For the pious and Orthodox Christians.

For our our Archbishop (name).

For our nation.

For the armed forces.

For our absent fathers, brothers and sisters.

For those who help us and those who serve us.

For those who hate us and those who love us.

For those who have asked us, the unworthy, to pray for them.

For the release of the captives.

For those sailing the seas.

For those laid up with illnesses.

Let us also pray for the abundance of the fruits of the earth.

And for all our fathers and brethren departed this life, those who lie here in peace, and the Orthodox everywhere.

Let us say for ourselves, also: Lord, have mercy; Lord, have mercy; Lord, have mercy.

Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us.

READER: Amen.

Matins

CHOIR

Mode pl. 2.

God is the Lord, and He revealed Himself to us. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Verse 1: Give thanks to the Lord and call upon His holy name.

Verse 2: All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I defended myself against them.

Verse 3: And this came about from the Lord, and it is wonderful in our eyes.

Resurrectional Apolytikion.

Mode pl. 2. Automelon.

To the melody, “The angelic powers were at Your tomb.”

When the angelic powers appeared at Your tomb, * the soldiers guarding it feared and became as dead. * And standing by the sepulcher was Mary, who was seeking Your immaculate body. * Unassailed by Hades, You divested it of spoils. * Then You met the Virgin. You granted life. * O Lord, risen from the dead, glory to You!

Mode pl. 4.

Supremely glorified are You, O Christ our God, who established the holy Fathers on earth as beacons, and through them guided us all to the true Faith. Most compassionate Lord, glory be to You!

Notation for your part

Apolytikion of the Feast.

Mode 4.

You ascended in glory, O Christ our God, after You filled the Disciples with joy, by promising to send them the Holy Spirit, and You blessed them and established their faith, that You are the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world.

Notation for your part

PRIEST

Again and again in peace let us pray to the Lord.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

PRIEST

Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and protect us, O God, by Your grace.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

PRIEST

Remembering our all-holy, immaculate, most blessed, and glorious Lady, the Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary, with all the saints, let us commend ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God.

CHOIR: To You, O Lord.

PRIEST

For Yours is the dominion, and Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages.

CHOIR: Amen.

Kathisma I.

Mode pl. 2.

The sepulcher had been opened, and Hades was lamenting. And Mary cried aloud to the Apostles in hiding, “You laborers of the vineyard, go out and proclaim the message of the resurrection: The Lord has risen and granted to the world the great mercy.”

Standing by Your sepulcher was Mary Magdalene, O Lord, and she was weeping loudly; and mistaking You for the gardener, she said to You, “Where have you laid Him who is everlasting life? Where have you hidden Him who sits enthroned upon the Cherubim? Out of fear, those who guarded Him became like dead men. Either give my Lord to me or cry aloud along with me, ‘You were among the dead and raised the dead. Glory to You!’”

You who called her who was blessed among women Your Mother, proceeded to the Passion, of Your own will, O Lord. On the Cross, You shined Your light, seeking Adam, as You wished; and You said to the Angels, “Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that was lost.” You have arranged everything wisely. Glory to You!

Kathisma II.

Mode pl. 2.

Life was placed in the tomb, and a seal was placed on the stone. The soldiers were guarding Christ like a sleeping king. Then the Lord struck His enemies and stunned them, as He awoke and rose.

Mode pl. 2.

By Your voluntary death, we have found life immortal, O Almighty One and only Savior of all; for in Your august Rising You have recalled everyone. You have destroyed the victory of Hades and the sting of death.

Notation for your part

Mode pl. 2.

O Virgin Theotokos, implore Your Son, Christ our God, who voluntarily was nailed to the Cross, and who rose from the dead; and entreat Him to save our souls.

Notation for your part

Resurrectional Evlogetaria.

Mode pl. 1.

Blessed are You, O Lord, teach me Your statutes.

Notation for your part

When the hosts of the Angels saw how You were accounted among the dead, they all marveled. You, O Savior, are the One who destroyed the might of death; and when You arose You raised Adam with yourself and from Hades liberated everyone.

Blessed are You, O Lord, teach me Your statutes.

Notation for your part

“Why do you mingle the ointments with your tears full of pity, O women disciples?” Thus the Angel who was shining in the tomb cried to the myrrh-bearing women. “See for yourselves the empty tomb and understand, that the Savior has risen from the sepulcher.”

Notation for your part

Blessed are You, O Lord, teach me Your statutes.

Notation for your part

Very early in the morning, the myrrh-bearing women were hastening to Your tomb lamenting. But the Angel appeared to them and uttered, “The time for lamentation has ended; weep no more. Go announce the Resurrection to the Apostles.”

Blessed are You, O Lord, teach me Your statutes.

Notation for your part

When the myrrh-bearing women had come with their spices to Your sepulcher, O Savior, they heard the voice of an Angel clearly speaking to them, “Why do you account among the dead the One who lives? For as God, He has risen from the sepulcher.”

Notation for your part

We bow down in worship to the Father and His Son and the Holy Spirit, the Holy Trinity, one in essence; and we cry aloud with the Seraphim: Holy, Holy, Holy are You, O Lord.

Notation for your part

Giving birth to the Giver of life, O Virgin, you delivered Adam from sin, and to Eve you have rendered joy in place of sorrow. He who from you became incarnate, God and man, has directed to life him who fell from it.

Notation for your part

Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia. Glory to You, O God. (3)

PRIEST

Again and again in peace let us pray to the Lord.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

PRIEST

Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and protect us, O God, by Your grace.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

PRIEST

Remembering our all-holy, immaculate, most blessed, and glorious Lady, the Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary, with all the saints, let us commend ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God.

CHOIR: To You, O Lord.

PRIEST

For blessed is Your name, and glorified is Your kingdom, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages.

CHOIR: Amen.

READER

Hypakoe. Mode pl. 2.

By your voluntary, life-giving death, O Christ, You smashed the gates of Hades as God, and You opened to us the ancient Garden of Paradise. Then rising from the dead, You delivered our life from destruction.

CHOIR

Anavathmoi.

Antiphon 1. Mode pl. 2.

I lift my eyes to You in heaven, O Logos. Show me mercy, so that I may live in You.

Have mercy on us who are the object of contempt, O Logos, and make us Your useful vessels.

In the Holy Spirit is the cause of the salvation of all. When He blows on anyone as befits His nature, He quickly uplifts them from anything mundane, He gives them wings, He gives them growth, He gives them high position.

Notation for your part

Antiphon 2.

If the Lord had not been with us, none of us could have withstood a single battle with the foe. Those who are victorious are from here exalted.

Let not my soul be caught like a sparrow in their teeth, O Logos. Woe is me! How shall I be delivered from the enemy, enamored with sin as I am?

In the Holy Spirit deification is possible for all, good pleasure, understanding, peace, and blessing. He has the same energies as the Father and the Logos.

Notation for your part

Antiphon 3.

Those who trust in the Lord are fearsome to foes and marveled by all, for they look up to heaven.

Having You as helper, the inheritance of the righteous do not stretch out their hands in lawlessness, O Savior.

In the Holy Spirit is universal dominion, which the armies in heaven worship, as does every breathing being on earth.

Notation for your part

Prokeimenon.

O Lord, raise up Your power, and come for our salvation. (2)

Verse: Give heed, O You who shepherd Israel.

O Lord, raise up Your power, and come for our salvation.

PRIEST

Again and again in peace let us pray to the Lord.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

PRIEST

Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and protect us, O God, by Your grace.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

PRIEST

Remembering our all-holy, immaculate, most blessed, and glorious Lady, the Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary, with all the saints, let us commend ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God.

CHOIR: To You, O Lord.

PRIEST

For You are the King of peace and the savior of our souls, and to You we offer up glory, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages.

CHOIR: Amen.

READER

Kontakion of the Feast.

Mode pl. 2. Automelon.

To the melody, “Fulfilling the dispensation for our sake.”

When You had fulfilled the dispensation for our sake, * and united things on earth with the things in heaven, * You were taken up thither in glory, O Christ our God, * going not away from any place, * but continuing inseparable, * and to them that love You crying out: * “I am with you, and there is, therefore, none against you.”

Kontakion. For the Fathers.

Mode pl. 4. Automelon.

The preaching of the Apostles and the dogmas of the Fathers confirmed the Church as one in faith; and wearing the garment of truth, woven of theology from above, she rightly expounds and holds the great mystery of piety.

Oikos.

Let us hear the Church of God crying out with a loud proclamation, “Let the thirsty come and drink. The bowl that I hold is a bowl of wisdom. I have mixed its drink with the word of truth, and it pours out not water of Contention, but of Confession.” Imbibing this confession, the actual Israel sees God who says, “See, see that I AM, and I am not altered. I am God first and I am thereafter, and aside from Me there is no other at all.” Hence will partakers be filled, and they will praise the great mystery of piety.

Stand for the reading of the Synaxarion.

Synaxarion

From the Menaion.

On May 24 we commemorate our devout Father Symeon of Wonder Mountain.

On this day we also commemorate the holy Martyrs Meletios the Commander and those with him: John, Stephen, Serapion the Egyptian, Callinicus the Magus, and twelve Counts and Tribunes: Faustus, Festus, Marcellus, Theodore, Meletius, Sergius, Marcellinus, Felix, Photinus, Theodoriscus, Mercurius, and Didymus; three women: Marciana, Palladia, and Susanna; two infants: Kyriacus and Christian; and another 11,208 who witnessed with them. The service in their honor is celebrated in the Temple of the holy Martyr Plato, found in the vestibule called Domninus, in Constantinople.

From the Pentecostarion.

On this day, the seventh Sunday of Pascha, we celebrate the First Ecumenical Synod in Nicaea of the three hundred eighteen God-bearing Fathers.

By the intercession of the three hundred and eighteen God-bearing Fathers, O Christ our God, have mercy on us. Amen.

CHOIR

Katavasias of Pentecost II

Ode i. Mode 4.

