During the divine service, which is performed by the bishop, objects are used that belong only to bishop's service: special candlesticks - dikiriy and trikyriy, ripids, orlets, rod (staff).
Dikirium and trikirium are two hand-held shaped lamps with cells for two and three long candles. Dikiriy with burning candles signifies the light of the Lord Jesus Christ, cognizable in two natures. Trikirium means the uncreated light of the Holy Trinity. Dikiriy has the sign of the cross in the center between two candles. In ancient times, it was not customary to put a cross on the trikiria, since the feat of the cross was accomplished only by the incarnate Son of God.
Candles burning in dikirias and trikirias are called double-braided, triple-braided, autumnal, or autumnal. In the cases provided for by the Charter, dikirii and trikirii are worn before the bishop, who blesses the people with them. The right to bless with these lamps is sometimes granted to the archimandrites of some monasteries.
At the liturgy, after vesting and entering the altar, while singing “Come, let us worship,” the bishop overshadows the people with a dikiriy, which he holds in his left hand, and a trikiriy in his right. After the small entrance, the bishop censes, holding the dikiri in his left hand. When singing the Trisagion, he overshadows the Gospel on the throne with a dikiriy, having it in his right hand, and then, holding a cross in his left hand, and a dikiriy in his right, blesses the people with them. These actions show that the Trinity unity was especially revealed to people through the coming in the flesh of the Son of God, and finally, that everything done by the bishop in the church happens in the name of the Lord and according to His will. The overshadowing of people with light, signifying the Light of Christ and the Holy Trinity, imparts special grace to believers and testifies to them of the Divine light coming to people for their enlightenment, purification and sanctification. At the same time, the dikiriy and trikiriy in the hands of the bishop mean the fullness of God’s grace, which pours out through him. Among the ancient fathers, the bishop was called the enlightener, or enlightener, and imitator of the Father of Lights and the True Light - Jesus, having the grace of the apostles, who were called the light of the world. The bishop leads to the light, imitating Christ - the light of the world.
Dikiria and trikiria were introduced into church use probably no earlier than the 4th–5th centuries.
Ripides (Greek – fan, fan) have been used during the celebration of the sacrament of the Eucharist since ancient times. The liturgical instructions of the Apostolic Constitutions say that two deacons should hold ripids made of thin skins, or peacock feathers, or thin linen on both sides of the altar and quietly drive away flying insects. Ripides, therefore, began to be used mainly for practical reasons.
By the time of Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem (1641), in the church consciousness the ripids were already images of cherubim and seraphim, invisibly participating in the sacraments of the Church. Probably from that same time, images of angelic beings, most often seraphim, began to appear on the ripids. Patriarch Photius of Constantinople (IX century) speaks of rhipids made of feathers in the image of six-winged seraphim, which, in his opinion, are called upon to “not allow the unenlightened to dwell with their minds on the visible, but to distract their attention so that they turn the eyes of their minds to the highest and ascend from visible to invisible and to indescribable beauty." The shapes of ripids are round, square, and star-shaped. In the Russian Orthodox Church, since the adoption of Christianity, ripids were made of metal, with the image of seraphim.
The final appearance that the ripida acquired was a radiant circle made of gold, silver, and gilded bronze with the image of a six-winged seraph. The circle is mounted on a long shaft. This view fully reveals the symbolic meaning of this item. Ripides mark the penetration of angelic forces into the mystery of salvation, into the sacrament of the Eucharist, participation heavenly ranks in worship. Just as deacons drive away insects from the Holy Gifts and create a breath of kind of wings over the Gifts, so the Heavenly Forces drive away the spirits of darkness from the place where the greatest of the sacraments is performed, surround and overshadow it with their presence. It is appropriate to remember that in the Old Testament Church, by the command of God, images of two cherubim made of gold were built in the Tabernacle of Testimony above the Ark of the Covenant, and in other places there are many images of the same angelic ranks.
Since the deacon portrays himself as an angel serving God, upon ordination to the deacon, the newly ordained one is given a ripid into the hands, with which, upon receiving the rank, he begins to slowly signify the Holy Gifts with cruciform movements at the exclamation: “Singing, crying...”
Ripids are used to cover the paten and chalice at the great entrance during the liturgy; they are carried out in the statutory places of the bishop's service, in processions of the Cross, with the participation of the bishop, and on other important occasions. Ripids overshadow the coffin of the deceased bishop. The radiant gilded circle of the ripida with the image of the seraphim represents the light of the highest immaterial forces that serve in close proximity to God. Since the bishop portrays the Lord Jesus Christ during the divine service, ripids became a property of only the bishop's service. As an exception, the right to serve with ripids was granted to the archimandrites of some large monasteries.
Orlets are also used during bishop's services - round rugs with the image of a city and an eagle soaring above it.
Orlets lie under the feet of the bishop in the places where he stops while performing actions during the service. They were first used in the 13th century in Byzantium; then they represented something like an honorary award from the emperor to the patriarchs of Constantinople. The double-headed eagle, the state emblem of Byzantium, was often depicted on royal chairs, carpets, even on the shoes of kings and the most noble dignitaries. Then they began to depict him on the shoes of the Patriarchs of Constantinople, Antioch and Alexandria. This image moved from shoes to the saints' carpets. In some temples, a mosaic circle with an image of an eagle was made on the floor in front of the altar since ancient times. After the capture of Constantinople by the Turks (1453), Rus' historically became the successor to the state and church traditions of Byzantium, so that the state emblem of the Byzantine emperors became the emblem of the Russian state, and eagles became the honorary symbol of Russian bishops. In the Russian rite for the installation of a bishop in 1456, the eagle is mentioned, on which the metropolitan should stand at his throne in the place of the vestments. In the same rite, it is commanded to draw “the eagle of the same head” on the platform specially built for episcopal consecration.
The eagle on Russian eagles was single-headed, in contrast to the double-headed ones on the eaglets of Byzantine saints, so the eagle in Rus' was not a royal reward, but an independent symbol of the Church.
In the XVI–XVII centuries. Orlets in Rus' necessarily lay down under the feet of the bishops when they entered the temple and when leaving it, standing on it, the bishops made the usual beginning of the service with a final bow. At the Moscow Council of 1675, it was determined that only the Metropolitans of Novgorod and Kazan could use orlets in the presence of the Patriarch. Then the Orlets widely became part of the episcopal worship service and began to rest at the feet of the bishops, where they had to stop for prayer, blessing the people and other actions Spiritual meaning An eagle with an image of a city and an eagle soaring above it indicates, first of all, the highest heavenly origin and dignity of the episcopal rank. Standing on the eagle everywhere, the bishop seems to rest on the eagle all the time, that is, the eagle seems to constantly carry the bishop on itself. The eagle is a symbol of the highest heavenly creature of the angelic ranks.
The belonging of the serving bishop is the staff - a tall staff with symbolic images. Its prototype is an ordinary shepherd's crook in the form of a long stick with a curve at the upper end, widespread since ancient times among eastern peoples. A long staff not only helps to drive sheep, but also makes it very easy to climb uphill. Moses walked with such a staff while tending the flocks of his father-in-law Jethro in the country of Midian. And the staff of Moses was destined for the first time to become an instrument of salvation and a sign of pastoral power over the verbal sheep of God - the ancient people of Israel. Having appeared to Moses in a burning and unburnt bush at Mount Horeb, the Burning Bush, the Lord deigned to tell the staff of Moses miraculous power(). The same power was then given to Aaron’s staff (7, 8–10). With his rod, Moses divided the Red Sea so that Israel could walk along its bottom (). With the same staff, the Lord commanded Moses to draw water from a stone to quench the thirst of Israel in the desert (). The transformative meaning of the staff (rod) is also revealed in other places in Holy Scripture. Through the mouth of the prophet Micah, the Lord speaks of Christ: “Feed Your people with Your rod, the sheep of Your inheritance” (). Shepherding invariably includes the concept of fair trial and spiritual punishment. Therefore, the Apostle Paul says: “What do you want? come to you with a rod or with love and a spirit of meekness?” (). The Gospel points to the staff as an accessory for pilgrimage, which, according to the Savior’s word, the apostles do not need, since they have support and support - the gracious power of the Lord Jesus Christ ().
Wandering, preaching, shepherding, as a symbol of wise leadership, is personified in the rod (staff). So the staff is the spiritual power given by Christ to His disciples, called to preach the word of God, teach people, knit and solve human sins. As a symbol of power, the rod is mentioned in the Apocalypse (2, 27). This meaning, which includes a variety of private meanings, is attributed to the bishop's staff - a sign of the bishop's archpastoral power over the church people, similar to the power that a shepherd has over a flock of sheep. It is characteristic that the most ancient symbolic images of Christ in the form of the Good Shepherd usually represented Him with a staff. It can be assumed that the rods were in practical use by the apostles and were passed from them with a certain spiritual and symbolic meaning to the bishops - their successors. As an obligatory canonical accessory of bishops, the staff is mentioned in the Western Church from V. Eastern Church– from the 6th century. At first, the shape of the bishop's staff was similar to a shepherd's staff with top part, curved down. Then staves appeared with a two-horned upper crossbar, the ends of which were bent slightly downward, which resembled the shape of an anchor. According to the interpretation of Blessed Simeon, Archbishop of Thessaloniki, “the rod that the bishop holds means the power of the Spirit, the affirmation and shepherding of people, the power to guide, to punish those who disobey and to gather those who are far away to oneself. Therefore, the rod has handles (horns on top of the rod), like anchors. And over those hilts the Cross of Christ means victory.” Wooden, overlaid with silver and gold, or metal, usually silver-gilded, or bronze bishop's staffs with a double-horned handle in the form of an anchor with a cross at the top - this is the most ancient form episcopal staffs, widely used in the Russian Church. In the 16th century in the Orthodox East, and in the 17th century. and in the Russian Church there appeared staves with handles in the form of two snakes, bending upward so that one turned its head towards the other, and the cross was placed between their heads. This was intended to express the idea of the profound wisdom of archpastoral leadership in accordance with the famous words of the Savior: “Be wise as serpents and simple as doves” (). Rods were also given to abbots and archimandrites as a sign of their authority over the monastic brethren.
In Byzantium, bishops were awarded with staffs from the hands of the emperor. And in Russia in the 16th–17th centuries. the patriarchs received their staffs from the kings, and the bishops from the patriarchs. Since 1725, the Holy Synod has made it the duty of the senior bishop by consecration to hand over the staff to the newly appointed bishop. It was customary to decorate bishop's staffs, especially metropolitan and patriarchal ones. precious stones, drawings, inlays. A special feature of Russian bishop's staffs is the sulok - two scarves inserted into one another and tied to the staff at the top crossbar - the handle. Sulok arose in connection with Russian frosts, during which it was necessary to religious processions. The lower scarf was supposed to protect the hand from touching the cold metal of the rod, and the upper one was supposed to protect it from external cold. There is an opinion that reverence for the shrine of this symbolic object prompted the Russian hierarchs not to touch it with their bare hands, so that the sulok can also be considered a sign of God’s grace covering the bishop’s human weaknesses in the great matter of governance and in the use of God-given power over it.
Liturgy
Proskomedia
Proskomedia is performed before the bishop arrives at the church. The priest, together with one of the deacons, reads the entrance prayers and puts on full vestments. Prosphora, especially for the Lamb, health and funeral, are prepared large sizes. When carving the Lamb, the priest takes into account the number of clergy receiving communion. According to custom, two separate prosphora are prepared for the bishop, from which he removes particles during the Cherubic Song.
Meeting
Those participating in the concelebration with the bishop come to the church in advance in order to dress in time for those who should, and to prepare everything necessary. The subdeacons prepare the bishop's vestments, place the orlets on the pulpit, in front of the locals (the Savior and Mother of God), temple and holiday icons, in front of the pulpit and at entrance doors from the vestibule to the temple.
When the bishop approaches the temple, everyone comes out with the royal doors closed (the curtain is pulled back) through the northern and southern doors from the altar to meet and stand at the entrance doors. At the same time, each couple maintains its own alignment. The priests (in robes and headdresses - skufyas, kamilavkas, hoods - according to seniority (from the entrance) stand in two rows, and the one who performed the proskomedia (in full vestments) stands in the middle (between the last priests), holding the altar cross in his hands, with the hilt towards left hand, on a platter covered with air. The protodeacon and the first deacon (in full vestments) with the tricurium and diquirium, holding them at the same height, and the censers and between them the priest stand in a row opposite the entrance, retreating a step to the east of the priest. They stand at the entrance doors from the vestibule to the temple: the first is on the right with a mantle, the second and the staff-bearer (poshnik) are on the left.
The bishop, having entered the temple, stands on the eagle, gives the staff the staff, and everyone prays three times and bows to the bishop, who blesses them. The protodeacon exclaims: “ Wisdom" and reads: " It is worthy to eat as truly..."The singers are singing at this time: " Worthy..." drawn out, with sweet singing. At the same time, the subdeacons put the mantle on the bishop, who, having made one adoration, accepts the Cross from the priest and kisses it, and the priest kisses the bishop’s hand and retreats to his place. Priests, according to seniority, kiss the Cross and the hand of the bishop; after them - the priest who performed the proskomedia. The bishop kisses the Cross again and places it on the plate. The priest, having accepted the Cross and kissed the hand of the bishop, takes his place and then, having bowed with everyone else for the blessing of the bishop, goes with the Holy Cross to the royal doors and passes through the northern door into the altar, where he places the Holy Cross on the throne. Behind the priest with the Cross comes a priest, followed by a protodeacon, turning around for each bishop walking (if there are several). The priests follow the bishop in pairs (the eldest are in front). The priest stands on the salt, near the icon of the Mother of God, the bishop stands on the eagle near the pulpit; behind him are priests, two in a row, the protodeacon is on the right side near the bishop, having previously given the subdeacon the trikiria with the censer. The subdeacon and the second deacon go to the altar.
Protodeacon: " Bless, Master."Bishop: " Blessed is our...» The archdeacon, according to custom, reads the entrance prayers. When the archdeacon begins to read: “ Mercy doors...", the bishop gives the staff-bearer the staff and ascends to the pulpit. He worships and kisses the icons while the protodeacon reads the troparions: “ To Your Most Pure Image...» « There is mercy..." and the temple. Then, bowing his head before the royal doors, he reads the prayer: “ Lord, send down Your hand..." The protodeacon, according to custom, reads: “ God, relax, leave..."Having put on a hood and having accepted the staff, the bishop from the pulpit blesses everyone present on three sides while singing: " Ton despotin ke archierea imon, Kyrie, filatte"(once), " Is polla these despots"(three times) (" Our master and bishop, Lord, save for many years") and goes to the middle of the temple, to the pulpit (cloud place). The priests go there too. Having stood in two rows and made a one-time worship at the altar, they accept the blessing from the bishop and go through the northern and southern doors to the altar to put on their vestments.
Bishop's vestments
When the bishop goes from the pulpit to the place of vestment, subdeacons and other servers come out of the altar, in surplices, with a dish covered with air, and with a dish with bishop's vestments, as well as the first and second deacons with censers. Both deacons stand below the pulpit, opposite the bishop. The book holder accepts from the bishop a hood, panagia, rosary, mantle, cassock on a plate and takes it to the altar. A subdeacon with bishop's vestments stands in front of the bishop.
The protodeacon with the first deacon, having made a bow in front of the royal doors, exclaims: “ " After the blessing, the first deacon says: “ Let's pray to the Lord", the protodeacon reads: " Let your soul rejoice in the Lord; clothe you with the robe of salvation and clothe you with the robe of joy, as you put a crown on a bridegroom and adorn you with beauty like a bride.”
The subdeacons, after the bishop has blessed each garment, first put on the surplice (saccosnik), then other garments, in order, and the deacon says each time: “ Let's pray to the Lord”, and the protodeacon is the corresponding verse. The singers sing: “ Let him rejoice..."or other prescribed chants.
When the omophorion is placed on the bishop, a miter, cross and panagia are taken out of the altar on a platter.
The dikirium and trikirium are taken out of the altar to the subdeacons, and they hand them over to the bishop. Protodeacon after being proclaimed by the deacon: “ Let's pray to the Lord", says the Gospel words loudly: " Thus may your light shine before men, so that they may see your good deeds and glorify our Father, who is in Heaven, always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages, amen" The singers sing: “ Despotin tone...“The bishop overshadows the people in four directions (east, west, south and north) and gives the trikyriy and dikyriy to the subdeacons. The singers on the choir sing three times: “ Is polla...“The subdeacons stand in a row with the protodeacon and deacon, who cense the bishop three times three times, after which everyone bows in front of the royal doors, and then to the bishop. The subdeacons, taking the censers, go to the altar, and the protodeacon and deacon approach the bishop, receive his blessing, kiss his hand, and the first stands behind the bishop, and the second goes to the altar.
Watch
When the bishop overshadows the people with the trikiriy and dikiriy, the priest who performed the proskomedia comes out of the altar through the southern door, and the reader through the northern door. They stand near the bishop's pulpit: on the right side is the priest, on the left is the reader, and after bowing to the altar three times, at the same time, with the protodeacon, deacon and subdeacons, they bow to the bishop. At the end of the singing on the choir: “ Is polla..." the priest exclaims: " Blessed is our..."reader: " Amen"; then the normal reading of the hours begins. After each exclamation, the priest and reader bow to the bishop. Instead of exclamation: “ Through the prayers of the saints our father..." the priest says: " Through the prayers of our holy ruler, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us." The reader says: “ In the name of the Lord, master, bless", instead of: " Bless you in the name of the Lord, father.”
When reading the 50th psalm, the first and second deacons with censers come out to the pulpit from the altar, bow before the royal doors, bow to the bishop and, having received a blessing on the censer, go to the altar and cense the throne, altar, icons and clergy; then - the iconostasis, the holiday icon. And having descended from the pulpit, the bishop (three times three times), the priest, the reader. Having ascended to the pulpit again, both choirs, the people, and then the whole temple; having converged at the western doors of the temple, both deacons go to the pulpit, cense the royal doors, local icons, the bishop (three times), pray to the altar (one bow), bow to the bishop and go to the altar.
When censing, the following order is observed: the first deacon censes the right side, the second - the left. Only the throne (front and back), the royal doors and the bishop are censed together.
When the hours are read, the bishop sits and rises up: “ Hallelujah", on the: " Trisagion" and to: " The most honest"(Official).
At the end of the censing, the subdeacons and the sexton bring out a vessel for washing their hands with a basin and a towel, (the sexton stands between the subdeacons) perform prayerful veneration at the royal doors (usually together with the deacons who have completed the censing), then, turning their faces to the bishop and, bowing to him, go to pulpit and stop in front of the bishop. The first subdeacon pours water on the hands of the bishop, together with the second subdeacon, removes the towel from the sexton’s shoulders, hands it to the bishop and then again places the towel on the sexton’s shoulders. While the bishop is washing his hands, the archdeacon reads a prayer in a low voice: “ I will wash myself in innocent hands...”, and according to his will, he kisses the hand of the bishop, the subdeacons and the deacon also kiss the hand of the bishop and go to the altar.
At the end of the hours, during prayer: “ For any time... "the priests stand in order of seniority near the throne, perform threefold worship in front of it, kiss it and, having bowed to each other, leave the altar (north and south doors) and stand near the pulpit in two rows: among them he takes the corresponding place according to rank the priest who uttered exclamations on the clock.
The priest and staff bearer take their places at the Royal Doors: the first - on the north side, the second - on the south. The book holder stands next to the bishop on the left side. According to another practice, the book holder leaves the altar at the beginning of the liturgy, after exclamating: “ Blessed is the Kingdom..." The protodeacon and both deacons stand in a row in front of the priests. Everyone bows to the altar, then to the bishop. The bishop, with the raising of his hands, reads the prescribed prayers before the start of the liturgy. The priest and deacons pray with him secretly. After prayerful worship, everyone bows to the bishop. After this, the protodeacon says: “ Time to create the Lord, Most Reverend Master, bless" The bishop blesses everyone with both hands with the words: “ Blessed be God..." and gives the right hand to the chief priest. Having received the blessing, the priest enters the altar through the southern door, kisses the altar and stands in front of it.
