Category Archives: Prayers

Prayers

The Canons to the Mother of God in Honour of Her Kazan Icon

Posted on by

Canon to the Directress, the all-holy Theotokos, the composition of the Hieromonk Ignatius, in Tone IV 

Ode I, Irmos: I will open my mouth, and with the Spirit will it be filled; and I shall utter discourse unto the Queen and Mother, and shall appear, keeping splendid festival; and, rejoicing, I will hymn her wonders.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

O pure one, joyously do I now offer my foremost praise: Rejoice! And with gladsome voice I cry out to thee, O Directress: Rejoice, and fill me with understanding as I begin to hymn thee!

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Rejoice, O all-hymned one who gavest birth unto Christ our everlasting Joy! O Directress, thou hope of the Orthodox, all-hymned Virgin, fill me with the joy which the world hath desired.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

All men and angels join chorus, ever crying out together in heaven and on earth, O Directress: Rejoice, O Virgin, for by thy birthgiving thou hast filled all things with joy!

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

O Directress, vouchsafe joy unto those who with fear cry out to thee Rejoice!, in that thou art the Mother of joy who deliverest from all tribulations; and have mercy on all that have recourse unto thee.

Another canon of the feast, in the same tone:

Irmos: Same as that of the preceding canon.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

The captains of the angels reverence thee, O Theotokos; and the ranks of the saints minister to thee with honor; the righteous adorn themselves and bless thee as the Mediatress of heavenly things; heaven and earth together praise thee splendidly in gladness. And we sinners ask mercy: Illumine our hearts, O Mistress, that we may chant a hymn to the revelation of thy holy icon.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Come ye, O Christian people, having mystically cleansed your minds, and assemble in the holy church of the Mother of Christ our God; for from her holy icon there poureth forth upon us inexhaustibly a spiritual wellspring which healeth the souls and bodies of those who cry out in song: Blessed is our God Who was born of thee!

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

The strange wonder of thy divine birthgiving striketh every ear with wonder and awe, O all-immaculate one: how thou didst conceive the Creator of the cherubim; how thou didst bear in the flesh Him Who is life, and for the whole world didst give birth to life: the God and Man!

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Beneath thy shelter do all of us, the generations of man, flee, O Virgin Lady. With the light of thy birthgiving enlighten us, thy sinful servants who earnestly pray, bowing down before thine all-pure icon, asking to receive from thee great mercy.

Ode III, Irmos: O Theotokos, thou living and abundant fountain: in thy divine glory establish those who hymn thee and spiritually form themselves into a choir; and vouchsafe unto them crowns of glory.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Rejoice, O unshakable, pure and animate palace of Christ the King Most High! Rejoice, O Directress, Rejoice! For by thee is our city preserved intact!

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

In thy womb which tasted not of wedlock thou didst bodily contain Him Whom creation cannot contain, O Virgin Directress. Wherefore, magnifying thee as is meet, we chant, Rejoice!

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

O all-hymned joy of the world, ever hymning thee with joy, O pure one, we are vouchsafed everlasting joy by thy maternal supplications unto Him Who was born of thee, O Directress.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

O Directress, we invoke thee as the golden jar, the candlestick, the rod and the table, O pure one, and we ever raise the cry, Rejoice! to thee when we use these terms.

Same Irmos

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

What worthy praise can our utter infirmity offer thee? For through the manifestation of thine all-pure, divine icon thou pourest forth bountiful streams of healing upon thy servants who faithfully have recourse to thee.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

The holy revelation of thy divine icon, O Virgin Theotokos, hath shone upon us like the radiant sun, emitting rays of all-glorious miracles, and dispelling a myriad of evil circumstances by thy sacred intercessions, O Mistress.

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

Thou didst once fill thy first-painted icon with grace, O Virgin Lady Theotokos; and now that same grace speaketh forth truly in the effulgence of the wonders of faith, as the first one did for the sake of thee who wast first depicted thereon, unto those who with faith have recourse to thee after God.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

We bow down before the all-pure image of thee and thy Babe all-sweet, Christ the preëternal and never-waning Light, O Theotokos, by Whom thou hast saved all human nature from cruel evils and mortal corruption.

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

Sessional Hymn, Tone VIII, Spec. Mel. “Of the Wisdom…”: The divine apostles of the Word, the clarion-voiced universal heralds of the Gospel of Christ, having founded a divine temple in thine all-holy name, O Theotokos, approached thee, entreating thee to come to its consecration. But thou didst say, O Mother of God: “Go in peace, and I shall be with you there!” And they, going forth, there found, on the wall of the church, the likeness of thine image limned powerfully in colored hues; and seeing it, they did thee homage and glorified God. And we also, with them, bow down before thy divine icon, asking of thee great mercy. Grant remission of sins to thy servants, O thou who alone art blessed.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

The above Sessional hymn is repeated.

Ode IV, Irmos: Seated in glory upon the throne of the Godhead, Jesus most divine hath come on a light cloud, and with His incorrupt arm hath saved those who cry: Glory to Thy power, O Christ!

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Rejoice, O Mistress Directress, thou wonder of wonders! Rejoice, joy of all cities and towns, impregnable fortress and bulwark for Christians amid misfortunes, thou victory over the enemy!

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Rejoice, rejoice, O boast of Orthodox kings, for thou, O Queen of all, dost accompany Christ-loving armies! Rejoice, O Directress, thou refuge and confirmation of us all!

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Rejoice, deliverance for all amid misfortunes! Rejoice, ready consolation for all the sorrowful! Rejoice, O all-hymned one! Rejoice, most blessed Directress, healer of all the infirm!

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Rejoice, thou whose mighty works all creation doth make haste to glorify as is meet; yet it is unable, O Directress, and therefore it crieth out to thee: Rejoice, O Mistress, thou dwelling-place which contained God!

Same Irmos

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

O ye pure people, in purity let us cherish the icon of the Virgin Theotokos and of the divine Infant Christ our God; and let us kiss it and glorify her with fear and trembling; for we right honorably venerate the icon and honor even more the pure Mother of God.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

David, the divine and wondrous prophet, foreseeing as from a great distance, said: The rich among the people shall entreat thy countenance. And let us, O ye faithful, bow down and venerate the precious icon, sanctified body and soul.

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

Luke, the divinely eloquent recorder of the Gospel, at the behest of God set down thine all-immaculate image, O Theotokos, depicting the preëternal Infant in thine arms; and from temptations and misfortunes thou deliverest those who have recourse thereto, and thou protectest and savest them all by thine image.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Thou art the boast and crown of all the saints, O Queen; after God, thou art our hope and helper, and on thee have we all set our hope of salvation. Thee do we entreat as the Mother of God: Rain down thy rich and soul-saving mercies upon thy sinful servants.

Ode V, Irmos: All things are filled with awe at thy divine glory; for thou, O Virgin who hast not known wedlock, didst contain within thy womb Him Who is God over all, and gavest birth to the timeless Son, granting peace unto all who hymn thee.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Thou art an abyss of goodness and compassions. Rejoice, O Virgin Directress! Rejoice, thou who makest all faithful! O rejoice, most speedy helper of those who are in misfortune and sorrow!

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Beholding the mighty works of the fullness of thy wonders, we, the faithful, are filled with joy, even those among us who hear of them yet see them not. Wherefore, in every place we all ever chant unto thee, Rejoice, O Directress!

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

O rejoice, O Virgin Directress, thou dwelling-place of Christ our God and habitation of His ineffable and all-divine glory! O rejoice, palace all adorned! Rejoice, animate city ever reigning!

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Looking upon thee as a sea of joy inexhaustible, O Virgin Maiden Directress, rejoicing we all cry out to thee, Rejoice! And chanting, we ever expect of thee divine gifts invisibly bestowed.

Same Irmos

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Every being is at a loss how to hymn thee, O all-pure one; for thou art exalted far above the heavenly intelligences, having given birth unto the unapproachable and dread King and God of all. But as thou art merciful and the ready helper of men, attend unto the entreaty of thy servants, and grant us thy help.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Where thy grace overshadoweth, O Theotokos, the demons vanish in fear and their wickedly devised phantasy is destroyed; the dark demons flee and the whole multitude of the faithful rejoice, crying out a hymn of praise to thee from their hearts: Rejoice, thou divine protection of our souls!