Long ago, Moses entered the darkness where God was. * Obtaining divine inscriptions, he promulgated * God’s Law. For cleansing his mind’s eye he saw the only * One who Is and was given knowledge of the Holy * Spirit, whom he honored with inspired songs of praise.

Notation for your part

Ode iii.

Unembarrassed prayer of the Prophetess Hannah * Shattered fetters on her womb that made her barren, * Ending the irritation of her fruitful rival’s * Needling; for she brought a broken heart and spirit * To the omniscient God and only Sovereign.

Ode iv.

Now, O King of kings, only Logos begotten * Of the only uncaused Father, as Benefactor * To Your Apostles You send out Your unerring, * Holy, consubstantial, equipotent Spirit. * Evermore we sing, “Glory to Your might, O Lord!”

Notation for your part

Ode v.

Experience the fire-breathing dew of the Spirit, * Forgiving and purging your sins and offenses, * All you children of the Church who are illumined. * The grace of the Holy Spirit, as tongues of fire, * Has gone forth today as a new law from Zion.

Notation for your part

Ode vi.

To snatch from corruption Adam and the entire * Human race that was fallen, like Prophet Jonah * Out of the maw of the sea beast, You, our Master, * Shone forth, O Christ our God, from the immaculate * Ever-Virgin, as expiation and salvation.

Ode vii.

Instruments were played discordantly, demanding * Everyone fall down before the gold, lifeless image. * Rousing the faithful now to sing with reverence: * “You are blessed, equipotent, unoriginate * Trinity!” is the luminous grace of the Spirit.

Notation for your part

Ode viii.

We praise and we bless and we worship the Lord.

Emblematic of the tri-luminous Godhead, * Releasing bonds and damping flames of old, those Servants * Extolled the Lord and invited all created * Nature to bless and to exalt beyond measure * The only omnific Savior as Benefactor.

Stand for the Gospel reading.

DEACON: Let us pray to the Lord.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

PRIEST

For You, our God, are holy, and You rest among the holy ones, and to You we offer up glory, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages.

CHOIR: Amen.

Mode 2.

Let everything that breathes praise the Lord. (2) Let everything that breathes praise the Lord.

DEACON

Let us pray to the Lord our God that we may be made worthy to hear the holy Gospel.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy. (3)

DEACON

Wisdom. Arise. Let us hear the holy Gospel.

PRIEST: Peace be with all.

CHOIR: And with your spirit.

PRIEST

The reading is from the holy Gospel according to John.

DEACON: Let us be attentive.

CHOIR

Glory to You, O Lord, glory to You.

PRIEST (from the altar table)

Eothinon 10

Jn. 21:1 – 14

At that time, Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he revealed himself in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas, called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the beach, yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any fish?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, for the quantity of fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his clothes, for he was stripped for work, and sprang into the sea. But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off. When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire there with fish lying on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three of them; and although there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

CHOIR

Glory to You, O Lord, glory to You.

READER

Having beheld the Resurrection of Christ, let us worship the holy Lord Jesus, the only sinless one. Your Cross, O Christ, we venerate, and Your holy Resurrection we praise and glorify. For You are our God; apart from You we know no other; we call upon Your name. Come, all faithful, let us venerate the holy Resurrection of Christ; for behold, through the Cross, joy has come to the whole world. Ever blessing the Lord, let us praise His Resurrection; for having endured the Cross for us, He destroyed death by death.

CHOIR

Psalm 50 (51).

Mode 2. (or the Mode of the week)

Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy; and according to the abundance of Your compassion, blot out my transgression.

Wash me thoroughly from my lawlessness and cleanse me from my sin.

For I know my lawlessness, and my sin is always before me.

Against You only have I sinned and done evil in Your sight; that You may be justified in Your words, and overcome when You are judged.

For behold, I was conceived in transgressions, and in sins my mother bore me.

Behold, You love truth; You showed me the unknown and secret things of Your wisdom.

You shall sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be cleansed; You shall wash me, and I will be made whiter than snow.

You shall make me hear joy and gladness; my bones that were humbled shall greatly rejoice.

Turn Your face from my sins, and blot out all my transgressions.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with Your guiding Spirit.

I will teach transgressors Your ways, and the ungodly shall turn back to You.

Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue shall greatly rejoice in Your righteousness.

O Lord, You shall open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise.

For if You desired sacrifice, I would give it; You will not be pleased with whole burnt offerings.

A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit, a broken and humbled heart God will not despise.

Do good, O Lord, in Your good pleasure to Zion, and let the walls of Jerusalem be built.

Then You will be pleased with a sacrifice of righteousness, with offerings and whole burnt offerings.

Then shall they offer young bulls on Your altar. And have mercy on me, O God.

At the intercession of the Apostles, O Lord of mercy, blot out my many offenses.

At the intercession of the Theotokos, O Lord of mercy, blot out my many offenses.

Verse: Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy; and according to the abundance of Your compassion, blot out my transgression.

Jesus, having risen from the grave as He foretold, has granted us eternal life and great mercy.

PRIEST

We beseech you, only merciful Lord, hear us sinners who pray to you and have mercy on us.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy. (12)

PRIEST

Through the mercy, compassion, and love for humankind of Your only-begotten Son, with whom You are blessed, and Your all-holy, good and life-creating Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages.

CHOIR: Amen.

Stand for the singing of Ode ix.

DEACON

Let us honor and magnify in song the Theotokos and the Mother of the light.

CHOIR

Ode ix.

The Magnificat. Mode 4.

Verse: My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

Greater in honor than the Cherubim, and in glory greater beyond compare than the Seraphim; you without corruption gave birth to God the Word, and are truly Theotokos. You do we magnify.

Notation for your part

Verse: For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; for behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.

Notation for your part

Greater in honor than the Cherubim, and in glory greater beyond compare than the Seraphim; you without corruption gave birth to God the Word, and are truly Theotokos. You do we magnify.

Notation for your part

Verse: For He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name. And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation.

Notation for your part

Greater in honor than the Cherubim, and in glory greater beyond compare than the Seraphim; you without corruption gave birth to God the Word, and are truly Theotokos. You do we magnify.

Notation for your part

Verse: He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

Greater in honor than the Cherubim, and in glory greater beyond compare than the Seraphim; you without corruption gave birth to God the Word, and are truly Theotokos. You do we magnify.

Notation for your part

Verse: He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty.

Greater in honor than the Cherubim, and in glory greater beyond compare than the Seraphim; you without corruption gave birth to God the Word, and are truly Theotokos. You do we magnify.

Notation for your part

Verse: He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever.

Greater in honor than the Cherubim, and in glory greater beyond compare than the Seraphim; you without corruption gave birth to God the Word, and are truly Theotokos. You do we magnify.

Notation for your part

Ode ix. Katavasia. Mode 4.

Theotokos, rejoice! Queen of all and the glory * Of mothers and virgins! There is no eloquence, * There is no hymn, no poetry, that can worthily * Honor you. And when we think about your childbirth, * Every mind is dazed. Therefore we all glorify you.

PRIEST

Again and again in peace let us pray to the Lord.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

PRIEST

Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and protect us, O God, by Your grace.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

PRIEST

Remembering our all-holy, immaculate, most blessed, and glorious Lady, the Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary, with all the saints, let us commend ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God.

CHOIR: To You, O Lord.

PRIEST

For all the powers of heaven praise You, and to You they offer up glory, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages.

CHOIR: Amen.

Mode 2.

Holy is the Lord our God. (2)

Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at the footstool of His feet.

For He is holy.

Exaposteilarion.

Eothinon 10.

Mode 2. Let us in faith.

To the melody, “Let us join the Disciples.”

Once, the Sea of Tiberias * had Simon Peter, Thomas, * Nathanael, the sons of Zebedee, * and two other disciples * in a boat together fishing. * At Christ’s command they let down * the net on the right side and caught * so many fish. When Peter heard it was the Lord, * he jumped and ran to Him. This was the third time * He showed himself to them, here with * bread and a fish on charcoals.

Notation for your part

For the Fathers.

Mode 2. O Women, hearken.

To the melody, “O women, hearken.”

As we all celebrate today * the holy Fathers’ memory, * O all-compassionate Master, * we ask You at their entreaty * to save Your people and Your flock * from any harm of heresy, * O Lord, and account us worthy * to glorify You, the Father, * the Word and the Holy Spirit.

Notation for your part

For the Feast.

Mode 2. Automelon.

Τῶν Μαθητῶν ὁρώντων σε.

With the disciples witnessing, You ascended, * O Christ, unto the Father, to sit beside Him. * Angels ran before You and they cried aloud, * Lift up the gates, O lift them up. * Behold the King has ascended * to light-principial glory.

Notation for your part

Lauds. Mode pl. 2.

Let everything that breathes praise the Lord. Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise Him in the highest. It is fitting to sing a hymn to You, O God.

Notation for your part

Praise Him, all you His angels; praise Him, all you His hosts. It is fitting to sing a hymn to You, O God.

Notation for your part

Praise Him, sun and moon; praise Him, all you stars and light.

Praise Him, you heavens of heavens, and you waters above the heavens. Let them praise the Lord’s name.

For He spoke, and they were made; He commanded, and they were created.

He established them forever and unto ages of ages; He set forth His ordinance, and it shall not pass away.

Praise the Lord from the earth, you dragons and all the deeps.

Fire and hail, snow and ice, stormy wind, which perform His word.

Mountains and all the hills, fruitful trees and all cedars.

Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds.

Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all judges of the earth.

Young men and maidens, elders with younger, let them praise the Lord’s name, for His name alone is exalted.

His thanksgiving is in earth and heaven. And He shall exalt the horn of His people.

A hymn for all His saints, for the children of Israel, a people who draw near to Him.

Sing to the Lord a new song, His praise in the assembly of His holy ones.

Let Israel be glad in Him who made him, and let the children of Zion greatly rejoice in their King.

Let them praise His name with dance; with tambourine and harp let them sing to Him.