After the leading priest, the protodeacon and deacons approach the bishop for a blessing. The elder says in a low voice: “ Amen. Let us pray for us, Holy MasterMay the Lord correct your feet" Protodeacon: " Remember us, Holy Master" The bishop, blessing with both hands, says: “ May he remember you..." The deacons answer: "Amen", kiss the hand of the bishop, bow and leave; the protodeacon goes to the solea and stands in front of the icon of the Savior, and the rest of the deacons stand behind the bishop on the lower step of the pulpit.
At the end of the hours, the subdeacons open the royal doors. The leading priest, standing in front of the throne, and the protodeacon on the solea simultaneously perform prayerful veneration to the east (the priest kisses the throne) and, turning to the bishop, bows, accepting his blessing.
The beginning of the liturgy. The protodeacon exclaims: “ Bless, lord" The presiding priest proclaims: “ Blessed is the Kingdom..." raising the Gospel above the holy antimension and making a cross with it, then kisses the Gospel and the throne, bows to the bishop together with the protodeacon, concelebrating priests, subdeacons and the reader and stands on the southern side of the throne.
The protodeacon pronounces the great litany. At the beginning and end of the great litany and at the two small litanies, the book holder opens the Official to the Bishop to read prayers.
At the petition of the great litany: “ Oh let us get rid of..." the deacons come out from behind the pulpit and walk in the middle between the rows of priests on the solea; the first stands opposite the image of the Mother of God, and the second stands near the protodeacon on the right side. The leading priest utters an exclamation at the throne: “ As befits You..." and bows to the bishop at the royal doors. At the same time, the protodeacon and deacons and the second priest bow to the bishop. The protodeacon from the solea goes to the pulpit, stands behind, to the right of the bishop; the second priest enters the altar through the northern door, kisses the throne, bows to the bishop through the royal doors and takes his place, opposite the first priest.
After the small litany, which is pronounced by the first deacon, the second priest pronounces the exclamation: “ For Your power is..." and bows to the bishop. At the same time, the deacon and two priests standing at the pulpit bow with him: the latter go through the side doors into the altar, kiss the altar and bow through the royal doors to the bishop.
Similarly, the remaining clergy and subdeacons go to the altar after the second small litany and the next exclamation: “ Yako Blag and Lover of Humanity...»
During the singing of the third antiphon or " Blessed"A small entry is made.
Small entrance
The subdeacons take the trikirium and dikirium, the sextons take the ripids, the deacons take censers; the leading priest, having bowed before the throne and bowed to the bishop together with the protodeacon, takes the Gospel and gives it to the protodeacon, who stands with him behind the throne, facing west. At this time, the first and other priests, having bowed from the waist, kiss the throne, bow to the bishop and follow the protodeacon one by one. Everyone leaves the altar by the northern door in the following order: the cleric, the assistant, two deacons with censers, subdeacons with trikyriy and dikyriy, ripidchiki, protodeacon with the Gospel and priests in order of seniority. Arriving at the pulpit, the priests stand on both sides of the pulpit towards the altar. The sacred bearer and the assistant take their places at the royal gates. The protodeacon with the Gospel is below the pulpit, in the middle, opposite the bishop; On the sides of the Gospel there are ripid boys, facing each other. Near them, closer to the pulpit, are the deacons and subdeacons. Having made one bow, everyone takes the general blessing of the bishop. The bishop and priests read secretly the prayer: “ Sovereign Lord, our God..."The archdeacon says in a low voice: " Let's pray to the Lord" After the bishop has read the prayer, and after the award, if any, has been made and promoted to the highest rank, the protodeacon, transferring the Gospel to left shoulder, raises his right hand with an orar up and says in a low voice: “ Bless, Most Reverend Master, the holy entrance" The bishop, blessing, says: “ Blessed is the entrance of Thy saints always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.” The protodeacon says: “ Amen” and together with the subdeacons approaches the bishop, who kisses the Gospel; the protodeacon kisses the right hand of the bishop, holding the Gospel while kissing, and goes with the Gospel to the ripidites. The subdeacons remain at the pulpit and hand over the trikiri and dikiri to the bishop. Protodeacon, raising the Gospel a little, proclaims: “ Wisdom, forgive me" and, turning his face to the west, sings with everyone slowly: " Come, let's worship..." The deacons incense on the Gospel, then on the bishop as he slowly worships before the Holy Gospel and then overshadows the trikiri and dikiri on the clergy bowing to him.
The bishop overshadows the people to the west, south and north with trikiria and dikiria. At this time, the protodeacon, preceded by the deacons, introduces holy gospel into the altar through the royal doors and places him on the throne; all other clergy enter the altar through the north and south doors, while the priests remain at the bottom of the solea.
The bishop leaves the pulpit and ascends to the pulpit, where he overshadows the choristers as they sing: “ Save us, Son of God...» With trikiriy and dikiriy, the people move to both sides and go to the altar. The protodeacon meets him at the royal gates, accepts the trikirium from him and places him behind the throne. The bishop, having kissed the icons on the pillars of the royal gates, the throne and accepted the censer from the deacon, begins to burn incense.
Following the bishop, the priests enter the altar, each kissing the icon in the royal gates on his side.
The bishop, with the clergy singing slowly: “ Save us, Son of God..." preceded by the protodeacon with the trikirium, incense the throne, the altar, the high place, the priests on the right and left sides, the priests and clergy and proceeds to the sole. The priest-bearer and the co-worker come down from the solea and stand below the pulpit opposite the royal gates; The performers sing quietly and sweetly: “Is these polla, despota”. The priests kiss the throne. The bishop censes the royal doors, the iconostasis, the choir, the people, local icons, enters the altar, censes the throne, the priests and the protodeacon.
The cleric and the acolyte return to their places. On the choir they sing: “ Is polla...» drawn-out (once) and then troparia and kontakion according to the Rule.
The second subdeacon receives the dikirium from the bishop, the protodeacon receives the censer (the trikirium is transferred to the first subdeacon). All three stand behind the throne and at the same time bow when the archpriest censes the archbishop three times; then they turn to face the east, the protodeacon hands the censer to the sexton, all four make a bow, bow to the bishop and go to their places.
Subdeacons who have ordination place the trikyrius and dikyriy on the throne, while those without ordination place the trikyrius and dikyriy on the stands behind the throne. The Book Holder approaches the Bishop with the Official to read the prayer: “ Holy God, who rest in the saints...»
After singing the troparions and kontakions, the protodeacon kisses the throne and, holding the orarion with three fingers, says in a low voice: “ Bless, Most Reverend Master, the time of the Trisagion”; Having kissed the blessing hand of the bishop, he goes out onto the sole and against the image of the Savior says: “ Let's pray to the Lord" Singers: " Lord have mercy" The bishop utters his first exclamation: “ For art thou holy, our God... now and ever" The protodeacon, standing at the royal doors, turning his face to the people, finishes the exclamation: “ And forever and ever", pointing the orar from the left hand to the right, at the level of his forehead. The singers sing: “ Amen" and then: " Holy God..." The protodeacon, entering the altar, takes the dikiri and gives it to the bishop; in the altar everyone sings: “ Holy God..." The bishop creates a cross over the Gospel with dikiri.
The second priest, taking the altar Cross by the upper and lower ends and turning the front side, on which the sacred images are located, towards the throne, gives it to the bishop, kissing the bishop’s hand.
In front of the pulpit, opposite the royal doors, stand the candle-bearer and the pole-bearer.
The bishop, holding the Cross in his left hand, and the dikirius in his right, while the singers chanted the recitative: “ Holy God..." goes to the pulpit and says: “ Look down from heaven, O God, and see, and visit these vines, and establish them, and Thy right hand plant them.”
After saying this prayer, when the bishop blesses the west, the performers sing: “ Holy God" South - " Holy Mighty", on North - " Holy Immortal, have mercy on us."
The bishop enters the altar. The singers on the choir sing: “ Holy God..." The cleric and the acolyte take their places. The bishop, having given the Cross (the Cross is accepted by the second priest and places it on the throne) and, having kissed the throne, goes to the high place.
When the bishop departs for the high place, all concelebrants venerate the throne in the usual manner and, then departing for the high place, stand behind the throne according to their rank.
The bishop, walking around the throne on the right side and blessing the high place with the dikiri, gives the dikiri to the subdeacon, who places it in its place. The protodeacon, standing at the high place to the left of the throne, reads the troparion: “ The Trinity appeared in the Jordan, because the Divine nature itself, the Father, exclaimed: This baptized Son is My Beloved; The Spirit came to the like, whom people will bless and extol forever.” and gives the trikirium to the bishop, who overshadows the trikirium from the high place straight, to the left and to the right, while all the concelebrants sing: “ Holy God..." After this, the singers finish the Trisagion, starting with: “ Glory, even now."
Reading the Apostle and the Gospel
The protodeacon, having accepted the trikiria from the bishop, passes it to the subdeacon, and he puts it in its place. The first deacon approaches the bishop with the Apostle, placing his orarion on top, receives a blessing, kisses the bishop’s hand and walks along the left side of the throne through the royal doors to the pulpit for reading the Apostle. At this time, the protodeacon brings the bishop an open censer with burning coals, and one of the subdeacons (on the right side of the bishop) brings a vessel with incense.
Protodeacon: " Bless, Your Eminence Vladyka, the censer", the bishop, putting incense into the censer with a spoon, says the prayer: " We bring you the censer..."
Protodeacon: " Let's see!"Bishop: " Peace to all". Protodeacon: " Wisdom". The reader of the Apostle pronounces the prokeimenon and so on, according to custom. According to the exclamation of the bishop: “ Peace to all" the subdeacons remove the omophorion from the bishop and place it on the hand of the second deacon (or subdeacon), who, having kissed the blessing hand of the bishop, moves away and stands on the right side of the throne. The first deacon reads the Apostle. The protodeacon censes, according to custom. (Some people observe the custom of burning incense on alleluia.)
At the beginning of the reading of the Apostle, the bishop sits on the seat of the high place and, at his sign, the priests sit on the seats prepared for them. When the protodeacon censes the bishop for the first time, the bishop and priests stand up and respond to the censing: the bishop with a blessing, the priests with a bow. During the second censing, neither the bishop nor the priests stand up.
At the end of the reading of the Apostle, everyone stands up. The sextons, taking the ripids, the subdeacons - dikiriy and trikyriy, go to the pulpit, where they stand on the right and left sides of the lectern prepared for reading the Gospel. Alleluiaries are sung according to custom. The bishop and all the priests secretly read the prayer: “ Shine in our hearts..." The leading priest and protodeacon bow to the bishop and, having received the blessing, go to the throne. The leader takes the Gospel and gives it to the protodeacon. The protodeacon, having kissed the throne and accepted the Gospel, brings it to the bishop, who kisses the Gospel, and he kisses the bishop’s hand, and goes through the royal doors to the lectern, preceded by a deacon with an omophorion. When the deacon with the omophorion (walking around the lectern) reaches the reader of the Apostle, he goes to the altar (if the deacon - through the royal doors) and stands at left side throne, and the deacon with the omophorion - to their original place. On both sides of the protodeacon stand subdeacons with trikyriy and dikyriy and ripids, raising the ripids above the Gospel. The archdeacon, placing the holy Gospel on the lectern and covering it with an orarion, bows his head over the Gospel and proclaims: “ Bless, Your Eminence Vladyka, the evangelist...”
Bishop : “God, with prayers...” Protodeacon says : "Amen"; and, placing the orarion on the lectern under the book, he opens the Gospel. Second Deacon : “Wisdom, forgive me...” Bishop : "Peace to all". Singers : “And to your spirit.” Protodeacon: " Reading from (name of rivers) the Holy Gospel.” Singers First Deacon: " Let's remember." The protodeacon reads the Gospel clearly.
When the reading of the Gospel begins, both deacons kiss the altar, go to the bishop for blessing, kiss his hand and place the Apostle and the omophorion in their places. The priests listen to the Gospel with their heads uncovered, the bishop wearing a mitre.
After reading the Gospel the choir sings : “Glory to Thee, Lord, glory to Thee.” The lectern is removed and the ripids are taken to the altar. The bishop descends from the high place, passes through the royal doors to the pulpit, kisses the Gospel held by the protodeacon, and overshadows the people with dikiri and trikiri while singing in the choir : “Is polla...” The protodeacon gives the Gospel to the first priest, and he places it on the high place of the throne.
The subdeacons pray to the east (one bow), bow to the bishop, and place the dikiri and trikiri in their places. The priests take their places.
Litany
The special litany is pronounced by the protodeacon or first deacon. When the petition is said : “Have mercy on us, O God...” all those present at the altar (deacons, subdeacons, sextons) stand behind the throne, pray to the east and bow to the bishop. After the petition: “...and about our Most Reverend Lord...” those standing behind the throne sing (together with the priests) three times: “ Lord have mercy", They pray to the east, bow to the bishop and retreat to their places. At the same time, two senior priests help the bishop reveal the antimension with three sides. The deacon continues the litany. The bishop makes an exclamation : “How merciful...”(Usually the bishop himself distributes shouts to the serving priests).
The deacon, having bowed to the bishop, proceeds through the northern doors to the sole and pronounces the litany about the catechumens. When asking : “The Gospel of righteousness will be revealed to them” the third and fourth priests open top part antimins, pray to the east (one bow) and bow to the bishop. During the cry of the first priest : “Yes, and they are glorified with us...” the bishop creates a cross with a sponge over the antimension, kisses it and places it on top right side antiminsa.
The protodeacon and first deacon stand at the royal doors; Protodeacon says: “ Elitsy of the announcement, come out"; second deacon : “The announcement, come out,” first deacon: " Elitsy of the announcement, come out.” The second deacon continues the litany alone : “Yes, no one from the catechumens, elitsa vernia...” And so on.
The bishop and priests read secretly prescribed prayers.
The first deacon takes the censer and, having asked for a blessing from the bishop, censes the throne, the altar, the high place, the altar, the bishop three times three times, all concelebrants, the throne in front, the bishop three times, gives the censer to the sexton, both pray to the east, bow to the bishop and leave . At this time, the second deacon says the litany : “Packs and packs...” Exclamation : “As if under Your power...”- says the bishop.
Great Entrance
Having finished the litany, the deacon goes to the altar, prays to the east and bows to the bishop. [Optional rite: one of the junior priests on the left row goes to the altar, removes the air from the vessel and places it on the right corner of the altar; removes the cover and star from the paten and puts it aside; before the paten he places the prosphora on a plate and a small copy]
The subdeacons with a vessel and water and a lahan and a sexton with a towel on their shoulders go to the royal doors to wash the hands of the bishop.
Bishop reading a prayer : “No one is worthy...”(during this prayer, the priests take off their miters, kamilavkas, skufiyas; the bishop is in a miter), goes to the royal doors, says a prayer over the water, blesses the water and washes his hands. After washing, the subdeacons and the sexton kiss the hand of the bishop and, together with the priest and the assistant, go to the altar. The bishop stands in front of the throne, the protodeacon and deacon place a small omophorion on him, the bishop prays (bows three times) and reads three times with raised hands : “Like the Cherubim...” The archdeacon removes the miter from the bishop and places it on a dish on top of the large omophorion lying on it. The bishop, having kissed the antimension and the throne and blessed the concelebrants, goes to the altar; the first deacon hands him the censer. The bishop censes the altar, gives the censer to the deacon and places air on his left shoulder.
The deacon departs from the bishop, censes the royal doors, local icons, choirs and people.
After the bishop, the priests approach the throne in pairs from the front, make two bows, kiss the antimension and the throne, make another bow, then bow to each other with the words : “May the Lord remember your archpriesthood (or: priesthood) in His Kingdom...” and go to the altar. The bishop at this time performs commemoration at the prosphora at the altar. Priests by seniority, protodeacon, deacons, subdeacons approach the bishop from the right side, saying : “Remember me, Most Reverend Master, priest, deacon, subdeacon (name of the rivers)”, and kiss him on the right shoulder; the deacon who performed the incense does the same. Having mentioned his health, the bishop takes the funeral prosphora and commemorates the deceased.
At the end of the bishop's proskomedia, the subdeacons remove the omophorion from the bishop. (Extra rituals: one of the priests gives the bishop a star, which, scented with incense, the bishop places on the paten, then the priest gives a cover with which the paten is covered.) The protodeacon, kneeling on his right knee, speaks : “Take it, Most Reverend Master.”
The bishop takes the paten with both hands, kisses it, gives the paten and his hand to the protodeacon to kiss and, placing the paten at the protodeacon’s forehead (the protodeacon accepts it with both hands), says : “In peace, raise your hands to the holy...” The protodeacon leaves. The first priest approaches the bishop, accepting the holy chalice from the bishop, kisses it and the bishop’s hand, saying : “May the Lord remember your bishopric in His Kingdom always, now and ever, and forever and ever.” The second priest approaches, holding the Cross (upper end to the right) in an inclined position with both hands and saying: “ May your bishops remember..." kisses the hand of the bishop, who places it on the handle of the Cross, and kisses the Cross. The rest of the priests, saying the same words and kissing the hand of the bishop, accept from him the sacred objects of the altar - a spoon, a copy, etc.
The great entrance is made. Ahead through the northern doors are a deacon with a miter and a homophone on a platter, a candle bearer, an assistant, a deacon with a censer, subdeacons with a dikiriy and trikyriy, sextons with ripids (usually one in front of the paten, the other behind the chalice). Protodeacon and priests by seniority.
The candle-bearer and the acolyte stand in front of the salt. The deacon with the miter goes to the altar and stops at the left corner of the throne. The riparians and subdeacons stand on the sides of the eagle, laid out on the salt, the protodeacon - in front of the eagle, kneeling on one knee, the deacon with a censer - at the royal gates on the right hand of the bishop, the priests - in two rows, facing north and south, the elders - to the royal gates.
The bishop goes to the royal doors, takes the censer from the deacon and censes the Gifts. The archdeacon speaks quietly : “Your bishopric...” the bishop takes the paten, performs the commemoration according to the rite, and takes the paten to the throne. The leading priest stands in front of the eagle and quietly speaks to the bishop walking from the altar : “Your bishopric...” The bishop censes the cup and takes it. The first deacon, having received the censer from the bishop, moves to the right side of the throne; the leading priest, having kissed the bishop's hand, takes his place. The bishop performs the commemoration according to the rite and takes the cup to the throne; Behind the bishop, the priests enter the altar. Reading the prescribed troparia, the bishop, having removed the veils, covers the paten and chalice with air, then puts on the miter and, after censing the Gifts, says : “Brothers and fellow servants, pray for me.” They answer him : “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” Protodeacon and concelebrants : “Pray for us, Holy Master.” Bishop : “May the Lord correct your feet.” Protodeacon and others : “Remember us, Holy Master.” Bishop blessing the protodeacon and deacons Protodeacon : "Amen."
After the blessing, the first deacon, standing at the eastern right corner of the throne, censes the bishop three times, gives the censer to the sexton, both pray to the east, bow to the bishop, and the deacon leaves the altar and pronounces the litany. The bishop on the sole blesses the people with dikiriy and trikyriy. The singers sing : “Is polla...”Royal Doors at the great entrance during the bishop's service they are not closed. The acolyte and the candle-bearer take their places at the royal gates.
The first deacon pronounces the litany : “Let us fulfill our prayer to the Lord.” During the litany, the bishops and priests read a prayer secretly : “Lord God, Almighty...” Exclamation : “By the bounty of Your only begotten Son...” After the litany, when the deacon speaks : "Let us love each other" everyone bows three times while speaking secretly : “I will love You, O Lord, my Fortress, the Lord is my strength and my refuge.” The archdeacon removes the miter from the bishop; the bishop kisses the paten, saying : "Holy God" cup : "Holy Mighty"and the throne : “Holy Immortal, have mercy on us,” stands near the throne on the right side on the eagle. All priests also kiss the paten, chalice and altar and approach the bishop. To his greeting : “Christ is in our midst” they answer : “And there is, and there will be” and kiss the bishop’s right shoulder, left shoulder and hand and, kissing each other in the same way (sometimes, with large quantities concelebrants kiss each other's hand only), take their places near the throne. Word : “Christ is in our midst” the eldest always speaks.