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

Sweet sight is given to the eyeless, hearing to the deaf, goodly speech to the mute, the ability to walk to the lame, cleansing to the leprous, chastity to the demonized, and healing to those who suffer from divers sicknesses, through the overshadowing of thine all-pure icon, O Theotokos.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O joyous Theotokos, let us never fail to hymn thy mighty works with psalms and hymns; for thou truly gavest birth unto the incarnate God unto our universal salvation and deliverance.

Ode VI, Irmos: Celebrating this divine and most honored festival of the Mother of God, come, ye divinely wise, let us clap our hands and glorify God Who was born of her.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Receiving Christ within thyself, O pure Virgin Directress, thou didst hear the cry, Rejoice! And having given birth unto Him ineffably, thou dost ever hear the salutation Rejoice! from all.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Thou hast filled all with joy, and hast united those who are on high with them below, O Directress. Wherefore, with joy heaven and all the earth now cry out to thee together.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Rejoice, O all-hymned Directress, consolation of widows and all orphans! Rejoice, thou who pourest forth inexhaustible riches upon all the destitute!

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Rejoice, O Directress, dwelling-place of Christ, more lustrous than any gold and more splendid than the dawning of the sun! Rejoice, O Virgin! Rejoice, O Bride unwedded!

Same Irmos

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

O Virgin Lady, by thine exclamation of old thou didst impart to thine all-pure image the all-rich grace of thy divine birthgiving, that it work great and all-glorious miracles in abundance, unto the salvation of those who set their hope on thee.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Where the holy name of the joyous Theotokos is glorified, streams of every good thing pour forth. Come ye in purity, O people, for, lo! by the manifestation of the divine icon of the Virgin is the presence of the Queen revealed, unto the salvation of all the faithful.

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

Approaching with faith, O all-immaculate Mistress and Mother of God, from thine all-pure icon we receive healing of maladies, the dispelling of the passions, salvation which nourisheth the soul, forgiveness of sins, and everlasting deliverance.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

To thee, O Lady, do the generations of the earthborn flee, and ask great mercy; and they that are infirm receive healing in abundance, release from the passions, and consolation amid grief. O Mistress, let fall upon me a drop of soul-saving rain, that with all I also may hymn thy magnitude.

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

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Kontakion, Tone VIII, Spec. Mel.” To thee, the champion leader…” : O ye people, let us flee to that calm and good haven, the speedy helper and ready and fervent salvation, the protection of the Virgin, and let us make haste to prayer and speed to repentance. For the all-pure Theotokos poureth forth upon us inexhaustible mercies; she cometh in advance to help us and delivereth her good-hearted and God-fearing servants from great misfortunes and evils.

Ikos: Having cleansed thought and mind, let us make haste to the Theotokos, calling her blessed in splendid hymns; and let us glorify and honor her all-pure icon; and falling down before it, let us do homage as to herself; for the veneration shown an icon ascendeth unto the Prototype, and he that honoreth and boweth down before it, honoreth the Prototype Himself, as the divine fathers have said. And if one doth not reverence the all-holy Theotokos, and doth not venerate her icon, let him be anathema. For she putteth to shame and destroyeth those who honor her not, and delivereth from great misfortunes and evils her good-hearted and God-fearing servants.

Ode VII, Irmos: The divinely wise youths worshipped not a creation rather than the Creator, but, manfully trampling the threat of the fire underfoot, they rejoice, chanting: Blessed art Thou, the all-hymned God of our fathers!

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Rejoice, rejoice, O Directress, who dost ever direct all the faithful to tread the path to all salvation! Rejoice, O Mistress, for by thee are we ever delivered from the present tribulations brought about by the barbarians!

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Rejoice, rejoice, O Theotokos Directress, who keepest watch and prayest to God for us, delivering all the people from every sorrow and from all evil by thy mediation!

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Rejoice, rejoice, O all-holy Directress, who fulfillest those of our petitions which are for our profit, and ever desirest for all good and brotherly unity, especially among the leaders.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Rejoice, rejoice, O Directress of ships which must needs sail, who deliverest the faithful, and quickly loosest them from divers and long-standing ailments, O deliverance of all from every sorrow!

Same Irmos

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Come ye, let us draw forth remission from the inexhaustible wellspring which poureth forth sanctity, the all-pure Virgin and her all-pure Infant, God the Word, Who became incarnate for our sake. And let us cry out to Him: O Creator and Deliverer Who art God glorified with the Father and the Spirit, blessed art Thou!

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Possessed of ever-vigilant and God-pleasing prayer, O pure one, and an insuperable dominion of might, crush thou the audacity of the enemy which is directed against us, that we, thy servants, may rejoice in thee, crying out to thy Son: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

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

O ye faithful people, let us rejoice and be glad in the wondrous appearance of the icon of the all-pure Mistress, the Theotokos; for it hath been shown to be an inexhaustible river pouring forth the water of healing. For it giveth sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, the ability to walk to the lame, and free healing to all amid their infirmities.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

An unfathomable abyss, an incomprehensible mystery is the unapproachable image of thy conception, O Virgin; for thy conception was seedless; thou gavest birth without a husband; the Incorporeal One became incarnate, the Preëternal One became an infant, the Son of God became thy Son, O Virgin. To Him do we cry aloud: Blessed art Thou, O God!

Ode VIII, Irmos: The birthgiving of the Theotokos saved the pious children in the furnace — then in figure, but now in deed — and it moveth all the world to chant to Thee: Hymn ye the Lord and exalt Him supremely for all ages!

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Rejoice, O most blessed Mary, for through thee the most blessed God hath arrayed Himself wholly in me; and having arrayed Himself in man, He hath united man to His divinity in an ineffable union, O Virgin Directress! Rejoice, O joyous one, thou joy of all the world!

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Rejoice, dispeller of evil spirits! Rejoice, O Theotokos Directress! Rejoice, thou whom the invisible armies of heaven ever glorify and magnify as the Mother of God! Rejoice, thou who hast joined those who are below with those above!

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Rejoice, rejoice, O Directress who without exception surpassest all the heavenly hosts! Rejoice, O all-hymned Mistress, who gavest birth to the God of all creation, and hast dominion over it! Rejoice, O pure one, who even after giving birth remainest a virgin!

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Rejoice, glory of all women, all-hallowed temple of our God! Rejoice, O Directress! Rejoice, thou who savest the souls of all the world! Rejoice, protecting cloud broader than the heavens! Rejoice, phial full of divine oil of myrrh!

Same Irmos

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

The minds of angels and men are filled with awe, O Theotokos, in contemplating how thou gavest flesh unto the God of heaven, containing Him in thy womb, and how, having given birth unto Him as a babe, thou bearest Him as a Son in thine arms. Before Him doth creation stand in awe and the heavenly thrones tremble, crying out unceasingly: Holy, holy, holy art Thou, O God Who art all-hymned and supremely exalted above all forever!

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Rejoice, thou who art the joy of all the world! With the Archangel Gabriel we cry out to thee, O Theotokos: Rejoice, thou who didst contain the Infinite One! Rejoice, O thou who art full of grace, bearer of the whole Divinity! Rejoice, restoration of Adam, the Lord is with thee, saving us for thy sake! Him do we hymn and exalt supremely forever.

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

O sanctified root of Jesse, thou hast plucked forth the root of our sin, O rod of Aaron which blossomed, giving rise to a Blossom, Christ the Bestower of life! O jar which received the Manna, thou hast crushed all the power of death, and hast brought the human race to the generation of life. Wherefore, we hymn thee, the cause of that which is good.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Thou art the boast of Christians, O Mistress; thou art a sword against our enemies and a rampart for those who have recourse unto thee. We now call upon thee for aid, O Lady: permit not the foe to rise up against thy people, for they praise neither thee nor thy Son, O Theotokos, nor do they bow down before thine icon. Vanquish them, and save thou our souls.

Ode IX, Irmos: Let every mortal leap for joy, enlightened by the Spirit; and let the nature of the incorporeal intelligences keep festival, honoring the sacred feast of the Mother of God, and let them cry aloud: Rejoice, O most blessed Theotokos, pure Ever-virgin!

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Rejoice, O lamp who bore the never-waning Light and who in thy birth-giving hast destroyed the darkness of polytheism and delivered thy people from the abyss of hades! Rejoice, O Theotokos Directress, mediatress of all good things!