For the Lord is pleased with His people, and He shall exalt the gentle with salvation.

The holy ones shall boast in glory, and they shall greatly rejoice on their beds.

The high praise of God shall be in their mouth and a two-edged sword in their hand.

To deal retribution to the nations, reproving among the peoples.

To shackle their kings with chains and their nobles with fetters of iron.

Resurrectional Stichera.

Mode pl. 2.

To fulfill among them the written judgment: this glory have all His holy ones.

Notation for your part

O Lord, Your Cross is life and resurrection for us Your people. And now that we trust in it, we extol You, our God who has risen. Have mercy on us.

Mode pl. 2.

Praise God in His saints; praise Him in the firmament of His power.

Notation for your part

O Lord, Your burial has opened Paradise to the human race. And now that we have been set free from death and decay, we extol You, our God who has risen. Have mercy on us.

Notation for your part

Mode pl. 2.

Praise Him for His mighty acts; praise Him according to the abundance of His greatness.

Let us extol the Father and the Spirit, and also Christ, who rose from the dead; and to Him let us cry aloud, “You are our life and resurrection. Have mercy on us.”

Notation for your part

Mode pl. 2.

Praise Him with the sound of trumpet; praise Him with the harp and lyre.

You rose within three days from the tomb, * O Christ, as holy Scripture says, * also raising our progenitor with You. * Now all mankind together * forever glorifies You, and we extol Your resurrection, O Lord.

Notation for your part

For the Fathers.

Mode pl. 2. When the saints deposited.

Ὅλην ἀποθέμενοι.

Praise Him with timbrel and dance; praise Him with strings and flute.

When the holy Fathers brought all of their spiritual knowledge * to the Council, they discussed * everything, with the divine Spirit guiding them. * They inscribed the sublime Creed and holy Symbol, * as if God himself had written it, * clearly explaining that consubstantial and unoriginate * with God the Father is the Son and Logos, begotten eternally. * Teaching thus, these famous and truly happy godly-minded men * were right and faithfully following * that which the Apostles taught.

Notation for your part

Praise Him with resounding cymbals; praise Him with triumphant cymbals; let everything that breathes praise the Lord.

When the holy Fathers brought all of their spiritual knowledge * to the Council, they discussed * everything, with the divine Spirit guiding them. * They inscribed the sublime Creed and holy Symbol, * as if God himself had written it, * clearly explaining that consubstantial and unoriginate * with God the Father is the Son and Logos, begotten eternally. * Teaching thus, these famous and truly happy godly-minded men * were right and faithfully following * that which the Apostles taught.

Notation for your part

Verse: Blessed are You, O Lord God of our fathers, for You are praiseworthy and exalted beyond measure unto the ages.

When those holy hierarchs, preachers of Christ, and defenders * of the Gospel teachings and Orthodox traditions had received in themselves * the divine radiance of the Holy Spirit, * they proclaimed the supernatural * pronouncement openly * to be their conviction inspired by God, * namely the Creed, which is concise * yet defines the true faith sufficiently. * Clearly these enlightened and blessed men, receiving from on high * the revelation, declared to all * the decision taught by God.

Notation for your part

Verse: Gather His holy ones to Him, who establish His covenant upon sacrifices.

When the holy Shepherds brought all of their pastoral knowledge * to the Council and they stirred * their most righteous anger now justifiably, * they drove out with the sling of the Holy Spirit * the offensive and corruptive wolves, * and from the complement of the Church of Christ they expelled them all, * as having fallen mortally, and as being ill and incurable. * Thus they demonstrated themselves as loyal servants of the Lord, * and sacred mystics of the divine * and inspired preaching of Christ.

Notation for your part

Mode pl. 4.

When the council of holy fathers from far and wide had convened, they defined the dogma of the one essence and nature of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And they handed down the formula of this mystery of theology to the Church. Let us with faith call them blessed and extol them and say: “Oh divine battalion, artillery of theologians of the Lord’s army! You are luminaries, who shine like stars in the spiritual firmament, indestructible towers of mystical Zion, fragrant flowers of Paradise, the solid gold mouthpieces of the Logos, the pride and joy of Nicea and celebrities of Christendom. We implore you earnestly intercede for our souls.”

Notation for your part

You are supremely blessed, O Virgin Theotokos. For through Him who from you became incarnate, Hades has been captured, and Adam has been called back; the curse has been killed, and Eve has been freed; death has been put to death, and we have been brought back to life. Therefore we extol Him and cry out, “O Christ our God, You are blessed, for so was Your good pleasure. Glory to You!”

Notation for your part

Stand for the Great Doxology.

Great Doxology

Glory be to You who showed the light. Glory in the highest to God. His peace is on earth, His good pleasure in mankind.

Notation for your part

We praise You, we bless You, we worship You, we glorify You, we give thanks to You for Your great glory.

Lord King, heavenly God, Father, Ruler over all; Lord, only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ; and You, O Holy Spirit.

Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, who take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us, You who take away the sins of the world.

Accept our supplication, You who sit at the right hand of the Father, and have mercy on us.

For You alone are holy, You alone are Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Every day I will bless You, and Your name will I praise to eternity, and to the ages of ages.

Vouchsafe, O Lord, this day, that we be kept without sin.

Blessed are You, O Lord, the God of our fathers, and praised and glorified is Your name to the ages. Amen.

Let Your mercy be on us, O Lord, as we have set our hope on You.

Blessed are You, O Lord. Teach me Your statutes.

Blessed are You, O Lord. Teach me Your statutes.

Blessed are You, O Lord. Teach me Your statutes.

Lord, You have been our refuge from generation to generation. I said: Lord, have mercy on me. Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.

Lord, I have fled to You. Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God.

For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we shall see light.

Continue Your mercy to those who know You.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (3)

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.

After the Doxology, sing the following Resurrectional Troparion.

Mode 4. (or the Mode of the week)

Today has salvation come to pass in the world. Let us sing to Him who resurrected from the tomb and is the Author of our life. For, destroying death by death, He gave us the victory and the great mercy.

Notation for your part

Divine Liturgy · Sunday of the Holy Fathers

DEACON

Master bless.

PRIEST

Blessed is the kingdom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages.

CHOIR: Amen.

DEACON

In peace let us pray to the Lord.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON

For the peace from above and for the salvation of our souls, let us pray to the Lord.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON

For the peace of the whole world, for the stability of the holy churches of God, and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.

CHOIR: 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.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON

For pious and Orthodox Christians, let us pray to the Lord.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON

For our Archbishop (name), for the honorable presbyterate, for the diaconate in Christ, and for all the clergy and the people, let us pray to the Lord.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON

For our country, the president, all those in public service, and for our armed forces everywhere, let us pray to the Lord.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON

For the Holy and Great Church of Christ of Constantinople, for our Sacred Archdiocese, [for this Holy Metropolis,] for this city and parish, for every city and land, and for the faithful who live in them, let us pray to the Lord.

CHOIR: 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.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON

For those who travel by land, sea, and air, for the sick, the suffering, the captives and for their salvation, let us pray to the Lord.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON

For our deliverance from all affliction, wrath, danger, and distress, let us pray to the Lord.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON

Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and protect us, O God, by Your grace.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON

Remembering our all-holy, immaculate, most blessed, and glorious Lady, the Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary, with all the saints, let us commend ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God.

CHOIR: To You, O Lord.

PRIEST (in a low voice)

Lord, our God, whose dominion is incomparable and glory incomprehensible; whose mercy is immeasurable, and love for humankind ineffable: Look upon us and upon this holy house in Your loving-kindness, and grant to us and to those who pray with us Your abundant mercy and compassion.

PRIEST (aloud)

For to You belong all glory, honor, and worship, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages.

CHOIR: Amen.

Antiphon 1. Mode 2. Psalm 46.

Verse 1: Oh, clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with the voice of rejoicing.

Through the intercessions of the Theotokos, Savior, save us.

Verse 2: For the Lord Most High is fearsome, a great King over all the earth.

Through the intercessions of the Theotokos, Savior, save us.

Verse 3: He subdued the peoples under us and the nations under our feet.

Through the intercessions of the Theotokos, Savior, save us.

Through the intercessions of the Theotokos, Savior, save us.

Small Litany

DEACON

Again and again in peace let us pray to the Lord.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON

Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and protect us, O God, by Your grace.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON

Remembering our all-holy, immaculate, most blessed, and glorious Lady, the Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary, with all the saints, let us commend ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God.

CHOIR: To You, O Lord.

PRIEST (in a low voice)

Lord, our God, save Your people and bless Your inheritance. Protect all the members of Your Church. Sanctify those who love the beauty of Your house. Glorify them in return by Your divine power, and forsake us not who have set our hope in You.

PRIEST (aloud)

For Yours is the dominion, and Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages.

CHOIR: Amen.

Antiphon 2. Mode 2. Psalm 47.

Verse 1: Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised.

Save us, O Son of God, who were taken up in glory to heaven from us. We sing to You, Alleluia.

Verse 2: God is known in her palaces when He helps her.

Save us, O Son of God, who were taken up in glory to heaven from us. We sing to You, Alleluia.

Verse 3: For behold, the kings assembled; they came together.

Save us, O Son of God, who were taken up in glory to heaven from us. We sing to You, Alleluia.

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Notation for your part

Only-begotten Son and Logos of God, being immortal, You condescended for our salvation to take flesh from the holy Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary and, without change, became man. Christ, our God, You were crucified and conquered death by death. Being one of the Holy Trinity, glorified with the Father and the Holy Spirit: Save us.

Notation for your part

Small Litany

DEACON

Again and again in peace let us pray to the Lord.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON

Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and protect us, O God, by Your grace.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON

Remembering our all-holy, immaculate, most blessed, and glorious Lady, the Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary, with all the saints, let us commend ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God.

CHOIR: To You, O Lord.