After the deacon calls : “Doors, doors, let us smell wisdom” and the singing will begin : “I believe...” – the priests take the air by the edges and blow it over the Gifts and over the bowed head of the bishop, reading with him to themselves : “I believe...” After reading the Creed, the bishop kisses the cross in the air, the priest places the air on the left side of the throne, and the protodeacon places the miter on the bishop.
Consecration of the Gifts
The deacon exclaims on the solea : “Let’s become kind...” and enters the altar. The subdeacons pray to the east (one bow), bow to the bishop, take the trikiri and dikiri and give them to the bishop, kissing his hand. The singers sing : "The mercy of the world..." The bishop comes out to the pulpit with trikiriy and dikiriy and, turning his face to the people, proclaims: “ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ..."
Singers : “And with your spirit.” Bishop (overshadowing the southern side ): “We have sorrow in our hearts.”
Singers : “Imams to the Lord" Bishop (overshadowing the northern side ): “We thank the Lord.” Singers : “Dignified and righteous...” The bishop returns to the altar, the subdeacons accept the trikiri and dikiri from him and put them in place. The bishop, having bowed before the throne, reads a prayer together with the priests : “It is worthy and righteous to sing to You...”
The first deacon, having kissed the throne and bowed to the bishop, takes the star with three fingers with an orar and, when proclaimed by the bishop : “Singing a song of victory, crying, crying and speaking” she touches the paten from above with four sides, crosswise, kisses the star, folds it, places it on the left side of the throne above the Cross and, together with the protodeacon, having kissed the throne, bows to the bishop.
The choir sings : “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts...”: “With these blessed powers we too...” At the end of the prayer, the protodeacon removes the miter from the bishop, and the subdeacons put a small omophorion on the bishop.
The protodeacon, with his right hand and orarion, points to the paten, when the bishop, also pointing with his hand to the paten, says : “Take, eat...” and on the chalice, when the bishop proclaims : “Drink everything from her...” When proclaiming : “Yours from Yours...” The protodeacon takes the paten with the orarion with his right hand, and with his left hand, below the right, the Chalice and lifts them up above the antimension. The singers sing : “I’ll eat for you...” the bishop and priests read the prescribed secret prayers.
The bishop prays in a low voice with raised hands : “Lord, Who is Your Most Holy Spirit...”(priests - secretly), three times, each time with a bow. The protodeacon, and with him secretly all the deacons recite poetry : “The heart is pure...”(after reading : “Lord, like the Most Holy...” for the first time) and " Don't reject me..."(after the second reading: " Lord, like the Most Holy...»)
After the third reading by the bishop: “ Lord, Who is Your Most Holy Spirit..." Protodeacon, pointing his oracle at the paten, says: “ Bless, Master, the Holy Bread.” The bishop speaks quietly (priests speak secretly ): “And create this Bread...” and blesses the bread (only the Lamb) with his right hand. Protodeacon : "Amen"; pointing to the Chalice, says : “Bless, Master, the Holy Chalice.” The bishop speaks quietly : “And the hedgehog in this Chalice...”(priests - secretly) and blesses the Chalice. Protodeacon: " Amen"; pointing to the paten and the Chalice says : “Bless, Master, the wallpaper.” The bishop (priests - secretly) speaks : “Transformed by Your Holy Spirit” and blesses the paten and chalice together. Protodeacon : "Amen" three times. Everyone in the altar bows to the ground. The subdeacons remove the omophorion from the bishop.
Then the protodeacon, turning to the bishop, says : “Remember us, Holy Master”; all the deacons approach the bishop and bow their heads, holding the orari with the three fingers of their right hand. The bishop blesses them with both hands, saying : “May the Lord God remember you...” The protodeacon and all deacons answer : "Amen" and leave.
The bishop and priests read a prayer : “It’s like being a communicant...” At the end of prayer and singing in the choir : “I’ll eat for you...” the protodeacon places the miter on the bishop, the deacon hands the censer, and the bishop, censing, exclaims : “A lot about the Most Holy...” Then the bishop gives the censer to the deacon, who censes the throne, the high place, the bishop three times three times, the priests and again the throne from the bishop, bows to the bishop and leaves. The bishop and the priest read a prayer : “About Saint John the Prophet...” The singers sing : “It’s worthy to eat...” or worthy of the day.
At the end of singing : “It’s worthy to eat...” the protodeacon kisses the throne, the hand of the bishop, stands facing west in the royal doors and, pointing his right hand with the orar, proclaims : “And everyone and everything.” Singers : “And everyone and everything».
Bishop : “First remember, O Lord, our Master...”
High Priest : “Remember, Lord, and our Most Reverend Lord (name of rivers), metropolitan (archbishop, bishop; his diocese), grant him to Your Holy Church in peace, whole, honest, healthy, long-lived, the right ruling word of Your truth.” and approaches the bishop, kisses his hand, miter and hand again. The bishop, blessing him, says : “The priesthood (archpriest, etc.) is yours...”
The protodeacon, standing at the royal doors and turning his face to the people, speaks loudly : “Our Lord, His Eminence (name of rivers), Metropolitan(archbishop, bishop; his own diocese; or: Right Reverends by name and title, if several bishops are performing the liturgy), bringing (or: bringing)(turns and enters the altar) These Holy Gifts(points to the paten and the chalice) Lord our God(approaches the high place, crosses himself, bows and, having bowed to the bishop, goes and stands at the royal doors); about the Right Reverend archbishops and bishops and all the priesthood and clergy, about this country and its authorities, about the peace of the whole world, about the welfare of the Saints Churches of God, about salvation and help with diligence and the fear of God of those who work and serve, about healing those who lie in weakness, about dormition, weakness, blessed memory and forgiveness of sins of all the Orthodox who have previously fallen asleep, about the salvation of those who are coming and who are in everyone’s thoughts and about everyone and for all",(goes to a high place, crosses himself, makes one bow, then goes to the bishop, kisses his hand, saying : “Is these despots gone?” the bishop blesses him).
Singers : “And about everyone and for everything.”
After the bishop's exclamation : “And give us one mouth...” the second deacon comes to the pulpit through the northern doors and after the bishop has blessed the people from the solea during the proclamation : “And let there be mercy...” says the litany : “Having remembered all the saints...”
After the litany, the miter is removed from the bishop and he proclaims : “And grant us, Master...” The people are singing : "Our Father..." Bishop : “For Thine is the kingdom...” Singers : "Amen." The bishop blesses the people with his hands, saying : "Peace to all". The bishop is wearing a small omophorion.
Singers : “And to your spirit.” Deacon (in Soleev): “ Bow your heads to the Lord.”
Singers : “To you, Lord" The bishop and priests, bowing their heads, secretly read a prayer : “We thank you...” The deacons gird themselves with orarions in a cross shape. The bishop makes an exclamation : “Grace and bounties...”
Face : "Amen." The bishop and priests secretly read the prayer: “ Look, Lord Jesus Christ our God..."
The royal doors are closed and the curtain is drawn. The deacon on the pulpit proclaims : “Let’s get out there!” and enters the altar. The candle-bearer places a candle opposite the royal doors and also enters the altar with a staff.
The bishop, having made three bows with his concelebrants, proclaims : "Holy of Holies." The singers sing : “One is Holy...”
Communion
Protodeacon (standing to the right of the bishop ): “Shatter, Master, Holy Lamb.”
Bishop : “The Lamb of God is fragmented and divided...”
Protodeacon pointing the orar at the chalice : “Fulfill, O Master, the holy chalice.” The bishop lowers the “Jesus” part into the chalice, saying : “Filling of the Holy Spirit.” Protodeacon answers : "Amen" and, offering warmth, says : “Bless, Master, the warmth.” The bishop blesses the warmth, saying : “Blessed is the warmth of Thy Saints...”
Protodeacon : "Amen"; pouring warmth into the chalice in a cross shape, he says : “Warmth of faith, fill with the Holy Spirit, amen.”
The bishop splits up the “Christ” part according to the number of clergy receiving communion. The protodeacon and deacons stand at this time between the high place and the throne, kissing each other on the right shoulder; there is a custom that the elder pronounces : "Christ is in our midst" and the younger ones answer : “And there is and there will be.” The bishop, addressing everyone, says : “Excuse me...” The concelebrants, bowing to the bishop, answer : “Forgive us, Your Eminence, and Bless us.” The bishop blessed and bowed before the throne with the words: “ Behold, I’m coming..." takes a piece of the Holy Body of the Lord, reads it together with the clergy : “I believe, Lord, and I confess...” and partakes of the Holy Body, and then the Blood of the Lord.
When a bishop receives communion from the chalice, the protodeacon usually says : “Amen, amen, amen. Is these despots polla" and then, turning to the priests and deacons, he proclaims: “ Archimandriti, archpriest... priest and deacon, come." Everyone approaches the bishop from the north side of the throne with the words : “Behold, I come to the Immortal King and our God...” and they partake of the Holy Body and Blood of the Lord according to custom.
The priests, when they receive the Body of the Lord, move near the throne through the high place to the right side, where above the throne they partake of the Holy Body. Deacons usually receive communion on the left side of the altar. The Holy Blood of the Lord is administered to priests by the bishop on the right side of the throne, and to deacons - usually by the first of the priests.
One of the priests crushes parts HI and KA and lowers them into the chalice for communion of the laity.
The bishop stands in the altar on the right side of the throne and reads the prayer: “ We thank You, Master..." accepts the prosphora, tastes the antidor and warmth, washes his lips and hands and reads thanksgiving prayers. The one serving the heat must place the ladle on a platter so that it is convenient for the bishop to take it, namely: he places the prosphora to the right (away from himself) and places the antidoron on top of the prosphora, and places the ladle to the left, and the handle of the ladle should also be turned to the left.
At the end of the singing in the choir, the cleric and the assistant take their places, the subdeacons with the dikiri and trikiri go to the pulpit. The Royal Doors open, and the bishop, putting on a miter, gives the chalice to the protodeacon, who, having kissed the bishop’s hand, stands in the Royal Doors and proclaims : “Draw near with the fear of God and faith.” Singers : “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord...”
If there are communicants, then the bishop, taking the chalice, gives them communion on the pulpit while singing : “Receive the Body of Christ...”
After communion, the bishop places the holy chalice on the throne, goes out to the solea, receives the trikiri and dikiri from the subdeacons and blesses the people with the words: “ Save, O God, Thy people...” Singers : “Is polla...”, “I see the true light...” At this time, one of the clergy lowers particles from the paten into the chalice, reading secret prayers.
The bishop, standing at the throne, takes the censer from the deacon and censes the Holy Gifts, pronouncing quietly : “Ascend into heaven, O God, and throughout all the earth is Your glory,” gives the censer to the deacon, the paten to the protodeacon, who, preceded by the censing deacon, transfers the paten to the altar. The bishop takes the cup with the words : "Blessed are we"(quiet). The leading priest, kissing the hand of the bishop, accepts the cup from him with both hands, goes to the royal doors, where he proclaims, raising a small chalice : “Always, now and ever, and forever and ever...” and then goes to the altar: the deacon burns incense on the chalice. Singers : “Amen. May our lips be filled with..."
After placing the cup on the altar, the first priest censes the Holy Gifts, and a candle is lit in front of the Holy Gifts.
End of the Liturgy
The protodeacon, having prayed to the east and bowed to the bishop, comes out of the altar by the northern door and says the litany : “Sorry, please accept...”(if there is a protege deacon, then he pronounces the litany). During the litany, the bishop and the priests fold the antimis, the first priest gives the bishop the Gospel, which, when uttering an exclamation, : “For You are our sanctification...” the bishop marks the antimis, and then, having kissed the Gospel, places it on the antimis.
Singers : "Amen." Bishop: " Let's go in peace" Singers: " About the name of the Lord».
The junior priest (if there is one, then a protege) kisses the throne and, having bowed for the blessing of the bishop, leaves through the royal doors and stands in the middle, below the pulpit.
Protodeacon (or deacon-protege ): “Let us pray to the Lord" Singers: " Lord have mercy".
The priest reads the prayer behind the pulpit : “Bless the Lord who bless You...” During prayer, the protodeacon or deacon-protege stands in front of the icon of the Savior, raising his right hand with an orar.
The deacon, having prayed to the east, stands on the left side of the throne, folds his hands crosswise on the edge of the throne and places his head on them. The bishop blesses his head and reads a prayer over him : “The fulfillment of the law and the prophets...” The deacon crosses himself, kisses the throne and, having bowed to the bishop, goes to the altar to consume the Holy Gifts.
At the end of the prayer behind the pulpit, the protodeacon enters the altar through the southern door to the high place, crosses himself and bows; the priest, having read the prayer behind the pulpit, goes through the royal doors to the altar, kisses the throne, takes his place and, together with the protodeacon, bows to the bishop.
Singers: " Be the name of the Lord..." The bishop delivers a sermon.
The bishop, blessing the people at the royal doors with both hands, says: “ The blessing of the Lord is upon you..."
Singers : "Glory, even now." "Lord have mercy"(three times). " Master, bless."
The bishop, facing the people, pronounces the dismissal, holding the trikirium and dikirium in his hands, and, having crossed them over the worshipers, enters the altar, kisses the throne and removes the sacred clothes (in front of the throne or to the right of it).
Singers : “Is polla...” and perennial : "Great Master...»
The priests, having kissed the throne and bowed to the bishop, also remove their sacred clothes.
The subdeacons, having placed the trikiri and dikiri in their places, remove from the bishop sacred robes and put them on the dish. The archdeacon reads the prescribed prayers (“ Now you are letting go..." troparia, etc., small vacation). The bishop puts on a cassock, puts on a panagia, puts on a mantle and hood, and accepts a rosary. After the small dismissal, the bishop blesses with a general blessing all those present at the altar and goes out to the royal doors to the soleya. The assistant gives him the staff, the bishop prays, turning to the icons of the Savior and the Mother of God. The singers sing : “Tone despotin...” The bishop blesses the people with a general blessing from the pulpit, then from the pulpit or pulpit blesses each of the people individually.
After the blessing, the bishop goes to the western doors, stands on the eagle, gives the staff to the co-worker, and the subdeacons take off his mantle.
About the ringing
The ringing of the big bell for the liturgy begins at allotted time. When the bishop approaches the church, there is a ringing “at full blast” (trezvon): when the bishop enters the temple, the ringing “at full blast” stops and continues with one bell until the bishop begins to vest.
At the beginning of the 6th hour there is a full ringing; if there is an ordination to the surplice or to the subdeacon, the ringing begins after the bishop reads the prayers.
While singing: " I believe..." – to one bell : “Worthy...” – 12 strokes.
During the communion of the laity, the prayer bell rings.
When the bishop leaves the church, there is a loud ringing.
About the Eaglets
The eagle is placed under the feet of the bishop so that the eagle's head is turned in the direction in which the bishop will face. In the altar, the Orlets lay subdeacons, on the soleum and in other places of the temple - a cobbler.
Before the bishop arrives at the temple, the assistant places the orlets on the sole in front of the royal doors, in front of the icons of the Savior and the Mother of God, temple or holiday, in front of the pulpit and at the entrance to the temple from the vestibule, where the bishop will meet. When, after the meeting, the bishop goes to the pulpit, the poshonik takes the eagle at the entrance and places it on the place of the clouds; when the bishop ascends to the solea, the pole takes the eagle from the place where the bishop stood and lays it on the edge of the pulpit with his head to the west. The orlets are removed from the solea and pulpit by the canon bearer when the bishop leaves for the vestment place (cathedra). In front of the small entrance, the subdeacons place eaglets in the altar around the throne and half the distance between the altar and the throne. During the small entrance, a poshonik places an eagle on the edge of the pulpit (with the eagle’s head to the west), another - in the middle between the royal doors and the pulpit (to the east) and removes them after the bishop’s prayer : “Look down from heaven, O God...” After the bishop has placed the altar, the subdeacons remove the eaglets, leaving two or three eaglets in front of the altar and placing one on a high place. During the reading of the Gospel, the eagle is spread on the salt in front of the lectern. Before the singing of the Cherubic Song, the eaglets are placed in the royal doors in front of the altar and opposite the left front corner of the throne and when the pulpit is taken away, this eaglet is removed, and the eaglet is placed at the right front corner of the throne). When singing the Cherubic Song, the eagle in the royal doors moves a step or two to the west to receive the Holy Gifts and then to the overshadowing. At the words : “Let us love each other...” The eagle is placed at the right front corner of the throne and while the bishop is standing on this eagle, the eagle is removed in front of the throne. At the end of the singing : “I believe...” an eagle is placed at the end of the pulpit; to the proclamation : “And let there be mercies...” – at the royal doors; in singing : "Our Father..." - Also. (According to the exclamation: “ And let there be mercy..." an eagle is placed at the left front corner of the throne if there is an ordination to the deacon; after the protege has walked around the throne and taken away the pulpit, it is removed, and the eagle is placed at the right front corner of the throne.) Before the communion of the people, the eagle is placed where the bishop will give communion. Following the prayer behind the pulpit, the orlets are spread out in front of the royal doors (for the holiday of the liturgy and for the prayer of the bishop upon leaving the altar after taking off his clothes), on the edge of the pulpit - for a general blessing; on the western lower step of the pulpit (usually also on the edge of the pulpit) - for blessing people; at the exit from the temple - where the bishop will take off his robe.
Ordinations and Awards
The rite of initiation into a reader and singer
Reader and singer are the lowest degrees of the church clergy, which everyone preparing to take holy orders must go through as preparatory ones. Ordination (consecration) as a reader, singer, and subdeacon is not a sacrament, but only a solemn rite of selecting the most worthy in piety from among the laity to serve in church services.
The dedication takes place in the middle of the church before the start of the liturgy. After the bishop's vestments, before the reading of the hours, the subdeacons bring the chosen reader and singer to the middle of the church. He bows three times to the altar, and then, turning, three times to the bishop. Approaching the bishop, he bows his head, which he overshadows sign of the cross and, laying hands on the dedicatee, reads two prayers. Since the reader and the singer simultaneously fulfill the position of a priest, in the first prayer the bishop asks God: “Thy servant, present the priest with Your Holy Sacrament, adorning him with Your undefiled and immaculate clothes.” Then they sing troparia to the apostles: “Holy apostles, pray to the merciful God, that he may grant remission of sins to our souls,” then to the saints, compilers of liturgies - to St. John Chrysostom: “Thy lips are like the light of fire, shining forth grace...” to the saint: “ Thy message went forth into all the earth...”, St. Gregory the Dvoeslov: “The pastoral flute of your theology of the rhetoricians conquer the trumpets...”, on “Glory, and now” the troparion is sung: “Through the prayers, O Lord, of all the saints and of the Mother of God, grant us Your peace and have mercy on us, for He alone is generous.”
If the initiation into a reader and singer is not performed at the liturgy, then before these troparions the bishop pronounces the exclamation: “Blessed are we,” then the following is sung: “To the Heavenly King,” the Trisagion, “ Holy Trinity", "Our Father", and then the indicated troparia.
After the end of the troparions, the bishop tonsures the priest’s hair in a cross shape, saying at the first tonsure: “In the name of the Father,” “Amen,” answers the protodeacon, reader or singer. At the second tonsure: “And the Son,” “Amen,” they say the same. At the third tonsure: “And the Holy Spirit,” “Amen,” they answer him. And he completes the tonsure with the words: “Always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen".
As a sign of dedication to God, the reader or singer dresses in a short phelonion. Then the bishop again blesses his head three times, laying his hand on it, reads a second prayer for him as a reader and singer: “And grant him, with all the wisdom and understanding of Your divine words, teaching and reading, keeping him in immaculate living.”
