Since both liturgies begin in the same way, with differences appearing later, we will provide a link to allow an easier switch to the appropriate text.
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Priest: O heavenly king, the comforter, the Spirit of truth, who art everywhere present and fillest all things, treasury of blessings, and giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O good one.
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will among men. (twice)
O Lord, open thou my lips, and my mouth shall show forth thy praise.
DEACON: Bless, master. (If a Priest is serving without a deacon, these words are omitted)
The priest makes the sign of the Cross with the Gospel over the antimension and begins:
BLESSED IS THE KINGDOM of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
PEOPLE: Amen.
And the DEACON, standing before the holy doors, raises his orarion and says:
DEACON: For the peace from above and for the salvation of our souls, let us pray to the Lord.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
For the peace of the whole world, for the welfare of the holy churches of God, and for the union of all, let us pray to the Lord.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
For this holy house and for those who enter it with faith, reverence, and the fear of God, let us pray to the Lord.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
For our metropolitan, (_NAME_) for our bishop [or archbishop, (_NAME_) for the honorable priesthood, for the diaconate in Christ, and for all the clergy and the people, let us pray to the Lord.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
For this country, for its prime minister, for all civil authorities, and for the armed forces, let us pray to the Lord.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
For this city (or village, or holy monastery), for every city and country-side, and for the faithful dwelling in them, let us pray to the Lord.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
For seasonable weather, for abundance of the fruits of the earth, and for peaceful times, let us pray to the Lord.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
For travelers by land, by sea, and by air; for the sick and the suffering; for captives and their salvation, let us pray to the Lord.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
That we may be delivered from all affliction, wrath, danger, and necessity, let us pray to the Lord.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and keep us, O God, by thy grace.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
Commemorating our most holy, most pure, most blessed and glorious Lady Theotokos and Ever-virgin Mary with all the saints, let us commend ourselves and each other and all our lives unto Christ our God.
PEOPLE: To Thee, O Lord.
And the PRIEST (Prayer of the 1st Antiphon):
O Lord our God, whose power is incomparable, whose glory is incomprehensible, whose mercy is immeasurable, and whose love for man is inexpressible: Look down on us and on this holy house with pity, O Master, and impart the riches of thy mercy and thy compassion to us and to those who pray with us.
Exclamation: For unto thee are due all glory, honor, and worship, to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
PEOPLE: Amen.
The deacon moves to his right to stand before the icon of Christ. And the singers begin the first antiphon (as appointed, festal or daily antiphons are sung instead of the Typical Psalms and Beatitudes).
This Psalm and Psalm 145 below are given according to a common abbreviation. The full text may be found in the Horologion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul. / Blessed art thou, O Lord.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, / and all that is within me, bless his holy Name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul. / and forget not all his benefits,
who forgives all your iniquity, / who heals all your diseases,
The Lord is compassionate and merciful, / long-suffering and of great goodness.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, / Blessed art thou, O Lord.
As the antiphon concludes, the DEACON returns to his place before the holy doors, bows, and says:
AGAIN and again in peace let us pray to the Lord.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and keep us, O God, by thy grace.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
Commemorating our most holy, most pure, most blessed and glorious Lady Theotokos and Ever-virgin Mary with all the saints, let us commend ourselves and each other and all our life unto Christ our God.
PEOPLE: To thee, O Lord.
And the PRIEST (Prayer of the 2nd Antiphon):
O Lord our God, save thy people and bless thine inheritance. Preserve the fullness of thy Church, sanctify those who love the beauty of thy house, glorify them in return by thy divine power, and forsake us not who put our hope in thee.
Exclamation: For thine is the might, and thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
PEOPLE: Amen.
And the singers begin the second antiphon. The deacon again moves to the side.
GLORY TO the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Praise the Lord, O my soul; / I will praise the Lord as long as I live; / I will sing praises to my God while I have being.
Put not your trust in princes, in sons of men, / in whom there is no salvation.
When his breath departs, / he returns to his earth; / on that very day his plans perish.
The Lord will reign forever, / thy God, O Zion, to all generations.
Now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Only-begotten Son and immortal Word of God, who for our salvation didst will to be incarnate of the holy Theotokos and Ever-virgin Mary, who without change didst become man and wast crucified, O Christ our God, trampling down death by death, who art one of the Holy Trinity, glorified with the Father and the Holy Spirit: save us.
As this hymn concludes, the DEACON returns to his place before the holy doors, bows, and says:
AGAIN and again in peace let us pray to the Lord.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and keep us, O God, by thy grace.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
Commemorating our most holy, most pure, most blessed and glorious Lady Theotokos and Ever-virgin Mary with all the saints, let us commend ourselves and each other and all our life unto Christ our God.
PEOPLE: To thee, O Lord.
And the PRIEST (Prayer of the 3rd Antiphon):
O THOU who hast given us grace with one accord to make our common supplications unto thee, and didst promise that when two or three are gathered together in thy Name thou wouldst grant their requests: fulfill now, O Lord, the petitions of thy servants as may be expedient for them, granting us in this world the knowledge of thy truth, and in the world to come life everlasting.
Exclamation: For thou art a good God and lovest mankind, and unto thee do we send up glory, to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
PEOPLE: Amen.
The deacon returns to the altar by the south door, making the usual bows. As the third antiphon begins, the holy doors are opened.
(the indication for twelve, ten, eight, and six troparia means that the appointed troparia are read during the Beatitudes; however, they are usually omitted.)
IN THY kingdom remember us, O Lord, / when thou comest in thy kingdom.
For twelve troparia: Blessed are the poor in spirit, / for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, / for they shall be comforted.
For ten: Blessed are the meek, / for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, / for they shall be filled.
For eight: Blessed are the merciful, / for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
For six: Blessed are the peacemakers, / for they shall be called the sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, / for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you, / and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake.
Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, / for great is your reward in heaven.
Glory to the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit.
Now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
During the third antiphon or the Beatitudes, the priest and deacon bow three times before the holy table. The priest takes up the holy Gospel and gives it to the deacon. They go around the holy table from the south side and, preceded by the candle-bearers, leave the sanctuary by the north door. As they approach the holy doors they pray quietly:
DEACON: Let us pray to the Lord.
And the PRIEST:
O MASTER, Lord our God, who hast appointed in heaven orders and hosts of angels and archangels for the service of thy glory: grant that with our entrance there may be an entrance of holy angels, serving with us and glorifying thy goodness. For unto thee are due all glory, honor, and worship, to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
The deacon then stands facing north, and, with the Gospel in his left hand, he points with his orarion towards the holy place and says:
DEACON: Bless, master, the holy entrance.
The priest blesses the entrance with his right hand, saying:
PRIEST: Blessed is the entrance of thy saints, always, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
PEOPLE: Amen.
Then the deacon presents the holy Gospel for the priest to kiss. When the singing is finished, the deacon, standing again in the middle, in front of the priest and facing the holy table, elevates the Gospel and exclaims in a loud voice:
The DEACON: Wisdom! Stand upright!
Then the deacon enters the sanctuary and places the holy Gospel on the holy table. The priest kisses the icon of the Lord, turns and blesses the servers, kisses the icon of the Mother of God, and enters the sanctuary. With the deacon, he kisses the holy table. Meanwhile the singers sing:
SINGERS: Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ…
For Sundays: O Son of God, who art risen from the dead, save us who sing to thee: Alleluia!
For weekdays: O Son of God, who art wonderful in thy saints, save us who sing to thee: Alleluia!
For feasts of the Theotokos: O Son of God, through the prayers of the Theotokos, save us who sing to thee: Alleluia!
And the appointed troparia and kontakia are sung. These are the CHANGEABLE parts of the Liturgy and their selection depends on the tone of the week, the feast day or special celebration.
Meanwhile, the PRIEST (Prayer of the Trisagion):
O HOLY God, who dost rest in the saints; who art hymned by the seraphim with the thrice-holy cry, and glorified by the cherubim, and worshipped by every heavenly power; who out of nothing hast brought all things into being; who hast created man after thine own image and likeness, and hast adorned him with thine every gift; who givest to him who asks wisdom and understanding; who dost not reject the sinner, but instead hast appointed repentance unto salvation; who hast vouchsafed to us, thy humble and unworthy servants, even in this hour, to stand before the glory of thy holy altar, and to offer the worship and praise which are due unto thee: do thou thyself, O Master, accept even from the mouths of us sinners the thrice-holy hymn, and visit us in thy goodness. Forgive us every transgression, both voluntary and involuntary; sanctify our souls and bodies; and enable us to serve thee in holiness all the days of our life. Through the intercessions of the holy Theotokos and of all the saints who from the beginning of the world have been well-pleasing to thee.
When the singers begin the final kontakion, the deacon, bowing his head towards the priest and holding his orarion, says:
DEACON: Bless, master, the time of the thrice-holy.
The priest blesses him, saying nothing, and the deacon kisses his hand and goes out through the holy doors to stand in front of the icon of Christ.
[When the singers have finished, he says:
DEACON: Let us pray to the Lord.
SINGERS: Lord, have mercy.]
And the PRIEST:
Exclamation: For holy art thou, O our God, and unto thee do we send up glory, to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever…
[The deacon extends his orarion to the icon of Christ, and says:
DEACON: O Lord, save the pious.
SINGERS: O Lord, save the pious.
DEACON: And hear us.
SINGERS: And hear us.]
And the deacon points with his orarion to the people, from south to north, saying:
DEACON: … and unto ages of ages.
And he goes through the holy doors to the high place, bows, and returns to the priest’s right.
SINGERS: Amen.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal: have mercy on us (Thrice)
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit Now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Holy Immortal: have mercy on us. Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal: have mercy on us.
Instead of the Trisagion, on Holy Pascha and all the days of Bright Week, on Holy Pentecost, Christmas Day, Theophany, Lazarus Saturday, and Holy Saturday, we sing the following:
As many as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Alleluia. (thrice) Glory… Now and ever… Have put on Christ… As many…
And on 14 September and on the Third Sunday in Lent, instead of the Trisagion we sing:
Before thy Cross we bow down in worship, O Master, and thy holy Resurrection we glorify. (thrice)
Glory… Now and ever…
And thy holy Resurrection… Before thy Cross…
While the Trisagion is sung, the priest and deacon say the hymn themselves quietly, bowing three times before the altar. Then they kiss the holy table, and the deacon says to the priest:
DEACON: Command, master.
They go to the high place by the south side of the altar as the priest says:
PRIEST: Blessed is he that comes in the Name of the Lord.
The deacon points to the throne with his orarion:
DEACON: Bless, master, the throne on high.
The priest blesses the throne with his right hand:
PRIEST: Blessed art thou on the throne of the glory of thy kingdom, who sittest upon the cherubim, always, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
The deacon goes to the north side, and the priest to the south. They bow to the high place and to each other and turn to face west.
When the Trisagion has concluded:
DEACON: Let us attend.
PRIEST: Peace be unto all.
READER: And to thy spirit.
DEACON: Wisdom.
READER: The prokimenon in the ___ tone.
The reader and singers sing the prokimenon.