PRIEST (in a low voice)

Lord, You have granted us to offer these common prayers in unison and have promised that when two or three agree in Your name, You will grant their requests. Fulfill now, O Lord, the petitions of Your servants as may be of benefit to them, granting us in the present age the knowledge of Your truth, and in the age to come eternal life.

PRIEST (aloud)

For You are good and benevolent God, and to You we offer up glory, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages.

CHOIR: Amen.

Antiphon 3. Mode 4. Psalm 48.

Verse 1: Hear this, all you nations.

Verse 2: My mouth shall speak wisdom, and the meditation of my heart, understanding.

Verse 3: I will incline my ear to a parable; I will open my riddle on the harp.

Apolytikion of the Feast.

Mode 4.

You ascended in glory, O Christ our God, after You filled the Disciples with joy, by promising to send them the Holy Spirit, and You blessed them and established their faith, that You are the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world.

Notation for your part

As the Third Antiphon is being sung (with its verses), the Priest and Deacon bow three times before the holy Table. Then the Priest gives the holy Gospel to the Deacon, who kisses the Priest’s hand as he receives it, and then circles the holy Table with the Priest following him. Preceded by altar servers holding candles and fans, they exit through the north door for the so-called Small Entrance. When there is no Deacon, the Priest takes the holy Gospel and holds it up in front of his face. When they reach the center of the church, they stop and bow their heads, and the Deacon says in a low voice:

DEACON (in a low voice)

Let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.

PRIEST (in a low voice)

Master, Lord our God, who has established the orders and hosts of angels and archangels in heaven to minister to Your glory, grant that holy angels may enter with us, that together we may celebrate and glorify Your goodness. For to You belong all glory, honor, and worship, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

DEACON (in a low voice)

Master, bless the holy entrance.

PRIEST (in a low voice)

Blessed be the entrance of Your holy ones always, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

DEACON (aloud)

Wisdom. Arise.

CHOIR

Entrance Hymn. Mode 2.

Come, let us worship and bow down before Christ. Save us, O Son of God, risen from the dead.

Notation for your part

We sing to You, Alleluia.

Hymns after the Entrance.

CHOIR

Resurrectional Apolytikion.

Mode pl. 2. Automelon.

To the melody, “The angelic powers were at Your tomb.”

When the angelic powers appeared at Your tomb, * the soldiers guarding it feared and became as dead. * And standing by the sepulcher was Mary, who was seeking Your immaculate body. * Unassailed by Hades, You divested it of spoils. * Then You met the Virgin. You granted life. * O Lord, risen from the dead, glory to You!

Apolytikion of the Feast.

Mode 4.

You ascended in glory, O Christ our God, after You filled the Disciples with joy, by promising to send them the Holy Spirit, and You blessed them and established their faith, that You are the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world.

Notation for your part

For the Fathers.

Mode pl. 4.

Supremely glorified are You, O Christ our God, who established the holy Fathers on earth as beacons, and through them guided us all to the true Faith. Most compassionate Lord, glory be to You!

Notation for your part

The Apolytikion of the parish church is sung. Then:

Kontakion of the Feast.

Mode pl. 2. Automelon.

To the melody, “Fulfilling the dispensation for our sake.”

When You had fulfilled the dispensation for our sake, * and united things on earth with the things in heaven, * You were taken up thither in glory, O Christ our God, * going not away from any place, * but continuing inseparable, * and to them that love You crying out: * “I am with you, and there is, therefore, none against you.”

Notation for your part

DEACON: Let us pray to the Lord.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

PRIEST (in a low voice)

O Holy God, who is resting among the holy ones, praised by the Seraphim with the thrice-holy voice, glorified by the Cherubim, and worshiped by every celestial power, You have brought all things into being out of nothing. You have created man according to Your image and likeness and adorned him with all the gifts of Your grace. You give wisdom and understanding to the one who asks, and You overlook not the sinner, but have set repentance as the way of salvation. You have granted us, Your humble and unworthy servants, to stand even at this hour before the glory of Your holy Altar of sacrifice and to offer to You due worship and praise. Master, accept the Trisagion Hymn also from the lips of us sinners, and visit us in Your goodness. Forgive all our voluntary and involuntary transgressions, sanctify our souls and bodies, and grant that we may worship You in holiness all the days of our lives, through the intercessions of the holy Theotokos and of all the saints who have pleased You throughout the ages.

PRIEST (aloud)

For You, our God, are holy, and to You we offer up glory, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever…

DEACON

and to the ages of ages.

CHOIR: Amen.

Trisagios Hymn

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (3)

Notation for your part

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Notation for your part

Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.

DEACON

Dynamis.

DEACON (in a low voice)

With your blessing, Master.

PRIEST (in a low voice)

Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.

DEACON (in a low voice)

Master, bless the throne on high.

PRIEST (in a low voice)

Blessed are You upon the throne of the glory of Your kingdom, enthroned upon the Cherubim always, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

CHOIR

Dynamis.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.

Notation for your part

The Epistle

DEACON

Let us be attentive.

READER

Verse: For You are righteous in all You did for us.

DEACON

Wisdom.

READER

The reading is from the Acts of the Apostles.

DEACON

Let us be attentive.

READER

Acts 20:16 – 18, 28 – 36

In those days, Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he might not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hastening to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost. And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church. And when they came to him, he said to them: “Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of the Lord and God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. I coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities, and to those who were with me. In all things I have shown you that by so toiling one must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, ‘it is more blessed to give than to receive.’” And when he had spoken thus, he knelt down and prayed with them all.

PRIEST

Peace be with you the reader.

CHOIR

Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.

(Alleluia is sung thrice. Verses may be found in the Liturgy - Variable Parts of the day.)

The Holy Gospel

PRIEST (in a low voice)

Shine in our hearts, O benevolent Lord, the pure light of Your divine knowledge, and open the eyes of our mind that we may comprehend the proclamations of Your Gospels. Instill in us the fear that Your blessed commandments inspire, so that, crushing carnal desires, we may seek the spiritual citizenship, thinking and doing all those things that are pleasing to You. For You, Christ our God, are the illumination of our souls and bodies, and to You we offer up glory, and to Your Father, who is without beginning, and Your all-holy, good, and life-creating Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

DEACON

Wisdom. Arise. Let us hear the holy Gospel.

PRIEST

Peace be with all.

CHOIR

And with your spirit.

DEACON

The reading is from the holy Gospel according to John.

PRIEST

Let us be attentive.

CHOIR

Glory to You, O Lord, glory to You.

DEACON

Jn. 17:1 – 13

At that time, Jesus lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work which you gave me to do; and now, Father, you glorify me in your own presence with the glory which I had with you before the world was made. I have manifested your name to the men whom you gave me out of the world; yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you; for I have given them the words which you gave me, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you did send me. I am praying for them; I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are mine; all mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in your name; those whom you have given me I have guarded, and none of them is lost but the son of perdition, that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you; and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.”

PRIEST

Peace be with you who read the Gospel.

CHOIR

Glory to You, O Lord, glory to You.

PRIEST (in a low voice)

Again and countless times we fall down before You, and we implore You, O good and benevolent Lord: That You, having regarded our prayer, may cleanse our souls and bodies from every defilement of flesh and spirit, and grant to us to stand before Your holy Altar of sacrifice, free of guilt and condemnation. Grant also, O God, to those who pray with us, progress in life, faith, and spiritual understanding. Grant that they always worship You with awe and love, partake of Your holy sacrament without guilt or condemnation, and be deemed worthy of Your celestial kingdom.

PRIEST (aloud)

That, ever guarded 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 to the ages of ages.

CHOIR: Amen.

The Cherubic Hymn.

Let us, who mystically represent the Cherubim and who sing the thrice-holy hymn to the life-creating Trinity, now lay aside every worldly care. So that we may receive the King of all.

Notation for your part

PRIEST (in a low voice)

No one bound by carnal desires and pleasures is worthy to approach, draw near, or minister to You, the King of Glory. For to serve You is great and awesome even for the heavenly powers. Yet, because of Your ineffable and immeasurable love for humankind, You impassibly and immutably became man. You, as the Master of all, became our high priest and delivered unto us the sacred service of this liturgical and bloodless sacrifice. Indeed, Lord our God, You alone reign over the celestial and the terrestrial; borne aloft on the cherubic throne, Lord of the Seraphim and King of Israel, the only holy and resting among the holy ones. I now beseech You, who alone are good and inclined to hear: Look down upon me, Your sinful and unprofitable servant, and cleanse my soul and heart of a wicked conscience. Vested as I am with the grace of priesthood by the power of Your Holy Spirit, make me sufficient to stand before Your holy Table and perform the sacrament of Your holy and pure Body and Your precious Blood. I come before You, with my head bowed, and I implore You: Turn not Your face away from me, nor reject me from among Your children, but make me, Your sinful and unworthy servant, worthy to offer these gifts to You. For You are the One who both offers and is offered, the One who is received and is distributed, O Christ our God, and to You we offer up glory, and to Your Father, who is without beginning, and Your all-holy and good and life-creating Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Let us, who mystically represent the Cherubim and who sing the thrice-holy hymn to the life-creating Trinity, now lay aside every worldly care. * So that we may receive the King of all. Who is invisibly escorted by the angelic hosts. Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia. (3)

DEACON

May the Lord God remember all of you in His kingdom always, now and ever and to the ages of ages.

CHOIR: Amen.

DEACON

Let us complete our prayer to the Lord.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON

For the precious Gifts here presented, let us pray to the Lord.

CHOIR: 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.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON

For our deliverance from all affliction, wrath, danger, and distress, let us pray to the Lord.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON

Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and protect us, O God, by Your grace.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON

That the whole day may be perfect, holy, peaceful, and sinless, let us ask the Lord.

CHOIR: Grant this, O Lord.

DEACON

For an angel of peace, a faithful guide, a guardian of our souls and bodies, let us ask the Lord.

CHOIR: Grant this, O Lord.

DEACON

For pardon and remission of our sins and transgressions, let us ask the Lord.

CHOIR: Grant this, O Lord.