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Rejoice, O earth from whence the Ear of heavenly grain hath budded forth for the faithful; and deliver the whole world from soul-destroying famine, O noetic and animate one! Rejoice, O vine who gavest birth to the Cluster of life, O pure Theotokos Directress!

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Rejoice, most comely paradise of mystic flowers! Rejoice, Virgin Mother, O Theotokos who by purity hast most strangely vanquished the understanding of the invisible foe! Rejoice, O Maiden, rejoice, O Directress, thou universal wonder and report!

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

By thine aid, keep thou the remaining time of our life untouched by harm, O Virgin Maiden, and count us worthy to receive a good end, for we hymn thee and cry aloud: Rejoice, O most blessed and pure Theotokos and Directress!

Same Irmos

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Thee, the steadfast helper of the human race, O Theotokos Mary, did the choir of the prophets foretell in many and divers ways, as the holy tabernacle more spacious than the heavens, the tablet divinely inscribed, the bush unconsumed by the Fire, the portal through which God passeth, the mountain and the ladder, the bridge and the rod which blossomed forth. And we truly magnify thee as the Theotokos.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

The mystery of the depth of thy birthgiving moveth the mind of the angels to awe, O Virgin, and thine all-pure icon driveth the demons away, darkeneth the countenances of the ungodly, and putteth them to shame. For they cannot bear to look upon its power, and they flee and vanish away. And we lovingly bow down and venerate it, and magnify thee as the Theotokos.

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

As a constant intercessor before the King Most High, in that thou art possessed of undaunted boldness, establish thou the life of the Orthodox in peace profound, exalt our right-believing hierarchs, and ever grant unto thy servants all things profitable, that we may magnify thee as the Theotokos.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O most merciful helper of Christians, the mind of men or angels cannot hymn thee as is meet, for thou art more honorable than all creation, more glorious than all things of heaven and earth; for thou gavest birth unto the Creator and God of all. O Mistress, mercifully accept the hymn which we have composed for thee from the depths of our heart, and ever save us, for on thee have we set our hope.

Troparion, Tone IV: O earnest helper, Mother of the Lord Most High, thou dost entreat Christ, thy Son and our God, on behalf of all, and dost cause all to be saved who have recourse to thy mighty protection. O Lady, Queen and Mistress, help us all who, amid temptations, sorrows and sickness, are heavy laden with many sins, who stand before thee and with tears pray to thee with compunctionate soul and contrite heart before thine all-pure image, and who have unfailing hope in thee: Grant deliverance from all evils, and things profitable unto all, O Virgin Theotokos, and save us all, for thou art the divine protection of thy servants.

Canons For the Synaxis of the Twelve Apostles

Posted on by

Canon of the Apostles Peter & Paul, the acrostic whereof is: “I honour Peter and hymn Paul with understanding”, in Tone IV

Ode I, Irmos: I will open my mouth, and with the Spirit will it be filled; and I shall utter discourse unto the Queen and Mother, and shall appear, keeping splendid festival; and, rejoicing, I will hymn her wonders.

Holy all-praised Apostles, Peter and Paul, pray to God for us.

O Lord, grant me the gifts of Thine all-holy Spirit like drops of rain, fitting discourse; and I shall rejoice, faithfully praising the corrections of Thy foremost apostles.

Holy all-praised Apostles, Peter and Paul, pray to God for us.

O all-praised Peter, zealously thou didst forsake transitory things and didst follow in the steps of Christ; and leaving behind thine unbelief, O Paul, thou didst follow Him Who called thee.

Holy all-praised Apostles, Peter and Paul, pray to God for us.

O apostles Peter and Paul, receiving the grace of the divine Spirit which descended upon you in essence, ye traversed the world, teaching the ends of the earth.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

The most eloquent of orators and musical tongues of exalted sound are unable to honour or hymn thee, O pure one; for in thee alone have divine mysteries which transcend man been wrought.

Canon of the twelve apostles, the acrostic whereof is: “I honour the wise apostles of Christ”, the composition of Theophanes, in the same tone.

Irmos: Having traversed the depths of the Red Sea with dryshod feet, Israel of old vanquished the might of Amalek in the wilderness by Moses’ arms stretched out in the form of the Cross.

Holy Apostles, pray to God for us.

O Christ, in that Thou art God grant unto me, who desire to hymn the choir of the apostles, the radiance of the all-holy Spirit and the light of Thy wisdom through their supplications.

Holy Apostles, pray to God for us.

Strengthened by Thy power and grace, O Christ, Thine honoured apostles destroyed the power of the adverse foe, in that they have become seers of God through Thine expansive gesture.

Holy Apostles, pray to God for us.

Working healings by Thy name, O Master, the glorious apostles looked upon the multitudes of the nations and illumined them with Thy light.

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

Having learned heavenly wisdom, O all-wise and all-glorious apostles of Christ, with your successful preaching ye manifestly showed the overweening discourse of the ungodly to be foolish.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O all-pure Virgin Mother, thou gavest birth to One of the all-divine Trinity, Who through thee hath shown Himself to be like unto us in the flesh, through the good pleasure of Him Who begat Him, and through the activity of the all-holy Spirit.

Canon of the Apostles Peter & Paul

Ode III, Irmos: O Theotokos, thou living and abundant fountain: in thy divine commemoration establish those who hymn thee and spiritually form themselves into a choir; and vouchsafe unto them crowns of glory.

Holy all-praised Apostles, Peter and Paul, pray to God for us.

Andrew, thy kinsman, O Peter, showed thee Christ the Messiah, and thou didst approach Him with faith; and thou, O wondrous Paul, wast enlightened by Ananias with divinely ordained baptism.

Holy all-praised Apostles, Peter and Paul, pray to God for us.

With the enlightenment of grace Peter brought in the race of Israel, which had fallen, deceived by the letter of the law; and Paul delivered the flock of the nations from ­falsehood.

Holy all-praised Apostles, Peter and Paul, pray to God for us.

Thou didst send Thy disciples to the nations naked and simple, bearing Thy holy name instead of a sword, O Christ; and with faith they set at nought the warfare of falsehood.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

O all-praised apostles Peter and Paul, all the earth was full of the knowledge of the Lord Who shone forth from the Virgin and hath restored the world by your divine preaching.

Canon of the 12 Apostles

Irmos: Thy Church rejoiceth in Thee, O Christ, crying aloud: Thou art my strength, O Lord, my refuge and my consolation!

Holy Apostles, pray to God for us.

Divinely proclaiming the heavenly and precious doctrines on earth, and declaring them with fiery tongues, O preachers of Christ, ye transmitted them.

Holy Apostles, pray to God for us.

O Master, Thou didst show forth Thy disciples as noetic heavens which declare Thy glory to all the ends of the earth.

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

O all-wise ones who were inscribed in the heavens and revealed as dwelling with Christ, preserve us now who honour you with love.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

He Who dwelleth in the highest and hath made His abode among us, O all-pure one, hath manifested Himself, receiving flesh from thee without seed.

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

Sessional hymn of the 12 apostles, Tone IV: Spec. Mel. “Having been lifted up upon the Cross…”: O ye who have made your abode in unapproachable Light, as habitations of the Light, ye ever illumine your holy temple with divine proclamations. Wherefore, with faith we cry out: Entreating the Creator, O apostles, deliver us from darkness, from all manner of misfortunes and the cruel invasion of pagans.

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

Sessional hymn of the apostles Peter & Paul, Tone VIII: Spec. Mel. “Of the Wisdom…”: Let us praise Peter and the all-wise Paul, the great and radiant luminaries, who have been shown to be the preëminent disciples; for, shining with the fire of the divine Spirit, they have utterly consumed the darkness of falsehood. Wherefore, they have worthily been shown to be citizens of the kingdom on high, sharing the throne of grace. For this cause we cry out to them: Entreat Christ God, that He grant remission of offences unto those who with love celebrate your holy memory.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Theotokion: All of us, the generations of men, bless thee as the Virgin who, alone among women, gavest birth without seed to God in the flesh; for the fire of the Godhead dwelt within thee, and thou didst nurture the Creator and Lord with milk as a babe. Wherefore, we, the generation of angels and men, glorify thine all-holy birth-giving as is meet, and cry out together: Entreat Christ God, that He grant remission of offences unto those who with faith worship thine all-holy birth-giving.