The exclamations of the prayer of the catechumens are pronounced by the concelebrants, also in order of seniority. Exclamation: " By the gift of Christ..." says the Bishop. Then the Bishop comes (after reading three times: “Now are the powers of heaven”) and bowed three times to St. proposal, says: “ God cleanse me, a sinner,” gives the miter, and gives the censer to the protodeacon. The protodeacon performs throwing. Then the Bishop, taking the air with both hands, places it on the frame. When the protodeacon leaves, the first archimadrite or other primate of the priests approaches the Bishop and bows to him. The bishop, taking the paten with both hands and kissing it, places it on the head of the archimandrite, without saying anything. And the Archimandrite kisses the hand of the Bishop, supported by the deacons. Then another archimandrite, or hegumen, or protopresbyter, or priest comes and, having bowed, receives St. Chalice, kisses him and then the hand of the Bishop. Others carry a cross, a spoon, a spear, a lip, etc., from sacred vessels and kiss the hand of the Bishop. The archimandrite exits by the northern door, followed by two deacons carrying ripids higher above St. paten and blowing them. Then follows another archimandrite with St. rubbing, without rapidity. The other deacons come out with a miter and omophorion. The protodeacon comes out behind the deacons with censers. Outside, in front of the northern door, two candlesticks await, which are carried in front. Also coming out: a staff-bearer with a pastoral staff and a primikirium (light-bearer) with a lit lamp in front of everyone walking. The archdeacon and archimandrites say nothing as they march. And the reader comes out... (And the reader comes out carrying a staff, and the priest comes out with a lamp in front of the royal doors, and the Bishop is worshiped: and they stand on both sides of the royal doors. The deacons also come carrying a miter and the Bishop kisses it, and enter the altar by the left door. The other deacons are with the omophorion, and the Bishop kisses the omophorion and enters the altar through the right door). The Protodeacon, turning to the Bishop, censes the Bishop. The bishop stands in front of the royal gates and, taking the censer, censes St. The Mysteries three times, with fear and reverence, and having bowed, he accepts the paten from the head of the archimandrite and kisses it, and shows it to the people, without saying anything. Then, entering the altar, silently, he places him on the throne. The second priest with the Chalice enters the altar, also without saying anything. And the Bishop places him on the throne according to custom. The other clergy enter the altar without saying anything. The bishop, from the same place where he stands, blesses them with his hand, and takes the coverings from the paten and from the Chalice, and places them on the edge of the throne according to custom. He takes air from the shoulder of the protodeacon, puts it on the censer and silently covers the paten and the Chalice with fragrance: and having taken the censer, only the Holy One censes, immediately gives the censer, without censing anyone else. Then he proclaims the prayer of St. with bows. When the Bishop puts on the miter, the overshadowing takes place, according to custom.
The deacon, leaving the altar, and standing in his usual place, proclaims the litany: “ Let's perform evening prayer." and others... The bishop prays: “ Other unspeakable..."After prayer the deacon says: " Intercede, save, have mercy”, “This evening is perfect, holy” and others. According to the litany, the Bishop proclaims: “ And vouchsafe us, Master.” People: " Our Father"(etc. - see Arch. Theologian). The bishop, placing his hand on the covered Divine Gifts, touches the Life-giving bread with reverence and fear. The deacon girded himself with the orarium in the form of a cross and, bowing his head, said: “ Let's remember"(the royal doors close). The bishop proclaims: “ Presanctified Holy Place of Saints." Singers: " One is Holy." The bishop removes St. air. Then the deacon enters St. altar. The protodeacon stands next to the Bishop and says: “ Shatter the Lord St. Lamb". The bishop, with great attention, splits the Lamb into four parts, saying: “ Fragments..." And puts a particle into the Chalice, without saying anything. And the protodeacon pours warmth into the Chalice without saying anything. Then the Bishop performs forgiveness with his fellow servants. Taking one particle of the Holy Mysteries in his right hand, and bowing his head, he prays according to custom: “ I believe, Lord..." Also: " Your secret supper...», “Don’t go to court...” Then he approaches St. paten and partakes of the Holy Body and Blood of the Lord with tenderness and reverence, saying: “ Honest and All-Holy and Most Pure Body and Blood of the Lord..."Then, taking his lip, he wipes his hand, saying: "Glory to You God"(three times). And after kissing the lip, he puts it back in place. Taking St. The chalice with both hands, with a cover, drinks from it without saying anything. Then he wipes his lips and St. The chalice is covered with the cover that he holds in his hands and places it on the saint. meal. Then the Bishop puts on the miter. The archdeacon calls on one of the archimandrites, saying: “ Get started." And then one archimandrite approaches from the left side of the Bishop, bowing his head and folding his palms in a cross shape ( right palm above) and says: “ Behold, I come to the Immortal King and our God, and teach me the Most Reverend Master, the Honest, and All-Holy, and Most Pure Body and Blood of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ.” The bishop, taking with his right hand, with three fingers, a particle of the Venerable Body and Blood of Christ, places it in the hands of the arriving archimandrite or priest, saying: “ It is taught to you... The Honest and Most Pure and Immortal Body and Blood of the Lord...» The archmadrite must give communion to the deacons and teach them the Precious Body and Blood of Christ. From St. The Bishop himself gives the Chalice to the archimandrites, abbots, protopresbyters and priests, without saying anything. The Archimandrite serves as a deacon from the Chalice, to whom the Bishop commands without saying anything. After communion, the Bishop, having accepted the anaphora, washes his hands and lips, stands near the saint. throne and says a prayer of thanksgiving: “ We thank you Savior...“The deacon (who will be instructed to consume the Holy Gifts) does not drink from the Chalice at this moment, but after the prayer behind the pulpit, and after consuming the remaining particles of the Holy Mysteries. The protodeacon took St. paten, raises it above St. With a chalice, and wipes it with his lip with great attention, putting the Holy Mysteries inside the Holy. Having rubbed and kissed St. paten, placed near St. Chalice. Then he took the cover and covers St. Chalice. On St. The paten places the star and the coverings and the air, without saying anything, and worships three times. And the royal gates open. And taking the Bishop of St. The chalice, and after kissing it, gives it to the protodeacon. The Protodeacon, having received it with both hands, kisses the hand of the Bishop and leaves through the royal doors, lifting up St. Chalice and says: “ With the fear of God..." The singers sing: " I bless the Lord..."Then the Bishop comes out of the royal gates and blesses the people with trikiri and dikiri. He says loudly: “ God save your people..." Singers: " Is polla these despots" slowly and sweetly. And he turns again to the Holy Table, overshadows the concelebrants, and gives the trikiri and dikiri. Then he takes the Holy Chalice from the hands of the protodeacon and places it on the Holy Meal, having accepted the censer, only the Saint censes (three times) and immediately gives the censer, censing no one. Then the Bishop receives St. paten and places it on the head of the protodeacon. The protodeacon, accepting it with both hands, moves back into the sentence, without saying anything, and puts it there. The bishop, having accepted the Holy Chalice and kissed it, gives it to the first archimandrite or abbot, saying quietly: “ Blessed be ours." The Archimandrite, accepting him with both hands and kissing him and the hand of the Bishop, turns to the royal doors, facing the people, and says in a loud voice: “ Always, now and ever, and forever and ever.” Goes to St. proposal, supported by two deacons, and puts it there. Singers: " Amen" "Let your lips be filled..." Then the protodeacon leaves through the northern doors, and stopping at the usual place, says: " Sorry, please accept..." The bishop, creating the cross with the Gospel over the antimension, proclaims: " For You are the sanctification..." Singers: " Amen". Bishop: " We will leave in peace." Singers: " About the name of the Lord." Protodeacon: " Let us pray to the Lord." Singers: "Lord have mercy". The priest comes out, stands in his usual place and says the prayer behind the pulpit: “ Lord Almighty...” The bishop says the final prayer: “ Lord our God..." And so on according to order, as written in the liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. Then the dismissal is pronounced: “ Our true Christ, through the prayers of His Most Pure Mother,” and others throughout the day, commemorating the saint of this day (name of the rivers). "... And others like it in St. our father Gregory the Dvoeslov, and all the saints, will have mercy and save us, for he is good and a lover of mankind.” This holiday is read before Holy Week: a special holiday is said during Holy Week.
Bishop's Divine Service 1
Bishop's Divine Service
The instructions of the Charter on the bishop's practice of performing Divine services are contained in the Official of the Bishop's Ministry. additional literature:
Dmitrievsky A.A., prof. Henchman. Kyiv, 1904.
Rozanov Nikolai, prot. Guidance for Senders church services with the participation of the metropolitan, bishop, the entire cathedral and the procedure for initiation into the priestly-church-ministerial degrees with the application of the peculiarities that occur during the celebration of Divine services in the Moscow Cathedral of Christ the Savior and the Moscow Great Assumption Cathedral throughout the year, as well as the ceremony of their meetings Imperial Majesties, metropolitan and bishops. M., 1901.
Sokolov Fedor, deacon. Guidelines for those participating in the service with the bishop of the Liturgy and for those preparing for dedication, as well as in the event of the consecration of the temple, meeting the bishop while viewing churches and serving the Liturgy in his presence. Vladimir, 1884.
Preparation for bishop's service
When appointing the service of the Bishop in parish churches, the rector of the church and the regent must take care of preparing this service in advance.
Regent's responsibilities:
1. Find out in advance which bishop will perform the Divine Service, his rank and title regarding the singing of Many Years, blessings, etc.
2. Select from the choir or prepare separately “performers” - singers performing a trio at the bishop’s service. Ideally, these should be 3 young choristers who have the blessing to put on the surplice: two discounts and an alto. In the absence of such, the regent must elect three adult male choristers, preferably ordained as surplices, that is, ordained as a reader or from among the clergy. If there are no such opportunities in the temple, then a trio and women's voices, but without exits to the middle of the temple - from the choir. When selecting such voices, it is necessary to observe their correspondence in timbre coloring to children's voices.
3. Consider in advance the repertoire list of the Divine service and coordinate it with the Rector of the church, and, if necessary, with the serving Bishop.
4. When serving as a patriarch, acquire in advance the text of the Great Praise.
5. Immediately before the start of the Divine service, check with the protodeacon about the specifics of the Divine service: whether there will be censing at the Liturgy, whether a prayer service will be performed, etc.
The Bishop celebrates the All-Night Vigil
1. Before the start of the All-Night Vigil, the clergy goes to western part church to meet the bishop. When the bishop enters the temple, the Choir sings the troparion of the holiday (usually three times) or, if the bishop constantly performs Divine services, then the troparion of the temple. When singing the troparion, the bishop is dressed in a mantle, he kisses the Cross, which is held by the serving Priest, and goes to the middle of the temple, where he kisses the festive icon. Then he rises to the sole and blesses those praying: The choir sings: “I have polluted these despots.” Then the bishop enters the altar through the Royal Doors and the All-Night Vigil begins.
2. After the protodeacon’s exclamation: “Rise up!”, the choir sings: “(Highly) Most Reverend Bishop, bless!”
3. The bishop can perform litia and polyeleos, but from the point of view of singing there are no special features here.
4. After the dismissal of the All-Night Vigil, the Choir sings Many Years, and then “Is pollla...” small.
Bishop's Divine Service 2
Celebration of the Divine Liturgy by the Bishop
Bishops' meeting
Hours 3 and 6 (except for the prayer of the 6th hour) are usually read before the arrival of the bishop, although they can also be read in his presence.
After the exclamation of the 6th hour, immediately, without reading the prayer of the 6th hour, the Clergy and subdeacons proceed to the entrance to the temple to meet the Bishop.
Upon the arrival of the bishop:
Protodeacon: "Wisdom!" and begins to read simultaneously with the choir singing “Worthy to eat...”
Chorus: “Worthy to eat...”(input).
At this time, the Bishop is dressed in a mantle at the entrance to the temple, the serving Priest brings him the altar Cross: the Bishop venerates the Cross and then the clergy, including deacons, approach the Cross. The last to come is the serving Priest, who takes the Cross on a plate and takes it to the altar.
Note:According to the tradition that developed during the Synodal period, at the Patriarchal Divine Service, after the exclamation: “Wisdom!”, the Choir sings: “From the east of the sun to the west...” While singing this chant, the sacred rites described above are performed. And then immediately the Choir sings “It is worthy to eat...” (input).
Then the Bishop goes to the middle of the temple, where he venerates the holiday or temple icon.
Approaching the solea, he stops and the Protodeacon begins to read the entrance prayers. At this time, the choir continues to sing “It is worthy to eat...” While reading the entrance prayers, the Bishop rises to the solea and venerates the local icons of the Savior and the Mother of God. Then the protodeacon exclaims: "Let us pray to the Lord", and the Bishop, having removed his hood and standing in front of the Royal Doors, reads the prayer: “Lord, send down Your hand...” At the end of reading this prayer, the Bishop puts on the hood, and this is a sign for the Choir that it is necessary to finish singing “It is worthy to eat...”
After singing “It is worthy to eat...”, the Bishop, putting on a hood and taking the staff and staff, turns to face the people and blesses the approaching people on three sides.
Chorus: "Ton despotin, ke archierea imon, kyrie filate"(choral)
“Is these despots gone” (3).
After the blessing, the Bishop goes to the pulpit in the middle of the temple.
Chorus: "To Mount Zion..."(input).
At this time, the Bishop is stripped down to his cassock. If the Divine Service is Patriarchal, then after exposure, the Patriarchal paraman is put on the Holy One - this happens without any singing. Then:
Protodeacon: “Bless, Your Eminence Vladyka, the censer”
Bishop: “We offer the censer to You, O Christ our God...”
Deacon: “Let us pray to the Lord...”
Protodeacon: "Let your soul rejoice in the Lord..."
The subdeacons vest the Bishop. Before laying on each garment, the Deacon says: “Let us pray to the Lord,” and the Protodeacon reads the next prayer for the vestments. The choir sings: “Let him rejoice...” verse by verse, chanting after each “Let him rejoice...” continuously until the miter is placed on the Bishop. If necessary, the verses can be repeated by the Choir.
After the miter is placed on the Bishop, the subdeacons present the Trikyrius and Dikiriy to the Bishop. At this moment, the Perpetrators leave the choir and stand to the right of the pulpit, half-turning towards the Altar and the Bishop. Then:
Deacon: “Let us pray to the Lord...”
Protodeacon: “So let your light shine before men...”
The bishop blesses crosswise with the trikiri and dikiri to the east, west, south and north. At that time:
Executors: "Tone despotin"(trio).
Chorus: “Is these despots gone” (3)(choral after trio).
At this time, the clergy goes to the middle of the church, bows to the Bishop and stands up according to custom. The bishop reads prayers before the start of the Liturgy. At that time:
Reader: Prayer of the 6th hour: “God and Lord Almighty...”
Features of the celebration of the Divine Liturgy by the bishop.
1. At the Small Entrance: first the Clergy sings “Come, let us worship...” (bishop’s). Then, when the Bishop, having blessed from the pulpit with the trikirium and dikirium on the sides, goes to the solea, the Choir sings “Come, let us worship...” in a recitative. Then the Clergy in the Altar repeats “Come, let us worship...” (bishop's).
Then the Exalters, standing in the middle of the temple opposite the Royal Doors, sing a trio: “Is polla...” on the basis that the first “Is polla...” is sung while the Bishop is censing the Altar, the second while censing the right side of the Iconostasis, the third - the left side of the Iconostasis and the fourth - while censing the Choir and those praying.
Then the Choir sings “Is pollla...” (big), then the Clergy in the Altar and the Choir repeats again. Then the troparia are sung at the Liturgy.
2. If the Patriarchal Divine Service is performed, then there is “Great Praise.” After singing the kontakion on Slava:, the Protodeacon goes to the pulpit and says:
Protodeacon:
Clergy: "Lord, save the pious."
Chorus: "Lord, save the pious."
Protodeacon: “And hear us.”
Clergy: “And hear us.”
Chorus: “And hear us.”
Protodeacon: "And forever and ever."
Chorus: "Amen".
Protodeacon:
Clergy: "Bartholomew,... To the Ecumenical Patriarch, many summers.”
Chorus: “Bartholomew,... Ecumenical Patriarch, many years to come.”
The Clergy begins to sing praise when the Protodeacon pronounces the name of the Primate of the Church, and the Choir - when the Clergy sings the same name. Praise is sung quite quickly and requires practice from the Choir.
At the end of the Praise, the Clergy in the Altar sings on And now: Kontakion or Theotokos.
3. The Trisagion is sung at the bishop’s service “Bishopish”, and at the Patriarchal service - “Patriarchal” or “Bulgarian”. Singing of other works is not allowed. The order of chanting the Trisagion during the bishop's service:
Right choir:"Holy God..."(chanting).
Clergy:"Holy God..."(chanting).
Left choir:"Holy God..."(recitative).
Bishop:“Look from heaven, O God, and see...”
Executors:"Holy God..."(trio).
Left choir:"Holy God..."(recitative).
Clergy:"Holy God..."(chanting).
Left choir:Glory even now: “Holy Immortal...”(recitative).
Right choir:"Holy God..."(chanting).
And then the Prokeimenon, the reading of the Apostle, the Alleluary and the reading of the Gospel.
4. After reading the Gospel, the Choir sings: “Glory to Thee, Lord, glory to Thee,” and then “Is polla...” (small).
5. When singing the Cherubic Song, “Amen” is sung twice. After singing “Yako da Tsar...”, “Is polla...” (small) is sung.
6. After singing “It is worthy to eat...” and the cry of the protodeacon “And everyone and everything,” the Choir sings “And everyone and everything.” Then the Protodeacon pronounces the “call”, after which the Choir sings “And about everyone, and for everything.”
7. After the communion of the laity, if the Bishop pronounces the exclamation “Save, O God, Thy people...”, the Choir sings “Is polla...” (small) and then “We see the true Light...”
8. Before dismissal, the Choir sings: “Most Reverend Vladyka, bless.” And after the dismissal “Is polla...” (small) and then Many Years.
9. When the Bishop is unmasked in the altar, the Ipolators, standing in the altar to the right of the Bishop, sing the trio “Is polla...” When the Bishop comes out to the pulpit to bless the worshipers, the Choir sings “Is polla...” (large).
Here it can be sung “Most Holy Master, bless!” if the Patriarch is serving, or simply sung: “Master, bless!”
On days when, according to the Charter of the Church, the singing of the Zadostoiniki is required, at the meeting of the Bishop, instead of the entrance “It is worthy to eat...”, the Zadostoiniki of the holiday is also sung.
During Lent, instead of “Let him rejoice...” it is sung, “The prophets from above foretold thee to the damsel.”
On Holy Week, instead of “Let him rejoice...” the three songs of the day are sung, on Holy Saturday - “Come, let us please...”. On Easter Week - before the night service, the verses “Arise, O God...”, before the other services - the stichera of Easter.
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From the editor: Continuing the theme, Abbot Kirill (Sakharov) describes how it differs in the episcopal service. Author who visited festive service in the Intercession Cathedral in the Rogozhsky village, notes the simplicity and severity of the solemn Old Believer worship.
How does the bishop's service begin?
In the modern rank one immediately notices the great pomp and protrusion of the figure of the bishop. Some even avoided such a service, where the personality of the bishop and attention to him create obstacles to prayerful concentration. Father Georgy Florovsky wrote in “The Ways of Russian Theology” that it seems that one of the main motives for the reform of Patriarch Nikon was greater pomp and festivity in the service, in contrast to greater simplicity and asceticism, as was the case in ancient times. But pomp is a manifestation of sincerity, and asceticism and simplicity are a manifestation of spirituality.
Here is the bishop's service. Now how is it done? Before the bishop arrives, the hours are calculated in advance so as not to burden him with additional workload. This usually happens at 9 or 10 o’clock, since there is a practice of celebrating early and late liturgies, which did not exist in ancient times. The liturgy then was uniform, it began very early. Perhaps, now the celebration of two Liturgies is explained by the fact that there are many people who want to attend the service, but there are few churches, not enough, so it is very difficult for everyone to attend one Liturgy. Although there is another explanation: even before the revolution, a commoner came to the early, and to the late, a gentleman, who got up later. Accordingly, the early service was modest, and the later one more pompous.