DEACON: Wisdom.
READER: The reading from ____.
DEACON: Let us attend.
The reader chants the Epistle, and the priest sits down at the high place, on the south side. When the Epistle has concluded, the priest stands and says:
PRIEST: Peace be to thee, reader.
READER: And to thy spirit.
DEACON: Wisdom.
READER: Alleluia in the ___ tone.
SINGERS: Alleluia … Alleluia … Alleluia.
During the Alleluia the deacon takes the censer and incense, approaches the priest at the high place, and, taking a blessing from him, censes the holy table on all four sides, the entire sanctuary, the iconostasis, the clergy and servers, and the people. NOTE: In contemporary practice, for lack of time at the Alleluia, the deacon begins censing during the prokimenon and finishes during the Epistle or the Alleluia, taking care not to distract the people from attending to the Epistle.
Meanwhile, the PRIEST, having come to stand before the holy table, reads this prayer (Prayer before the Gospel):
ILLUMINE our hearts, O Master who lovest mankind, with the pure light of thy divine knowledge, and open the eyes of our mind to the understanding of thy Gospel teachings. Implant also in us the fear of thy blessed commandments, that trampling down all carnal desires, we may enter upon a spiritual manner of living, both thinking and doing such things as are well-pleasing unto thee. For thou art the illumination of our souls and bodies, O Christ our God, and unto thee do we send up glory, together with thy Father, who is without beginning, and thine all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
The deacon gives away the censer and, standing with the priest at the holy table, points to the Gospel with his orarion held in his right hand, saying:
DEACON: Bless, master, him who proclaims the glad tidings of the holy apostle and evangelist (___)
In contemporary practice, the deacon first goes out to the analogion and then says Bless, master… aloud, holding the holy Gospel upright. The priest in turn, having returned to the high place, gives the blessing aloud.
The PRIEST blesses him, saying:
May God, through the prayers of the holy, glorious, and all-laudable apostle and evangelist (___), enable thee to proclaim the glad tidings with great power, to the fulfillment of the Gospel of his beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
DEACON: Amen.
The priest gives the Gospel to the deacon, who kisses it, goes around behind the holy table, and proceeds out the holy doors to the ambo, or the place prepared, led by servers with candles and fans. The deacon lays his orarion on the analogion before setting the Gospel down.
The priest, meanwhile, returns to the high place and faces west. The deacon, at the analogion, says:
DEACON: Wisdom. Stand upright. Let us hear the holy Gospel.
PRIEST: Peace be unto all.
SINGERS: And to thy spirit.
DEACON: The reading from the holy Gospel according to (__).
PRIEST: Let us attend.
SINGERS: Glory to thee, O Lord, glory to thee.
And the deacon chants the Gospel.
At the end, the SINGERS, again: Glory to thee, O Lord, glory to Thee.
The priest goes to meet the deacon at the holy doors and says:
PRIEST: Peace be to thee who hast proclaimed the Gospel.
He takes the Gospel from the deacon, blesses the people with it, and stands it upright on the holy table, in back of the antimension.
The PRIEST then goes out to give words of instruction and exhortation to the people (SERMON).
In some places, the holy doors are closed immediately after the Sermon. Then the DEACON, standing before the holy doors, begins:
LET us all say, with all our soul and with all our mind, let us say:
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
O Lord Almighty, the God of our fathers, we pray thee, hearken and have mercy.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
Have mercy on us, O God, according to thy great mercy, we pray thee, hearken and have mercy.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy. (3 times)
The priest unfolds the lower part of the antimension; the upper portion is left folded.
Again we pray for our metropolitan, (_NAME_), for our bishop [or archbishop], (_NAME_), for priests, deacons, and all other clergy, and for all our brethren in Christ.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy. (3 times)
Meanwhile, the PRIEST (Prayer of Fervent Supplication):
O LORD our God, accept this fervent supplication of thy servants, and have mercy on us according to the multitude of thy mercy. Send down thy bounties upon us and upon all thy people, who await the rich mercy that comes from thee.
DEACON: Again we pray for this country, for its prime minister, for all civil authorities, and for the armed forces.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy. (3 times)
Again we pray for the blessed and ever-memorable holy Orthodox patriarchs; and for the blessed and ever-memorable founders of this holy church (or holy monastery); [for NN.,] and for all our fathers and brethren, the Orthodox departed this life before us, who here and in all the world lie asleep in the Lord.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy. (3 times)
Again we pray for mercy, life, peace, health, salvation, and visitation for the servants of God, [NN.], and for the brethren of this holy temple, and for the pardon and remission of their sins.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy. (3 times)
Here special petitions may be added for particular needs, as desired. For Special Petitions CLICK HERE
Again we pray for those who bring offerings and do good works in this holy and all-venerable temple; for those who labor and those who sing; and for all the people here present, who await thy great and rich mercy.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy. (3 times)
And the PRIEST:
Exclamation: For thou art a merciful God and lovest mankind, and unto thee do we send up glory, to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
PEOPLE: Amen.
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If the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great is being served, CLICK HERE
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Here, except on Sundays and feast days, the DEACON may say:
the holy doors are customarily open for this litany, and incense is used
HAVE MERCY On US, O God, according to thy great mercy, we pray thee, hearken and have mercy.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy. (thrice)
Again we pray for the repose of the souls of the servants of God NN., departed this life, and that they may be pardoned all their sins, both voluntary and involuntary.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy. (thrice)
That the Lord God will establish their souls where the just repose.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy. (thrice)
The mercies of God, the kingdom of heaven, and the remission of their sins, let us ask of Christ, our immortal King and God.
PEOPLE: Grant this, O Lord.
Let us pray to the Lord.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
And the PRIEST:
O GOD of spirits and of all flesh, who hast trampled down death, and overthrown the devil, and given life unto thy world: do thou, the same Lord, give rest to the souls of thy departed servants NN. in a place of brightness, a place of refreshment, a place of repose, whence all sickness, sorrow, and sighing have fled away. Pardon every transgression which they have committed, whether by word or deed or thought, for thou art a good God and lovest mankind. For there is no man who lives yet does not sin; for thou only art without sin; thy righteousness is an everlasting righteous-ness, and thy word is truth.
Exclamation: For thou art the resurrection and the life and the repose of thy servants NN., who are fallen asleep, O Christ our God, and unto thee do we send up glory, together with thy Father, who is without beginning, and thine all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
PEOPLE: Amen.
The DEACON continues:
PRAY to the Lord, ye catechumens.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
Let us, the faithful, pray for the catechumens, that the Lord may have mercy on them.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
That he may teach them the word of truth.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
That he may reveal to them the gospel of righteousness.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
That he may unite them to his Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
Save them, have mercy on them, help them, and keep them, O God, by thy grace.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
Bow your heads unto the Lord, ye catechumens.
PEOPLE: To thee, O Lord.
And the PRIEST (Prayer for the Catechumens):
O LORD our God, who dwellest on high and regardest things below, who hast sent forth as the salvation of the race of men thine Only-begotten Son and God, our Lord Jesus Christ: look down upon thy servants the catechumens, who have bowed their necks before thee, and make them worthy in due time of the laver of regeneration, the remission of sins, and the robe of incorruption. Unite them to thy Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, and number them with thy chosen flock.
Exclamation: That with us they also may glorify thine all-honorable and majestic Name, of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
PEOPLE: Amen.
The priest completely unfolds the antimension. In common practice, the antimension is unfolded during the preceding litany at “That he may reveal to them…”
And the DEACON says:
All catechumens depart.
Depart catechumens.
All that are catechumens, depart.
Let no catechumen remain.
LET us, the faithful, again and again in peace pray unto the Lord.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
If there is one deacon, he says the entire dismissal of the catechumens, facing the holy doors. If there are two deacons, they alternate each line of the dismissal as indicated, the senior deacon standing inside the holy doors, facing the junior deacon outside.
Meanwhile, the PRIEST (1st Prayer of the Faithful):
WE thank thee, O Lord God of the hosts, who has accounted us worthy to stand even now before thy holy altar and to fall down before thy compassions for our sins and for the errors of the people. Receive our supplication, O God; make us worthy to offer unto thee prayers and supplications and bloodless sacrifices for all thy people; and enable us, whom thou hast placed in this thy service by the power of thy Holy Spirit, blamelessly and without offense, in the pure witness of our conscience, to call upon thee at all times and in every place, that, hearing us, thou mayest be merciful to us in the multitude of thy goodness.
DEACON: Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and keep us, O God, by thy grace.
SINGERS: Lord, have mercy.
DEACON: Wisdom.
And the PRIEST:
Exclamation: For unto thee are due all glory, honor, and worship, to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
PEOPLE: Amen.
The DEACON continues:
AGAIN and again in peace let us pray to the Lord.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
If the priest serves without a deacon, these petitions are not said:
For the peace from above and for the salvation of our souls, let us pray to the Lord.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
For the peace of the whole world, for the welfare of the holy churches of God, and for the union of all, let us pray to the Lord.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
For this holy house and for those who enter it with faith, reverence, and the fear of God, let us pray to the Lord.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
That we may be delivered from all affliction, wrath, danger, and necessity, let us pray to the Lord.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
Meanwhile, the PRIEST (2nd Prayer of the Faithful):
AGAIN and oftentimes we fall and down before thee and beseech thee who art good and lovest mankind, that, looking down upon our petition, thou wouldst cleanse our souls and bodies from all defilement of flesh and spirit; and grant us to stand blameless and without condemnation before thy holy altar. Grant also to those who pray with us, O God, growth in life and faith and spiritual understanding. Grant them always to worship thee blamelessly with fear and love, and without condemnation to partake of thy holy Mysteries, and to be accounted worthy of thy heavenly kingdom.
DEACON: Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and keep us, O God, by thy grace.
SINGERS: Lord, have mercy.
DEACON: Wisdom.
And the PRIEST:
Exclamation: That guarded always by thy might, we may send up glory to thee, to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
PEOPLE: Amen.
The holy doors are opened. The deacon returns to the sanctuary. As the singers begin the Cherubic Hymn, the DEACON takes the censer and, after the priest has given a blessing, censes the sanctuary, the iconostasis, the clergy, and the people, saying in himself the fiftieth psalm and other hymns of compunction, as he wishes. The PRIEST silently recites this prayer (Prayer of the Cherubic Hymn):
NO ONE who is bound with the desires and pleasures of the flesh is worthy to approach or to draw near or to serve thee, O King of glory, for to minister to thee is great and fearful even to the heavenly powers. Nevertheless, through thine unspeakable and boundless love for mankind, thou didst become man without change or alteration, and didst become our High Priest, and, as Master of all, didst commit to us the ministry of this liturgical and bloodless sacrifice.
For thou alone, O Lord our God, rulest over those in heaven and on earth, who art borne on the throne of the cherubim, who art Lord of the seraphim and King of Israel, who alone art holy and dost rest in the saints.
Therefore, I entreat thee, who alone art good and ready to listen: look down on me, thy sinful and unprofitable servant, and cleanse my soul and my heart from an evil conscience, and by the power of thy Holy Spirit enable me, who am clothed with the grace of the priesthood, to stand before this thy holy table, and to perform the sacred Mystery of thy holy and most pure Body and precious Blood.