DEACON

For that which is good and beneficial for our souls, and for peace for the world, let us ask the Lord.

CHOIR: Grant this, O Lord.

DEACON

That we may complete the remaining time of our life in peace and repentance, let us ask the Lord.

CHOIR: Grant this, O Lord.

DEACON

And let us ask for a Christian end to our life, peaceful, without shame and suffering, and for a good defense before the awesome judgment seat of Christ.

CHOIR: Grant this, O Lord.

DEACON

Remembering our all-holy, immaculate, most blessed, and glorious Lady, the Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary, with all the saints, let us commend ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God.

CHOIR: To You, O Lord.

PRIEST (in a low voice)

Lord God Almighty, You alone are holy. You accept the sacrifice of praise from those who call upon You with their whole heart, even so, accept from us sinners our supplication, and bring it to Your holy Altar of sacrifice. Make us sufficient to offer You gifts and spiritual sacrifices for our own misdeeds and those committed in ignorance by the people. Deem us worthy to find grace in Your sight, that our sacrifice may be well pleasing to You, and that the good Spirit of Your grace may rest upon us and upon these gifts presented and upon all Your people.

PRIEST (aloud)

Through the mercies of Your only-begotten Son, with whom You are blessed, and Your all-holy, good, and life-creating Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages.

CHOIR: Amen.

PRIEST: Peace be with all.

CHOIR: And with your spirit.

DEACON

Let us love one another, that with oneness of mind we may confess:

CHOIR

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: Trinity, one in essence and undivided.

Notation for your part

DEACON

The doors! The doors! In wisdom, let us be attentive!

PEOPLE

The Creed

I believe in one God, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages; Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten, not created, of one essence with the Father, through 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. He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried; And He rose on the third day, according to the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father; And He will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead. His kingdom shall have no end. And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Creator of life, Who proceeds from the Father, Who together with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, Who spoke through the prophets. In one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the age to come.

CHOIR: Amen.

DEACON

Let us stand aright! Let us stand in awe! Let us be attentive, that we may present the Holy Offering in peace.

CHOIR

A mercy of peace, a sacrifice of praise.

PRIEST

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God and Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.

CHOIR

And with your spirit.

PRIEST

Let us lift up our hearts.

CHOIR

We lift them up to the Lord.

PRIEST

Let us give thanks to the Lord.

CHOIR

It is proper and right.

PRIEST (in a low voice)

It is proper and right to hymn You, to bless You, to praise You, to give thanks to You, and to worship You in every place of Your dominion. For You, O God, are ineffable, inconceivable, invisible, incomprehensible, existing forever, forever the same, You and Your only-begotten Son and Your Holy Spirit. You brought us out of nothing into being, and when we had fallen away, You raised us up again. You left nothing undone until you had led us up to heaven and granted us Your kingdom, which is to come. For all these things, we thank You and Your only-begotten Son and Your Holy Spirit: for all things we know and do not know, for blessings manifest and hidden that have been bestowed on us. We thank You also for this Liturgy, which You have deigned to receive from our hands, even though thousands of archangels and tens of thousands of angels stand around You, the Cherubim and Seraphim, six-winged, many­ eyed, soaring aloft upon their wings,

PRIEST (aloud)

Singing the triumphal hymn, exclaiming, proclaiming, and saying…

CHOIR

Holy, holy, holy, Lord Sabaoth, heaven and earth are filled with Your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

Notation for your part

PRIEST (in a low voice)

Together with these blessed powers, benevolent Master, we also exclaim and say: Holy are You and most holy, You and Your only‐begotten Son and Your Holy Spirit. Holy are You and most holy, and sublime is Your glory. You so loved Your world that You gave Your only-begotten Son so that everyone who believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. When He had come and fulfilled for our sake the entire plan of salvation, on the night in which He was delivered up, or rather when He delivered Himself up for the life of the world, He took bread in His holy, pure, and blameless hands, and, giving thanks and blessing, He hallowed and broke it, and gave it to His holy disciples and apostles, saying:

PRIEST (aloud)

Take, eat, this is my body, which is broken for you for the remission of sins.

CHOIR: Amen.

PRIEST (in a low voice)

And likewise the cup after supper, saying:

PRIEST (aloud)

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.

CHOIR: Amen.

PRIEST (in a low voice)

Remembering, therefore, this saving commandment and everything that was done for our sake: the Cross, the tomb, the Resurrection on the third day, the ascent into the heavens, the seating at the right hand, and the glorious coming again,

PRIEST (aloud)

Your own of Your own we offer to You, in all and for all.

CHOIR

We praise You. We bless You. We give thanks to You, O Lord; and we pray to You, our God.

PRIEST (in a low voice)

Once again we offer to You this spiritual worship without the shedding of blood, and we beseech and pray and entreat You: Send down Your Holy Spirit upon us and upon the gifts here presented,

DEACON (in a low voice)

Bless, Master, the Holy Bread.

PRIEST (in a low voice)

And make this Bread the precious Body of Your Christ.

DEACON (in a low voice)

Amen.

Bless, Master, the holy Cup.

PRIEST (in a low voice)

And that which is in this Cup, the precious Blood of Your Christ.

DEACON (in a low voice)

Amen.

Bless, Master, both the Holy Gifts.

PRIEST (in a low voice)

Changing them by Your Holy Spirit.

DEACON (in a low voice)

Amen. Amen. Amen.

PRIEST (in a low voice)

So that they may be for those who partake of them for vigilance of soul, remission of sins, communion of Your Holy Spirit, fullness of the kingdom of Heaven, boldness before You, not for judgment or condemnation. Again, we offer You this spiritual worship for those who have reposed in the faith: forefathers, fathers, patriarchs, prophets, apostles, preachers, evangelists, martyrs, confessors, ascetics, and for every righteous spirit made perfect in faith,

PRIEST (aloud)

Especially for our most holy, pure, blessed, and glorious Lady, the Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary.

CHOIR

Hymn to the Theotokos.

It is truly right to bless you, Theotokos, ever blessed, most pure, and Mother of our God. More honorable than the Cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, without corruption you gave birth to God the Logos. We magnify you, the true Theotokos.

Notation for your part

PRIEST (in a low voice)

For Saint John the Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist; for the holy, glorious, and most praiseworthy apostles; for Saint(s) (name), whose memory we celebrate; and for all Your saints, through whose supplications, visit us, O God. And remember all who have fallen asleep in the hope of the resurrection to life eternal (here the Priest commemorates by name those departed whom he wishes). Grant them rest, where the light of Your countenance keeps watch. Again we beseech You, Lord, remember all Orthodox bishops who rightly teach the word of Your truth, the presbyterate, the diaconate in Christ, and every priestly order. Again we offer You this spiritual worship for the whole world, for the holy, catholic, and apostolic Church, and for those living pure and reverent lives. For civil authorities and our armed forces, grant that they may govern in peace, Lord, so that in their tranquility we, too, may live calm and serene lives, in all piety and virtue.

PRIEST (aloud)

Among the first remember, Lord, our Archbishop (name): grant him to Your holy churches in peace, safety, honor, and health, unto length of days, rightly teaching the word of Your truth.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON

And remember those whom each one of us has in mind, and all the people.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

PRIEST (in a low voice)

Remember, Lord, Your Holy Great Church of Constantinople, our Sacred Archdiocese, [this Holy Metropolis], this city in which we live, and every city and land, and the faithful who live in them. Remember, Lord, those who travel by land, sea, and air; the sick; the suffering; the captives; and their salvation. Remember those who bear fruit and do good works in Your holy churches and those who are mindful of the poor, and upon us all send forth Your mercies.

PRIEST (aloud)

And grant that with one voice and one heart we may glorify and praise Your most honorable and majestic name, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages.

CHOIR: Amen.

PRIEST

And the mercies of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, be with you all.

CHOIR

And with your spirit.

DEACON

Having commemorated all the saints, again and again, in peace, let us pray to the Lord.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON

For the precious Gifts here presented and consecrated, let us pray to the Lord.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON

That our benevolent God, having accepted them at His holy and celestial and mystical altar as an offering of spiritual fragrance, may in return send down upon us the divine grace and the gift of the Holy Spirit, let us pray.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

(The rest of this litany, which was previously said above, is nowadays usually and correctly omitted.)

DEACON

For our deliverance from all affliction, wrath, danger, and distress, let us pray to the Lord.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON

Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and protect us, O God, by Your grace.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON

That the whole day may be perfect, holy, peaceful, and sinless, let us ask the Lord.

CHOIR: Grant this, O Lord.

DEACON

For an angel of peace, a faithful guide, a guardian of our souls and bodies, let us ask the Lord.

CHOIR: Grant this, O Lord.

DEACON

For pardon and remission of our sins and transgressions, let us ask the Lord.

CHOIR: Grant this, O Lord.

DEACON

For that which is good and beneficial for our souls, and for peace for the world, let us ask the Lord.

CHOIR: Grant this, O Lord.

DEACON

That we may complete the remaining time of our life in peace and repentance, let us ask the Lord.

CHOIR: Grant this, O Lord.

DEACON

And let us ask for a Christian end to our life, peaceful, without shame and suffering, and for a good defense before the awesome judgment seat of Christ.

CHOIR: Grant this, O Lord.

DEACON

Having asked for the unity of the faith and for the communion of the Holy Spirit, let us commend ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God.

CHOIR: To You, O Lord.

PRIEST (in a low voice)

We entrust to You, benevolent Master, our whole life and hope, and we beseech, pray, and implore You: Grant us to partake of Your heavenly and awesome sacraments from this sacred and spiritual table with a clear conscience for the remission of sins, the forgiveness of transgressions, the communion of the Holy Spirit, the inheritance of the kingdom of Heaven, and boldness before You, not unto judgment or condemnation.

PRIEST (aloud)

And grant us, Master, with boldness and without condemnation, to dare call You, the heavenly God, Father, and to say:

PEOPLE

The Lord’s Prayer

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 evil.