According to the old order, this is the picture. For example, a metropolitan is performing a service. The procession comes from the house next to the church: a cross, priests in surplices walk to the sound of bells at half past seven in the morning. The bishop enters the temple and begins to read the entrance prayers. The bishop is greeted at the New Believer church at 9-10 o'clock. He is vested, and the Liturgy immediately begins. Hours are deducted in advance.
Here, on Rogozhsky, the bishop entered the church, read the entrance prayers, entered the altar and the midnight office began, which has already been completely forgotten in our parish churches (ROC - editor's note), it is preserved only in monasteries, and then except for Sundays And holidays. Naturally, there can be no talk of any midnight office at the bishop’s service now. She has long been forgotten.
By the way, the style of reading in the service of the Old Believers was slower - not exactly drawling, but simply loud and drawn-out, sing-song. It is interesting that the acoustics in the old churches were so excellent that every word in the huge cathedral could be heard at every point. In the churches of the 19th century, their enormity led to the fact that, due to ill-conceived acoustics, only in some small area could one hear what was being read. And if it still huddles on the wing, in a corner, and mutters patter, then it’s natural that it’s all in vain.
Bishop's vestments
According to the ancient rite, the midnight office was read, at the end of it the rite of forgiveness. After this, the bishop walked out of the altar onto the pulpit, and his vestments began. Now in the Russian Orthodox Church it happens like this. Two deacons stand on the pulpit, one proclaims: “Let us pray to the Lord, Lord, have mercy,” the other reads for each element of the vestment special prayer. The choir sings only one song: “Let your soul rejoice in the Lord, for He has clothed you with the robe of salvation...” What the deacon is reading now is covered in singing and is therefore hard to hear by the people. According to the old rite, the choir sang these prayers. The texts of these prayers for the bishop’s vestments are deeply meaningful; they were heard by all those praying in the church. And now, no matter how loudly the deacon reads, the choir still drowns him out with their singing. There is, in my opinion, a loss.
Then, the current service (in the Russian Orthodox Church - editor's note) is mosaic. When the priests, everyone as he can and wants, make exclamations; the choir sings one chant with the Znamenny chant, another with the Kyiv chant, the third with the chant of Optina Pustyn, etc. As a result, the integrity is violated and the service becomes mosaic. Some chants are performed quietly, others loudly - these are the changes that relax the spirit. But in the old rank everything was intact, everything was clear and loud. This made it possible to keep those praying in the temple in good shape.
And more features that I noted at the old service. The bishop, robed, stands at the pulpit, and the hours are read: the third, sixth and ninth. We finished hours, then fine arts. Each reading according to the old rite has its own style: the Six Psalms are read in one style, the parimies in another, the homilies in a third, and also the Apostle, i.e. everything was not leveled, but all these edges were preserved. When you hear expressive reading Apostle's poem, then in many respects the problem of translation disappears with such high-quality execution.
Features of the Bishop's Liturgy
So, we have finished the visual arts and need to begin the Liturgy. The senior deacon proclaims: “Bishops, priests and deacons, come out.” This is done three times, at the second invitation the royal doors are opened, at the third - the entire mass of the concelebrating clergy comes out of the Altar and stands near the bishop at the pulpit. It is interesting that the small entrance at the Liturgy, when “Blazheni” is sung, which reminds us of Christ’s appearance in public preaching, is performed through the entire church.
The chant “Holy God” in Greek is very beautiful. The bishop, as you know, comes out to the pulpit with the trikiri and dikiri and says: “Look from Heaven, O God, and see, and visit these grapes...”, and overshadows the people with the trikiri and dikiri. According to the old rite, this happens three times: in the center, on the right and on the left with the same words, only at the beginning: “Lord, Lord...”
I noticed that the Apostle was read not by a deacon, but by a visiting priest, that is, the old rite, despite its strict regulation and organization, is quite flexible. Let’s say, it would be unusual for us to see that suddenly one of the 20 priests serving the bishop would suddenly begin to read the Apostle when there are five deacons at the service. But then a priest came out, apparently that he reads very well, a newcomer, they gave him the opportunity to read the Apostle.
Everyday Two swings, the third crosswise with a bow. There is no confusion, when one bows deeply, the other only bows his head - the result is disharmony. This weakens attention and distracts the person praying, while the rhythm, on the contrary, mobilizes attention.
After the great entrance, the royal doors remain open, only the curtain is drawn. When the bishop says “Peace to all,” or at the Eucharistic canon “Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,” the curtain opens, but it is closed until the Chalice for Communion is taken out. It is interesting that according to the usual rite, all serving priests receive communion. Deacons are freer. If a deacon has prepared, then he receives communion, alone for sure; the rest can participate in the service without receiving communion. According to the ancient rite, it was allowed that priests who had not specially prepared, who had not read a special rule, could participate in the Liturgy without receiving communion, but the first deacon, the serving priest who performed the proskomedia, and the bishop received communion. These are the features.
Prayer service and water blessing
After the Liturgy there was a prayer service to the All-Merciful Savior. Usually the prayer service is crumpled, they think that the Liturgy was so lengthy anyway. According to the ancient rite, a complete prayer service is also performed slowly and rhythmically. The chants at the prayer service “Deliver Thy servants from troubles...” were sung by the clergy in the altar after each song of the canon. The canon itself is read by a reader in the center of the temple. The clergy goes to the middle of the temple at the sixth ode, and then the blessing of water begins. On it, when the troparion “Save, O Lord, Thy people” is sung, when the Cross is immersed, the banners bend down, then rise when the choir is already singing, and so on three times.
We are accustomed to the fact that only deacons proclaim many years. Here, one of the concelebrating priests proclaimed many years. Moreover, “Many Years” is sung three times. The rhythm in the old rite is so harmonious, that is, there is not a single such arbitrary, subjective, sloppy, imprecise movement. Let’s say they sing “Many years, once, twice, on the third, the priest makes the sign of the Cross. Not arbitrarily, when I wanted to, but for the third time, and in the end such harmony is built, such a rhythm, a kind of complete picture. Just as there is no extra stroke in the picture, so here too, there is such rhythm and harmony in everything.
At the end of the service, it usually happens with us: the bishop served, delivered a sermon and then leaves, and the clergy gives the Cross to the people. At the ancient service, everyone remains until the end, no one leaves until everyone venerates the Cross. After this, the initial bows are performed, and this is where the service ends.
I repeat once again: there is a rhythm church service, there should be no random moments that violate the integrity, everything should be integral, starting from the architecture, the painting of the temple, icons, singing, the clothes of those present, the vestments of the clergy. The ancient service did not know bright vestments; everything was somehow subdued.
Reading should be without your emotions, subjective creativity, and precisely in this canonical direction and style. The worshipers cross themselves at the same time. All these nuances ultimately add up to such a unique picture, which allows one to attend the divine service with greater attention and, accordingly, the fruit of prayer is more abundant.
During the divine service, which is performed by the bishop, objects that belong only to the bishop's service are used: special candlesticks - dikiri and trikiri, ripids, orlets, a rod (staff).
Dikirium and trikirium are two hand-held shaped lamps with cells for two and three long candles. Dikiriy with burning candles signifies the light of the Lord Jesus Christ, cognizable in two natures. Trikirium means the uncreated light of the Holy Trinity. Dikiriy has the sign of the cross in the center between two candles. In ancient times, it was not customary to put a cross on the trikiria, since the feat of the cross was accomplished only by the incarnate Son of God.
Candles burning in dikirias and trikirias are called double-braided, triple-braided, autumnal, or autumnal. In the cases provided for by the Charter, dikirii and trikirii are worn before the bishop, who blesses the people with them. The right to bless with these lamps is sometimes granted to the archimandrites of some monasteries.
At the liturgy, after vesting and entering the altar, while singing “Come, let us worship,” the bishop overshadows the people with a dikiriy, which he holds in his left hand, and a trikiriy in his right. After the small entrance, the bishop censes, holding the dikiri in his left hand. When singing the Trisagion, he overshadows the Gospel on the throne with a dikiriy, having it in his right hand, and then, holding a cross in his left hand, and a dikiriy in his right, blesses the people with them. These actions show that the Trinity unity was especially revealed to people through the coming in the flesh of the Son of God, and finally, that everything done by the bishop in the church happens in the name of the Lord and according to His will. The overshadowing of people with light, signifying the Light of Christ and the Holy Trinity, imparts special grace to believers and testifies to them of the Divine light coming to people for their enlightenment, purification and sanctification. At the same time, the dikiriy and trikiriy in the hands of the bishop mean the fullness of God’s grace, which pours out through him. Among the ancient fathers, the bishop was called the enlightener, or enlightener, and imitator of the Father of Lights and the True Light - Jesus, having the grace of the apostles, who were called the light of the world. The bishop leads to the light, imitating Christ - the light of the world.
Dikiria and trikiria were introduced into church use probably no earlier than the 4th–5th centuries.
Ripides (Greek – fan, fan) have been used during the celebration of the sacrament of the Eucharist since ancient times. The liturgical instructions of the Apostolic Constitutions say that two deacons should hold ripids made of thin skins, or peacock feathers, or thin linen on both sides of the altar and quietly drive away flying insects. Ripides, therefore, began to be used mainly for practical reasons.
By the time of Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem (1641), in the church consciousness the ripids were already images of cherubim and seraphim, invisibly participating in the sacraments of the Church. Probably from that same time, images of angelic beings, most often seraphim, began to appear on the ripids. Patriarch Photius of Constantinople (IX century) speaks of rhipids made of feathers in the image of six-winged seraphim, which, in his opinion, are called upon to “not allow the unenlightened to dwell with their minds on the visible, but to distract their attention so that they turn the eyes of their minds to the highest and ascend from visible to invisible and to indescribable beauty." The shapes of ripids are round, square, and star-shaped. In the Russian Orthodox Church, since the adoption of Christianity, ripids were made of metal, with the image of seraphim.
The final appearance that the ripida acquired was a radiant circle made of gold, silver, and gilded bronze with the image of a six-winged seraph. The circle is mounted on a long shaft. This view fully reveals the symbolic meaning of this item. Ripides mark the penetration of angelic forces into the mystery of salvation, into the sacrament of the Eucharist, and the participation of heavenly ranks in worship. Just as deacons drive away insects from the Holy Gifts and create a breath of kind of wings over the Gifts, so the Heavenly Forces drive away the spirits of darkness from the place where the greatest of the sacraments is performed, surround and overshadow it with their presence. It is appropriate to remember that in the Old Testament Church, by the command of God, images of two cherubim made of gold were built in the Tabernacle of Testimony above the Ark of the Covenant, and in other places there are many images of the same angelic ranks.
Since the deacon portrays himself as an angel serving God, upon ordination to the deacon, the newly ordained one is given a ripid into the hands, with which, upon receiving the rank, he begins to slowly signify the Holy Gifts with cruciform movements at the exclamation: “Singing, crying...”
Ripids are used to cover the paten and chalice at the great entrance during the liturgy; they are carried out in the statutory places of the bishop's service, in processions of the Cross, with the participation of the bishop, and on other important occasions. Ripids overshadow the coffin of the deceased bishop. The radiant gilded circle of the ripida with the image of the seraphim represents the light of the highest immaterial forces that serve in close proximity to God. Since the bishop portrays the Lord Jesus Christ during the divine service, ripids became a property of only the bishop's service. As an exception, the right to serve with ripids was granted to the archimandrites of some large monasteries.
Orlets are also used during bishop's services - round rugs with the image of a city and an eagle soaring above it.
Orlets lie under the feet of the bishop in the places where he stops while performing actions during the service. They were first used in the 13th century in Byzantium; then they represented something like an honorary award from the emperor to the patriarchs of Constantinople. The double-headed eagle, the state emblem of Byzantium, was often depicted on royal chairs, carpets, even on the shoes of kings and the most noble dignitaries. Then they began to depict him on the shoes of the Patriarchs of Constantinople, Antioch and Alexandria. This image moved from shoes to the saints' carpets. In some temples, a mosaic circle with an image of an eagle was made on the floor in front of the altar since ancient times. After the capture of Constantinople by the Turks (1453), Rus' historically became the successor to the state and church traditions of Byzantium, so that the state emblem of the Byzantine emperors became the emblem of the Russian state, and eagles became the honorary symbol of Russian bishops. In the Russian rite for the installation of a bishop in 1456, the eagle is mentioned, on which the metropolitan should stand at his throne in the place of the vestments. In the same rite, it is commanded to draw “the eagle of the same head” on the platform specially built for episcopal consecration.
The eagle on Russian eagles was single-headed, in contrast to the double-headed ones on the eaglets of Byzantine saints, so the eagle in Rus' was not a royal reward, but an independent symbol of the Church.
In the XVI–XVII centuries. Orlets in Rus' necessarily lay down under the feet of the bishops when they entered the temple and when leaving it, standing on it, the bishops made the usual beginning of the service with a final bow. At the Moscow Council of 1675, it was determined that only the Metropolitans of Novgorod and Kazan could use orlets in the presence of the Patriarch. Then the Orlets became widely used in bishop's worship and began to rest at the feet of the bishops, where they had to stop for prayer, blessing the people and other actions. The spiritual meaning of the Orlets with the image of the city and the eagle soaring above it indicates, first of all, the highest heavenly origin and dignity of the episcopal rank. Standing on the eagle everywhere, the bishop seems to rest on the eagle all the time, that is, the eagle seems to constantly carry the bishop on itself. The eagle is a symbol of the highest heavenly creature of the angelic ranks.
The belonging of the serving bishop is the staff - a tall staff with symbolic images. Its prototype is an ordinary shepherd's crook in the form of a long stick with a rounded upper end, widespread since ancient times among eastern peoples. A long staff not only helps to drive sheep, but also makes it very easy to climb uphill. Moses walked with such a staff while tending the flocks of his father-in-law Jethro in the country of Midian. And the staff of Moses was destined for the first time to become an instrument of salvation and a sign of pastoral power over the verbal sheep of God - the ancient people of Israel. Having appeared to Moses in a burning and unburning bush at Mount Horeb, the Burning Bush, the Lord was pleased to impart miraculous power to the staff of Moses (). The same power was then given to Aaron’s staff (7, 8–10). With his rod, Moses divided the Red Sea so that Israel could walk along its bottom (). With the same staff, the Lord commanded Moses to draw water from a stone to quench the thirst of Israel in the desert (). The transformative meaning of the staff (rod) is also revealed in other places in Holy Scripture. Through the mouth of the prophet Micah, the Lord speaks of Christ: “Feed Your people with Your rod, the sheep of Your inheritance” (). Shepherding invariably includes the concept of fair trial and spiritual punishment. Therefore, the Apostle Paul says: “What do you want? come to you with a rod or with love and a spirit of meekness?” (). The Gospel points to the staff as an accessory for pilgrimage, which, according to the Savior’s word, the apostles do not need, since they have support and support - the gracious power of the Lord Jesus Christ ().
Wandering, preaching, shepherding, as a symbol of wise leadership, is personified in the rod (staff). So the staff is the spiritual power given by Christ to His disciples, called to preach the word of God, teach people, knit and solve human sins. As a symbol of power, the rod is mentioned in the Apocalypse (2, 27). This meaning, which includes a variety of private meanings, is attributed to the bishop's staff - a sign of the bishop's archpastoral power over the church people, similar to the power that a shepherd has over a flock of sheep. It is characteristic that the most ancient symbolic images of Christ in the form of the Good Shepherd usually represented Him with a staff. It can be assumed that the rods were in practical use by the apostles and were passed from them with a certain spiritual and symbolic meaning to the bishops - their successors. As an obligatory canonical accessory of bishops, the staff has been mentioned in the Western Church since the 5th century, in the Eastern Church - since the 6th century. At first, the shape of the bishop's staff was similar to a shepherd's crook with the upper part curved down. Then staves appeared with a two-horned upper crossbar, the ends of which were bent slightly downward, which resembled the shape of an anchor. According to the interpretation of Blessed Simeon, Archbishop of Thessaloniki, “the rod that the bishop holds means the power of the Spirit, the affirmation and shepherding of people, the power to guide, to punish those who disobey and to gather those who are far away to oneself. Therefore, the rod has handles (horns on top of the rod), like anchors. And over those hilts the Cross of Christ means victory.” Wooden, overlaid with silver and gold, or metal, usually silver-gilded, or bronze bishop's staffs with a double-horned handle in the form of an anchor with a cross at the top - this is the most ancient form of episcopal staffs, widely used in the Russian Church. In the 16th century in the Orthodox East, and in the 17th century. and in the Russian Church there appeared staves with handles in the form of two snakes, bending upward so that one turned its head towards the other, and the cross was placed between their heads. This was intended to express the idea of the profound wisdom of archpastoral leadership in accordance with the famous words of the Savior: “Be wise as serpents and simple as doves” (). Rods were also given to abbots and archimandrites as a sign of their authority over the monastic brethren.
In Byzantium, bishops were awarded with staffs from the hands of the emperor. And in Russia in the 16th–17th centuries. the patriarchs received their staffs from the kings, and the bishops from the patriarchs. Since 1725, the Holy Synod has made it the duty of the senior bishop by consecration to hand over the staff to the newly appointed bishop. It was customary to decorate bishop's staffs, especially metropolitan and patriarchal ones, with precious stones, drawings, and inlays. A special feature of Russian bishop's staffs is the sulok - two scarves inserted into one another and tied to the staff at the top crossbar - the handle. Sulok arose in connection with Russian frosts, during which religious processions had to be performed. The lower scarf was supposed to protect the hand from touching the cold metal of the rod, and the upper one was supposed to protect it from external cold. There is an opinion that reverence for the shrine of this symbolic object prompted the Russian hierarchs not to touch it with their bare hands, so that the sulok can also be considered a sign of God’s grace covering the bishop’s human weaknesses in the great matter of governance and in the use of God-given power over it.
Liturgy
Proskomedia
Proskomedia is performed before the bishop arrives at the church. The priest, together with one of the deacons, reads the entrance prayers and puts on full vestments. Prosphora, especially for the Lamb, health and funeral, are prepared in large sizes. When carving the Lamb, the priest takes into account the number of clergy receiving communion. According to custom, two separate prosphora are prepared for the bishop, from which he removes particles during the Cherubic Song.
Meeting
Those participating in the concelebration with the bishop come to the church in advance in order to dress in time for those who should, and to prepare everything necessary. The subdeacons prepare the bishop's vestments, place the orlets on the pulpit, in front of the local ones (the Savior and the Mother of God), temple and holiday icons, in front of the pulpit and at the entrance doors from the vestibule to the church.
When the bishop approaches the temple, everyone comes out with the royal doors closed (the curtain is pulled back) through the northern and southern doors from the altar to meet and stand at the entrance doors. At the same time, each couple maintains its own alignment. The priests (in robes and headdresses - skufyas, kamilavkas, hoods - according to seniority (from the entrance) stand in two rows, and the one who performed the proskomedia (in full vestments) stands in the middle (between the last priests), holding the altar cross in his hands, with the hilt towards left hand, on a platter covered with air. The protodeacon and the first deacon (in full vestments) with the tricurium and diquirium, holding them at the same height, and the censers and between them the priest stand in a row opposite the entrance, retreating a step to the east of the priest. They stand at the entrance doors from the vestibule to the temple: the first is on the right with a mantle, the second and the staff-bearer (poshnik) are on the left.
The bishop, having entered the temple, stands on the eagle, gives the staff the staff, and everyone prays three times and bows to the bishop, who blesses them. The protodeacon exclaims: “ Wisdom" and reads: " It is worthy to eat as truly..."The singers are singing at this time: " Worthy..." drawn out, with sweet singing. At the same time, the subdeacons put the mantle on the bishop, who, having made one adoration, accepts the Cross from the priest and kisses it, and the priest kisses the bishop’s hand and retreats to his place. Priests, according to seniority, kiss the Cross and the hand of the bishop; after them - the priest who performed the proskomedia. The bishop kisses the Cross again and places it on the plate. The priest, having accepted the Cross and kissed the hand of the bishop, takes his place and then, having bowed with everyone else for the blessing of the bishop, goes with the Holy Cross to the royal doors and passes through the northern door into the altar, where he places the Holy Cross on the throne. Behind the priest with the Cross comes a priest, followed by a protodeacon, turning around for each bishop walking (if there are several). The priests follow the bishop in pairs (the eldest are in front). The priest stands on the salt, near the icon of the Mother of God, the bishop stands on the eagle near the pulpit; behind him are priests, two in a row, the protodeacon is on the right side near the bishop, having previously given the subdeacon the trikiria with the censer. The subdeacon and the second deacon go to the altar.