For I draw near to thee, and bowing my neck I implore thee: do not turn thy face away from me, nor cast me out from among thy children, but make me, thy sinful and unworthy servant, worthy to offer these Gifts to thee.
For thou thyself art he that offers and is offered, that accepts and is distributed, O Christ our God, and to thee do we send up glory, together with thy Father, who is without beginning, and thine all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
When the priest finishes his prayer and the deacon his censing, both stand at the holy table and recite the Cherubic Hymn thrice, the priest raising his hands and the deacon his orarion, and both bowing at the end of each recitation:
PRIEST: Let us who mystically represent the cherubim, and who sing the thrice-holy hymn to the life-giving Trinity, now lay aside all earthly cares:
DEACON: That we may receive the King of all, who comes invisibly upborne by the angelic hosts. Alleluia. Alleluia, Alleluia.
They kiss the holy table and bow to each other, and the priest turns and bows to the faithful. Then they go to the table of oblation, the deacon going first and passing behind the holy table. The deacon gives the censer to the priest, who censes the Gifts, saying quietly: O God, cleanse me, a sinner. (thrice)
The deacon takes the censer and says:
DEACON: Lift up, master.
The priest takes the aer and puts it on the deacon’s left shoulder, saying:
PRIEST: Lift up your hands in the holy place, and bless the Lord.
The priest takes the paten and gives it to the deacon with all heed and reverence. The deacon holds it with both hands at the height of his brow, with his orarion, and with the censer hanging from one of the fingers of his right hand. The priest himself takes the holy chalice.
Preceded by servers with candles, the priest and deacon leave the sanctuary by the north door and walk to the holy doors, where they stand, facing west — the priest in the middle and the deacon to the south. When the singers have finished, the deacon says:
His Beatitude N., Archbishop of Washington, Metropolitan of All America and Canada, and his Eminence N., Bishop [or Archbishop of N., may the Lord God remember in his kingdom, always, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
The deacon enters the sanctuary by the holy doors and, holding the paten and censer, kneels by the southwest corner of the holy table, facing north. The PRIEST continues:
This country, its prime minister, all civil authorities, and those who serve in the armed forces, may the Lord God remember in his kingdom, always, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
The priest commemorates the living and the dead, whomever he wishes, and concludes the commemorations thus:
You and all Orthodox Christians, may the Lord God remember in his kingdom, always, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
SINGERS: Amen.
And they complete the Cherubic Hymn: That we may receive….
As the priest enters through the holy doors, he and the deacon greet each other:
DEACON: May the Lord God remember thy priesthood in his kingdom.
PRIEST: May the Lord God remember thy diaconate in his kingdom, always, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
The priest sets the holy chalice down upon the holy table, toward the right, and, taking the holy paten from the deacon, sets it to the left of the chalice, saying:
THE noble Joseph, when he had taken down thy most pure Body from the tree, wrapped it in fine linen and anointed it with spices and placed it in a new tomb.
In the tomb with the body, and in hell with the soul as God, in paradise with the thief, and on the throne with the Father and the Spirit wast thou, O boundless Christ, filling all things.
Bearing life and more fruitful than paradise, brighter than any royal chamber: thy tomb, O Christ, is the fountain of our resurrection.
The priest takes the veils from the paten and chalice and places them at the corners of the holy table. Meanwhile, the deacon closes the holy doors and the curtain is drawn. Then the priest removes the aer from the deacon’s shoulder, censes it, and covers the holy Gifts with it, saying, again:
The noble Joseph, when he had taken down thy most pure Body from the tree, wrapped it in fine linen and anointed it with spices and placed it in a new tomb.
The priest takes the censer from the deacon and censes the holy Gifts three times, saying:
Do good, O Lord, to Zion in thy good pleasure; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Then wilt thou delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on Thine altar.
The priest gives back the censer to the deacon; then he bows his head and says to the deacon:
PRIEST: Pray for me, brother and concelebrant.
DEACON: The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee.
PRIEST: The Holy Spirit himself shall minister together with us all the days of our life.
Then the deacon himself bows his head and, holding his orarion, says to the priest:
DEACON: Remember me, holy master.
PRIEST: May the Lord God remember thee in his kingdom, always, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
DEACON: Amen.
The deacon kisses the priest’s right hand, goes out by the north door, and, standing before the holy doors, says:
Let us complete our prayer unto the Lord.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
For the precious Gifts now offered, let us pray to the Lord.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
For this holy house, and for those who enter it with faith, reverence, and the fear of God, let us pray to the Lord.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
That we may be delivered from all affliction, wrath, danger, and necessity, let us pray to the Lord.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
Meanwhile, the Priest (Prayer of the Offering, upon placing the divine Gifts on the holy table):
O Lord God Almighty, who alone art holy, who acceptest the sacrifice of praise from those who call upon thee with their whole heart: accept also the prayer of us sinners, and bear it to thy holy altar, enabling us to offer unto thee gifts and spiritual sacrifices for our sins and for the errors of the people; and make us worthy to find grace in thy sight, that our sacrifice may be acceptable unto thee, and that the good Spirit of thy grace may dwell upon us and upon these Gifts here offered, and upon all thy people.
DEACON: Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and keep us, O God, by thy grace.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
That the whole day may be perfect, holy, peaceful, and sinless, let us ask of the Lord.
PEOPLE: Grant this, O Lord.
An angel of peace, a faithful guide, a guardian of our souls and bodies, let us ask of the Lord.
PEOPLE: Grant this, O Lord.
Pardon and remission of our sins and transgressions, let us ask of the Lord.
PEOPLE: Grant this, O Lord.
All things that are good and profitable for our souls, and peace for the world, let us ask of the Lord.
PEOPLE: Grant this, O Lord.
That we may complete the remaining time of our life in peace and repentance, let us ask of the Lord.
PEOPLE: Grant this, O Lord.
A Christian ending to our life, painless, blameless, and peaceful, and a good defense before the dread judgment seat of Christ, let us ask.
PEOPLE: Grant this, O Lord.
Commemorating our most holy, most pure, most blessed and glorious Lady Theotokos and Ever-virgin Mary with all the saints, let us commend ourselves and each other and all our life unto Christ our God.
PEOPLE: To thee, O Lord.
And the PRIEST:
Exclamation: Through the compassions of thine Only-begotten Son with whom thou art blessed, together with thine all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
PEOPLE: Amen.
The priest turns and blesses the people, saying:
PRIEST: Peace be unto all.
SINGERS: And to thy spirit.
DEACON: Let us love one another, that with one mind we may confess:
SINGERS: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: the Trinity, one in essence and undivided.
The priest bows three times before the holy table, saying each time quietly:
I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my firm foundation, my refuge, and my deliverer. (thrice)
He kisses the holy paten and the holy chalice through the aer, and the edge of the holy table before him. If there are concelebrating priests, they also venerate the holy Gifts, and all the priests exchange the kiss of peace on the shoulders:
The senior priest: Christ is in our midst.
The junior priest: He is and shall be.
Likewise, if there are two or more deacons in the altar, each of them kisses the Cross on his orarion, and they exchange the kiss of peace on the shoulders, saying the same as the priests.
The deacon standing outside bows where he stands, kisses the Cross on his orarion, and then exclaims:
DEACON: The doors! The doors! In wisdom let us attend.
The priest raises the aer and waves it over the holy Gifts. If there are concelebrating priests, they assist him, saying quietly the SYMBOL OF FAITH, which the people also sing:
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only-begotten, begotten of the Father before all ages: Light of Light, true God of true God; begotten, not made; of one essence with the Father; by whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man; and he was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried; and the third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father; and he shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.
And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.
In One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. AMEN.
The priest takes the aer from the holy Gifts, kisses it, folds it, and puts it aside.
DEACON: Let us stand aright. Let us stand with fear. Let us attend, that we may offer the holy Oblation in peace.
SINGERS: A mercy of peace, a sacrifice of praise.
The deacon bows and enters the sanctuary. He takes a fan and waves it over the holy Gifts with reverence. If there are no fans, he uses one of the veils. In modern practice, the deacon does not fan the Gifts. Turning west, the priest blesses the people with his right hand, saying:
PRIEST: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
SINGERS: And with thy spirit.
The priest, turning to the east, says:
PRIEST: Let us lift up our hearts.
SINGERS: We lift them up unto the Lord.
PRIEST: Let us give thanks unto the Lord.
The priest bows.
SINGERS: It is meet and right to worship the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Trinity, one in essence and undivided.
The priest prays:
IT IS MEET and right to hymn thee, to bless thee, to praise thee, to give thanks to thee, and to worship thee in every place of thy dominion, for thou art God ineffable, inconceivable, invisible, incomprehensible, ever-existing, and eternally the same; thou and thine Only-begotten Son and thy Holy Spirit. Thou it was who brought us from nonexistence into being, and when we had fallen away didst raise us up again, and didst not cease to do all things until thou hadst brought us up to heaven and hadst endowed us with thy kingdom which is to come. For all these things we give thanks to thee, and to thine Only-begotten Son, and to thy Holy Spirit; for all things of which we know and of which we know not, and for all the benefits bestowed upon us, whether manifest or unseen. And we thank thee for this Liturgy which thou hast deigned to accept at our hands, though there stand by thee thousands of archangels and hosts of angels, the cherubim and the seraphim, six-winged, many-eyed, who soar aloft, borne on their pinions:
Exclamation: Singing the triumphant hymn, shouting, proclaiming, and saying:
And here the deacon, standing on the north side and holding his orarion, takes the star and, with each of its points, touches the paten, making the sign of the Cross (east, west, north, and south). He then folds the star, kisses it, and lays it aside. He returns to his usual place to the right of the priest.
SINGERS: Holy, holy, holy, Lord of Sabaoth: heaven and earth are full of thy glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he that comes in the Name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
The deacon takes up the fan again and gently waves it over the Gifts, with all attention and fear, lest flies or other insects settle on them.
The PRIEST prays:
With these blessed powers, O Master who lovest mankind, we also cry aloud and say: Holy art thou and all-holy, thou and thine Only-begotten Son and thy Holy Spirit. Holy art thou and all-holy, and magnificent is thy glory; who hast so loved thy world as to give thine Only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life; who, when he had come and had fulfilled all the dispensation for us, in the night in which he was given up — or rather gave himself up for the life of the world — took bread in his holy, most pure, and blameless hands, and when he had given thanks, and blessed it, and hallowed it, and broken it, he gave it to his holy disciples and apostles, saying:
Exclamation: “Take, eat: this is my Body which is broken for you, for the remission of sins.”
SINGERS: Amen.
During these words, the deacon points to the paten with his orarion.
PRIEST: And likewise after supper he took the cup, saying:
Exclamation: “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”
SINGERS: Amen.
During these words, the deacon points to the chalice with his orarion.