Canon of the Apostles Peter & Paul

Ode IV, Irmos: Perceiving the inscrutable counsel of God – the Incarnation of Thee, the Most High, from the Virgin – the Prophet Habbakuk cried aloud: Glory to Thy power, O Lord!

Holy all-praised Apostles, Peter and Paul, pray to God for us.

Piously joining the mighty with the lowly, orators with the unlearned, O Peter and Paul, apostles of Christ, ye won the victory.

Holy all-praised Apostles, Peter and Paul, pray to God for us.

The godly Peter denounced the cruel apostate Simon Magus as a lover of gold, and now the wise Paul hath rendered blind the steps of Elymas, who blasphemed Christ.

Holy all-praised Apostles, Peter and Paul, pray to God for us.

Though the fisherman and the tent-maker were coarse of speech, yet have they seasoned with divine salt the souls of those who love wisdom and led them to Christ by faith.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Of old, with divinely inspired speech the divine Habbakuk called thee the pure and overshadowed mountain of Him Who cometh from the south and is incarnate of thee, O Mistress, manifestly making declaration.

Canon of the 12 Apostles

Irmos: Beholding Thee lifted up upon the Cross, O Sun of righteousness, the Church stood rooted in place, crying out as is meet: Glory to Thy power, O Lord!

Holy Apostles, pray to God for us.

The sound of the words of the divine apostles passed through the whole world like fire, burning up the tinder of falsehood and illumining the assemblies of the pious with grace.

Holy Apostles, pray to God for us.

The ungodly world, benighted in gloom, did the disciples of the Lord, the divinely radiant beacons, illumine with rays of grace, shown forth by the effulgence of their ­preaching.

Holy Apostles, pray to God for us.

Illumined by the sacred rays of the noetic Sun, ye shine forth in the world like the sun, O all-praised ones, dispelling the gloom of falsehood with divine light.

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

Possessing Thy Cross as a staff of power, O Word, those who themselves beheld Thee divided the salty sea of life, roiling the waters of polytheism like steeds.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

The animate heaven of Thee, O Christ, the King of kings, adorned with divers effulgences, the all-pure Virgin is now glorified as the Theotokos.

Canon of the Apostles Peter & Paul

Ode V, Irmos: All things are filled with awe at thy divine glory; for thou, O Virgin who hast not known wedlock, didst contain within thy womb Him Who is God over all, and gavest birth to the timeless Son, granting peace unto all who hymn thee.

Holy all-praised Apostles, Peter and Paul, pray to God for us.

In that thou art steadfast, O Peter, Christ called thee a stone, and on thee did He set the Church, against which the gates of hell will not prevail; and thee, O Paul, He called His vessel, chosen to bear His name before the nations.

Holy all-praised Apostles, Peter and Paul, pray to God for us.

Peter denied the Teacher thrice, and thrice made himself His by declaring his love for Him; and Paul, who before was a blasphemer who grievously oppressed the faithful, later preached Him Whom he before had persecuted.

Holy all-praised Apostles, Peter and Paul, pray to God for us.

An incorruptible name and everlasting glory have Peter and Paul obtained from Christ; for the one hath received the keys of heaven, and the other, caught up into paradise, heard ineffable words which surpass men’s understanding.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Full of the divine Spirit, Isaiah foretold the birth without father of Emmanuel, God with us, from thee, O pure Virgin, Whom thou didst bear. Wherefore, we all hymn thee.

Canon of the 12 Apostles

Irmos: Thou hast come, O my Lord, as a light into the world: a holy light turning from the darkness of ignorance those who hymn Thee with faith.

Holy Apostles, pray to God for us.

Thy divine and all-wise ministers hast Thou shown forth in the world as light, proclaiming Thee, the never-waning Light, unto all.

Holy Apostles, pray to God for us.

Having manifestly passed through every virtue, O apostles, ye have destroyed the divers webs of the demons’ malice.

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

Speaking with fiery tongues, O apostles, ye have revealed to us the effulgence of the ­Trinity, the Godhead in unity.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Thee do we present as an invincible weapon against our enemies for thou art our foundation and our hope of salvation, O divine maiden.

Canon of the Apostles Peter & Paul

Ode VI, Irmos: Celebrating this divine and most honoured festival of the Mother of God, come, ye divinely wise, let us clap our hands and glorify God Who was born of her.

Holy all-praised Apostles, Peter and Paul, pray to God for us.

Splendid were the miracles of Peter, and wondrous the signs of Paul: for their garments and handkerchiefs work healings when placed upon the sick.

Holy all-praised Apostles, Peter and Paul, pray to God for us.

The truly glorious Peter and the truly wondrous Paul, the two godly ones, the most precious habitations of the life-creating Trinity, are commemorated by all.

Holy all-praised Apostles, Peter and Paul, pray to God for us.

Like a divine and excellent physician Peter hath healed the souls and bodies of the sick, and Paul hath enlightened the nations, signing them with the light of the Lord.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

We must needs hymn thee, yet are truly unable to do so worthily; wherefore, we hymn thee with silence, honouring the ineffable mystery wrought in thee, O Virgin.

Canon of the 12 Apostles

Irmos: I will sacrifice to Thee with a voice of praise, O Lord, the Church crieth unto Thee, cleansed of the blood of demons by the blood which, for mercy’s sake, flowed from Thy side.

Holy Apostles, pray to God for us.

Having made Thy disciples steadfast through wisdom and miracles, Thou didst make them stronger than the foolish prating of the Greeks; and they have abolished their false precepts.

Holy Apostles, pray to God for us.

The divine rivers of wisdom have filled all the vales of the Church with salvific waters of salvation, enriching them with streams from the wellsprings of salvation.

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

Revealed as living stars, O all-praised ones, ye destroyed all the darkness of falsehood with radiant effulgence, shining forth the light of divine knowledge.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O Mother of God, the noetic Bridegroom found thee to be a perfect and all-comely turtle-dove, a radiant lily and blossom of the valley; and He made His abode within thee.

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

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Kontakion, Tone II: Spec. Mel. “Seeking the highest…”: Christ the Rock doth radiantly glorify the rock of Faith, the most excellent of His disciples, as He doth Paul and the assembly of the twelve today; and, faithfully celebrating their memory, we glorify Him Who glorified them.

Ikos: Celebrating now your most honoured and all-blessed memory, in hymns we earnestly cry out to you: O all-radiant and divinely luminous beacons of the world, ye twelve beloved disciples of Christ, in that ye have boldness before Him, pray for us; for to you hath been given the grace to heal and forgive sins. Wherefore, earnestly entreat Him, that we be delivered from sins and temptations, that we may glorify Him Who alone loveth mankind, Who hath glorified you.

Canon of the Apostles Peter & Paul

Ode VII, Irmos: The divinely wise youths worshipped not a creation rather than the Creator, but, manfully trampling the threat of the fire underfoot, they rejoice, chanting: Blessed art Thou, the all-hymned God of our fathers!

Holy all-praised Apostles, Peter and Paul, pray to God for us.

Peter was called blessed by Christ when he called Him the Son of the living God; and Paul was honoured as a right profitable vessel; and they cried: O Lord God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Holy all-praised Apostles, Peter and Paul, pray to God for us.

Peter made wise the servants of the law as He was commanded, and Paul enlightened the gentiles; and both cleaved unto Christ through grace and cried: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Holy all-praised Apostles, Peter and Paul, pray to God for us.

As a most excellent shepherd of Christ Peter hath received the flock, and Paul became their divine teacher; and they cry aloud: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

O most immaculate Mary, excellent in holiness, O Virgin who gavest birth to God in the flesh, O pure one who knewest not wedlock: entreat Him, that He deliver us from every assault and from sin.

Canon of the 12 Apostles

Irmos: The children of Abraham in the Persian furnace, afire with love of piety more than with the flame, cried out: Blessed art Thou in the temple of Thy glory, O Lord!

Holy Apostles, pray to God for us.

O All-good One Who wast God before nature, making Thy disciples sons Thou didst lovingly show them to be heirs of the inheritance of the Father, and it was Thy good pleasure that they walk with Thee, their God and Master.

Holy Apostles, pray to God for us.