Protodeacon: " Bless, Master."Bishop: " Blessed is our...» The archdeacon, according to custom, reads the entrance prayers. When the archdeacon begins to read: “ Mercy doors...", the bishop gives the staff-bearer the staff and ascends to the pulpit. He worships and kisses the icons while the protodeacon reads the troparions: “ To Your Most Pure Image...» « There is mercy..." and the temple. Then, bowing his head before the royal doors, he reads the prayer: “ Lord, send down Your hand..." The protodeacon, according to custom, reads: “ God, relax, leave..."Having put on a hood and having accepted the staff, the bishop from the pulpit blesses everyone present on three sides while singing: " Ton despotin ke archierea imon, Kyrie, filatte"(once), " Is polla these despots"(three times) (" Our master and bishop, Lord, save for many years") and goes to the middle of the temple, to the pulpit (cloud place). The priests go there too. Having stood in two rows and made a one-time worship at the altar, they accept the blessing from the bishop and go through the northern and southern doors to the altar to put on their vestments.
Bishop's vestments
When the bishop goes from the pulpit to the place of vestment, subdeacons and other servers come out of the altar, in surplices, with a dish covered with air, and with a dish with bishop's vestments, as well as the first and second deacons with censers. Both deacons stand below the pulpit, opposite the bishop. The book holder accepts from the bishop a hood, panagia, rosary, mantle, cassock on a plate and takes it to the altar. A subdeacon with bishop's vestments stands in front of the bishop.
The protodeacon with the first deacon, having made a bow in front of the royal doors, exclaims: “ " After the blessing, the first deacon says: “ Let's pray to the Lord", the protodeacon reads: " Let your soul rejoice in the Lord; clothe you with the robe of salvation and clothe you with the robe of joy, as you put a crown on a bridegroom and adorn you with beauty like a bride.”
The subdeacons, after the bishop has blessed each garment, first put on the surplice (saccosnik), then other garments, in order, and the deacon says each time: “ Let's pray to the Lord”, and the protodeacon is the corresponding verse. The singers sing: “ Let him rejoice..."or other prescribed chants.
When the omophorion is placed on the bishop, a miter, cross and panagia are taken out of the altar on a platter.
The dikirium and trikirium are taken out of the altar to the subdeacons, and they hand them over to the bishop. Protodeacon after being proclaimed by the deacon: “ Let's pray to the Lord", says the Gospel words loudly: " Thus may your light shine before men, so that they may see your good deeds and glorify our Father, who is in Heaven, always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages, amen" The singers sing: “ Despotin tone...“The bishop overshadows the people in four directions (east, west, south and north) and gives the trikyriy and dikyriy to the subdeacons. The singers on the choir sing three times: “ Is polla...“The subdeacons stand in a row with the protodeacon and deacon, who cense the bishop three times three times, after which everyone bows in front of the royal doors, and then to the bishop. The subdeacons, taking the censers, go to the altar, and the protodeacon and deacon approach the bishop, receive his blessing, kiss his hand, and the first stands behind the bishop, and the second goes to the altar.
Watch
When the bishop overshadows the people with the trikiriy and dikiriy, the priest who performed the proskomedia comes out of the altar through the southern door, and the reader through the northern door. They stand near the bishop's pulpit: on the right side is the priest, on the left is the reader, and after bowing to the altar three times, at the same time, with the protodeacon, deacon and subdeacons, they bow to the bishop. At the end of the singing on the choir: “ Is polla..." the priest exclaims: " Blessed is our..."reader: " Amen"; then the normal reading of the hours begins. After each exclamation, the priest and reader bow to the bishop. Instead of exclamation: “ Through the prayers of the saints our father..." the priest says: " Through the prayers of our holy ruler, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us." The reader says: “ In the name of the Lord, master, bless", instead of: " Bless you in the name of the Lord, father.”
When reading the 50th psalm, the first and second deacons with censers come out to the pulpit from the altar, bow before the royal doors, bow to the bishop and, having received a blessing on the censer, go to the altar and cense the throne, altar, icons and clergy; then - the iconostasis, the holiday icon. And having descended from the pulpit, the bishop (three times three times), the priest, the reader. Having ascended to the pulpit again, both choirs, the people, and then the whole temple; having converged at the western doors of the temple, both deacons go to the pulpit, cense the royal doors, local icons, the bishop (three times), pray to the altar (one bow), bow to the bishop and go to the altar.
When censing, the following order is observed: the first deacon censes the right side, the second - the left. Only the throne (front and back), the royal doors and the bishop are censed together.
When the hours are read, the bishop sits and rises up: “ Hallelujah", on the: " Trisagion" and to: " The most honest"(Official).
At the end of the censing, the subdeacons and the sexton bring out a vessel for washing their hands with a basin and a towel, (the sexton stands between the subdeacons) perform prayerful veneration at the royal doors (usually together with the deacons who have completed the censing), then, turning their faces to the bishop and, bowing to him, go to pulpit and stop in front of the bishop. The first subdeacon pours water on the hands of the bishop, together with the second subdeacon, removes the towel from the sexton’s shoulders, hands it to the bishop and then again places the towel on the sexton’s shoulders. While the bishop is washing his hands, the archdeacon reads a prayer in a low voice: “ I will wash myself in innocent hands...”, and according to his will, he kisses the hand of the bishop, the subdeacons and the deacon also kiss the hand of the bishop and go to the altar.
At the end of the hours, during prayer: “ For any time... "the priests stand in order of seniority near the throne, perform threefold worship in front of it, kiss it and, having bowed to each other, leave the altar (north and south doors) and stand near the pulpit in two rows: among them he takes the corresponding place according to rank the priest who uttered exclamations on the clock.
The priest and staff bearer take their places at the Royal Doors: the first - on the north side, the second - on the south. The book holder stands next to the bishop on the left side. According to another practice, the book holder leaves the altar at the beginning of the liturgy, after exclamating: “ Blessed is the Kingdom..." The protodeacon and both deacons stand in a row in front of the priests. Everyone bows to the altar, then to the bishop. The bishop, with the raising of his hands, reads the prescribed prayers before the start of the liturgy. The priest and deacons pray with him secretly. After prayerful worship, everyone bows to the bishop. After this, the protodeacon says: “ Time to create the Lord, Most Reverend Master, bless" The bishop blesses everyone with both hands with the words: “ Blessed be God..." and gives the right hand to the chief priest. Having received the blessing, the priest enters the altar through the southern door, kisses the altar and stands in front of it.
After the leading priest, the protodeacon and deacons approach the bishop for a blessing. The elder says in a low voice: “ Amen. Let us pray for us, Holy MasterMay the Lord correct your feet" Protodeacon: " Remember us, Holy Master" The bishop, blessing with both hands, says: “ May he remember you..." The deacons answer: "Amen", kiss the hand of the bishop, bow and leave; the protodeacon goes to the solea and stands in front of the icon of the Savior, and the rest of the deacons stand behind the bishop on the lower step of the pulpit.
At the end of the hours, the subdeacons open the royal doors. The leading priest, standing in front of the throne, and the protodeacon on the solea simultaneously perform prayerful veneration to the east (the priest kisses the throne) and, turning to the bishop, bows, accepting his blessing.
The beginning of the liturgy. The protodeacon exclaims: “ Bless, lord" The presiding priest proclaims: “ Blessed is the Kingdom..." raising the Gospel above the holy antimension and making a cross with it, then kisses the Gospel and the throne, bows to the bishop together with the protodeacon, concelebrating priests, subdeacons and the reader and stands on the southern side of the throne.
The protodeacon pronounces the great litany. At the beginning and end of the great litany and at the two small litanies, the book holder opens the Official to the Bishop to read prayers.
At the petition of the great litany: “ Oh let us get rid of..." the deacons come out from behind the pulpit and walk in the middle between the rows of priests on the solea; the first stands opposite the image of the Mother of God, and the second stands near the protodeacon on the right side. The leading priest utters an exclamation at the throne: “ As befits You..." and bows to the bishop at the royal doors. At the same time, the protodeacon and deacons and the second priest bow to the bishop. The protodeacon from the solea goes to the pulpit, stands behind, to the right of the bishop; the second priest enters the altar through the northern door, kisses the throne, bows to the bishop through the royal doors and takes his place, opposite the first priest.
After the small litany, which is pronounced by the first deacon, the second priest pronounces the exclamation: “ For Your power is..." and bows to the bishop. At the same time, the deacon and two priests standing at the pulpit bow with him: the latter go through the side doors into the altar, kiss the altar and bow through the royal doors to the bishop.
Similarly, the remaining clergy and subdeacons go to the altar after the second small litany and the next exclamation: “ Yako Blag and Lover of Humanity...»
During the singing of the third antiphon or " Blessed"A small entry is made.
Small entrance
The subdeacons take the trikirium and dikirium, the sextons take the ripids, the deacons take censers; the leading priest, having bowed before the throne and bowed to the bishop together with the protodeacon, takes the Gospel and gives it to the protodeacon, who stands with him behind the throne, facing west. At this time, the first and other priests, having bowed from the waist, kiss the throne, bow to the bishop and follow the protodeacon one by one. Everyone leaves the altar by the northern door in the following order: the cleric, the assistant, two deacons with censers, subdeacons with trikyriy and dikyriy, ripidchiki, protodeacon with the Gospel and priests in order of seniority. Arriving at the pulpit, the priests stand on both sides of the pulpit towards the altar. The sacred bearer and the assistant take their places at the royal gates. The protodeacon with the Gospel is below the pulpit, in the middle, opposite the bishop; On the sides of the Gospel there are ripid boys, facing each other. Near them, closer to the pulpit, are the deacons and subdeacons. Having made one bow, everyone takes the general blessing of the bishop. The bishop and priests read secretly the prayer: “ Sovereign Lord, our God..."The archdeacon says in a low voice: " Let's pray to the Lord" After the bishop has read the prayer, and after the award, if any, has been made and promotion to the highest rank, the protodeacon, shifting the Gospel onto his left shoulder, raises his right hand with the orarion up and says in a low voice: “ Bless, Most Reverend Master, the holy entrance" The bishop, blessing, says: “ Blessed is the entrance of Thy saints always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.” The protodeacon says: “ Amen” and together with the subdeacons approaches the bishop, who kisses the Gospel; the protodeacon kisses the right hand of the bishop, holding the Gospel while kissing, and goes with the Gospel to the ripidites. The subdeacons remain at the pulpit and hand over the trikiri and dikiri to the bishop. Protodeacon, raising the Gospel a little, proclaims: “ Wisdom, forgive me" and, turning his face to the west, sings with everyone slowly: " Come, let's worship..." The deacons incense on the Gospel, then on the bishop as he slowly worships before the Holy Gospel and then overshadows the trikiri and dikiri on the clergy bowing to him.
The bishop overshadows the people to the west, south and north with trikiria and dikiria. At this time, the protodeacon, preceded by the deacons, brings the Holy Gospel into the altar through the royal doors and places it on the throne; all other clergy enter the altar through the north and south doors, while the priests remain at the bottom of the solea.
The bishop leaves the pulpit and ascends to the pulpit, where he overshadows the choristers as they sing: “ Save us, Son of God...» With trikiriy and dikiriy, the people move to both sides and go to the altar. The protodeacon meets him at the royal gates, accepts the trikirium from him and places him behind the throne. The bishop, having kissed the icons on the pillars of the royal gates, the throne and accepted the censer from the deacon, begins to burn incense.
Following the bishop, the priests enter the altar, each kissing the icon in the royal gates on his side.
The bishop, with the clergy singing slowly: “ Save us, Son of God..." preceded by the protodeacon with the trikirium, incense the throne, the altar, the high place, the priests on the right and left sides, the priests and clergy and proceeds to the sole. The priest-bearer and the co-worker come down from the solea and stand below the pulpit opposite the royal gates; The performers sing quietly and sweetly: “Is these polla, despota”. The priests kiss the throne. The bishop censes the royal doors, the iconostasis, the choir, the people, local icons, enters the altar, censes the throne, the priests and the protodeacon.
The cleric and the acolyte return to their places. On the choir they sing: “ Is polla...» drawn-out (once) and then troparia and kontakion according to the Rule.
The second subdeacon receives the dikirium from the bishop, the protodeacon receives the censer (the trikirium is transferred to the first subdeacon). All three stand behind the throne and at the same time bow when the archpriest censes the archbishop three times; then they turn to face the east, the protodeacon hands the censer to the sexton, all four make a bow, bow to the bishop and go to their places.
Subdeacons who have ordination place the trikyrius and dikyriy on the throne, while those without ordination place the trikyrius and dikyriy on the stands behind the throne. The Book Holder approaches the Bishop with the Official to read the prayer: “ Holy God, who rest in the saints...»
After singing the troparions and kontakions, the protodeacon kisses the throne and, holding the orarion with three fingers, says in a low voice: “ Bless, Most Reverend Master, the time of the Trisagion”; Having kissed the blessing hand of the bishop, he goes out onto the sole and against the image of the Savior says: “ Let's pray to the Lord" Singers: " Lord have mercy" The bishop utters his first exclamation: “ For art thou holy, our God... now and ever" The protodeacon, standing at the royal doors, turning his face to the people, finishes the exclamation: “ And forever and ever", pointing the orar from the left hand to the right, at the level of his forehead. The singers sing: “ Amen" and then: " Holy God..." The protodeacon, entering the altar, takes the dikiri and gives it to the bishop; in the altar everyone sings: “ Holy God..." The bishop creates a cross over the Gospel with dikiri.
The second priest, taking the altar Cross by the upper and lower ends and turning the front side, on which the sacred images are located, towards the throne, gives it to the bishop, kissing the bishop’s hand.
In front of the pulpit, opposite the royal doors, stand the candle-bearer and the pole-bearer.
The bishop, holding the Cross in his left hand, and the dikirius in his right, while the singers chanted the recitative: “ Holy God..." goes to the pulpit and says: “ Look down from heaven, O God, and see, and visit these vines, and establish them, and Thy right hand plant them.”
After saying this prayer, when the bishop blesses the west, the performers sing: “ Holy God" South - " Holy Mighty", on North - " Holy Immortal, have mercy on us."
The bishop enters the altar. The singers on the choir sing: “ Holy God..." The cleric and the acolyte take their places. The bishop, having given the Cross (the Cross is accepted by the second priest and places it on the throne) and, having kissed the throne, goes to the high place.
When the bishop departs for the high place, all concelebrants venerate the throne in the usual manner and, then departing for the high place, stand behind the throne according to their rank.
The bishop, walking around the throne on the right side and blessing the high place with the dikiri, gives the dikiri to the subdeacon, who places it in its place. The protodeacon, standing at the high place to the left of the throne, reads the troparion: “ The Trinity appeared in the Jordan, because the Divine nature itself, the Father, exclaimed: This baptized Son is My Beloved; The Spirit came to the like, whom people will bless and extol forever.” and gives the trikirium to the bishop, who overshadows the trikirium from the high place straight, to the left and to the right, while all the concelebrants sing: “ Holy God..." After this, the singers finish the Trisagion, starting with: “ Glory, even now."
Reading the Apostle and the Gospel
The protodeacon, having accepted the trikiria from the bishop, passes it to the subdeacon, and he puts it in its place. The first deacon approaches the bishop with the Apostle, placing his orarion on top, receives a blessing, kisses the bishop’s hand and walks along the left side of the throne through the royal doors to the pulpit for reading the Apostle. At this time, the protodeacon brings the bishop an open censer with burning coals, and one of the subdeacons (on the right side of the bishop) brings a vessel with incense.
Protodeacon: " Bless, Your Eminence Vladyka, the censer", the bishop, putting incense into the censer with a spoon, says the prayer: " We bring you the censer..."
Protodeacon: " Let's see!"Bishop: " Peace to all". Protodeacon: " Wisdom". The reader of the Apostle pronounces the prokeimenon and so on, according to custom. According to the exclamation of the bishop: “ Peace to all" the subdeacons remove the omophorion from the bishop and place it on the hand of the second deacon (or subdeacon), who, having kissed the blessing hand of the bishop, moves away and stands on the right side of the throne. The first deacon reads the Apostle. The protodeacon censes, according to custom. (Some people observe the custom of burning incense on alleluia.)
At the beginning of the reading of the Apostle, the bishop sits on the seat of the high place and, at his sign, the priests sit on the seats prepared for them. When the protodeacon censes the bishop for the first time, the bishop and priests stand up and respond to the censing: the bishop with a blessing, the priests with a bow. During the second censing, neither the bishop nor the priests stand up.
At the end of the reading of the Apostle, everyone stands up. The sextons, taking the ripids, the subdeacons - dikiriy and trikyriy, go to the pulpit, where they stand on the right and left sides of the lectern prepared for reading the Gospel. Alleluiaries are sung according to custom. The bishop and all the priests secretly read the prayer: “ Shine in our hearts..." The leading priest and protodeacon bow to the bishop and, having received the blessing, go to the throne. The leader takes the Gospel and gives it to the protodeacon. The protodeacon, having kissed the throne and accepted the Gospel, brings it to the bishop, who kisses the Gospel, and he kisses the bishop’s hand, and goes through the royal doors to the lectern, preceded by a deacon with an omophorion. When the deacon with the omophorion (walking around the lectern) reaches the reader of the Apostle, he goes to the altar (if the deacon is through the royal doors) and stands on the left side of the throne, and the deacon with the omophorion takes his original place. On both sides of the protodeacon stand subdeacons with trikyriy and dikyriy and ripids, raising the ripids above the Gospel. The archdeacon, placing the holy Gospel on the lectern and covering it with an orarion, bows his head over the Gospel and proclaims: “ Bless, Your Eminence Vladyka, the evangelist...”
Bishop : “God, with prayers...” Protodeacon says : "Amen"; and, placing the orarion on the lectern under the book, he opens the Gospel. Second Deacon : “Wisdom, forgive me...” Bishop : "Peace to all". Singers : “And to your spirit.” Protodeacon: " Reading from (name of rivers) the Holy Gospel.” Singers First Deacon: " Let's remember." The protodeacon reads the Gospel clearly.
When the reading of the Gospel begins, both deacons kiss the altar, go to the bishop for blessing, kiss his hand and place the Apostle and the omophorion in their places. The priests listen to the Gospel with their heads uncovered, the bishop wearing a mitre.
After reading the Gospel the choir sings : “Glory to Thee, Lord, glory to Thee.” The lectern is removed and the ripids are taken to the altar. The bishop descends from the high place, passes through the royal doors to the pulpit, kisses the Gospel held by the protodeacon, and overshadows the people with dikiri and trikiri while singing in the choir : “Is polla...” The protodeacon gives the Gospel to the first priest, and he places it on the high place of the throne.
The subdeacons pray to the east (one bow), bow to the bishop, and place the dikiri and trikiri in their places. The priests take their places.
Litany
The special litany is pronounced by the protodeacon or first deacon. When the petition is said : “Have mercy on us, O God...” all those present at the altar (deacons, subdeacons, sextons) stand behind the throne, pray to the east and bow to the bishop. After the petition: “...and about our Most Reverend Lord...” those standing behind the throne sing (together with the priests) three times: “ Lord have mercy", They pray to the east, bow to the bishop and retreat to their places. At the same time, two senior priests help the bishop open the antimension from three sides. The deacon continues the litany. The bishop makes an exclamation : “How merciful...”(Usually the bishop himself distributes shouts to the serving priests).
The deacon, having bowed to the bishop, proceeds through the northern doors to the sole and pronounces the litany about the catechumens. When asking : “The Gospel of righteousness will be revealed to them” the third and fourth priests open the upper part of the antimension, pray to the east (one bow) and bow to the bishop. During the cry of the first priest : “Yes, and they are glorified with us...” the bishop makes a cross with a sponge over the antimension, kisses it and places it at the top on the right side of the antimension.