PRIEST:
Remembering this saving commandment and all those things which have come to pass for us: the Cross, the Tomb, the Resurrection on the third day, the Ascension into heaven, the Sitting at the right hand, and the second and glorious Coming,
The deacon steps forward and, with his right arm crossed over his left, he elevates the holy paten and the holy chalice, and then bows with compunction.
Exclamation: Offering unto thee thine own of thine own, on behalf of all and for all—
SINGERS: We praise thee, we bless thee, we give thanks unto thee, O Lord, and we pray unto thee, O our God.
[While this is sung, the priest raises his hands and the deacon his orarion, and, making three bows before the holy table, they pray within themselves:
PRIEST: O Lord, who didst send down thy Most Holy Spirit upon thine apostles at the third hour: take him not from us, O Good One, but renew him in us who pray unto thee.
DEACON: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
PRIEST: O Lord, who didst send down thy Most Holy Spirit upon thine apostles at the third hour: take him not from us, O Good One, but renew him in us who pray unto thee.
DEACON: Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy Holy Spirit from me.
PRIEST: O Lord, who didst send down thy Most Holy Spirit upon thine apostles at the third hour: take him not from us, O Good One, but renew him in us who pray unto thee.
The PRIEST prays:
Again we offer unto thee this rational and bloodless worship, and ask thee and pray thee and supplicate thee: send down thy Holy Spirit upon us and upon these Gifts here offered;
The deacon bows his head and, pointing to the holy bread with his orarion, says in a low voice:
DEACON: Bless, master, the holy bread.
The priest makes the sign of the Cross over the holy bread, saying:
PRIEST: And make this bread the precious Body of thy Christ;
DEACON: Amen.
The deacon points to the holy chalice with his orarion and says:
DEACON: Bless, master, the holy cup.
The priest, blessing the chalice with the sign of the Cross, says:
PRIEST: And that which is in this cup the precious Blood of thy Christ;
DEACON: Amen.
And again, the deacon points to both holy things and says:
DEACON: Bless both, master.
The priest blesses both the holy things, saying:
PRIEST: Making the change by thy Holy Spirit;
DEACON: Amen. Amen. Amen.
The priest and deacon make a bow or a prostration as prescribed for the day. Then the deacon bows his head to the priest and says:
DEACON: Remember me, a sinner, holy master.
The priest blesses the deacon, who kisses his hand.
PRIEST: May the Lord God remember thee in his kingdom, always, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
DEACON: Amen.
The PRIEST prays:
That they may be to those who partake for vigilance of soul, for the remission of sins, for the communion of thy Holy Spirit, for the fulfillment of the kingdom of heaven, for boldness towards thee, but not for judgment or condemnation.
Again we offer unto thee this rational worship for those who have fallen asleep in the faith: ancestors, fathers, patriarchs, prophets, apostles, preachers, evangelists, martyrs, confessors, ascetics, and every righteous spirit made perfect in faith:
The priest takes the censer and says:
Exclamation: Especially for our most holy, most pure, most blessed and glorious Lady Theotokos and Ever-virgin Mary;
He censes before the holy table three times. Then the deacon censes around the holy table, remembering whom he wishes from among the departed and the living.
Meanwhile, the SINGERS:
It is truly meet to bless thee, O Theotokos, ever-blessed and most pure and the Mother of our God. More honorable than the cherubim and more glorious beyond compare than the seraphim, without corruption thou gavest birth to God the Word: true Theotokos, we magnify thee.
For feasts, the SINGERS sing the appropriate megalynarion.
The PRIEST prays:
For the holy Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John; for the holy, glorious, and all-laud-able apostles, for Saint (__), whose memory we keep this day, and for all thy saints, at whose supplications, visit us, O God.
And remember all those who have fallen asleep in the hope of resurrection to eternal life, especially (__) (and he remembers whomever he wishes among the departed by name), and grant them rest, O God, where the light of thy countenance shines on them.
Again we entreat thee: remember, O Lord, all the Orthodox episcopate who rightly divide the word of thy truth, all the presbytery, the diaconate in Christ, and every order of the clergy.
Again we offer unto thee this rational worship for the whole world, for the Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, for those who live in chastity and holiness of life, and for all civil authorities: grant them, O Lord, peaceful governance, that we, in their tranquility, may lead a calm and peaceful life in all godliness and sanctity.
Exclamation: Among the first, remember, O Lord, our metropolitan(_NAME_), and our bishop [or arch-bishop], (_NAME_). Grant them for thy holy churches in peace, safety, honor, health, and length of days, rightly to divide the word of thy truth.
SINGERS: And all mankind.
Then the deacon commemorates the names of the living.
The PRIEST prays:
Remember, O Lord, this city in which we dwell, every city and countryside, and those who in faith dwell in them. Remember, O Lord, travelers by land, by sea, and by air, the sick and the suffering, captives and their salvation. Remember, O Lord, those who bring offerings and do good in thy holy churches, and those who remember the poor, and upon us all send down thy mercies. And he remembers whom he wishes from among the living.
Exclamation: And grant that with one mouth and one heart we may glorify and praise thine all-honorable and majestic Name, of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
SINGERS: Amen.
Turning west, the priest blesses the people:
And may the mercies of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ be with you all.
SINGERS: And with thy spirit.
The deacon, having made the usual bows, goes out to stand before the holy doors and says:
HAVING remembered all the saints, again Land again in peace let us pray to the Lord.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
For the precious Gifts now offered and sanctified, let us pray to the Lord.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
That our God, who loves mankind, having received them upon his holy and noetic altar above the heavens as a sweet spiritual fragrance, will send down upon us in return his divine grace and the gift of the Holy Spirit, let us pray.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
That we may be delivered from all affliction, wrath, danger, and necessity, let us pray to the Lord.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
Meanwhile, the PRIEST:
UNTO thee we commend our whole life and our hope, O Master who lovest man-kind, and we ask thee and pray thee and sup-plicate thee: make us worthy to partake of the heavenly and dread Mysteries of this sacred and spiritual table with a pure con-science, for remission of sins, for forgiveness of transgressions, for the communion of the Holy Spirit, for the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven, for boldness towards thee, but not for judgment or condemnation.
DEACON: Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and keep us, O God, by thy grace.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
That the whole day may be perfect, holy, peaceful, and sinless, let us ask of the Lord.
PEOPLE: Grant this, O Lord.
An angel of peace, a faithful guide, a guardian of our souls and bodies, let us ask of the Lord.
PEOPLE: Grant this, O Lord.
Pardon and remission of our sins and transgressions, let us ask of the Lord.
PEOPLE: Grant this, O Lord.
All things that are good and profitable for our souls, and peace for the world, let us ask of the Lord.
PEOPLE: Grant this, O Lord.
That we may complete the remaining time of our life in peace and repentance, let us ask of the Lord.
PEOPLE: Grant this, O Lord.
A Christian ending to our life, painless, blameless, and peaceful, and a good defense before the dread judgment seat of Christ, let us ask.
PEOPLE: Grant this, O Lord.
Having asked for the unity of the faith and the communion of the Holy Spirit, let us commend ourselves and each other and all our life unto Christ our God.
PEOPLE: To thee, O Lord.
And the PRIEST:
Exclamation: And make us worthy, O Master, that with boldness and without condemnation we may dare to call on thee, the heavenly God, as Father, and to say:
PEOPLE: OUR FATHER, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
PRIEST: For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
PEOPLE: Amen.
PRIEST: Peace be unto all.
SINGERS: And to thy spirit.
DEACON: Bow your heads unto the Lord.
SINGERS: To thee, O Lord.
And the PRIEST:
WE give thanks unto thee, O King invisible, who by thy measureless power didst make all things, and in the greatness of thy mercy didst bring all things from nonexistence into being. Look down from heaven, O Master, upon those who have bowed their heads unto thee, for they have not bowed down unto flesh and blood, but unto thee, the fearful God. Do thou thyself, O Master, make smooth what lies before us all unto good, according to the individual need of each: sail with those who sail, travel with those who travel by land and by air; heal the sick, O thou who art the Physician of our souls and bodies.
Exclamation: Through the grace and compassion and love toward mankind of thine Only-begotten Son with whom thou art blessed, together with thine all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
PEOPLE: Amen.
The PRIEST prays:
ATTEND, O Lord Jesus Christ our God, out of thy holy dwelling place, from the throne of the glory of thy kingdom, and come to sanctify us, O thou who sittest on high with the Father and art here invisibly present with us, and by thy mighty hand deign to impart unto us thy most pure Body and precious Blood, and through us to all the people.
Meanwhile, the deacon, standing before the holy doors, crosses his orarion over his shoulders. The priest, along with the deacon at his place, makes three bows, saying each time: O God, cleanse me, a sinner, and have mercy on me. When the deacon sees the priest extend his hands to touch the holy bread, he exclaims:
DEACON: Let us attend.
The priest elevates the holy bread and exclaims:
PRIEST: The Holy Things are for the holy.
SINGERS: One is holy, one is Lord: Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.
And the communion hymn of the day or of the saint is sung. The curtain is drawn closed. The deacon enters the sanctuary and, standing at the right side of the priest, says:
DEACON: Break, master, the holy bread.
The priest breaks the holy bread into four parts, with heed and reverence, saying:
PRIEST: Broken and distributed is the Lamb of God: broken, yet not divided; ever eaten, yet never consumed, but sanctifying those who partake thereof.
The priest arranges the parts of the holy Lamb on the holy paten in the form of a cross. The portion IC is placed at the upper side of the paten, toward the east, XC at the bottom, toward the west, NI on the north side, and KA on the south side. The portion IC is to be placed in the chalice, and XC is divided among the priests and deacons. NI and KA are divided into smaller particles, as many as may be needed for the communion of the faithful. The particles in memory of the Mother of God, the saints, the living, and the dead are not to be given as Communion to the people.
DEACON: Fill, master, the holy cup.
As the priest places the portion IC into the chalice, he makes the sign of the Cross with it over the chalice, saying:
PRIEST: The fullness of the Holy Spirit.
DEACON: Amen. Bless, master, the warm water.
The priest blesses the warm water, saying:
PRIEST: Blessed is the warmth of thy holy things, always, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
The deacon pours a sufficient quantity of water into the chalice crosswise, saying:
DEACON: The warmth of faith, full of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The priest breaks the portion XC into a number of pieces corresponding to the number of clergy who are to commune.
PRIEST: Deacon, draw near.
DEACON: Lo, I draw near unto Christ, our immortal King and God.
The deacon approaches and bows, asking forgiveness; he then kisses the holy table and says:
DEACON: Give unto me, master, the precious and holy Body of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ.
The priest gives the deacon a portion of the holy bread, saying:
PRIEST: To the deacon (_NAME_) is given the precious, holy, and most pure Body of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ, for the remission of his sins and unto life everlasting.
The deacon kisses the priest’s hand as he receives the holy bread, and then he goes behind the holy table and prays with bowed head: I believe, O Lord, and I confess…
As the priest takes a portion of the holy bread for himself, he says:
PRIEST: The precious and most holy Body of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ is given unto me, the unworthy priest (_NAME_) for the remission of my sins and unto life everlasting.