PRIEST

For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to ages of ages.

CHOIR: Amen.

PRIEST: Peace be with all.

CHOIR: And with your spirit.

DEACON

Let us bow our heads to the Lord.

CHOIR: To You, O Lord.

PRIEST (in a low voice)

We give thanks to You, invisible King, who by Your boundless power fashioned the universe, and in the multitude of Your mercy brought all things from nothing into being. Look down from heaven, O Master, upon those who have bowed their heads before You, for they have not bowed before flesh and blood, but before You, the awesome God. Therefore, O Master, make smooth and beneficial for us all, whatever lies ahead, according to the need of each: Sail with those who sail, travel with those who travel, heal the sick, Physician of our souls and bodies.

PRIEST (aloud)

Through the grace, compassion, and love for humankind of Your only-begotten Son, with whom You are blessed, and Your all-holy, good, and life-creating Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages.

CHOIR: Amen.

PRIEST (in a low voice)

Hearken, O Lord Jesus Christ our God, from Your holy dwelling place and from the throne of glory of Your kingdom, and come to sanctify us, You who are enthroned with the Father on high and are present among us invisibly here. And with Your mighty hand, grant Communion of Your most pure Body and precious Blood to us, and through us to all the people.

DEACON: Let us be attentive.

PRIEST

The Holy Gifts for the holy people of God.

CHOIR

One is Holy, one is Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Notation for your part

PEOPLE

The selection and text of the following prayers may be different from what is used in your parish.

I believe and confess, Lord, that You are truly the Christ, the Son of the living God, who came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the first. I also believe that this is truly Your pure Body and that this is truly Your precious Blood. Therefore, I pray to You, have mercy on me and forgive my transgressions, voluntary and involuntary, in word and deed, in knowledge or in ignorance. And make me worthy, without condemnation, to partake of Your pure sacrament for the remission of sins and for eternal life. Amen.

As I am about to receive holy communion, * O Maker, I pray You not burn me partaking, * since You are fire consuming the unworthy, * but rather purge me of any defilement.

Receive me, today, O Son of God, as a partaker of Your mystical Supper. I will not reveal Your mystery to Your enemies, nor will I give You a kiss, as did Judas. But like the Robber I confess to You. Remember me, O Lord, when You come in Your kingdom.

Seeing the deifying Blood, O human, shudder, * for it is a live coal that burns the unworthy. * The Body of God both deifies my spirit * and feeds my mind in extraordinary manner.

You have enraptured me, O Christ, * with Your longing and transformed me with love divine. * I pray, completely consume * with immaterial fire all my sins. * And count me worthy to be filled * fully with the delight in You, * that I may magnify * both Your Comings, O good Master, exultantly.

How shall I enter into the splendor of Your saints since I am unworthy? For if I dare to enter the wedding hall along with them, my garment will betray me, for it is not fit for the wedding; and then I shall be bound and cast out by the Angels. I pray You to wash away the stains on my soul, and save me, O benevolent Lord.

Benevolent Master, Lord Jesus Christ, my God, let not these Holy Gifts be to my judgment because I am unworthy, but rather for the purification and sanctification of both soul and body and the pledge of the life and kingdom to come. It is good for me to cleave unto God and to place in Him the hope of my salvation.

Receive me, today, O Son of God, as a partaker of Your mystical Supper. I will not reveal Your mystery to Your enemies, nor will I give You a kiss, as did Judas. But like the Robber I confess to You. Remember me, O Lord, when You come in Your kingdom.

CHOIR

Communion Hymn. Psalm 148.

DEACON

With the fear of God, faith, and love, draw near.

The people come up to receive Holy Communion. The Priest receives the holy chalice from the hands of the Deacon and begins communing the people, saying to each one: The Body and Blood of Christ, for the remission of sins and life eternal.

PRIEST

Save, O God, Your people, and bless Your inheritance.

CHOIR

Hymn after Holy Communion.

Instead of “We have seen.”

Mode 4.

You ascended in glory, O Christ our God, after You filled the Disciples with joy, by promising to send them the Holy Spirit, and You blessed them and established their faith, that You are the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world.

Notation for your part

DEACON (in a low voice)

Exalt, Master.

PRIEST (in a low voice)

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let Your glory be over all the earth. (3)

Blessed is our God.

PRIEST (aloud)

Always, now and ever and to the ages of ages.

CHOIR: Amen.

DEACON

Arise! Having partaken of the divine, holy, pure, immortal, heavenly, life-creating, and awesome Mysteries of Christ, let us worthily give thanks to the Lord.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON

Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and protect us, O God, by Your grace.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON

Having prayed for a perfect, holy, peaceful, and sinless day, let us commend ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God.

CHOIR: To You, O Lord.

PRIEST (in a low voice)

We give thanks to You, benevolent Master, benefactor of our souls, that even on this very day You have made us worthy of Your heavenly and immortal sacraments. Make straight our path, fortify us in Your fear, guard our life, make secure our steps, through the prayers and supplications of the glorious Theotokos and ever­ virgin Mary and of all Your saints.

PRIEST (aloud)

For You are our sanctification, and to You we offer up glory, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages.

CHOIR: Amen.

PRIEST: Let us go forth in peace.

DEACON: Let us pray to the Lord.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

PRIEST

O Lord, who blesses those who bless You and sanctifies those who put their trust in You, save Your people and bless Your inheritance. Protect the whole body of Your Church. Sanctify those who love the beauty of Your house. Glorify them in return by Your divine power, and forsake us not who have set our hope in You. Grant peace to Your world, to Your churches, to the clergy, to our civic leaders, to the armed forces, and to all Your people. For every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from You, the Father of lights. To You we offer up glory, thanksgiving, and worship, to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages.

Blessed be the name of the Lord, from this time forth and to the ages. (3)

PRIEST (in a low voice)

Christ our God, You are the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. You have fulfilled the Father’s entire plan of salvation. Fill our hearts with joy and gladness always, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Memorial Service

CHOIR

Evlogetaria for the Dead

Mode pl. 1.

Blessed are You, O Lord, teach me Your commandments.

The choir of Saints has found the fountain of life and the door of Paradise. May I also find the way through repentance. I am the lost sheep: O Savior, call me back and save me.

Blessed are You, O Lord, teach me Your commandments.

Of old, You created me from nothing and honored me with Your divine image. But when I disobeyed Your commandment, You returned me to the earth from which I was taken. Lead me back again to Your likeness, so that the ancient beauty may be refashioned.

Blessed are You, O Lord, teach me Your commandments.

I am an image of Your ineffable glory, though I bear the scars of my transgressions. Take pity on me, the work of Your hands, Master, and cleanse me by Your compassion. Grant me the desired homeland for which I long, making me again a citizen of Paradise.

Blessed are You, O Lord, teach me Your commandments.

Give rest, O God, to Your servant(s), and place him (her, them) in Paradise where the choirs of the Saints and the righteous, O Lord, will shine as the stars of heaven. To Your departed servant(s) give rest, O Lord, overlooking all his (her, their) offenses.

Notation for your part

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Notation for your part

Let us devoutly praise the threefold radiance of the one God as we sing: Holy are You, the Father without beginning, the co-eternal Son, and the divine Spirit. Illumine us who worship You in faith and deliver us from the eternal fire.

Notation for your part

Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Rejoice, gracious Lady, who gave birth to God in the flesh for the salvation of all, and through whom the human race has found salvation. Through you, pure and blessed Theotokos, may we find Paradise.

Notation for your part

Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia. Glory to You, O God.

Kontakion. Mode pl. 4.

With the Saints give rest, O Christ, to the soul(s) of Your servant(s) where there is no pain, no sorrow, no sighing, but life everlasting.

Notation for your part

Among the spirits of the righteous perfected in faith, give rest, O Savior, to the soul(s) of Your servant, keeping it (them) in the blessed life which is from You, O loving One.

In your place of rest, O Lord, where all Your saints repose, give rest also to the soul of Your servant, for You alone are immortal.

Notation for your part

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Notation for your part

You are our God who descended into Hades and loosened the pains of those who were held captive. Grant rest also, O Savior, to the soul of Your servant.

Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

You the only pure and spotless Virgin, who ineffably gave birth to God, intercede for mercy and forgiveness of the soul of your servant(s).

DEACON

Have mercy on us, O God, according to Your great mercy, we pray You, hear us and have mercy.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy. (3)

DEACON

Again we pray for the repose of the soul of the departed servant of God (name), who has fallen asleep, and for the forgiveness of all his (her) sins, voluntary and involuntary.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy. (3)

DEACON

May the Lord God place their souls where the righteous repose. Let us ask for the mercies of God, the kingdom of Heaven, and the forgiveness of their sins from Christ our immortal king and God.

CHOIR: Grant this, O Lord.

DEACON

Let us pray to the Lord.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

PRIEST

O God of spirits and of all flesh, You trampled upon death and abolished the power of the devil, giving life to Your world. Give rest to the soul(s) of Your departed servant(s) (name) in a place of light, in a place of green pasture, in a place of refreshment, from where pain, sorrow, and sighing have fled away. As good and benevolent God, forgive every sin he (she, they) has (have) committed in word, deed, or thought, for there is no one who lives and does not sin. You alone are without sin. Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Your word is truth.

DEACON

Let us pray to the Lord.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

PRIEST

For You are the resurrection, the life, and the repose of Your departed servant(s) (name), Christ our God, and to You we offer up glory, and to Your Father, who is without beginning, and Your all-holy, good, and life-creating Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages.

CHOIR: Amen.

PRIEST

Eternal be your memory, brother worthy of blessedness and everlasting memory. (3)

CHOIR

Mode 3.

Eternal be his memory. Eternal be his memory. Eternal be his memory. (3)

DEACON: Let us pray to the Lord.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

PRIEST

May the blessing and the mercy of the Lord come upon you by His divine grace and love for humankind, always, now and ever and to the ages of ages.

CHOIR: Amen.