The protodeacon and first deacon stand at the royal doors; Protodeacon says: “ Elitsy of the announcement, come out"; second deacon : “The announcement, come out,” first deacon: " Elitsy of the announcement, come out.” The second deacon continues the litany alone : “Yes, no one from the catechumens, elitsa vernia...” And so on.
The bishop and priests read secretly prescribed prayers.
The first deacon takes the censer and, having asked for a blessing from the bishop, censes the throne, the altar, the high place, the altar, the bishop three times three times, all concelebrants, the throne in front, the bishop three times, gives the censer to the sexton, both pray to the east, bow to the bishop and leave . At this time, the second deacon says the litany : “Packs and packs...” Exclamation : “As if under Your power...”- says the bishop.
Great Entrance
Having finished the litany, the deacon goes to the altar, prays to the east and bows to the bishop. [Optional rite: one of the junior priests on the left row goes to the altar, removes the air from the vessel and places it on the right corner of the altar; removes the cover and star from the paten and puts it aside; before the paten he places the prosphora on a plate and a small copy]
The subdeacons with a vessel and water and a lahan and a sexton with a towel on their shoulders go to the royal doors to wash the hands of the bishop.
Bishop reading a prayer : “No one is worthy...”(during this prayer, the priests take off their miters, kamilavkas, skufiyas; the bishop is in a miter), goes to the royal doors, says a prayer over the water, blesses the water and washes his hands. After washing, the subdeacons and the sexton kiss the hand of the bishop and, together with the priest and the assistant, go to the altar. The bishop stands in front of the throne, the protodeacon and deacon place a small omophorion on him, the bishop prays (bows three times) and reads three times with raised hands : “Like the Cherubim...” The archdeacon removes the miter from the bishop and places it on a dish on top of the large omophorion lying on it. The bishop, having kissed the antimension and the throne and blessed the concelebrants, goes to the altar; the first deacon hands him the censer. The bishop censes the altar, gives the censer to the deacon and places air on his left shoulder.
The deacon departs from the bishop, censes the royal doors, local icons, choirs and people.
After the bishop, the priests approach the throne in pairs from the front, make two bows, kiss the antimension and the throne, make another bow, then bow to each other with the words : “May the Lord remember your archpriesthood (or: priesthood) in His Kingdom...” and go to the altar. The bishop at this time performs commemoration at the prosphora at the altar. Priests by seniority, protodeacon, deacons, subdeacons approach the bishop from the right side, saying : “Remember me, Most Reverend Master, priest, deacon, subdeacon (name of the rivers)”, and kiss him on the right shoulder; the deacon who performed the incense does the same. Having mentioned his health, the bishop takes the funeral prosphora and commemorates the deceased.
At the end of the bishop's proskomedia, the subdeacons remove the omophorion from the bishop. (Extra rituals: one of the priests gives the bishop a star, which, scented with incense, the bishop places on the paten, then the priest gives a cover with which the paten is covered.) The protodeacon, kneeling on his right knee, speaks : “Take it, Most Reverend Master.”
The bishop takes the paten with both hands, kisses it, gives the paten and his hand to the protodeacon to kiss and, placing the paten at the protodeacon’s forehead (the protodeacon accepts it with both hands), says : “In peace, raise your hands to the holy...” The protodeacon leaves. The first priest approaches the bishop, accepting the holy chalice from the bishop, kisses it and the bishop’s hand, saying : “May the Lord remember your bishopric in His Kingdom always, now and ever, and forever and ever.” The second priest approaches, holding the Cross (upper end to the right) in an inclined position with both hands and saying: “ May your bishops remember..." kisses the hand of the bishop, who places it on the handle of the Cross, and kisses the Cross. The rest of the priests, saying the same words and kissing the hand of the bishop, accept from him the sacred objects of the altar - a spoon, a copy, etc.
The great entrance is made. Ahead through the northern doors are a deacon with a miter and a homophone on a platter, a candle bearer, an assistant, a deacon with a censer, subdeacons with a dikiriy and trikyriy, sextons with ripids (usually one in front of the paten, the other behind the chalice). Protodeacon and priests by seniority.
The candle-bearer and the acolyte stand in front of the salt. The deacon with the miter goes to the altar and stops at the left corner of the throne. The riparians and subdeacons stand on the sides of the eagle, laid out on the salt, the protodeacon - in front of the eagle, kneeling on one knee, the deacon with a censer - at the royal gates on the right hand of the bishop, the priests - in two rows, facing north and south, the elders - to the royal gates.
The bishop goes to the royal doors, takes the censer from the deacon and censes the Gifts. The archdeacon speaks quietly : “Your bishopric...” the bishop takes the paten, performs the commemoration according to the rite, and takes the paten to the throne. The leading priest stands in front of the eagle and quietly speaks to the bishop walking from the altar : “Your bishopric...” The bishop censes the cup and takes it. The first deacon, having received the censer from the bishop, moves to the right side of the throne; the leading priest, having kissed the bishop's hand, takes his place. The bishop performs the commemoration according to the rite and takes the cup to the throne; Behind the bishop, the priests enter the altar. Reading the prescribed troparia, the bishop, having removed the veils, covers the paten and chalice with air, then puts on the miter and, after censing the Gifts, says : “Brothers and fellow servants, pray for me.” They answer him : “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” Protodeacon and concelebrants : “Pray for us, Holy Master.” Bishop : “May the Lord correct your feet.” Protodeacon and others : “Remember us, Holy Master.” Bishop blessing the protodeacon and deacons Protodeacon : "Amen."
After the blessing, the first deacon, standing at the eastern right corner of the throne, censes the bishop three times, gives the censer to the sexton, both pray to the east, bow to the bishop, and the deacon leaves the altar and pronounces the litany. The bishop on the sole blesses the people with dikiriy and trikyriy. The singers sing : “Is polla...” The royal doors at the great entrance are not closed during the bishop's service. The acolyte and the candle-bearer take their places at the royal gates.
The first deacon pronounces the litany : “Let us fulfill our prayer to the Lord.” During the litany, the bishops and priests read a prayer secretly : “Lord God, Almighty...” Exclamation : “By the bounty of Your only begotten Son...” After the litany, when the deacon speaks : "Let us love each other" everyone bows three times while speaking secretly : “I will love You, O Lord, my Fortress, the Lord is my strength and my refuge.” The archdeacon removes the miter from the bishop; the bishop kisses the paten, saying : "Holy God" cup : "Holy Mighty"and the throne : “Holy Immortal, have mercy on us,” stands near the throne on the right side on the eagle. All priests also kiss the paten, chalice and altar and approach the bishop. To his greeting : “Christ is in our midst” they answer : “And there is, and there will be” and they kiss the bishop’s right shoulder, left shoulder and hand and, having kissed each other in the same way (sometimes, with a large number of concelebrants, they kiss only each other’s hand), take their places near the throne. Word : “Christ is in our midst” the eldest always speaks.
After the deacon calls : “Doors, doors, let us smell wisdom” and the singing will begin : “I believe...” – the priests take the air by the edges and blow it over the Gifts and over the bowed head of the bishop, reading with him to themselves : “I believe...” After reading the Creed, the bishop kisses the cross in the air, the priest places the air on the left side of the throne, and the protodeacon places the miter on the bishop.
Consecration of the Gifts
The deacon exclaims on the solea : “Let’s become kind...” and enters the altar. The subdeacons pray to the east (one bow), bow to the bishop, take the trikiri and dikiri and give them to the bishop, kissing his hand. The singers sing : "The mercy of the world..." The bishop comes out to the pulpit with trikiriy and dikiriy and, turning his face to the people, proclaims: “ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ..."
Singers : “And with your spirit.” Bishop (overshadowing the southern side ): “We have sorrow in our hearts.”
Singers : “Imams to the Lord" Bishop (overshadowing the northern side ): “We thank the Lord.” Singers : “Dignified and righteous...” The bishop returns to the altar, the subdeacons accept the trikiri and dikiri from him and put them in place. The bishop, having bowed before the throne, reads a prayer together with the priests : “It is worthy and righteous to sing to You...”
The first deacon, having kissed the throne and bowed to the bishop, takes the star with three fingers with an orar and, when proclaimed by the bishop : “Singing a song of victory, crying, crying and speaking” touches the paten with it from above on four sides, crosswise, kisses the star, folds it, places it on the left side of the throne above the Cross, and together with the protodeacon, having kissed the throne, bows to the bishop.
The choir sings : “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts...”: “With these blessed powers we too...” At the end of the prayer, the protodeacon removes the miter from the bishop, and the subdeacons put a small omophorion on the bishop.
The protodeacon, with his right hand and orarion, points to the paten, when the bishop, also pointing with his hand to the paten, says : “Take, eat...” and on the chalice, when the bishop proclaims : “Drink everything from her...” When proclaiming : “Yours from Yours...” The protodeacon takes the paten with the orarion with his right hand, and with his left hand, below the right, the Chalice and lifts them up above the antimension. The singers sing : “I’ll eat for you...” the bishop and priests read the prescribed secret prayers.
The bishop prays in a low voice with raised hands : “Lord, Who is Your Most Holy Spirit...”(priests - secretly), three times, each time with a bow. The protodeacon, and with him secretly all the deacons recite poetry : “The heart is pure...”(after reading : “Lord, like the Most Holy...” for the first time) and " Don't reject me..."(after the second reading: " Lord, like the Most Holy...»)
After the third reading by the bishop: “ Lord, Who is Your Most Holy Spirit..." Protodeacon, pointing his oracle at the paten, says: “ Bless, Master, the Holy Bread.” The bishop speaks quietly (priests speak secretly ): “And create this Bread...” and blesses the bread (only the Lamb) with his right hand. Protodeacon : "Amen"; pointing to the Chalice, says : “Bless, Master, the Holy Chalice.” The bishop speaks quietly : “And the hedgehog in this Chalice...”(priests - secretly) and blesses the Chalice. Protodeacon: " Amen"; pointing to the paten and the Chalice says : “Bless, Master, the wallpaper.” The bishop (priests - secretly) speaks : “Transformed by Your Holy Spirit” and blesses the paten and chalice together. Protodeacon : "Amen" three times. Everyone in the altar bows to the ground. The subdeacons remove the omophorion from the bishop.
Then the protodeacon, turning to the bishop, says : “Remember us, Holy Master”; all the deacons approach the bishop and bow their heads, holding the orari with the three fingers of their right hand. The bishop blesses them with both hands, saying : “May the Lord God remember you...” The protodeacon and all deacons answer : "Amen" and leave.
The bishop and priests read a prayer : “It’s like being a communicant...” At the end of prayer and singing in the choir : “I’ll eat for you...” the protodeacon places the miter on the bishop, the deacon hands the censer, and the bishop, censing, exclaims : “A lot about the Most Holy...” Then the bishop gives the censer to the deacon, who censes the throne, the high place, the bishop three times three times, the priests and again the throne from the bishop, bows to the bishop and leaves. The bishop and the priest read a prayer : “About Saint John the Prophet...” The singers sing : “It’s worthy to eat...” or worthy of the day.
At the end of singing : “It’s worthy to eat...” the protodeacon kisses the throne, the hand of the bishop, stands facing west in the royal doors and, pointing his right hand with the orar, proclaims : “And everyone and everything.” Singers : “And everyone and everything».
Bishop : “First remember, O Lord, our Master...”
High Priest : “Remember, Lord, and our Most Reverend Lord (name of rivers), metropolitan (archbishop, bishop; his diocese), grant him to Your Holy Church in peace, whole, honest, healthy, long-lived, the right ruling word of Your truth.” and approaches the bishop, kisses his hand, miter and hand again. The bishop, blessing him, says : “The priesthood (archpriest, etc.) is yours...”
The protodeacon, standing at the royal doors and turning his face to the people, speaks loudly : “Our Lord, His Eminence (name of rivers), Metropolitan(archbishop, bishop; his own diocese; or: Right Reverends by name and title, if several bishops are performing the liturgy), bringing (or: bringing)(turns and enters the altar) These Holy Gifts(points to the paten and the chalice) Lord our God(approaches the high place, crosses himself, bows and, having bowed to the bishop, goes and stands at the royal doors); about the Right Reverend archbishops and bishops and all the priesthood and clergy, about this country and its authorities, about the peace of the whole world, about the welfare of the Holy Churches of God, about salvation and help with diligence and the fear of God of those who work and serve, about the healing of those lying in weakness, about Dormition, weakness, blessed memory and remission of sins of all the Orthodox who have previously fallen asleep, about the salvation of the people who are coming and who are in everyone’s thoughts and for everyone and for everything,”(goes to a high place, crosses himself, makes one bow, then goes to the bishop, kisses his hand, saying : “Is these despots gone?” the bishop blesses him).
Singers : “And about everyone and for everything.”
After the bishop's exclamation : “And give us one mouth...” the second deacon comes to the pulpit through the northern doors and after the bishop has blessed the people from the solea during the proclamation : “And let there be mercy...” says the litany : “Having remembered all the saints...”
After the litany, the miter is removed from the bishop and he proclaims : “And grant us, Master...” The people are singing : "Our Father..." Bishop : “For Thine is the kingdom...” Singers : "Amen." The bishop blesses the people with his hands, saying : "Peace to all". The bishop is wearing a small omophorion.
Singers : “And to your spirit.” Deacon (in Soleev): “ Bow your heads to the Lord.”
Singers : “To you, Lord" The bishop and priests, bowing their heads, secretly read a prayer : “We thank you...” The deacons gird themselves with orarions in a cross shape. The bishop makes an exclamation : “Grace and bounties...”
Face : "Amen." The bishop and priests secretly read the prayer: “ Look, Lord Jesus Christ our God..."
The royal doors are closed and the curtain is drawn. The deacon on the pulpit proclaims : “Let’s get out there!” and enters the altar. The candle-bearer places a candle opposite the royal doors and also enters the altar with a staff.
The bishop, having made three bows with his concelebrants, proclaims : "Holy of Holies." The singers sing : “One is Holy...”
Communion
Protodeacon (standing to the right of the bishop ): “Shatter, Master, Holy Lamb.”
Bishop : “The Lamb of God is fragmented and divided...”
Protodeacon pointing the orar at the chalice : “Fulfill, O Master, the holy chalice.” The bishop lowers the “Jesus” part into the chalice, saying : “Filling of the Holy Spirit.” Protodeacon answers : "Amen" and, offering warmth, says : “Bless, Master, the warmth.” The bishop blesses the warmth, saying : “Blessed is the warmth of Thy Saints...”
Protodeacon : "Amen"; pouring warmth into the chalice in a cross shape, he says : “Warmth of faith, fill with the Holy Spirit, amen.”
The bishop splits up the “Christ” part according to the number of clergy receiving communion. The protodeacon and deacons stand at this time between the high place and the throne, kissing each other on the right shoulder; there is a custom that the elder pronounces : "Christ is in our midst" and the younger ones answer : “And there is and there will be.” The bishop, addressing everyone, says : “Excuse me...” The concelebrants, bowing to the bishop, answer : “Forgive us, Your Eminence, and Bless us.” The bishop blessed and bowed before the throne with the words: “ Behold, I’m coming..." takes a piece of the Holy Body of the Lord, reads it together with the clergy : “I believe, Lord, and I confess...” and partakes of the Holy Body, and then the Blood of the Lord.
When a bishop receives communion from the chalice, the protodeacon usually says : “Amen, amen, amen. Is these despots polla" and then, turning to the priests and deacons, he proclaims: “ Archimandriti, archpriest... priest and deacon, come." Everyone approaches the bishop from the north side of the throne with the words : “Behold, I come to the Immortal King and our God...” and they partake of the Holy Body and Blood of the Lord according to custom.
The priests, when they receive the Body of the Lord, move near the throne through the high place to the right side, where above the throne they partake of the Holy Body. Deacons usually receive communion on the left side of the altar. The Holy Blood of the Lord is administered to priests by the bishop on the right side of the throne, and to deacons - usually by the first of the priests.
One of the priests crushes parts HI and KA and lowers them into the chalice for communion of the laity.
The bishop stands in the altar on the right side of the throne and reads the prayer: “ We thank You, Master..." accepts the prosphora, tastes the antidor and warmth, washes his lips and hands and reads prayers of thanks. The one serving the heat must place the ladle on a platter so that it is convenient for the bishop to take it, namely: he places the prosphora to the right (away from himself) and places the antidoron on top of the prosphora, and places the ladle to the left, and the handle of the ladle should also be turned to the left.
At the end of the singing in the choir, the cleric and the assistant take their places, the subdeacons with the dikiri and trikiri go to the pulpit. The Royal Doors open, and the bishop, putting on a miter, gives the chalice to the protodeacon, who, having kissed the bishop’s hand, stands in the Royal Doors and proclaims : “Draw near with the fear of God and faith.” Singers : “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord...”
If there are communicants, then the bishop, taking the chalice, gives them communion on the pulpit while singing : “Receive the Body of Christ...”
After communion, the bishop places the holy chalice on the throne, goes out to the solea, receives the trikiri and dikiri from the subdeacons and blesses the people with the words: “ Save, O God, Thy people...” Singers : “Is polla...”, “I see the true light...” At this time, one of the clergy lowers particles from the paten into the chalice, reading secret prayers.
The bishop, standing at the throne, takes the censer from the deacon and censes the Holy Gifts, pronouncing quietly : “Ascend into heaven, O God, and throughout all the earth is Your glory,” gives the censer to the deacon, the paten to the protodeacon, who, preceded by the censing deacon, transfers the paten to the altar. The bishop takes the cup with the words : "Blessed are we"(quiet). The leading priest, kissing the hand of the bishop, accepts the cup from him with both hands, goes to the royal doors, where he proclaims, raising a small chalice : “Always, now and ever, and forever and ever...” and then goes to the altar: the deacon burns incense on the chalice. Singers : “Amen. May our lips be filled with..."
After placing the cup on the altar, the first priest censes the Holy Gifts, and a candle is lit in front of the Holy Gifts.
End of the Liturgy
The protodeacon, having prayed to the east and bowed to the bishop, comes out of the altar by the northern door and says the litany : “Sorry, please accept...”(if there is a protege deacon, then he pronounces the litany). During the litany, the bishop and the priests fold the antimis, the first priest gives the bishop the Gospel, which, when uttering an exclamation, : “For You are our sanctification...” the bishop marks the antimis, and then, having kissed the Gospel, places it on the antimis.
Singers : "Amen." Bishop: " Let's go in peace" Singers: " About the name of the Lord».
The junior priest (if there is one, then a protege) kisses the throne and, having bowed for the blessing of the bishop, leaves through the royal doors and stands in the middle, below the pulpit.
Protodeacon (or deacon-protege ): “Let us pray to the Lord" Singers: " Lord have mercy".
The priest reads the prayer behind the pulpit : “Bless the Lord who bless You...” During prayer, the protodeacon or deacon-protege stands in front of the icon of the Savior, raising his right hand with an orar.
The deacon, having prayed to the east, stands on the left side of the throne, folds his hands crosswise on the edge of the throne and places his head on them. The bishop blesses his head and reads a prayer over him : “The fulfillment of the law and the prophets...” The deacon crosses himself, kisses the throne and, having bowed to the bishop, goes to the altar to consume the Holy Gifts.
At the end of the prayer behind the pulpit, the protodeacon enters the altar through the southern door to the high place, crosses himself and bows; the priest, having read the prayer behind the pulpit, goes through the royal doors to the altar, kisses the throne, takes his place and, together with the protodeacon, bows to the bishop.
Singers: " Be the name of the Lord..." The bishop delivers a sermon.
The bishop, blessing the people at the royal doors with both hands, says: “ The blessing of the Lord is upon you..."
Singers : "Glory, even now." "Lord have mercy"(three times). " Master, bless."
The bishop, facing the people, pronounces the dismissal, holding the trikirium and dikirium in his hands, and, having crossed them over the worshipers, enters the altar, kisses the throne and removes the sacred clothes (in front of the throne or to the right of it).
Singers : “Is polla...” and perennial : "Great Master...»