And he prays:
I BELIEVE, O Lord, and I confess that thou art truly the Christ, the Son of the living God, who camest into the world to save sinners, of whom I am first.
I believe also that this is truly thine own most pure Body, and that this is truly thine own precious Blood. Therefore, I pray thee: have mercy upon me and forgive my transgressions both voluntary and involuntary, of word and of deed, committed in knowledge or in ignorance. And make me worthy to partake without condemnation of thy most pure Mysteries, for the remission of my sins and unto life everlasting. Amen.
Of thy mystical Supper, O Son of God, accept me today as a communicant, for I will not speak of thy Mystery to thine enemies, neither like Judas will I give thee a kiss; but like the thief will I confess thee: Remember me, O Lord, in thy kingdom.
May the communion of thy holy Mysteries be neither to my judgment nor to my condemnation, O Lord, but to the healing of soul and body.
Then they partake of what they hold in their hands with all fear and great care. The priest rises and takes the holy chalice in both hands with the cloth and drinks from it three times, saying:
PRIEST: The precious and holy Blood of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ is given unto me, the unworthy priest (_NAME_)., for the remission of my sins and unto life everlasting. Amen.
The priest wipes the chalice and his lips with the cloth and says:
PRIEST: Lo, this has touched my lips and shall take away my iniquities and cleanse my sins.
The priest then summons the deacon:
PRIEST: Deacon, draw near.
The deacon approaches and bows, saying:
DEACON: Lo, I draw near unto our immortal King and God. Give unto me, master, the precious and holy Blood of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ.
The priest holds the chalice and says:
PRIEST: The servant of God, Deacon (_NAME_), partakes of the precious and holy Blood of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ for the remission of his sins and unto life everlasting.
When the deacon has partaken, the priest says:
PRIEST: Lo, this has touched thy lips, and shall take away thine iniquities, and cleanse thy sins.
The priest divides the portions NI and KA of the Lamb, and the deacon puts them into the chalice. He lays a folded cloth and the spoon on top of the chalice and opens the curtain and holy doors. The priest gives the chalice to the deacon, who goes through the holy doors and says:
DEACON: In the fear of God, with faith and love, draw near.
SINGERS: Blessed is he that comes in the Name of the Lord. The Lord is God and has revealed himself to us.
Those who will receive the divine Mysteries then approach. They come one by one with all contrition and fear, their arms folded across their breast. The priest says to each communicant:
PRIEST: The servant (or handmaid) of God, (_NAME_). partakes of the precious and holy Body and Blood of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and unto life everlasting.
During the communion of the people, it is customary for the communion hymn of Pascha to be sung:
SINGERS: Receive the Body of Christ; taste the fountain of immortality. Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.
The deacon holds the cloth and wipes the lips of each communicant. After all have been communicated, the priest returns to the sanctuary and sets the chalice on the holy table. The deacon holds the paten over the chalice, placing the commemoration particles into it as he says these hymns of the Resurrection:
DEACON:
Having beheld the Resurrection of Christ, let us worship the holy Lord Jesus, the only sinless One. We venerate thy Cross, O Christ, and we praise and glorify thy holy Resurrection, for thou art our God, and we know no other than thee; we call on thy Name. Come, all ye faithful: let us venerate Christ’s holy Resurrection, for, behold! Through the Cross joy has come into all the world! Let us ever bless the Lord, praising his Resurrection. For by enduring the Cross for us, he has destroyed death by death!
Shine, shine, O New Jerusalem: the glory of the Lord has shone on thee. Exult now and be glad, O Zion. Be radiant, O pure Theotokos, in the Resurrection of thy Son!
O Christ, great and most holy Pascha, O Wisdom, Word, and Power of God: grant that we may more perfectly partake of thee in the never-ending Day of thy kingdom.
The deacon takes the sponge and, with heed and reverence, wipes into the chalice the particles remaining on the paten, saying:
DEACON: Wash away, O Lord, the sins of all those remembered here, by thy precious Blood, through the prayers of thy saints.
The PRIEST blesses the people, saying:
PRIEST: O God, save thy people, and bless thine inheritance.
SINGERS: We have seen the true Light. We have received the heavenly Spirit. We have found the true Faith, worshiping the undivided Trinity, who has saved us.
This hymn is not sung from Pascha through the day before Pentecost. In its place is sung the troparion of Pascha or of Ascension or of the departed, as appointed.
The priest covers the chalice with one veil and puts the cutting plate, spear, spoon, star, and aer on the paten, covering them with the other veil. He censes the chalice three times, saying:
PRIEST: Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens, and thy glory over all the earth.
The priest gives the censer and the paten to the deacon, who, passing before the holy doors, carries them with reverence to the table of oblation. The priest takes the chalice in his right hand and says in a low voice: Blessed is our God. Then he turns to the people and, lifting the chalice, says aloud:
PRIEST: Always, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
The priest carries the chalice to the table of oblation and then censes it three times.
SINGERS: Amen. Let our mouths be filled with thy praise, O Lord, that we may sing of thy glory, for thou hast made us worthy to partake of thy holy, divine, immortal, and life-giving Mysteries. Keep us in thy holiness, that all the day we may meditate upon thy righteousness. Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.
The priest returns to the holy table and folds up the antimension. The DEACON, having unbound his orarion, goes out to stand before the holy doors and says:
The Litany of Thanksgiving
STAND upright! Having partaken of the divine, holy, most pure, immortal, heavenly, life-giving, and dread Mysteries of Christ, let us worthily give thanks unto the Lord.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and keep us, O God, by thy grace.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
Asking that the whole day may be perfect, holy, peaceful, and sinless, let us commend ourselves and each other and all our life unto Christ our God.
PEOPLE: To thee, O Lord.
And the PRIEST (Prayer of Thanksgiving):
WE thank thee, O Master who loves mankind, Benefactor of our souls, that thou hast made us worthy this day of thy heavenly and immortal Mysteries. Make straight our path, strengthen us all in thy fear, guard our life, make firm our steps: through the prayers and intercessions of the glorious Theotokos and Ever-virgin Mary and of all thy saints.
The priest, having folded up the antimension, makes the sign of the Cross over it with the holy Gospel as he says:
Exclamation: For thou art our sanctification, and unto thee do we send up glory, to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
PEOPLE: Amen.
PRIEST: Let us depart in peace.
SINGERS: In the Name of the Lord.
DEACON: Let us pray to the Lord.
SINGERS: Lord, have mercy.
The priest walks out the holy doors to stand on the floor of the nave, at the foot of the ambo, where he says this prayer aloud (Prayer behind the Ambo):
PRIEST: LORD, who blessest those who bless thee and sanctifiest those who trust in thee: save thy people and bless thine inheritance. Preserve the fullness of thy Church, sanctify those who love the beauty of thy house, glorify them in return by thy divine power, and forsake us not who put our hope in thee. Give peace to thy world, to thy churches, to thy priests, to all those in civil authority, to the armed forces, and to all thy people. For every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from thee, the Father of lights, and unto thee do we send up glory, thanksgiving, and worship, to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
PEOPLE: Amen.
And the SINGERS: Blessed be the Name of the Lord, henceforth and forevermore. (thrice)
And Psalm 33: I will bless the Lord at all times..
During the prayer, the deacon, holding his orarion, stands with bowed head before the icon of our Lord Christ. The prayer finished, the priest enters the altar through the holy doors and, going to the table of oblation, says the following prayer in a low voice:
PRIEST: O Christ our God, who art thyself the fulfillment of the Law and the prophets, who didst fulfill all the dispensation of the Father: fill our hearts with joy and gladness, always, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
The deacon, having entered through the north door, consumes the holy Gifts with all reverence and awe.
In contemporary practice, the priest, when serving with a deacon, reads this prayer at the holy table as the deacon kneels at the northwest corner. The priest blesses the deacon’s head with the sign of the Cross, and then the deacon goes to consume the holy Gifts.
The PRIEST blesses the people, saying:
PRIEST: The blessing of the Lord be upon you through his grace and love for mankind, always, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
SINGERS: Amen.
PRIEST: Glory to thee, O Christ our God and our hope, glory to thee.
SINGERS: Glory to the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit. Now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Lord, have mercy. (thrice) Father, bless. (Master, bless)
The PRIEST, holding the Cross, turns to the people and gives the dismissal:
MAY He who rose from the dead, [or there might be other variables in the text of the dismissal] Christ our true God, through the prayers of his most pure Mother; of the holy, glorious, and all-laudable apostles; of our father among the saints John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople (or Saint Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea); of (_saint of the Temple_) ; of (_saint of the day_), whose memory we keep this day; of the holy and righteous ancestors of God, Joachim and Anna; and of all the saints, have mercy on us and save us, for he is good and loves mankind.
The polychronion is sung, and the people come forward to venerate the Cross and receive the antidoron bread.
PRAY to the Lord, ye catechumens.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
Let us, the faithful, pray for the catechumens, that the Lord may have mercy on them.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
That he may teach them the word of truth.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
That he may reveal to them the gospel of righteousness.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
That he may unite them to his Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
Save them, have mercy on them, help them, and keep them, O God, by thy grace.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
Bow your heads unto the Lord, ye catechumens.
PEOPLE: To thee, O Lord.
And the PRIEST (Prayer for the Catechumens):
O Lord our God, Who dwellest in the heavens and regardest all Thy world: Look down on Thy servants, the catechumens, who have bowed their necks before Thee. Grant them a light like; make them honorable members of Thy holy Church; make them worthy of the laver of regeneration, the remission of sins, and the robe of incorruption for the knowledge of Thee, our true God.
Exclamation: That with us they also may glorify thine all-honorable and majestic Name, of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
PEOPLE: Amen.
The priest completely unfolds the antimension. In common practice, the antimension is unfolded during the preceding litany at “That he may reveal to them…”.
And the DEACON says:
All catechumens depart.
Depart catechumens.
All that are catechumens, depart.
Let no catechumen remain.
LET us, the faithful, again and again in peace pray unto the Lord.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
If there is one deacon, he says the entire dismissal of the catechumens, facing the holy doors. If there are two deacons, they alternate each line of the dismissal as indicated, the senior deacon standing inside the holy doors, facing the junior deacon outside.
Meanwhile, the PRIEST (1st Prayer of the Faithful):
THOU, O Lord, hast revealed to us this great Mystery of salvation. Thou hast enabled us, Thy humble servants, to be ministers at Thy holy altar. By the power of Thy Holy Spirit, enable us also to perform this service; so that standing blamelessly before Thy holy glory, we may offer Thee a sacrifice of praise. For Thou alone accomplishment all things in all men. May our sacrifice be acceptable and well-pleasing in Thy sight, O Lord, for our sins and for the euros of all Thy people.
DEACON: Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and keep us, O God, by thy grace.
SINGERS: Lord, have mercy.
DEACON: Wisdom.
And the PRIEST:
Exclamation: For unto thee are due all glory, honor, and worship, to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
PEOPLE: Amen.
