Sunday Worship
We welcome you to the celebration of Divine Services. Worship in the Orthodox Christian Church is for young and old alike; therefore, all the faithful are encouraged to stay in our chapel throughout the services. Please note: When children become restless, parents should proceed to the Narthex, or to the back hallway or even to go outside for a few moments in order to let them burn off their God-given energy without distracting other parishioners from worship.
Proper Attire & Decorum
If this is your first time visiting an Orthodox Christian Church, you will notice that our attire is normally respectful towards God, our fellow Christians, and ourselves. Women should attend services with their shoulders covered and either wearing slacks or skirts of appropriate length. Men should wear long pants and a collared shirt. As we make every effort to draw closer to Christ Our God, we should dress not only our souls, but our bodies as well, in a manner befitting His glory.
Parish Etiquette
It is important that we make every effort to possess respectful, humble, prayerful, and Christian spirits, when we are at the Parish. The Narthex is a place of transition, whereby we, “...lay aside all worldly cares...” Therefore, our cell phones should be turned off, our conversations should be limited, and our attention should be focused upon receiving the Incarnate Word of God. We thank all those who assist us in maintaining this prayerful and spirit-filled environment.
The 8:00 am Sunday Service (Orthros)
Orthros or Matins is the morning service of the Orthodox Christian Church. The Apostolic Church established an order which incorporates Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (Eph 5:19; Col 3:16), as well as rituals stemming from its synagogue experience.
The priest begins this service with a glorification of the Trinity. We then recite the Thrice Holy Hymn that concludes with the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer. After a short set of petitions, with the response being “Lord, have mercy” (3x), we read six Psalms (3, 37, 87, 102, 142). A greater set of petitions is then prayed with the response being, “Lord, have mercy.” Hymns commemorating the Resurrection of our Lord and the feast of the day are then chanted, interspersed with short sets of petitions. It is during these prayers, that the clergy will come forth from the Holy Sanctuary to offer prayers of preparation, venerating each of the icons on the icon screen, before they return to the Sanctuary to put on their vestments.\At one point, we lovingly call to mind the holy men and women from our Church's history, who witnessed their faith. We also chant a canon of hymns detailing God’s steadfastness throughout the entirety of the Old Testament, culminating in the event of the Nativity of Christ. After introductory prayers, the Priest then reads one of the eleven New Testament lessons detailing an encounter with the resurrected Christ. Shortly thereafter, as the 50th Psalm is intoned, you are invited to come forward and venerate (kiss) the Holy Gospel that the priest is holding in his hands.
The Deacon (or Priest) then intones a beautiful prayer which begins with the words, “O God, save your people and bless your inheritance…” The prayer then commemorates holy men and women from our history, the Church of all times and all places, who witnessed their faith. Shortly thereafter, the Deacon (or Priest) commemorates the one who gave birth to God in the flesh, the Holy Virgin Mary. He then censes the entire house of worship as we sing the Magnificat. A short litany, additional hymns, and then a final doxology and hymn are then chanted.
The 9:00 am Sunday Service (the Divine Liturgy)
The Liturgy is comprised of prayers, petitions, Scripture, a sermon and Communion, with Communion being the crux or focus of our liturgical celebration. This service is attributed to St. John Chrysostom, an Archbishop of Constantinople who lived in the 4th Century.
Beginning: The Priest begins with a blessing and glorification of the Kingdom of God.
Petitions: The Deacon (or Priest) leads us through a series of prayerful petitions, the response being “Lord, have mercy.”
Antiphons: These are Christian doctrinal refrains that are interspersed with verses from the Old Testament.
Entry with the Gospel: Acolytes with lit tapers process the Holy Gospel that is carried by the Deacon. The Gospel is lifted high as we sing: “Come, let us worship and bow down before Christ…”
Trisagion: The clergy and the faithful sing the Thrice Holy Hymn, praising the Holiness of our Triune God.
New Testament Readings: An Epistle and Gospel lesson are read (Please refer to this Sunday’s insert.
The Sermon: A short explanation of the Scripture lessons, the Good News of the Christian Faith, is offered by the Priest or Deacon.
The Cherubic Hymn & Entry with the Holy Gifts: After singing, “...let us lay aside all worldly care…” the gifts that will be consecrated later, are then processed through the Church by the clergy who are led by the acolytes. The clergy ask God that He will remember us in His Kingdom.
A Second Set of Petitions: The deacon leads us in prayers; the faithful respond, “Lord, have mercy.” or “Grant, this O Lord.”
The Creed: Together we recite the concise and accurate confession of the Faith of the Church, composed at Nicea (325 A.D.) and Constantinople (381A.D.).
The Anaphora: The Priest begins the great Eucharistic prayer over the gifts, so-called because of the initial phrase: "Let us lift up our hearts."
The Consecration of the Gifts: After remembering our fall, the redemption, and the institution of the Eucharistic meal, the faithful then kneel. The Priest invokes the Holy Spirit to come upon the gifts, changing them into the Holy Body and Blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to which the faithful respond, “Amen.” As we rise from kneeling, the Priest commemorates the saints, beginning with the Virgin Mary, the Birthgiver of God in the flesh as the assembled faithful chant an ancient hymn. The Priest prays that the bishop, in whose name he is celebrating the Liturgy, will be kept in the Orthodox Christian Faith and preserved in health and years.
Lord’s Prayer: After a short set of petitions, the faithful recite the Lord’s Prayer in English, Greek, Slavonic, Romanian, Arabic, two Indian dialects, Gaelic and Spanish.
Preparing for Communion: All the faithful offer prayers in anticipation of receiving the Holy Eucharist.
The Reception of Holy Communion: Only those who have been baptized and confirmed, who have recently been to confession, and are in good standing in the Orthodox Christian Faith may participate in Communion. We do not practice intercommunion with other Christian denominations. We believe that Holy Communion is not the means to Christian unity, but instead the fullest expression of our union in Christ.
Visitors to our Parish are invited to come forward for a blessing. Please cross your arms over your chest, which communicates to the clergy that you are not prepared to receive, and also informs them that you are visiting as well.
While the Eucharist is being offered, please allow the ushers to assist with dismissing rows. While the Eucharist is being administered to those Orthodox who are prepared, the faithful are asked to remain standing and prayerful.
The Dismissal: The Priest calls the people to depart with a prayer. The people seal the Liturgy by responding, “Amen.” All are invited to then receive blessed bread, antidoron, “instead of the gift,” from the priest as a token of Christian fellowship.
Sunday Coffee Fellowship
Please join us in our our patio for Christian fellowship following services. We encourage to visit the Archangel Gabriel Bookstore which is found on the second floor in Founders’ Hall.