PRIEST

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

May He who rose from the dead, and ascended from us in glory and is seated at the right hand of God the Father, Christ our true God, through the intercessions of His all-pure and all-immaculate holy Mother, the power of the precious and life-giving Cross, the protection of the honorable, bodiless powers of heaven, the supplications of the honorable, glorious prophet and forerunner John the Baptist, of the holy, glorious, and praiseworthy apostles, of the holy, glorious, and triumphant martyrs, of our righteous and God-bearing fathers, (local patron saint); of the holy and righteous ancestors of God Joachim and Anna, the 318 Holy Fathers who convened the First Ecumenical Council in Nicea, whose memory we celebrate, and of all the saints, have mercy on us and save us, as He is good, benevolent, and merciful God.

CHOIR

Lord, protect for many years the one who blesses and sanctifies us.

PRIEST

Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us.

CHOIR: Amen.

Vespers · Third Finding of the Forerunner’s Head

PRIEST

Blessed is our God always, now and ever and to the ages of ages.

CHOIR: Amen.

Stand for the reading of the Introductory Psalm.

While the Introductory Psalm is being read, the Priest stands in front of the holy Table and reads the so-called Lamp-lighting Prayers.

READER

Come, let us worship and bow down before God our King.

Come, let us worship and bow down before Christ God our King.

Come, let us worship and bow down before Him, Christ our King and God.

Psalm 103 (104).

Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, You are magnified exceedingly; You clothe Yourself with thanksgiving and majesty, who cover Yourself with light as with a garment, who stretch out the heavens like a curtain; You are He who covers His upper chambers with water, who makes the clouds His means of approach, who walks on the wings of the winds, who makes His angels spirits and His ministers a flame of fire. He established the earth on its stable foundation; it shall not be moved unto ages of ages. The deep like a garment is His covering; the waters shall stand upon the mountains; at Your rebuke they shall flee; at the sound of Your thunder, they shall be afraid. The mountains rise up, and the plains sink down to the place You founded for them. You set a boundary they shall not pass over; neither shall they return to cover the earth. You are He who sends springs into the valley; the waters shall pass between the mountains; they shall give drink to all the wild animals of the field; the wild asses shall quench their thirst; the birds of heaven shall dwell beside them; they shall sing from the midst of the rocks. You are He who waters the mountains from His higher places; the earth shall be satisfied with the fruit of Your works. You are He who causes grass to grow for the cattle, and the green plant for the service of man, to bring forth bread from the earth; and wine gladdens the heart of man, to brighten his face with oil; and bread strengthens man’s heart. The trees of the plain shall be full of fruit, the cedars of Lebanon, which You planted; there the sparrows shall make their nests; the house of the heron takes the lead among them. The high mountains are for the deer; the cliff is a refuge for the rabbits. He made the moon for seasons; the sun knows its setting. You established darkness, and it was night, wherein all the wild animals of the forest will prowl about; the young lions roar and snatch their prey, and seek their food from God. The sun arises, and they are gathered together; and they shall be put to bed in their dens. Man shall go out to his work and to his labor until evening. O Lord, Your works shall be magnified greatly; You made all things in wisdom; the earth was filled with Your creation. There is this great and spacious sea: the creeping things are there without number; the living things are there, both small and great; there the ships pass through; there is this dragon You formed to play therein. All things wait upon You, that You may give them food in due season. When You give it to them, they shall gather it; when You open Your hand, all things shall be filled with Your goodness. But when You turn Your face away, they shall be troubled; when You take away their breath, they shall die and return again to their dust. You shall send forth Your Spirit, and they shall be created, and You shall renew the face of the earth. Let the glory of the Lord be forever; the Lord shall be glad in His works; He looks upon the earth and makes it tremble; He touches the mountains, and they smoke. I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing to my God as long as I exist; may my words be pleasing to Him, and I shall be glad in the Lord. May sinners cease from the earth, and the lawless, so as to be no more. Bless the Lord, O my soul.

The sun knows its setting. You established darkness, and it was night.

O Lord, Your works shall be magnified greatly; You made all things in wisdom.

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia. Glory to You, O God. (3)

Our hope, O Lord, glory to You.

DEACON

In peace let us pray to the Lord.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON

For the peace from above and for the salvation of our souls, let us pray to the Lord.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON

For the peace of the whole world, for the stability of the holy churches of God, and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.

CHOIR: 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.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON

For pious and Orthodox Christians, let us pray to the Lord.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON

For our Archbishop (name), for the honorable presbyterate, for the diaconate in Christ, and for all the clergy and the people, let us pray to the Lord.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON

For our country, the president, all those in public service, and for our armed forces everywhere, let us pray to the Lord.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON

For the Holy and Great Church of Christ of Constantinople, for our Sacred Archdiocese, [for this Holy Metropolis,] for this city and parish, for every city and land, and for the faithful who live in them, let us pray to the Lord.

CHOIR: 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.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON

For those who travel by land, sea, and air, for the sick, the suffering, the captives and for their salvation, let us pray to the Lord.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON

For our deliverance from all affliction, wrath, danger, and distress, let us pray to the Lord.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON

Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and protect us, O God, by Your grace.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON

Remembering our all-holy, immaculate, most blessed, and glorious Lady, the Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary, with all the saints, let us commend ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God.

CHOIR: To You, O Lord.

PRIEST

For to You belong all glory, honor, and worship, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages.

CHOIR: Amen.

CHOIR

Mode pl. 4.

Lord, I have cried to You; hear me. Hear me, O Lord. Lord, I have cried to You; hear me. Give heed to the voice of my supplication when I cry to You. Hear me, O Lord.

Let my prayer be set forth before You as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. Hear me, O Lord.

Notation for your part

Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth, a door of enclosure about my lips.

Incline not my heart to evil words, to make excuses in sins.

With men who work lawlessness; and I will not join with their choice ones.

The righteous man shall correct me with mercy, and he shall reprove me; but let not the oil of the sinner anoint my head.

For my prayer shall be intense in the presence of their pleasures. Their judges are swallowed up by the rock.

They shall hear my words, for they are pleasant. As a clod of ground is dashed to pieces on the earth, so their bones were scattered beside the grave.

For my eyes, O Lord, O Lord, are toward You; in You I hope; take not my soul away.

Keep me from the snares they set for me, and from the stumbling blocks of those who work lawlessness.

Sinners shall fall into their own net; I am alone, until I escape.

I cried to the Lord with my voice, with my voice I prayed to the Lord.

I shall pour out my supplication before Him; I shall declare my affliction in His presence.

When my spirit fainted within me, then You knew my paths.

For on the way I was going, they hid a trap for me.

I looked on my right, and saw there was no one who knew me.

Refuge failed me, and there was no one who cared for my soul.

I cried to You, O Lord; I said, “You are my hope, my portion in the land of the living.”

Attend to my supplication, for I was humbled exceedingly.

Deliver me from my persecutors, for they are stronger than I.

Bring my soul out of prison to give thanks to Your name, O Lord.

The righteous shall wait for me, until You reward me.

Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord; O Lord, hear my voice.

Let Your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication.

Stichera. For the Forerunner.

Mode pl. 4. What a paradoxal.

To the melody, “O what a paradox.”

If You, O Lord, should mark transgression, O Lord, who would stand? For there is forgiveness with You.

Blessed Baptist John the Forerunner, your skull came up from the earth, * and it shone forth most brilliantly, * even brighter than the sun. * It illumined the faithful all. * We have it now as a treasure sent from God; * from it we draw the abundant gifts of grace, * and we are sanctified * thoroughly, in soul and body and in thought; * and we call you blessed as we hold your feast today.

Notation for your part

Because of Your law, O Lord, I waited for You; my soul waited for Your word. My soul hopes in the Lord.

Blessed Baptist John, your sacred head, ever exuding grace, * had been hidden, O Forerunner. * Its location was disclosed * to a godly and pious priest, * who, unaware, was convinced by faith and grace; * and he arranged for this third discovery. * Thus he was sanctified, * as were all the godly-minded people there, * and the reigning emperor, who held the Orthodox Faith.

Notation for your part

From the morning watch until night; from the morning watch until night, let Israel hope in the Lord.

Forerunner of Christ, we celebrate the Third Discovery * of your all-precious head, which was * for your godly zeal cut off, * and on which has the Trinity * bestowed a halo. And now that it was found, * the ranks of Angels and hosts of Martyr Saints, * Prophets, and the divine * Apostles rejoice in heaven. Join them all * and remember us in prayer always, O glorious John.

Notation for your part

Stichera for the Fathers.

Mode pl. 2. That woman, who was spurned.

Ἡ ἀπεγνωσμένη.

For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is abundant redemption; and He shall redeem Israel from all his transgressions.

Notation for your part

From the womb You came forth, although begotten * from Your Father motherless before the ages. * But Arius thought of You not as God but as creature, * foolishly daring to confuse You the Creator with creatures; * and thus he laid up for himself the fuel for eternal fire. * But the holy Council in Nicea * proclaimed that You are the Son of God and share the throne * with the Father and the Spirit, O Lord.

Notation for your part

Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles; praise Him, all you peoples.

Notation for your part

Who is it, O Savior, that rent Your garment? * “Arius,” You said, who creates divisions, * dividing the Trinity’s equipotent dominion. * He rejected You as being one of the Trinity’s persons. * He teaches Nestorius not to use the term Theotokos. * But the holy Council in Nicea * proclaimed that You are the Son of God and share the throne * with the Father and the Spirit, O Lord.

Notation for your part

For His mercy rules over us; and the truth of the Lord endures forever.

Arius fell off the cliff of transgression, * for he closed his eyes so as not to see light. * And his bowels were rent asunder by the divine trident, * and he violently hemorrhaged his soul and all his being, * for he had become like Judas, in both attitude and manner. * But the holy Council in Nicea * proclaimed that You are the Son of God and share the throne * with the Father and the Spirit, O Lord.

Notation for your part

Mode pl. 2.