Bestowing an outpouring of wisdom, breadth of heart and right eloquent tongues upon Thy godly disciples, O Word, Thou didst send them forth to preach the Gospel of the kingdom to all the ends of the earth.

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

The apostles, shown to be clouds of the light of God, let fall life-creating water as rain upon all, crying: Blessed art Thou in the temple of Thy glory, O Lord!

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Thou wast revealed as wholly adorned by the glory of God, O all-pure one, Mother and Virgin who alone didst conceive God the Word Who existed from before the beginning of time. Blessed art thou among women, O most immaculate Mistress!

Canon of the Apostles Peter & Paul

Ode VIII, Irmos: The birth-giving of the Theotokos saved the pious children in the furnace – then in figure, but now in deed – and it moveth all the world to chant to Thee: Hymn ye the Lord and exalt Him supremely for all ages!

Holy all-praised Apostles, Peter and Paul, pray to God for us.

Strengthened by divine power, Peter resurrected the dead Tabitha; and Paul raised up the dead Eutyches, who had fallen from a great height; and both cry out: Hymn the Lord, O ye works, and exalt Him supremely for all ages!

Holy all-praised Apostles, Peter and Paul, pray to God for us.

Having received an awesome and wondrous vision, Peter enlightened Cornelius, and Paul baptised Gaius, Crispus, Panestius and Stephaninus; and both cry out: Hymn the Lord, O ye works, and exalt Him supremely for all ages!

Holy all-praised Apostles, Peter and Paul, pray to God for us.

At night, by His angel, Christ released Peter, who was fettered and kept under guard; and while Paul and Silas were praying, their feet made fast in stocks, He set them free and caused the prison to quake. Wherefore, they hymn Christ forever.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Deliver us from the most pernicious passions, and break asunder now the bonds of offences wherewith each is bound; for we all have sinned, and, being guilty, we ask purification. Through thine entreaties, O Theotokos, grant it to us who exalt Christ supremely forever.

Canon of the 12 Apostles

Irmos: Stretching forth his hands, Daniel shut the lions’ mouths in the pit; and the young lovers of piety, girded about with virtue, quenched the power of the fire, crying out: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

Holy Apostles, pray to God for us.

With the fire of the Spirit the divine and all-wise choir of the apostles utterly consumed many of the sanctuaries of the demons as though they were tares, and have enlightened the hearts of the faithful, crying: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

Holy Apostles, pray to God for us.

O godly disciples and apostles of Christ, who together have thundered forth to us the commandments of God, ye havens of the faith and common benefactors of mankind: Serve ye the Savior, that we may honour you.

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

Let us honour the most precious vessels, the receptacles of the virtues, the first-fruits of humanity, the clarions of preaching, the torrents of life incorruptible, the God-bearing flashes of lightning, the wellsprings of healing, the beautiful feet of the Gospel.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

He Who is full humbleth Himself for our sake, that we may share in His fullness; for the Infinite One, entering into thine all-pure womb, became incarnate without leaving the bosom of the Father. Wherefore, we all call thee blessed, O Mary Bride of God.

Canon of the Apostles Peter & Paul

Ode IX, Irmos: Let every mortal leap for joy, enlightened by the Spirit; and let the nature of the incorporeal intelligences keep festival, honouring the sacred feast of the Mother of God, and let them cry aloud: Rejoice, O most blessed Theotokos, pure Ever-virgin!

Holy all-praised Apostles, Peter and Paul, pray to God for us.

Ye passed over all the world, soaring as on wings, preaching the Gospel of Christ to all tribes, nations and lands; and ye have brought them to the Faith, O all-blessed Peter and wondrous apostle Paul.

Holy all-praised Apostles, Peter and Paul, pray to God for us.

Having attained an advanced age, O Peter, discharging the debts of nature ye endured the cross in emulation of thy Teacher Christ. And when thy head was cut off, O Paul, — O the wonder! — instead of blood milk poured forth in torrents, converting the unbelieving.

Holy all-praised Apostles, Peter and Paul, pray to God for us.

O ye two godly ones, who wisely dedicated yourselves to the souls of the whole world, converting them from ungodliness to piety, and, even after your death, have saved the souls of the faithful: be ye now mindful of us, and intercede before Christ, O preëminent apostles.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

O good Saviour Who lovest mankind by nature and art full of loving-­kindness: through the divine entreaties of Thine all-hymned Virgin Mother and the supplications of Thine apostles Peter and Paul, send down Thy mercy and aid upon us from heaven.

Canon of the 12 Apostles

Irmos: Christ, the Chief Cornerstone uncut by human hands, Who united the two disparate natures, was cut from thee, the unquarried mountain, O Virgin. Wherefore, in gladness we magnify thee, O Theotokos.

Holy Apostles, pray to God for us.

Having received from the Master the authority to loose the bonds of transgressions, O ye who have beheld God, mercifully cleanse us of sins who hymn you, and vouchsafe unto us salvation.

Holy Apostles, pray to God for us.

O glorious apostles who learned exalted preaching and doctrine in the upper chamber, ye have all received the full effulgence of the Spirit which was made manifest to you essentially; and now ye are called blessed, as is meet.

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

Now Christ bestoweth never-fading wreaths upon you, His friends, as ye rest; and He filleth you with divine vision. Entreat Him now, that He save all the Churches.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Desiring to come in the flesh, He Who hath adorned all things by His word made His abode within thee, found thee to be holier than all others, and hath shown thee to be the true Theotokos, O Virgin Mother.

Troparion of the apostles, Tone IV: O first-enthroned among the apostles and teachers of the whole world: Entreat the Master of all, that He grant peace to the world and great mercy to our souls.

Canons to the Holy, All-Praised Chiefs of the Apostles, Peter and Paul

Posted on by

Two canons, the composition of John of Damascus: the first to the holy Peter, and the second for the holy Paul.

Canon of the Holy Apostle Peter, in Tone IV

Ode I, Irmos: There is none like unto Thee, O all-glorious Lord; for with Thy mighty hand Thou didst deliver the people whom Thou hadst acquired, O Thou Who lovest mankind.

Holy all-praised Apostle, Peter, pray to God for us.

With divinely inspired songs let us hymn today the preëminent of the apostles as the first called of Christ.

Holy all-praised Apostle, Peter, pray to God for us.

Having foreknown thee, O most blessed Peter, the Preëternal One ordained thee from of old as the leader of His Church, the first-enthroned.

Holy all-praised Apostle, Peter, pray to God for us.

Neither flesh nor blood, but the Father inspired thee to theologize Christ as the true Son of God Most High, O apostle.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

We hymn thee, the holy mountain, the most exalted chariot, the Mother of God and true Virgin.

Canon of the Holy Apostle Paul, Tone VIII

Irmos: That which had been hewn down cut through the undivided, and the sun saw land which it had not seen before; the water engulfed the cruel enemy, and Israel traversed the impassable, and chanted the hymn: Let us sing to the Lord, for gloriously is He glorified!

Holy all-praised Apostle, Paul, pray to God for us.

When Christ called things into being out of non-existence, O most blessed Paul, He chose thee from thy mother’s womb to carry before the nations His divine name, which is above every name; for gloriously hath He been glorified.

Holy all-praised Apostle, Paul, pray to God for us.

Declaring to thee the imminent outpouring of piety and the cleansing away of falsehood, O Paul, Christ, Who showed Himself to be as bright as lightning on the mountain, dimmed thy bodily eyes while enlightening the eyes of thy soul with the understanding of the Trinity: for gloriously hath He been glorified.

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

Performing circumcision on the eighth day, as a zealot of the traditions of thy fathers, O Paul, and showing thyself to be a law-bound pharisee, a Jew by birth, of the tribe of Benjamin, thou didst come to consider all such things as but dung, and didst acquire Christ: for gloriously hath He been glorified.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O Mistress, pure Mother of almighty God, who sprang forth from royal stock and gavest birth in the flesh, in manner transcending nature, to God Who alone reigneth over all: Save me from misfortunes, who chant unto thy Son: For gloriously hast Thou been glorified!

Canon of the Holy Apostle Peter

Ode III, Irmos: Neither in wisdom, nor in power, nor yet in riches do we boast, but in Thee, O Christ, the hypostatic Wisdom of the Father; for none is holy save Thee, O Thou Who lovest mankind.