The DEACON continues:
AGAIN and again in peace let us pray to the Lord.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
If the priest serves without a deacon, these petitions are not said:
For the peace from above and for the salvation of our souls, let us pray to the Lord.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
For the peace of the whole world, for the welfare of the holy churches of God, and for the union of all, let us pray to the Lord.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
For this holy house and for those who enter it with faith, reverence, and the fear of God, let us pray to the Lord.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
That we may be delivered from all affliction, wrath, danger, and necessity, let us pray to the Lord.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
Meanwhile, the PRIEST (2nd Prayer of the Faithful):
O GOD, Who in mercy and compassion hast visited our lowliness; Who has set us, Thy humble and unworthy servants, to serve at Thy holy altar before Thy holy glory. By the power of Thy Holy Spirit, strength us for this service; and grant speech to our lips so that we may call down the grace of Thy Holy Spirit upon the Gifts that are about to be offered.
DEACON: Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and keep us, O God, by thy grace.
SINGERS: Lord, have mercy.
DEACON: Wisdom.
And the PRIEST:
Exclamation: That guarded always by thy might, we may send up glory to thee, to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
PEOPLE: Amen.
The holy doors are opened. The deacon returns to the sanctuary. As the singers begin the Cherubic Hymn, the DEACON takes the censer and, after the priest has given a blessing, censes the sanctuary, the iconostasis, the clergy, and the people, saying in himself the fiftieth psalm and other hymns of compunction, as he wishes. The PRIEST silently recites this prayer (Prayer of the Cherubic Hymn):
NO ONE who is bound with the desires and pleasures of the flesh is worthy to approach or to draw near or to serve thee, O King of glory, for to minister to thee is great and fearful even to the heavenly powers. Nevertheless, through thine unspeakable and boundless love for mankind, thou didst become man without change or alteration, and didst become our High Priest, and, as Master of all, didst commit to us the ministry of this liturgical and bloodless sacrifice.
For thou alone, O Lord our God, rulest over those in heaven and on earth, who art borne on the throne of the cherubim, who art Lord of the seraphim and King of Israel, who alone art holy and dost rest in the saints.
Therefore, I entreat thee, who alone art good and ready to listen: look down on me, thy sinful and unprofitable servant, and cleanse my soul and my heart from an evil conscience, and by the power of thy Holy Spirit enable me, who am clothed with the grace of the priesthood, to stand before this thy holy table, and to perform the sacred Mystery of thy holy and most pure Body and precious Blood.
For I draw near to thee, and bowing my neck I implore thee: do not turn thy face away from me, nor cast me out from among thy children, but make me, thy sinful and unworthy servant, worthy to offer these Gifts to thee.
For thou thyself art he that offers and is offered, that accepts and is distributed, O Christ our God, and to thee do we send up glory, together with thy Father, who is without beginning, and thine all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
When the priest finishes his prayer and the deacon his censing, both stand at the holy table and recite the Cherubic Hymn thrice, the priest raising his hands and the deacon his orarion, and both bowing at the end of each recitation:
PRIEST: Let us who mystically represent the cherubim, and who sing the thrice-holy hymn to the life-giving Trinity, now lay aside all earthly cares:
DEACON: That we may receive the King of all, who comes invisibly upborne by the angelic hosts. Alleluia. Alleluia, Alleluia.
They kiss the holy table and bow to each other, and the priest turns and bows to the faithful. Then they go to the table of oblation, the deacon going first and passing behind the holy table. The deacon gives the censer to the priest, who censes the Gifts, saying quietly: O God, cleanse me, a sinner. (thrice)
The DEACON takes the censer and says:
DEACON: Lift up, master.
The priest takes the aer and puts it on the deacon’s left shoulder, saying:
PRIEST: Lift up your hands in the holy place, and bless the Lord.
The priest takes the paten and gives it to the deacon with all heed and reverence. The deacon holds it with both hands at the height of his brow, with his orarion, and with the censer hanging from one of the fingers of his right hand. The priest himself takes the holy chalice.
Preceded by servers with candles, the priest and deacon leave the sanctuary by the north door and walk to the holy doors, where they stand, facing west — the priest in the middle and the deacon to the south. When the singers have finished, the deacon says:
DEACON: His Beatitude NAME., Archbishop of Washington, Metropolitan of All America and Canada, and the Eminence NAME, Bishop [or Archbishop of N., ] may the Lord God remember in his kingdom, always, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
The deacon enters the sanctuary by the holy doors and, holding the paten and censer, kneels by the southwest corner of the holy table, facing north. The priest continues:
PRIEST: This country, its prime minister, all civil authorities, and those who serve in the armed forces, may the Lord God remember in his kingdom, always, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
The priest commemorates the living and the dead, whomever he wishes, and concludes the commemorations thus:
You and all Orthodox Christians, may the Lord God remember in his kingdom, always, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
And the SINGERS: Amen.
And they complete the Cherubic Hymn: That we may receive….
As the priest enters through the holy doors, he and the deacon greet each other:
DEACON: May the Lord God remember thy priesthood in his kingdom.
PRIEST: May the Lord God remember thy diaconate in his kingdom, always, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
The priest sets the holy chalice down upon the holy table, toward the right, and, taking the holy paten from the deacon, sets it to the left of the chalice, saying:
THE noble Joseph, when he had taken down thy most pure Body from the tree, wrapped it in fine linen and anointed it with spices and placed it in a new tomb.
In the tomb with the body, and in hell with the soul as God, in paradise with the thief, and on the throne with the Father and the Spirit wast thou, O boundless Christ, filling all things.
Bearing life and more fruitful than paradise, brighter than any royal chamber: thy tomb, O Christ, is the fountain of our resurrection.
The priest takes the veils from the paten and chalice and places them at the corners of the holy table. Meanwhile, the deacon closes the holy doors and the curtain is drawn. Then the priest removes the aer from the deacon’s shoulder, censes it, and covers the holy Gifts with it, saying, again:
The noble Joseph, when he had taken down thy most pure Body from the tree, wrapped it in fine linen and anointed it with spices and placed it in a new tomb.
The priest takes the censer from the deacon and censes the holy Gifts three times, saying:
Do good, O Lord, to Zion in thy good pleasure; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Then wilt thou delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on thine altar.
The priest gives back the censer to the deacon; then he bows his head and says to the deacon:
PRIEST: Pray for me, brother and concelebrant.
DEACON: The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee.
PRIEST: The Holy Spirit himself shall minister together with us all the days of our life.
Then the deacon himself bows his head and, holding his orarion, says to the priest:
DEACON: Remember me, holy master.
PRIEST: May the Lord God remember thee in his kingdom, always, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
DEACON: Amen.
The deacon kisses the priest’s right hand, goes out by the north door, and, standing before the holy doors, says:
Let us complete our prayer unto the Lord.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
For the precious Gifts now offered, let us pray to the Lord.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
For this holy house, and for those who enter it with faith, reverence, and the fear of God, let us pray to the Lord.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
That we may be delivered from all affliction, wrath, danger, and necessity, let us pray to the Lord.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
Meanwhile, the Priest (Prayer of the Offering, upon placing the divine Gifts on the holy table):
O Lord, our God, Who hast created us and brought us into this life; Who hast shown us the ways to salvation, and bestowed on us the revelation of heavenly Mysteries: Thou art the One Who has appointed us to this service in the power of Thy Holy Spirit. Therefore, O Lord, enable us to be ministers of Thy New Testament and servants of Thy holy Mysteries. Through the greatness of thy mercy, accept us as we draw near to Thy holy altar, so that we may be worthy to offer to Thee this reasonable and bloodless sacrifice for our sins and for the errors of Thy people. Having received it upon Thy holy, heavenly, and ideal altar as a sweet spiritual fragrance, send down upon us in return the grace of Thy Holy Spirit. Look down on us, O God, and behold this our service. Receive it as thou didst receive the gifts of Abel, the sacrifices of Noah, the whole burnt offerings of Abraham, the priestly offices of Moses and Aaron, and the peace offerings of Samuel. Even as Thou didst receive from Thy holy apostles this true worship, so now, in Thy goodness, accept these Gifts from the hands of us sinners, O Lord; that having been accounted worthy to serve without offense at Thy holy altar, we may receive the reward of wise and faithful stewards on the awesome day of Thy just retribution.
DEACON: Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and keep us, O God, by thy grace.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
That the whole day may be perfect, holy, peaceful, and sinless, let us ask of the Lord.
PEOPLE: Grant this, O Lord.
An angel of peace, a faithful guide, a guardian of our souls and bodies, let us ask of the Lord.
PEOPLE: Grant this, O Lord.
Pardon and remission of our sins and transgressions, let us ask of the Lord.
PEOPLE: Grant this, O Lord.
All things that are good and profitable for our souls, and peace for the world, let us ask of the Lord.
PEOPLE: Grant this, O Lord.
That we may complete the remaining time of our life in peace and repentance, let us ask of the Lord.
PEOPLE: Grant this, O Lord.
A Christian ending to our life, painless, blameless, and peaceful, and a good defense before the dread judgment seat of Christ, let us ask.
PEOPLE: Grant this, O Lord.
Commemorating our most holy, most pure, most blessed and glorious Lady Theotokos and Ever-virgin Mary with all the saints, let us commend ourselves and each other and all our life unto Christ our God.
PEOPLE: To thee, O Lord.
And the PRIEST:
Exclamation: Through the compassions of thine Only-begotten Son with whom thou art blessed, together with thine all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
PEOPLE: Amen.
The priest turns and blesses the people, saying:
PRIEST: Peace be unto all.
SINGERS: And to thy spirit.
DEACON: Let us love one another, that with one mind we may confess:
SINGERS: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: the Trinity, one in essence and undivided.
The priest bows three times before the holy table, saying each time quietly:
I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my firm foundation, my refuge, and my deliverer. (thrice)
He kisses the holy paten and the holy chalice through the aer, and the edge of the holy table before him.
** If there are concelebrating priests, they also venerate the holy Gifts, and all the priests exchange the kiss of peace on the shoulders:
The senior priest: Christ is in our midst.
The junior priest: He is and shall be.
Likewise, if there are two or more deacons in the altar, each of them kisses the Cross on his orarion, and they exchange the kiss of peace on the shoulders, saying the same as the priests. **
The deacon standing outside bows where he stands, kisses the Cross on his orarion, and then exclaims:
DEACON: The doors! The doors! In wisdom let us attend.
The priest raises the aer and waves it over the holy Gifts. If there are concelebrating priests, they assist him, saying quietly the SYMBOL OF FAITH, which the people also sing:
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only-begotten, begotten of the Father before all ages: Light of Light, true God of true God; begotten, not made; of one essence with the Father; by whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man; and he was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried; and the third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father; and he shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.
And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.
In One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. AMEN.
The priest takes the aer from the holy Gifts, kisses it, folds it, and puts it aside.
DEACON: Let us stand aright. Let us stand with fear. Let us attend, that we may offer the holy Oblation in peace.
SINGERS: A mercy of peace, a sacrifice of praise.
The deacon bows and enters the sanctuary. He takes a fan and waves it over the holy Gifts with reverence. If there are no fans, he uses one of the veils. In modern practice, the deacon does not fan the Gifts. Turning west, the priest blesses the people with his right hand, saying:
PRIEST: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
SINGERS: And with thy spirit.