Your precious head, which is guarded by God, has arisen from the hollows of the earth, O Forerunner, and it is a treasure of godly gifts, which we have faithfully retrieved. And as we venerate it, we are enriched by you, O glorious Baptist of Christ, with extraordinary miracles and forgiveness of offenses.

Notation for your part

Mode pl. 2.

Today let us extol those God-bearing Fathers, whom we call the mystical trumpets of the Spirit, for when they declared theology, it was like they were playing harmonious music in the middle of the Church. They taught that the Trinity is one, unchanging essence and Godhead. They were the front-line defenders of the Orthodox, and they brought down the heresy of Arius. Now they always intercede with the Lord, that He have mercy on our souls.

Stand for the Entrance.

DEACON (in a low voice)

Let us pray to the Lord.

PRIEST (in a low voice)

ENTRANCE PRAYER

In the evening, in the morning, and at midday, we praise You, we bless You, we give thanks to You, and we pray to You, Master of all, benevolent Lord. Let our prayer be set forth before You as incense. Incline not our hearts to evil words or thoughts, but deliver us all from those who pursue our souls. For our eyes, O Lord, O Lord, are toward You, and in You we hope. Leave us not embarrassed, O our God.

DEACON

Wisdom. Arise.

CLERGY AND PEOPLE

Mode 2.

Gladsome light of holy glory of the holy, blessed, heavenly, immortal Father, O Jesus Christ: arriving at the hour of sunset and having seen the evening light, we praise the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, God. It is worthy for You to be praised at all times with happy voices, O Son of God and Giver of life; * and therefore the world glorifies You.

Notation for your part

DEACON

The evening Prokeimenon!

CHOIR

Prokeimenon. Mode pl. 4.

Behold now, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord. (2)

Verse: Who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God.

Behold now, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord.

DEACON

Let us all say with all our soul and with all our mind, let us all say.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON

Lord, Ruler of all, God of our fathers, we pray You, hear us and have mercy.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON

Have mercy on us, O God, according to Your great mercy, we pray You, hear us and have mercy.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy. (3)

DEACON

Again we pray for pious and Orthodox Christians.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy. (3)

DEACON

Again we pray for our Archbishop (name).

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy. (3)

DEACON

Again we pray for our brethren: the priests, the hieromonks, the deacons, the monastics, and all our brotherhood in Christ.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy. (3)

DEACON

Again we pray for mercy, life, peace, health, salvation, protection, forgiveness, and remission of the sins of the servants of God, all pious Orthodox Christians residing and visiting in this city: the parishioners, the members of the parish council, the stewards, and benefactors of this holy church.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy. (3)

DEACON

Again we pray for the blessed and ever-memorable founders of this holy church, and for all our fathers and brethren who have fallen asleep before us, who here have been piously laid to their rest, as well as the Orthodox everywhere.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy. (3)

DEACON

Again we pray for those who bear fruit and do good works in this holy and all-venerable church, for those who labor and those who sing, and for the people here present who await Your great and rich mercy.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy. (3)

PRIEST

For You are merciful and benevolent God, and to You we offer up glory, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages.

CHOIR: Amen.

Stand for the reading of prayer.

READER

O Lord, keep us this evening without sin. Blessed are you, O Lord, God of our fathers, and praised and glorified is your name to the ages. Amen. O Lord, let your mercy be upon us for we have set our hope in you. Blessed are you, O Lord, teach me your commandments. Blessed are you, Master, grant me understanding of your commandments. Blessed are you, Holy One, enlighten me with your commandments. Lord, your mercy is forever. Do not despise the works of your hands. To you is due praise, to you is due song, to you is due glory, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and to the ages of ages.

CHOIR: Amen.

DEACON

Let us complete our evening prayer to the Lord.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON

Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and protect us, O God, by Your grace.

CHOIR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON

That the whole evening may be perfect, holy, peaceful, and sinless, let us ask the Lord.

CHOIR: Grant this, O Lord.

DEACON

For an angel of peace, a faithful guide, a guardian of our souls and bodies, let us ask the Lord.

CHOIR: Grant this, O Lord.

DEACON

For pardon and remission of our sins and transgressions, let us ask the Lord.

CHOIR: Grant this, O Lord.

DEACON

For that which is good and beneficial for our souls, and for peace for the world, let us ask the Lord.

CHOIR: Grant this, O Lord.

DEACON

That we may complete the remaining time of our life in peace and repentance, let us ask the Lord.

CHOIR: Grant this, O Lord.

DEACON

And let us ask for a Christian end to our life, peaceful, without shame and suffering, and for a good defense before the awesome judgment seat of Christ.

CHOIR: Grant this, O Lord.

DEACON

Remembering our all-holy, immaculate, most blessed, and glorious Lady, the Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary, with all the saints, let us commend ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God.

CHOIR: To You, O Lord.

PRIEST

For You are good and benevolent God, and to You we offer up glory, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages.

CHOIR: Amen.

PRIEST: Peace be with all.

CHOIR: And with your spirit.

DEACON

Let us bow our heads to the Lord.

CHOIR: To You, O Lord.

PRIEST (in a low voice)

Lord our God, who inclined the heavens and came down for the salvation of humankind, look upon Your servants and Your inheritance; for they have bowed their heads and bent their necks to You, the fearsome yet compassionate Judge, not expecting human help, but awaiting Your mercy and anticipating Your salvation. Guard them at all times, this evening and the coming night, from every enemy, from all demonic activity against them, from unprofitable reflections, and from wicked thoughts.

PRIEST (aloud)

Blessed and glorified be the majesty of Your kingdom, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages.

CHOIR: Amen.

Aposticha.

Mode 2. Joseph took You down.

To the melody, “When from the Tree.”

Come and let us celebrate today * the all-precious head of the Baptist, which was cut off with a sword. * O believers, let us honor its discovery, * and salute it with sacred songs, * revere it with longing. * Gifts of grace pour out from it, curing and healing us. * This head is what frivolous Herod * of old had cut off in his madness, * lustfully entangled with Herodias.

Verse: There I shall cause to spring up a horn for David; there I prepared a lamp for my anointed.

Just as gold extracted from a mine, * so the precious head of the Forerunner from the earth shines forth, * beaming in a vessel there, it still distinctly cries out * and rebukes the adultery and murder by Herod. * Glowing with the light of heaven, it illumines our minds. * Come, today in faith let us sing hymns, * as we venerate it with honor, * for it intercedes with God on our behalf.

Verse: Remember David, O Lord, and all his meekness.

Years passed since the venerable head * of St. John the Baptist was hid in a vessel underground. * Then the day came when it was revealed to all the world, * like a treasure that gushes forth * a well spring of healing, * curing all diseases and illuminating souls. * Therefore, as we now are enjoying * grace from it that brings divine gladness, * let us sing its praises with solemnity.

Notation for your part

Mode 2.

Your Head, that all-venerable repository of divine concepts, which clearly foresaw the mystery of the ineffable Essence, has arisen today out of the storehouses of the earth, as it were out of a mother’s womb, O John, who are worthy of all praise. It poured forth the fragrant oil of sanctification and perfumed everything under the sun. It spiritually preaches the way of repentance, and it intercedes with the Savior of all, on behalf of our souls.

Mode 3.

O holy Fathers, you preserved with precision the Apostolic traditions. You decreed as Orthodox dogma that the Holy Trinity is consubstantial, and in your Councils you refuted the blasphemous teachings of Arius. You denounced Macedonius as a Pneumatomachian. You went on to judge Nestorius, Eutyches, Dioscorus, Sabellius, and Severus the Acephalite. Now we ask you to pray for us, that we may be free of all heresy and may preserve our lives spotless in the faith.

Stand for the reading of prayers

PRIEST

Song of Simeon

PEOPLE

Trisagion Prayers.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (3)

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit; both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

All-holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord, forgive our sins. Master, pardon our transgressions. Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for Your name’s sake.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit; both now and ever and to the 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 evil.

PRIEST

For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to ages of ages.

CHOIR: Amen.

Apolytikion.

Mode 4. Come quickly.

To the melody, “Come quickly.”

Now Christ has revealed to us your sacred head once again, * a most holy treasure hidden underground for so long, * O Prophet and Forerunner. * Therefore we have assembled for the feast of its Finding, * singing our God-inspired hymns in praise of the Savior, * who saves us from destruction, by your earnest prayers to Him.

Notation for your part

Mode pl. 4.

Supremely glorified are You, O Christ our God, who established the holy Fathers on earth as beacons, and through them guided us all to the true Faith. Most compassionate Lord, glory be to You!

Notation for your part

Apolytikion of the Feast.

Mode 4.

You ascended in glory, O Christ our God, after You filled the Disciples with joy, by promising to send them the Holy Spirit, and You blessed them and established their faith, that You are the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world.

Notation for your part

DEACON: Wisdom.

READER: Master bless.

PRIEST

Blessed is Christ our God, the One who is, always, now and ever and to the ages of ages.

CHOIR: Amen.

HIERARCH or READER

The Lord God make firm the holy and pure faith of the pious Orthodox Christians, together with the Holy and Great Church of Christ of Constantinople, our Sacred Archdiocese, [this Holy Metropolis,] and this city, to the ages of ages.

CHOIR: Amen.

PRIEST

Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

May He who ascended from us into heaven in glory, and sat at the right hand of God the Father, Christ our true God, through the intercessions of His all-pure and all-immaculate holy Mother, the power of the precious and life-giving Cross, the protection of the honorable, bodiless powers of heaven, the supplications of the honorable, glorious prophet and forerunner John the Baptist, the Finding of whose precious Head we celebrate, of the holy, glorious, and praiseworthy apostles, of the holy, glorious, and triumphant martyrs, of our righteous and God-bearing fathers, (local patron saint); of the holy and righteous ancestors of God Joachim and Anna, and of all the saints, have mercy on us and save us, as He is good, benevolent, and merciful God.

Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us.

CHOIR: Amen.