Holy all-praised Apostle, Peter, pray to God for us.

The sweet mouth of Christ God showed thee to be blessed and a sure treasure of the kingdom; wherefore, we hymn thee, O Apostle Peter.

Holy all-praised Apostle, Peter, pray to God for us.

On the rock of thy theology hath Jesus the Master established the Church unshakably, and therein we glorify thee, O Apostle Peter.

Holy all-praised Apostle, Peter, pray to God for us.

How greater than the angels was Peter in the body! For Christ God said that at His radiant coming he would be a judge and would be equally enthroned.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

O thou who knewest not wedlock, who gavest birth unto God in the flesh: Render me steadfast and unshaken by the assaults of the passions, for we have none other helper than thee, O pure one.

Canon of the Holy Apostle Paul

Irmos: Thou art the confirmation of those who have recourse to Thee, O Lord; Thou art the light of the benighted; and my spirit doth hymn Thee.

Holy all-praised Apostle, Paul, pray to God for us.

Thou hast been set as a precious foundation stone for the souls of the faithful, a corner-stone of the Savior and Lord.

Holy all-praised Apostle, Paul, pray to God for us.

O most blessed Paul, pray thou that on thy foundations the splendors of most laudable virtues may be set firmly.

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

Ever perfectly bearing the mortality of Jesus on thy body, O Paul, thou wast vouchsafed true life.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Thee have we all of us Christians acquired as our rampart and refuge, and glorify thee without ceasing, O thou who knewest not wedlock.

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

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Hypacoï, Tone VIII: What dungeon held thee not prisoner? What Church had thee not as an orator? Damascus extolleth thee, O Paul, for it knew thee blinded by the light; and Rome, which received thy blood, boasteth in thee; but Tarsus rejoiceth yet more and loveth thee, honoring thine infancy. O Peter, rock of the Faith, and Paul, boast of the whole world, coming together from Rome make us steadfast.

Canon of the Holy Apostle Peter

Irmos: This is our God, Who became incarnate of the Virgin and hath deified our nature! And, hymning Him, we cry aloud: Glory to Thy power, O Lord!

Holy all-praised Apostle, Peter, pray to God for us.

As He promised, Christ made thee a divine fisher of men for His Church, entrusting its helm to thee first.

Holy all-praised Apostle, Peter, pray to God for us.

Entreated by thee, O Peter, may Jesus, the Bestower of life, Who gaveth thee the authority to bind and to loose, be merciful unto me.

Holy all-praised Apostle, Peter, pray to God for us.

Pray thou earnestly, O Peter, that the kingdom of Christ be opened unto those who honor thy divine memory with unwavering faith.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

O most hymned Lady Theotokos, having cleansed away mine evil thoughts by thy supplications, show me forth as fruitful, O Mother of the God of all.

Canon of the Holy Apostle Paul

Irmos: Thou didst mount Thy steeds, Thine apostles, O Lord, and didst take their bridles in Thy hands; and Thy chariot hath become salvation for those who chant with faith: Glory to Thy power, O Lord!

Holy all-praised Apostle, Paul, pray to God for us.

Once Saul crouched like a lion, wrathfully destroying the Church of Christ; but he was seized by the divine voice of the Lamb of God, Whom he had persecuted, and Who entrusted His flock to him as shepherd.

Holy all-praised Apostle, Paul, pray to God for us.

He who would enlighten the whole world was struck blind; but Ananias was sent to him, imparting unto him enlightenment of soul and body through divine revelation, and showing him to be a chosen vessel.

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

As is meet, Damascus is given drink by Paul; for from him, as from the garden of paradise, a great well-spring of divine waters once issued forth and irrigated the whole earth abundantly with knowledge divine.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

The Lord hath cast down the mighty from their thrones, as the Virgin Mother said, and with divine good things hath filled the hungry, who cry aloud with faith: Glory to Thy power, O Lord!

Canon of the Holy Apostle Peter

Ode V, Irmos: O Lord Who acquired us, the chosen people, by Thy Blood, grant us Thy peace, preserving Thy flock in oneness of mind.

Holy all-praised Apostle, Peter, pray to God for us.

He Who through love received boldness before God hath fittingly become wondrous, though he was an ignorant fisherman, and he now worketh all-glorious wonders through grace.

Holy all-praised Apostle, Peter, pray to God for us.

Thy godly apostle, O Christ, having acquired neither gold nor silver for Thy sake, but rather virtue, hath been enriched by the power of miracles.

Holy all-praised Apostle, Peter, pray to God for us.

By thine effective word the feet and joints of the lame were set aright, for all-glorious things were accomplished by the divine Spirit.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

God became incarnate, O pure one, hypostatically united to the flesh He received from thee, yet remaining immutable, incorporeal in His divine nature.

Canon of the Holy Apostle Paul

Irmos: Enlighten us with Thy commandments, O Lord, and with Thine upraised arm grant us Thy peace, O Thou Who lovest mankind.

Holy all-praised Apostle, Paul, pray to God for us.

Thou didst choose true praise, O Apostle Paul, ever bearing the Cross of Christ the King as a trophy.

Holy all-praised Apostle, Paul, pray to God for us.

For thee to live is Christ, and to die is an excellent acquisition; for through love thou wast crucified with Him Who was crucified for our sake, O all-glorious Paul.

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

Thou truly rejoicest in the Lord, O honorable Paul, having departed from the body and passed over to Christ God, the Bestower of life.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Ever beseech thy Son and our God, O pure Mary who knewest not wedlock, that He send forth His mercy upon us, the faithful.

Canon of the Holy Apostle Peter

Ode VI, Irmos: Jonah, who was three days in the sea monster, prefigured Thee, the Immortal One, O Christ, for Thou didst die of Thine own will and wast three days in the heart of the earth.

Holy all-praised Apostle, Peter, pray to God for us.

As of old with Thy right hand Thou didst save Peter who walked on foot upon the waters, O Christ, so do Thou save me, who am drowning amid the storm of cruel perils, in that Thou art full of loving-kindness.

Holy all-praised Apostle, Peter, pray to God for us.

Thou didst forsake things which were not essential, O Peter, and didst attain unto those things which are essential; and as a certain merchant thou didst manifestly search for Christ: the Pearl beyond price.

Holy all-praised Apostle, Peter, pray to God for us.

O Peter, thou didst slay those who mindlessly strove to tempt the all-holy Spirit, Whom before thou hadst theologized, openly confessing Him as God, O most blessed one.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Thou gavest birth for us to the incarnate Word of God Who transcendeth all nature; wherefore, with lips and soul we profess thee to be the Theotokos.

Canon of the Holy Apostle Paul

Irmos: I pour forth my prayer unto the Lord, and to Him do I declare my grief; for my soul is full of evil and my life hath drawn nigh unto hell, and like Jonah I pray: Lead me up from corruption, O God!

Holy all-praised Apostle, Paul, pray to God for us.

Spurning all the beautiful things of the world, thou wast wounded by the love of the Master and by desire for the common salvation of man, wishing to bear witness unto Him, O blessed Paul. Pray thou now in behalf of the whole world.

Holy all-praised Apostle, Paul, pray to God for us.

As an excellent emulator of the Master, clothed in Him, O Paul, thou wast truly all things to all men, that thou mightest acquire and save all the people; and pursuing the ends of the world for Christ, thou didst truly save them.

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

As is meet Christ hath given thee life in the heavens, O Apostle Paul; for thou didst not desire a city which abideth here, O blessed one, but wast a faithful minister and celebrant of His mysteries.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

The Lord looked down upon thee, restoring my nature, in that He is mighty; and doing mighty works, O most immaculate one, through thee my God hath saved me from corruption, in that He is full of loving-kindness.

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

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Kontakion, Tone II: The steadfast and divinely eloquent preachers, the foremost of Thine apostles, O Lord, hast Thou received into the delight of Thy good things and into rest; for Thou hast accepted their pangs and death as greater than any wholeburnt offering, O Thou Who alone knowest the hearts of men.

Ikos: Fill my tongue with light, O my Savior, and having expanded my mouth and filled it, have pity on my heart, that I may speak, follow, and teach that which I first do: for Thou didst say that he who doeth and teacheth is great. For if I speak only, and do not act, I am accounted as sounding brass. Wherefore, grant that I may speak fitting things and do that which is profitable, O Thou Who alone knowest the hearts of men.