The priest, turning to the east, says:
PRIEST: Let us lift up our hearts.
SINGERS: We lift them up unto the Lord.
PRIEST: Let us give thanks unto the Lord.
The priest bows.
SINGERS: It is meet and right to worship the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Trinity, one in essence and undivided.
The PRIEST prays:
O Existing One, Master, Lord God, Father almighty and adorable! It is truly meet and right and befitting the magnificence of Thy holiness to praise Thee, to sing to Thee, to bless Thee, to worship Thee, to give thanks to Thee, to glorify Thee – the only truly existing God – and to offer to Thee this our reasonable worship with a contrite heart and a spirit of humility, for Thou hast granted us the knowledge of Thy truth. Who can utter Thy mighty acts? Or make all Thy praises known? Or tell of all Thy miracles at all times? O Master of all, Lord of heaven and earth and of all creation, both visible and invisible, Who sittest upon the throne of glory and beholdest the depths; without beginning, invisible, incomprehensible. indescribable, changeless. O Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the great God and Savior, our hope, Who is the image of Thy goodness, the seal of Thy very likeness, showing forth in Himself Thee, O Father – the living Word, the true God, the eternal Wisdom, the Life, the Sanctification, the Power, the true Light, through Whom the Holy Spirit was revealed — the Spirit of truth, the gift of sonship, the pledge of future inheritance, the first fruits of eternal blessings, the life-creating power, the fountain of sanctification, through Whom every creature of reason and understanding worships Thee and always sings to Thee a hymn of glory, for all things are Thy servants. Thou art praised by angels, archangels, thrones, dominions, principalities, authorities, powers, and many-eyed Cherubim. Round about Thee stand the Seraphim, one with six wings and the other with six wings; with two they cover their faces, with two they cover their feet, and with two they fly, crying one to another with unceasing voices and ever-resounding praises:
Exclamation: Singing the triumphant hymn, shouting, proclaiming, and saying:
And here the deacon, standing on the north side and holding his orarion, takes the star and, with each of its points, touches the paten, making the sign of the Cross (east, west, north, and south). He then folds the star, kisses it, and lays it aside. He returns to his usual place to the right of the priest.
SINGERS: Holy, holy, holy, Lord of Sabaoth: heaven and earth are full of thy glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he that comes in the Name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
The deacon takes up the fan again and gently waves it over the Gifts, with all attention and fear, lest flies or other insects settle on them.
The PRIEST prays:
With these blessed powers, O Master Who lovest mankind, we sinners also cry aloud and say: Holy art Thou — truly Most Holy — and there are no bounds to the magnificence of Thy holiness. Thou art gracious in all Thy deeds, for with righteousness and true judgment Thou hast ordered all things for us. When Thou didst create man by taking dust from the earth, and didst honor him with Thine own image, O God, Thou didst set him in a paradise of delight, promising him eternal life and the enjoyment of everlasting blessings in the observance of Thy commandments. But when man disobeyed Thee, the true God Who had created them, and was deceived by the guile of the serpent, becoming subject to death through his own transgressions, Thou, God, in Thy righteous judgment, didst send him forth from paradise into this world, returning him to the earth from which he was taken, yet providing for him the salvation of regeneration in Thy Christ Himself. For Thou didst not turn Thyself away forever from Thy creature, Whom Thou hadst made, O Good One, nor didst Thou forget the work of Thy hands. Through the tender compassion of Thy mercy, Thou didst visit him in various ways: Thou didst send prophets; Thou didst perform mighty works by Thy saints, who in every generation were well-pleasing to Thee; Thou didst speak to us by the mouth of Thy servants the prophets, foretelling to us the salvation which was to come; Thou didst give us the law as a help; Thou didst appoint angels as guardians. And when the fullness of time had come, Thou didst speak to us through Thy Son Himself, by Whom Thou didst also make the ages; Who, being the Radiance of Thy glory and the Image of Thy person, upholding all things by the word of His power, thought it not robbery to be equal to Thee, the God and Father. He was God before the ages, yet He appeared on earth and lived among men, becoming incarnate of a holy Virgin; He emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being likened to the body of our lowliness, that He might liken us to the image of His glory. For as by man sin entered into the world, and by sin death, so it pleased Thine Only-begotten Son, Who was in the bosom of Thee, the God and Father, Who was born of a woman, the holy Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Who was born under the law, to condemn sin in His flesh, so that those who were dead in Adam might be made alive in Thy Christ Himself. He lived in this world and gave us commandments of salvation; releasing us from the delusions of idolatry, He brought us to the knowledge of Thee, the true God and Father. He obtained us for His own chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. Having cleansed us in water, and sanctified us with the Holy Spirit, He gave Himself as a ransom to death, in which we were held captive, sold under sin. Descending through the Cross into hell — that He might fill all things with Himself — He loosed the pangs of death. He arose on the third day, having made for all flesh a path to the resurrection from the dead, since it was not possible for the Author of Life to be a victim of corruption. So He became the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep, the first-born of the dead, that He might be Himself truly the first in all things. Ascending into heaven, He sat down at the right hand of Thy majesty on high, and He will come to render to every man according to his works. And as memorials of His saving Passion, He has left us these things, which we have set forth according to His command. For when He was about to go forth to His voluntary and ever-memorable and life-creating death — in the night in which He gave Himself up for the life of the world — He took bread into His holy and pure hands; and having shown it to Thee, the God and Father, having given thanks, blessed and hallowed it, and broken it,
Exclamation: He gave it to His holy disciples and apostles saying: “Take, eat: this is my Body which is broken for you, for the remission of sins.”
SINGERS: Amen.
During these words, the deacon points to the paten with his orarion.
PRIEST: Likewise he took the cup of the fruit of the vine, and having mingled it and given thanks, blessed and hallowed it,
Exclamation: He gave it to His holy disciples and apostles saying: “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”
SINGERS: Amen.
During these words, the deacon points to the chalice with his orarion.
PRIEST:
Do this in remembrance of Me! For as often as you eat this Bread and drink this Cup, you proclaim My Death, you confess My Resurrection! herefore, we also, O Master, remembering His saving Passion and life-creating Cross, His three-day Burial and Resurrection from the dead, His Ascension into heaven and Sitting at the right hand of Thee the God and Father, and His glorious and awesome Second Coming,
The deacon steps forward and, with his right arm crossed over his left, he elevates the holy paten and the holy chalice, and then bows with compunction.
Exclamation: Offering unto thee thine own of thine own, on behalf of all and for all
SINGERS: We praise thee, we bless thee, we give thanks unto thee, O Lord, and we pray unto thee, O our God.
[While this is sung, the priest raises his hands and the deacon his orarion, and, making three bows before the holy table, they pray within themselves:
PRIEST: O Lord, who didst send down thy Most Holy Spirit upon thine apostles at the third hour: take him not from us, O Good One, but renew him in us who pray unto thee.
DEACON: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
PRIEST: O Lord, who didst send down thy Most Holy Spirit upon thine apostles at the third hour: take him not from us, O Good One, but renew him in us who pray unto thee.
DEACON: Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy Holy Spirit from me.
PRIEST: O Lord, who didst send down thy Most Holy Spirit upon thine apostles at the third hour: take him not from us, O Good One, but renew him in us who pray unto thee.
The PRIEST prays:
Therefore, Most Holy Master, we also Thy sinful and unworthy servants, whom Thou hast permitted to serve at Thy holy altar not because of our own righteousness (for we have done nothing good upon the earth), but because of Thy mercy and compassions (which thou hast so richly poured out on us), we now dare to approach Thy holy altar and, offering to Thee the antitypes of the Holy Body and Blood of Thy Christ, we pray Thee and call upon Thee, O Holy of Holies, that by the favor of Thy goodness Thy Holy Spirit may come upon us and upon the Gifts now offered to bless, to hallow, and to show…
The deacon bows his head and, pointing to the holy bread with his orarion, says in a low voice:
DEACON: Bless, master, the holy bread.
The priest makes the sign of the Cross over the holy bread, saying:
PRIEST: …this Bread to be the Precious Body of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ.
DEACON: Amen.
The deacon points to the holy chalice with his orarion and says:
DEACON: Bless, master, the holy cup.
The priest, blessing the chalice with the sign of the Cross, says:
PRIEST: And this Cup to be the Precious Blood of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ.
DEACON: Amen.
PRIEST: Shed for the life of this world.
DEACON: Amen.
And again, the deacon points to both holy things and says:
DEACON: Bless both, master.
The priest blesses both the holy things, saying:
PRIEST: Making the change by thy Holy Spirit;
DEACON: Amen. Amen. Amen.
The priest and deacon make a bow or a prostration as prescribed for the day. Then the deacon bows his head to the priest and says:
DEACON: Remember me, a sinner, holy master.
The priest blesses the deacon, who kisses his hand.
PRIEST: May the Lord God remember thee in his kingdom, always, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
DEACON: Amen.
The Priest prays:
And unite all of us to one another who become partakers of the One Bread and Cup in the communion of the Holy Spirit. Grant that none of us may partake of the Holy Body and Blood of Thy Christ for judgment or condemnation. Instead, may we find mercy and grace with all the saints who through the ages have been well-pleasing to Thee: ancestors, fathers, patriarchs, prophets, apostles, preachers, evangelists, martyrs, confessors, teachers, and every righteous spirit made perfect in faith.
The priest takes the censer and says:
Exclamation: Especially for our most holy, most pure, most blessed and glorious Lady Theotokos and Ever-virgin Mary;
He censes before the holy table three times. Then the deacon censes around the holy table, remembering whom he wishes from among the departed and the living.
Meanwhile, the SINGERS:
SINGERS: In thee rejoiceth all creation, O Full of Grace, the assembly of angels and the race of men. O sanctified temple and spiritual paradise, the glory of virgins, from whom God was incarnate and became a child—our eternal God. He made thy body into a throne, and thy womb He made more spacious than the heavens. In thee rejoiceth all creation, O Full of Grace. Glory to thee!
For feasts, look for the appropriate megalynarion.