The priests, having kissed the throne and bowed to the bishop, also remove their sacred clothes.
The subdeacons, having placed the trikiri and dikiri in their places, remove the sacred vestments from the bishop and place them on a dish. The archdeacon reads the prescribed prayers (“ Now you are letting go..." troparia, etc., small vacation). The bishop puts on a cassock, puts on a panagia, puts on a mantle and hood, and accepts a rosary. After the small dismissal, the bishop blesses with a general blessing all those present at the altar and goes out to the royal doors to the soleya. The assistant gives him the staff, the bishop prays, turning to the icons of the Savior and the Mother of God. The singers sing : “Tone despotin...” The bishop blesses the people with a general blessing from the pulpit, then from the pulpit or pulpit blesses each of the people individually.
After the blessing, the bishop goes to the western doors, stands on the eagle, gives the staff to the co-worker, and the subdeacons take off his mantle.
About the ringing
The ringing of the large bell for the liturgy begins at the appointed time. When the bishop approaches the church, there is a ringing “at full blast” (trezvon): when the bishop enters the temple, the ringing “at full blast” stops and continues with one bell until the bishop begins to vest.
At the beginning of the 6th hour there is a full ringing; if there is an ordination to the surplice or to the subdeacon, the ringing begins after the bishop reads the prayers.
While singing: " I believe..." – to one bell : “Worthy...” – 12 strokes.
During the communion of the laity, the prayer bell rings.
When the bishop leaves the church, there is a loud ringing.
About the Eaglets
The eagle is placed under the feet of the bishop so that the eagle's head is turned in the direction in which the bishop will face. In the altar, the Orlets lay subdeacons, on the soleum and in other places of the temple - a cobbler.
Before the bishop arrives at the temple, the assistant places the orlets on the sole in front of the royal doors, in front of the icons of the Savior and the Mother of God, temple or holiday, in front of the pulpit and at the entrance to the temple from the vestibule, where the bishop will meet. When, after the meeting, the bishop goes to the pulpit, the poshonik takes the eagle at the entrance and places it on the place of the clouds; when the bishop ascends to the solea, the pole takes the eagle from the place where the bishop stood and lays it on the edge of the pulpit with his head to the west. The orlets are removed from the solea and pulpit by the canon bearer when the bishop leaves for the vestment place (cathedra). In front of the small entrance, the subdeacons place eaglets in the altar around the throne and half the distance between the altar and the throne. During the small entrance, a poshonik places an eagle on the edge of the pulpit (with the eagle’s head to the west), another - in the middle between the royal doors and the pulpit (to the east) and removes them after the bishop’s prayer : “Look down from heaven, O God...” After the bishop has placed the altar, the subdeacons remove the eaglets, leaving two or three eaglets in front of the altar and placing one on a high place. During the reading of the Gospel, the eagle is spread on the salt in front of the lectern. Before the singing of the Cherubic Song, the eaglets are placed in the royal doors in front of the altar and opposite the left front corner of the throne and when the pulpit is taken away, this eaglet is removed, and the eaglet is placed at the right front corner of the throne). When singing the Cherubic Song, the eagle in the royal doors moves a step or two to the west to receive the Holy Gifts and then to the overshadowing. At the words : “Let us love each other...” The eagle is placed at the right front corner of the throne and while the bishop is standing on this eagle, the eagle is removed in front of the throne. At the end of the singing : “I believe...” an eagle is placed at the end of the pulpit; to the proclamation : “And let there be mercies...” – at the royal doors; in singing : "Our Father..." - Also. (According to the exclamation: “ And let there be mercy..." an eagle is placed at the left front corner of the throne if there is an ordination to the deacon; after the protege has walked around the throne and taken away the pulpit, it is removed, and the eagle is placed at the right front corner of the throne.) Before the communion of the people, the eagle is placed where the bishop will give communion. Following the prayer behind the pulpit, the orlets are spread out in front of the royal doors (for the holiday of the liturgy and for the prayer of the bishop upon leaving the altar after taking off his clothes), on the edge of the pulpit - for a general blessing; on the western lower step of the pulpit (usually also on the edge of the pulpit) - for blessing people; at the exit from the temple - where the bishop will take off his robe.
Ordinations and Awards
The rite of initiation into a reader and singer
Reader and singer are the lowest degrees of the church clergy, which everyone preparing to take holy orders must go through as preparatory ones. Ordination (consecration) as a reader, singer, and subdeacon is not a sacrament, but only a solemn rite of selecting the most worthy in piety from among the laity to serve in church services.
The dedication takes place in the middle of the church before the start of the liturgy. After the bishop's vestments, before the reading of the hours, the subdeacons bring the chosen reader and singer to the middle of the church. He bows three times to the altar, and then, turning, three times to the bishop. Approaching the bishop, he bows his head, which he signs with the sign of the cross and, laying his hands on the dedicatee, reads two prayers. Since the reader and the singer simultaneously fulfill the position of a priest, in the first prayer the bishop asks God: “Thy servant, present the priest with Your Holy Sacrament, adorning him with Your undefiled and immaculate clothes.” Then they sing troparia to the apostles: “Holy apostles, pray to the merciful God, that he may grant remission of sins to our souls,” then to the saints, compilers of liturgies - to St. John Chrysostom: “Thy lips are like the light of fire, shining forth grace...” to the saint: “ Thy message went forth into all the earth...”, St. Gregory the Dvoeslov: “The pastoral flute of your theology of the rhetoricians conquer the trumpets...”, on “Glory, and now” the troparion is sung: “Through the prayers, O Lord, of all the saints and of the Mother of God, grant us Your peace and have mercy on us, for He alone is generous.”
If the initiation into a reader and singer is not performed at the liturgy, then before these troparions the bishop pronounces the exclamation: “Blessed is ours,” then the following are sung: “To the Heavenly King,” the Trisagion, “The Most Holy Trinity,” “Our Father,” and then the indicated troparia.
After the end of the troparions, the bishop tonsures the priest’s hair in a cross shape, saying at the first tonsure: “In the name of the Father,” “Amen,” answers the protodeacon, reader or singer. At the second tonsure: “And the Son,” “Amen,” they say the same. At the third tonsure: “And the Holy Spirit,” “Amen,” they answer him. And he completes the tonsure with the words: “Always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen".
As a sign of dedication to God, the reader or singer dresses in a short phelonion. Then the bishop again blesses his head three times, laying his hand on it, reads a second prayer for him as a reader and singer: “And grant him, with all the wisdom and understanding of Your divine words, teaching and reading, keeping him in immaculate living.”
The exclamations of the prayer of the catechumens are pronounced by the concelebrants, also in order of seniority. Exclamation: " By the gift of Christ..." says the Bishop. Then the Bishop comes (after reading three times: “Now are the powers of heaven”) and bowed three times to St. proposal, says: “ God cleanse me, a sinner,” gives the miter, and gives the censer to the protodeacon. The protodeacon performs throwing. Then the Bishop, taking the air with both hands, places it on the frame. When the protodeacon leaves, the first archimadrite or other primate of the priests approaches the Bishop and bows to him. The bishop, taking the paten with both hands and kissing it, places it on the head of the archimandrite, without saying anything. And the Archimandrite kisses the hand of the Bishop, supported by the deacons. Then another archimandrite, or hegumen, or protopresbyter, or priest comes and, having bowed, receives St. Chalice, kisses him and then the hand of the Bishop. Others carry a cross, a spoon, a spear, a lip, etc., from sacred vessels and kiss the hand of the Bishop. The archimandrite exits by the northern door, followed by two deacons carrying ripids higher above St. paten and blowing them. Then follows another archimandrite with St. rubbing, without rapidity. The other deacons come out with a miter and omophorion. The protodeacon comes out behind the deacons with censers. Outside, in front of the northern door, two candlesticks await, which are carried in front. Also coming out: a staff-bearer with a pastoral staff and a primikirium (light-bearer) with a lit lamp in front of everyone walking. The archdeacon and archimandrites say nothing as they march. And the reader comes out... (And the reader comes out carrying a staff, and the priest comes out with a lamp in front of the royal doors, and the Bishop is worshiped: and they stand on both sides of the royal doors. The deacons also come carrying a miter and the Bishop kisses it, and enter the altar by the left door. The other deacons are with the omophorion, and the Bishop kisses the omophorion and enters the altar through the right door). The Protodeacon, turning to the Bishop, censes the Bishop. The bishop stands in front of the royal gates and, taking the censer, censes St. The Mysteries three times, with fear and reverence, and having bowed, he accepts the paten from the head of the archimandrite and kisses it, and shows it to the people, without saying anything. Then, entering the altar, silently, he places him on the throne. The second priest with the Chalice enters the altar, also without saying anything. And the Bishop places him on the throne according to custom. The other clergy enter the altar without saying anything. The bishop, from the same place where he stands, blesses them with his hand, and takes the coverings from the paten and from the Chalice, and places them on the edge of the throne according to custom. He takes air from the shoulder of the protodeacon, puts it on the censer and silently covers the paten and the Chalice with fragrance: and having taken the censer, only the Holy One censes, immediately gives the censer, without censing anyone else. Then he proclaims the prayer of St. with bows. When the Bishop puts on the miter, the overshadowing takes place, according to custom.
The deacon, leaving the altar, and standing in his usual place, proclaims the litany: “ Let's perform evening prayer." and others... The bishop prays: “ Other unspeakable..."After prayer the deacon says: " Intercede, save, have mercy”, “This evening is perfect, holy” and others. According to the litany, the Bishop proclaims: “ And vouchsafe us, Master.” People: " Our Father"(etc. - see Arch. Theologian). The bishop, placing his hand on the covered Divine Gifts, touches the Life-giving bread with reverence and fear. The deacon girded himself with the orarium in the form of a cross and, bowing his head, said: “ Let's remember"(the royal doors close). The bishop proclaims: “ Presanctified Holy Place of Saints." Singers: " One is Holy." The bishop removes St. air. Then the deacon enters St. altar. The protodeacon stands next to the Bishop and says: “ Shatter the Lord St. Lamb". The bishop, with great attention, splits the Lamb into four parts, saying: “ Fragments..." And puts a particle into the Chalice, without saying anything. And the protodeacon pours warmth into the Chalice without saying anything. Then the Bishop performs forgiveness with his fellow servants. Taking one particle of the Holy Mysteries in his right hand, and bowing his head, he prays according to custom: “ I believe, Lord..." Also: " Your secret supper...», “Don’t go to court...” Then he approaches St. paten and partakes of the Holy Body and Blood of the Lord with tenderness and reverence, saying: “ Honest and All-Holy and Most Pure Body and Blood of the Lord..."Then, taking his lip, he wipes his hand, saying: "Glory to You God"(three times). And after kissing the lip, he puts it back in place. Taking St. The chalice with both hands, with a cover, drinks from it without saying anything. Then he wipes his lips and St. The chalice is covered with the cover that he holds in his hands and places it on the saint. meal. Then the Bishop puts on the miter. The archdeacon calls on one of the archimandrites, saying: “ Get started." And then one archimandrite approaches from the left side of the Bishop, bowing his head and folding his palms crosswise (right palm on top) and says: “ Behold, I come to the Immortal King and our God, and teach me the Most Reverend Master, the Honest, and All-Holy, and Most Pure Body and Blood of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ.” The bishop, taking with his right hand, with three fingers, a particle of the Venerable Body and Blood of Christ, places it in the hands of the arriving archimandrite or priest, saying: “ It is taught to you... The Honest and Most Pure and Immortal Body and Blood of the Lord...» The archmadrite must give communion to the deacons and teach them the Precious Body and Blood of Christ. From St. The Bishop himself gives the Chalice to the archimandrites, abbots, protopresbyters and priests, without saying anything. The Archimandrite serves as a deacon from the Chalice, to whom the Bishop commands without saying anything. After communion, the Bishop, having accepted the anaphora, washes his hands and lips, stands near the saint. throne and says a prayer of thanksgiving: “ We thank you Savior...“The deacon (who will be instructed to consume the Holy Gifts) does not drink from the Chalice at this moment, but after the prayer behind the pulpit, and after consuming the remaining particles of the Holy Mysteries. The protodeacon took St. paten, raises it above St. With a chalice, and wipes it with his lip with great attention, putting the Holy Mysteries inside the Holy. Having rubbed and kissed St. paten, placed near St. Chalice. Then he took the cover and covers St. Chalice. On St. The paten places the star and the coverings and the air, without saying anything, and worships three times. And the royal gates open. And taking the Bishop of St. The chalice, and after kissing it, gives it to the protodeacon. The Protodeacon, having received it with both hands, kisses the hand of the Bishop and leaves through the royal doors, lifting up St. Chalice and says: “ With the fear of God..." The singers sing: " I bless the Lord..."Then the Bishop comes out of the royal gates and blesses the people with trikiri and dikiri. He says loudly: “ God save your people..." Singers: " Is polla these despots" slowly and sweetly. And he turns again to the Holy Table, overshadows the concelebrants, and gives the trikiri and dikiri. Then he takes the Holy Chalice from the hands of the protodeacon and places it on the Holy Meal, having accepted the censer, only the Saint censes (three times) and immediately gives the censer, censing no one. Then the Bishop receives St. paten and places it on the head of the protodeacon. The protodeacon, accepting it with both hands, moves back into the sentence, without saying anything, and puts it there. The bishop, having accepted the Holy Chalice and kissed it, gives it to the first archimandrite or abbot, saying quietly: “ Blessed be ours." The Archimandrite, accepting him with both hands and kissing him and the hand of the Bishop, turns to the royal doors, facing the people, and says in a loud voice: “ Always, now and ever, and forever and ever.” Goes to St. proposal, supported by two deacons, and puts it there. Singers: " Amen" "Let your lips be filled..." Then the protodeacon leaves through the northern doors, and stopping at the usual place, says: " Sorry, please accept..." The bishop, creating the cross with the Gospel over the antimension, proclaims: " For You are the sanctification..." Singers: " Amen". Bishop: " We will leave in peace." Singers: " About the name of the Lord." Protodeacon: " Let us pray to the Lord." Singers: "Lord have mercy". The priest comes out, stands in his usual place and says the prayer behind the pulpit: “ Lord Almighty...” The bishop says the final prayer: “ Lord our God..." And so on according to order, as written in the liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. Then the dismissal is pronounced: “ Our true Christ, through the prayers of His Most Pure Mother,” and others throughout the day, commemorating the saint of this day (name of the rivers). "... And others like it in St. our father Gregory the Dvoeslov, and all the saints, will have mercy and save us, for he is good and a lover of mankind.” This holiday is read before Holy Week: a special holiday is said during Holy Week.
A little theory
St. Vladimir's Church in Korenovsk is, in fact, the second cathedral Tikhoretsk diocese. This is enshrined in the rank of Bishop Stefan: Bishop of Tikhoretsky and Korenovsky. Last Saturday and Sunday, Bishop Stefan performed the rite of bishop's worship in our church.
Before we talk about the service itself, let us briefly recall what a bishop’s service is. As the name implies, the episcopal service is the service performed by the ruling bishop, the bishop. According to the apostolic church structure, the bishop is the head of his ecclesiastical region, symbolizing Christ - the Head of the entire Church. As Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer said, “Where the bishop is, there must be the people, just as where Jesus Christ is, there will be the Catholic Church.”
Bishop's service has its own characteristics, different from the services performed by the rector of the temple. For example, the charter requires participation large number clergy: protodeacon, several presbyters and deacons, subdeacons. Two deacons serve the bishop a dikiriy and a trikiriy (a two-candlestick and a three-candlestick), and they lay out orlets for the bishop - round rugs with the image of an eagle. These rugs symbolically represent the bishop overseeing the diocese. The bookseller holds the Bible in front of the bishop. One of the deacons is given a primikirium - a remote candle. The bishop dresses in a special way, which symbolizes the fullness of the grace resting on him. In the center of the church there is a raised platform for the bishop - the bishop's pulpit, on which the bishop stands when he is not in the altar, but in the church, and from which he reads the Gospel. During the bishop’s service, Greek texts left untranslated are heard: “Is polla these, despota” (For many years, master), as well as others denoting: “Our Lord and bishop, O Lord, save,” “Lord, have mercy,” and so on. . The bishop overshadows the clergy and people on 4 sides with candles. The royal doors are not closed until the cry: “Holy to the holy.” There are many other differences in the bishop's service.
Heartfelt meeting
Bishop Stefan arrived in Korenovsk at the beginning of Vespers on Saturday, August 22. The parishioners of the temple greeted the bishop warmly and cordially. According to Russian custom, the oldest parishioner, Ivan Demyanovich Zinchenko, met the dear guest on the threshold of the temple and handed him bread and salt, and Tatyana Ivanovna Polyakova - a bouquet of flowers. In the premises of the temple, the bishop was met by the rector, Abbot Tryphon.
During the services on Saturday and Sunday, the ruling bishop was co-served by Archimandrite Nikon, rector of the Holy Dormition convent Korenovsk, Abbot Tryphon - rector of St. Vladimir's Church, Priest Evgeny Ilyin - secretary of the diocesan administration, Protodeacon Vladimir Sushko - bishop's protodeacon, as well as other clergy accompanying the bishop.
At the end of the evening service, Bishop Stefan performed the rite of anointing, and then many parishioners lined up for confession, hoping to receive the Great Mysteries of Christ on Sunday at the Divine Liturgy, which will be performed by the ruling bishop.
The Divine Liturgy on Sunday was held with special solemnity. Many parishioners noticed the peculiarities of the bishop's service, in particular, the fact that the Royal Doors were not closed until the proclamation “Holy to the Holy!”, that Bishop Stefan himself repeatedly shaded them with candles in the dikiria and trikiria.
Priest Evgeniy Ilyin addressed the parishioners with a sermon. He revealed in detail the essence of the passage from the Gospel of Matthew read at the liturgy, which speaks of a rich young man who asked Jesus Christ how he could enter eternal life.
By decree of the Patriarch
The award ceremony, which was conducted by Bishop Stefan, was unexpected for many. By decree of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Kirill, the regent-psalmist of the St. Vladimir Church Natalia Stanislavovna Volodina was awarded the anniversary medal of the Russian Orthodox Church"In memory of the 1000th anniversary of the repose of Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir." The bishop attached the medal to Natalia Volodina's blouse and presented her with a certificate of the award. Later, Natalia Stanislavovna, through tears of gratitude and joy, repeated: “Am I really worthy of such an award...”. This means that she is worthy, since the Patriarch signed the decree, and the Lord blessed him for this.
After the service, Bishop Stefan came out to the parishioners and addressed them with a sermon. Then everyone began to take turns approaching the bishop to kiss the cross. Suddenly, one of the youngest parishioners, five-year-old Sofia Kitova, squeezed through the line of adults to the bishop with a huge bouquet of white chrysanthemums. Having given the bouquet and kissed the cross, the girl walked away, embarrassed by the gratitude of the bishop himself...
How does the outback live?
Having finished the hierarchal service, Bishop Stefan did not rush immediately to Tikhoretsk, but, together with Abbot Tryphon and his entourage, went to the village of Novoberezansky. The purpose of the trip was, firstly, a more detailed acquaintance with the church life of the Korenovsky deanery in general, and in particular with the arrival of the Supreme Apostles Peter and Paul, who is cared for by the dean of the Korenovsky church district, Abbot Tryphon. Secondly, the bishop showed specific interest in the progress of construction of the temple of the prophet Isaiah in the village. The bishop blessed the parishioners who were working at that time in caring for the garden and building the temple. Being restrained from praise, like any monk, the bishop was nevertheless pleased with the way in which good condition the garden is maintained, what fruits it produces. In the building under construction at the Church of the Prophet Isaiah, the Bishop inquired about where the iconostasis would be located, how the ceiling and walls would be finished, and how they were going to heat the building in winter. Having received comprehensive answers, he blessed Abbot Tryphon for further work for the glory of God. Then he talked with the parishioners and answered their questions.
After the departure of the bishop, finishing work began on the premises of the church under construction by a team that, at the call of the heart and soul, came to the village of Novoberezansky from Yeisk.