Canon of the Holy Apostle Peter

Ode VII, Irmos: O unoriginate Word, only-begotten Son, Who existed in the beginning with the Father and the Spirit: blessed and supremely exalted art Thou, O God of our fathers!

Holy all-praised Apostle, Peter, pray to God for us.

Chastised by the divine providence of Christ, thou wast permitted to emulate the Merciful One, O Peter, that thy distress over denying Him before His suffering might be assuaged.

Holy all-praised Apostle, Peter, pray to God for us.

Having risen from the dead, Christ appeared to thee, the first-called and exceeding beloved, as the right glorious one who was first to preside over the apostles.

Holy all-praised Apostle, Peter, pray to God for us.

The Master, healing thy threefold denial before His suffering, O Peter, confirmed His love by a threefold divinely uttered question.

Holy all-praised Apostle, Peter, pray to God for us.

Thou didst call the all-seeing God the Word as witness to thy love for Christ, O Peter; wherefore, He entrusted the beloved flock to thee.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

We all bless thee as the Mother of the God of all, who conceived in the flesh of thy womb the preëternal Word Who shone forth from God the Father.

Canon of the Holy Apostle Paul

Irmos: On the plain of Dura the tyrant once built a furnace to torment the God-bearers; and therein the three youths chanted hymns unto the one God, and sang, all three together, saying: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Holy all-praised Apostle, Paul, pray to God for us.

He who in latter times was called and surpassed all others in zeal became the seal and crown of Thine apostles, O Christ. With him the people of the Church chant unto thee: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Holy all-praised Apostle, Paul, pray to God for us.

Even though Paul the prisoner first persecuted Thy Church, O Christ, yet did he later replace his former ferocity with zeal for Thee; and he hath gathered together the nations, who chant: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Holy all-praised Apostle, Paul, pray to God for us.

Having from Jerusalem preached the Gospel unto all, thou didst take it round about the whole world, O Paul, and, teaching even unto the far ends of Illyricum, thou didst cry: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

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

Caught up in awe, thou didst attain unto the third heaven, O thou who art all-rich; and hearing ineffable words, thou didst cry aloud: Glory to the transcendent Father and the Son, and to the equally-enthroned effulgence of the Spirit of God Who trieth the depths!

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Like rain upon the fleece did Christ God descend upon thee, O Virgin, and He issued forth from thee in the flesh, uniting those things that before were separate, and granting peace on earth and in heaven. O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Canon of the Holy Apostle Peter

Ode VIII, Irmos: O Christ Who bearest all things by Thine unapproachable power, Thou didst bedew Thy venerable children who cried out amid the flame: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

Holy all-praised Apostle, Peter, pray to God for us.

“They shall stretch forth thine arms and bind thee to a cross,” the Master foretold, commanding thee to follow Him; and thou criest aloud: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

Holy all-praised Apostle, Peter, pray to God for us.

Working wonders, by the word of grace thou didst heal Æneus who was grievously paralyzed, and didst raise up Tabitha from the dead; and they cried: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

Holy all-praised Apostle, Peter, pray to God for us.

O Christ Who announced unto Peter that the nations were cleansed, by spiritual radiance purify my thoughts, for I cry: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

O most holy Virgin who gavest birth to God the Word in the flesh, driving the darkness away from my soul by thy supplications, illumine me who cry: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

Canon of the Holy Apostle Paul

Irmos: The Lord Who was glorified on the holy mountain, and by the fire in the bush revealed to Moses the mystery of the Ever-virgin, hymn ye and exalt Him supremely for all ages!

Holy all-praised Apostle, Paul, pray to God for us.

Paul was bound to thee by Thy love and underwent a goodly change; for the glorious one lived not for himself, O Compassionate One, but had Thee living within him forever.

Holy all-praised Apostle, Paul, pray to God for us.

Thou didst betroth the Church unto Christ, presenting it to Him as a bride; for thou wast shown to be its wedding-escort, O God-bearing Paul. Wherefore, it glorifieth thee for all ages.

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

Thou didst fight the good fight, and finishing thy race lawfully, thou didst preserve the treasure of the Faith. Wherefore, thou hast been vouchsafed crowns of righteousness, O Paul.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Rejoice, O fiery throne of the Lord! Rejoice, O Virgin, unwedded Bride! Rejoice, cloud who shone forth the Sun of righteousness, Whom we exalt supremely for all ages!

Canon of the Holy Apostle Peter

Ode IX, Irmos: Thee, the all-glorious Bride and most holy Theotokos, who gavest birth to the Creator of all things, visible and invisible, do we magnify with hymns.

Holy all-praised Apostle, Peter, pray to God for us.

Thine excellent grace is rightly glorified, for thy very shadow dispelleth the sufferings of the sick, O Peter; wherefore, we magnify thee.

Holy all-praised Apostle, Peter, pray to God for us.

Blessed is Peter, who with ineffable divine power cast down Simon Magus, who through sorcery had soared aloft into the air.

Holy all-praised Apostle, Peter, pray to God for us.

By thy supplications grant remission of offenses, enlightenment of heart and gladness of spirit unto those who hymn thy memory, O apostle.

Holy all-praised Apostle, Peter, pray to God for us.

O Peter, all thy words, relics and dust are full of glory, sanctity and miracles for those who with faith bow down with love before thy divine chains.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

The Fruit of thy womb caused the heavenly chorister, who announced “Rejoice!” with a loud voice unto thee who gavest birth to joy, to hymn thy name.

Canon of the Holy Apostle Paul

Irmos: Thou didst transcend the laws of nature, conceiving the Creator and Lord, and didst become a portal of salvation for the world. Wherefore, we magnify thee unceasingly, O Theotokos.

Holy all-praised Apostle, Paul, pray to God for us.

We bow down before thy chains, which thou didst bear for Christ like a malefactor, O Paul, and we kiss the wounds which thou didst bear on thy glorious and victorious body.

Holy all-praised Apostle, Paul, pray to God for us.

Now thou hast departed unto Him Whom thou didst unceasingly desire, O apostle; and dwelling with him as a servant, with unceasing entreaties draw thou thy servants to thyself.

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

No longer is Christ visible to thee in shadows or in a reflection, but thou dost gaze upon Him face to face, and He perfectly revealeth to thee the understanding of the Godhead.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O all-holy Mother of God, thou wast the boast of the apostles of Christ, the glory of the martyrs and the foundation of the prophets; wherefore, we all magnify thee as is meet.

Troparion of the apostles, Tone IV: O first-enthroned among the apostles and teachers of the whole world: Entreat the Master of all, that He grant peace to the world and great mercy to our souls.

The Canons to St Peter and St Fevronia

Posted on by

As the western-world militates against traditional marriage and family values, we turn to the Holy Wonderworkers of Murom, Peter and Fevronia, praying to them for the defence and strengthening of the Christian foundations of marriage and family-life.


The Holy, Right-Believing Wonderworkers, Prince Peter and Princess Fevronia of Murom

Canon of the Theotokos, the acrostic whereof is: “I chant praise unto the Life-bearing Maiden”, Tone I

Ode I, Irmos: Traversing the impassible, uncommon path of the sea dry-shod, Israel the chosen cried aloud: Let us chant unto the Lord, for He hath been glorified!

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

The immaterial ladder of old, and the path of the sea made strangely firm, revealed thy birth-giving, O pure one. Her do we all hymn, for she hath been glorified!

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

The power of the Most High, the perfect Hypostasis, the Wisdom of God incarnate of thee, O all-pure one, hath conversed with men, for He hath been glorified!

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

The Sun of thy righteousness hath passed through the impassible door of thy locked womb, O pure one, and hath shone forth upon the world, for He hath been glorified!

Canon I of the saints, Tone VIII

Irmos: Having traversed the water as though it were dry land, and escaped the evil of Egypt, the Israelite cried aloud: Let us chant unto our Deliverer and God!

Holy Wonderworkers, Peter and Fevronia, pray to God for us.

O God, grant that I may offer hymnody unto Peter, Who was pleasing unto Thee and glorified Thee on earth, that I may magnify Thee, the Giver of understanding, with hymns.

Holy Wonderworkers, Peter and Fevronia, pray to God for us.