The PRIEST prays:
With the holy Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John; the holy, glorious, and all-laudable apostles; Saint(s) (of the day) whom we commemorate today; and with all Thy saints. By their prayers, visit us, O God. For the salvation, visitation, and remission of sins, of the servants of God __NAMES__ . Remember all those who have fallen asleep before us in the hope of resurrection to eternal life, especially __NAMES__ , grant them rest in forgiveness of soul, O our God, in a place where there is no sighing or sorrow, but where the Light of Thy countenance shines on them. Again we entreat Thee: Remember, O Lord, Thy Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, which is from end to end of the universe; give peace to Her whom Thou hast obtained with the Precious Blood of Thy Christ; also preserve this holy house until the end of the world. Remember, O Lord, those who offered Thee these Gifts, and those for whom and through whom they offered them, and their intentions. Remember, O Lord, those who bring offerings and do good in Thy Holy Churches, and those who remember the poor; reward them with Thy rich and heavenly gifts; for their earthly, temporal, and corruptible gifts, do Thou grant them Thy heavenly ones, eternal and incorruptible. Remember, O Lord, those who are in the deserts, mountains, caverns and pits of the earth. Remember, O Lord, those who live in chastity and godliness, in austerity and holiness of life. Remember, O Lord, this country and all civil authorities; grant them a secure and lasting peace; speak good things into their hearts concerning Thy Church and all Thy people, that we, in their tranquility, may lead a calm and peaceful life in all godliness and sanctity. Remember, O Lord, every principality and authority; our brothers who serve in the government and the armed forces. Preserve the good in goodness, and make the evil be good by Thy goodness. Remember, O Lord, the people here present and also those who are absent for honorable reasons. Have mercy on them and on us according to the multitude of Thy mercies. Fill their treasuries with every good thing; preserve their marriages in peace and harmony; raise the infants; guide the young; support the aged; encourage the faint-hearted; reunite the separated; lead back those who are in error and join them to Thy Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church; free those who are held captive by unclean spirits; sail with those who sail; travel with those who travel by land and by air; defend the widows; protect the orphans; free the captives; heal the sick. Remember, O God, those who are in courts, in mines, in exile, in harsh labor, and those in any kind of affliction, necessity, or distress. Remember, O Lord our God, all those who entreat Thy great loving-kindness; those who love us and those who hate us; those who have asked us to pray for them, unworthy though we be; and remember all Thy people O Lord, our God. Pour out Thy rich mercy upon all of them, granting them all the petitions which are for their salvation. And remember, Thyself, O God, all those whom we have not remembered through ignorance, forgetfulness or the multitude of names; since Thou knowest the name and age of each, even from his mother’s womb. For Thou, O Lord, art the Helper of the helpless, the Hope of the hopeless, the Savior of the bestormed, the Haven of the voyager, the Physician of the sick. Be all things to all men, O Thou Who knowest each man and his request, his home and his need. Deliver this city (or village, or holy habitation), O Lord, and every city and country, from famine, plague, earthquake, flood, fire, sword, invasion by enemies, and civil war.
Exclamation: Among the first, remember, O Lord, our metropolitan (_NAME_), and our bishop [or arch-bishop], (_NAME_). Grant them for thy holy churches in peace, safety, honor, health, and length of days, rightly to divide the word of thy truth.
SINGERS: And all mankind.
The PRIEST prays:
Remember, O Lord, all the Orthodox Episcopate, who rightly divide the word of Thy truth. Remember, O Lord, my unworthiness also, by the multitude of Thy compassions; forgive my every transgression, both voluntary and involuntary. Because of my sins, do not withhold the grace of Thy Holy Spirit from these Gifts here set forth. Remember, O Lord, the priesthood, the diaconate in Christ, and every order of the clergy. Let none of us who stand about Thy holy altar be put to confusion. Visit us with Thy loving-kindness, O Lord; manifest Thyself to us through Thy rich compassions. Grant us seasonable and healthful weather; send gentle showers upon the earth so that it may bear fruit; bless the crown of the year with Thy goodness. Prevent schisms among the churches; pacify the ragings of the pagans; quickly destroy the uprisings of heresies by the power of Thy Holy Spirit. Receive us all into Thy Kingdom, showing us to be sons of the light and sons of the day. Grant us Thy peace and Thy love, O Lord our God, for Thou hast given all things to us. (And here he remembers by name the living faithful, whom he will).
Exclamation: And grant that with one mouth and one heart we may glorify and praise thine all-honorable and majestic Name, of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
And the SINGERS: Amen.
Turning west, the PRIEST blesses the people:
And may the mercies of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ be with you all.
SINGERS: And with thy spirit.
The deacon, having made the usual bows, goes out to stand before the holy doors and says:
HAVING remembered all the saints, again and again in peace let us pray to the Lord.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
For the precious Gifts now offered and sanctified, let us pray to the Lord.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
That our God, who loves mankind, having received them upon his holy and noetic altar above the heavens as a sweet spiritual fragrance, will send down upon us in return his divine grace and the gift of the Holy Spirit, let us pray.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
That we may be delivered from all affliction, wrath, danger, and necessity, let us pray to the Lord.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
Meanwhile, the PRIEST:
O our God, the God of salvation, do Thou teach us to thank Thee worthily for the benefits which Thou hast performed for us and still performest with us. Having accepted these Gifts, O our God, do Thou purify us from every defilement of flesh and spirit, and teach us how to perfect our sanctification in Thy fear, so that receiving a portion of Thy Holy Things with a pure conscience we may be united with the Holy Body and Blood of Thy Christ. Having received them worthily, may we have Christ dwelling in our hearts, and may we become the temple of Thy Holy Spirit. Yea, O our God, let none of us be guilty of these, Thine awesome and heavenly Mysteries, nor be infirm in soul and body by partaking of them unworthily. But, enable us, even to our last breath, to receive a portion of Thy Holy Things worthily, as a support on the road to eternal life and an acceptable defense at the dread judgment seat of Thy Christ, that we also, together with all the saints who through the ages have been well-pleasing to Thee, may become partakers of Thine eternal good things, which Thou hast prepared for those who love Thee, O Lord.
DEACON: Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and keep us, O God, by thy grace.
PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.
That the whole day may be perfect, holy, peaceful, and sinless, let us ask of the Lord.
PEOPLE: Grant this, O Lord.
An angel of peace, a faithful guide, a guardian of our souls and bodies, let us ask of the Lord.
PEOPLE: Grant this, O Lord.
Pardon and remission of our sins and transgressions, let us ask of the Lord.
PEOPLE: Grant this, O Lord.
All things that are good and profitable for our souls, and peace for the world, let us ask of the Lord.
PEOPLE: Grant this, O Lord.
That we may complete the remaining time of our life in peace and repentance, let us ask of the Lord.
PEOPLE: Grant this, O Lord.
A Christian ending to our life, painless, blameless, and peaceful, and a good defense before the dread judgment seat of Christ, let us ask.
PEOPLE: Grant this, O Lord.
Having asked for the unity of the faith and the communion of the Holy Spirit, let us commend ourselves and each other and all our life unto Christ our God.
PEOPLE: To thee, O Lord.
And the PRIEST:
Exclamation: And make us worthy, O Master, that with boldness and without condemnation we may dare to call on thee, the heavenly God, as Father, and to say:
PEOPLE: OUR FATHER, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
PRIEST: For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
PEOPLE: Amen.
PRIEST: Peace be unto all.
SINGERS: And to thy spirit.
DEACON: Bow your heads unto the Lord.
SINGERS: To thee, O Lord.
And the PRIEST:
O Master, Lord, Father of compassions and God of every consolation: Bless, sanctify, guard, strengthen, and confirm those who have bowed their heads to Thee. Withdraw them from every evil deed; apply them to every good work and make them worthy to partake without condemnation of these, Thy most pure and life-creating Mysteries, for remission of sins and for the communion of the Holy Spirit.
Exclamation: Through the grace and compassion and love toward mankind of thine Only-begotten Son with whom thou art blessed, together with thine all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
PEOPLE: Amen.
The PRIEST prays:
ATTEND, O Lord Jesus Christ our God, out of thy holy dwelling place, from the throne of the glory of thy kingdom, and come to sanctify us, O thou who sittest on high with the Father and art here invisibly present with us, and by thy mighty hand deign to impart unto us thy most pure Body and precious Blood, and through us to all the people.
Meanwhile, the deacon, standing before the holy doors, crosses his orarion over his shoulders. The priest, along with the deacon at his place, makes three bows, saying each time: O God, cleanse me, a sinner, and have mercy on me. When the deacon sees the priest extend his hands to touch the holy bread, he exclaims:
DEACON: Let us attend.
The PRIEST elevates the holy bread and exclaims:
PRIEST: The Holy Things are for the holy.
SINGERS: One is holy, one is Lord: Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.
The rest of the liturgy is the same as in the Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom with just a few minor exceptions. At this point, click the button below to go back to the Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom.
The following occasional petitions may be added for other needs.
For the ill:
O physician of souls and bodies, with compunction and broken in heart we fall down before thee, and with groaning we cry out unto thee: do thou heal the sicknesses and cure the passions of the soul and body of thy servants, _NAMES_, and forgive them, as thou art compassionate, every transgression, both voluntary and involuntary, and quickly raise them up from their beds of illness, we pray thee, hear us and have mercy.
For expectant mothers:
Again we pray thee, who didst not abhor the virgin’s womb, look with mercy upon the handmaidens, _NAMES_. Bless the fruit of their wombs. Let their infants grow healthy and well-formed in body and intelligent in soul, that they may come to true knowledge of thee, and grant unto thy handmaidens in due course safe and easy deliveries, we fervently entreat thee, hear us and have mercy.
For those travelling:
O Lord, who dost guide the footsteps of man, look down mercifully upon thy servants, _NAMES_, and forgive them every transgression, both voluntary and involuntary, and bless the good intention of their counsel. And guide their comings and goings on their journeys, we earnestly pray to thee, hear us and have mercy.
For giving thanks:
As unprofitable servants, with fear and trembling we give thanks unto thy deep compassion, O Lord, our Savior and master, for thy benefits which thou hast poured forth abundantly upon thy servants _NAMES_, and we fall down before thee and bring glorification unto thee as God. And with compunction we cry out: do thou deliver thy servants from all misfortunes, and as thou art merciful, fulfill always the desires of us all as may be expedient for us, we fervently pray thee, hear us and have mercy.
For peace in times of conflict:
Again we pray thee, O Lord our God, for all who suffer from acts of war, especially for the victims and all those involved in the struggles in _NAMES_; we pray for thy peace and thy mercy in the midst of the great suffering which people are now inflicting on each other; do thou accept the prayers of thy church, so that by thy goodness peace may return to all peoples: we pray thee, hear us and have mercy.
For protection against hatred:
Again we pray thee, O God, for thy mercy upon all Orthodox Christians, thine unworthy servants, that we may all be protected from hatred and evil actions, that we may have instilled in us unselfish love by which all shall know that we are thy people and disciples of thy Christ and, so that we may always know to decide for the truth and righteousness of thy heavenly kingdom: we pray thee, hear us and have mercy.
For enemies:
Again we pray thee, O God, for all those who commit injustice against their neighbors, whether by causing sorrow to orphans or spilling innocent blood or by returning hatred for hatred, that thou wilt grant them repentance, enlighten their minds and hearts, and illumine their souls with the light of thy love for all: we pray thee, hear us and have mercy.
For the church and her mission:
Again we pray thee, look down with mercy upon the holy Orthodox Church, strengthen and increase her, and evermore defend her against the wiles of her enemies. Cast down all dissension, schism and unbelief, and spread abroad in our land, and in every place, piety, devotion and zeal for the Orthodox faith. Illumine those in darkness and those enslaved to sin, and soften the hardness of their hearts, that they may come to know thee. Help them and us to live holy and blameless lives, and root the saving faith firmly and make it to bear fruit in our hearts, we fervently entreat thee, hear us and have mercy.