To your homeland hath Christ shown you to be like an all-radiant sun, illumining with miracles all who have recourse to you with faith.

Holy Wonderworkers, Peter and Fevronia, pray to God for us.

Having given no mind to the things of the body, hated earthly things as corruptible and renounced the world, ye have been vouchsafed the honour of the venerable. With them pray ye for the world.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

O all-pure Ever-virgin Theotokos, who gavest birth in the body to the eternal Word of the unoriginate Father, unto Him do we now cry aloud: Let us chant unto our Deliverer and God!

Canon II of the saints, the composition of Michael the Monk, Tone I

Irmos: Let us all chant a hymn of victory unto God, Who hath wrought marvellous wonders with His upraised arm and saved Israel, for He is glorious.

Holy Wonderworkers, Peter and Fevronia, pray to God for us.

Assembling, let us praise as it meet the crowned and pious Peter and Fevronia, the bestowers of abundant miracles, who save our souls.

Holy Wonderworkers, Peter and Fevronia, pray to God for us.

With hymns and spiritual songs let us praise the blessed ones, crying thus: Rejoice, O all-lauded ones, all-radiant luminaries and steadfast helpers of our homeland!

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

Even though in the latter years the newly-enlightened Russian land gave rise to these blessed ones, yet have they been vouchsafed the honour of the ancients; for they impart gifts of miracles in abundance unto those who flee to them.

Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. 

O most immaculate one, with thy light drive the gloom from my mind and deliver me from everlasting darkness, that I may hymn thy mighty works.

Ode III

Canon of the Theotokos

Irmos: The bow of the mighty hath been broken by Thy might, O Christ, and the strengthless have girded themselves with power.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

He Who, as the Creator of time, is outside of all time, O Virgin, willingly made Himself a Child through thee.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

Let us hymn the womb that is far more spacious than the heavens, through which Adam came to make his abode in the heavens, rejoicing.

Canon I of the Saints

Irmos: O Lord, Fashioner of the vault of heaven and Creator of the Church: establish me in Thy love, O summit of desire, confirmation of the faithful, Who alone lovest mankind.

Holy Wonderworkers, Peter and Fevronia, pray to God for us.

Be thou a helper for the helpless and merciful consolation for the grieving, O blessed Peter, that, delivered by your supplications, we may honour thee.

Holy Wonderworkers, Peter and Fevronia, pray to God for us.

As thou didst once commit the serpent to utter destruction, slaying him, O thrice blessed one, so now vanquish those who make war upon thy homeland, that we may glorify thee.

Holy Wonderworkers, Peter and Fevronia, pray to God for us.

Behold our despondency; behold our grief; behold the misfortune that the enemy bringeth upon us! Wherefore, change it by thy prayer unto the Lord, O Peter, that we may piously honour thee.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

Thee have all of us Christians acquired as a refuge and bulwark, and thee do we unceasingly glorify, O thou who knewest not wedlock.

Canon II of the Saints

Irmos: Let my heart be made steadfast in Thy will, O Christ God, Who didst establish the second heaven above the waters and didst found the earth upon the waters, O Almighty One.

Holy Wonderworkers, Peter and Fevronia, pray to God for us.

To the Russian lands hath God shown thee to be glorious in miracles, O all-blessed Peter, and hath adorned thee with heavenly gifts. Him do thou now entreat, that He have mercy on us all.

Holy Wonderworkers, Peter and Fevronia, pray to God for us.

O all-radiant beacons shining like another sun, illumine us who keep your memory, O all-blessed Peter and Fevronia.

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

A conduit of gladness hath opened for us: the splendid day of the all-wise Peter and Fevronia, who grant great mercy unto those who hymn them with faith.

Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. 

Deliver us from all perils, from the many temptations of the serpent and from darkness, O most immaculate one who for us gavest birth to the never-waning Light.

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

Sessional hymn, in Tone IV: O ye faithful, let us hasten to the blessed and splendid solemnity of Peter and Fevronia as to the shining sun, and let us unceasingly cry out: Even though ye have passed from this earth, O all-glorious ones, ye have not parted from us, but stand with the angels before the Trinity, Whom do ye entreat, that our souls be saved.

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

Christ our God Who became incarnate of thee have we acknowledged to be the Word of the Father, O Virgin Theotokos who alone art pure, alone art blessed. Wherefore, chanting, we unceasingly magnify thee.

Ode IV

Canon of the Theotokos

Irmos: I have heard, O Lord, of Thy glorious dispensation, and I have glorified Thine unapproachable power, O Thou Who lovest mankind.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

Behold! the most manifest Mother of God, the divine mountain of the house of the Lord, is exalted far above the hosts of heaven.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

O Virgin, who, alone outside the laws of nature, gavest birth unto the Ruler of creation: thou hast been vouchsafed a divine calling.

Canon I of the Saints

Irmos: I have heard, O Lord, the mystery of Thy dispensation; I have understood Thy works, and have glorified Thy divinity.

Holy Wonderworkers, Peter and Fevronia, pray to God for us.

As a mediator and helper of thy homeland, be thou as one who scattereth the adversary, as an ally of thy people, who glorify thee, O Peter.

Holy Wonderworkers, Peter and Fevronia, pray to God for us.

As ye dwell in the mansions of heaven with the venerable and the righteous, O all-blessed Peter and Fevronia, never cease to pray for thy people.

Holy Wonderworkers, Peter and Fevronia, pray to God for us.

Thee do we beseech, O all-blessed one: quell the uprisings of adversaries and ease the infirmities of men, that we may magnify thee with voices of praise.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

Grant us cleansing from our transgressions, in that Thou art all-good, and bring peace to Thy world, O God, through the supplications of her who gave Thee birth.

Canon II of the Saints

Irmos: Foreseeing in the Spirit the incarnation of the Word, O Prophet Habbakuk, thou didst announce, crying out: When the years draw nigh, Thou shalt be acknowledged; when the season cometh, Thou shalt be shown forth! Glory to Thy power, O Lord!

Holy Wonderworkers, Peter and Fevronia, pray to God for us.

Once, slaying the serpent, O blessed one, thou didst commit him to utter destruction. And so now also preserve thy homeland unassailed, O Peter, with Fevronia, by thy supplications.

Holy Wonderworkers, Peter and Fevronia, pray to God for us.

Illumining thy splendid feast with the radiance of the grace of the threefold Sun, O blessed one, from the passion-fraught darkness of the demons deliver those who keep thy memory with faith.

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

Today the holy festal day calleth the flock of monks to gladness, to a spiritual banquet, to the food of life incorruptible, to the divine delight of the wonderworkers.

Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. 

Understanding through the Spirit of God, the prophet described thee beforehand as the mountain overshadowed, O pure one. By thy mediation, O Virgin, cool thou my soul, which withereth beneath the burning heat of many transgressions, for thou alone art the correction of men.

Ode V

Canon of the Theotokos

Irmos: The burning Ember was revealed to Isaiah, and the Sun hath shone forth from the Virgin’s womb, granting the enlightenment of the knowledge of God to those who have gone astray in darkness.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

Clouds of darkness rain down delight upon those who are on earth, for unto us hath a Child been given, Who hath existed from before the ages: our God, Who is incarnate of the Virgin.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

Light hath shone forth upon my life and my flesh, and hath dispelled the gloom of sin: the most Exalted One, Who in the latter days was incarnate without seed of the Virgin.

Canon I of the Saints

Irmos: Wherefore hast Thou turned Thy face from me, O Light never-waning? And why hath a strange darkness covered me, wretch that I am? But turn me, and guide my steps to the light of Thy commandments, I pray.

Holy Wonderworkers, Peter and Fevronia, pray to God for us.

The ground that received your precious bodies hath been sanctified, O divinely blessed Peter and Fevronia; and receiving healing through you, men glorify Christ Who hath glorified you with might.

Holy Wonderworkers, Peter and Fevronia, pray to God for us.

Even though ye have passed from this earth, yet have ye attained unto the abodes of heaven, where ye stand with the angels before the Trinity, Whom do ye entreat, that those who honour you with love may be saved, O blessed ones.

Holy Wonderworkers, Peter and Fevronia, pray to God for us.

Having acquired you as all-radiant stars and a never-setting sun, your homeland boasteth, cherishing your all-honoured memory, O Peter and Fevronia.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

We hymn thee, who art virgin even after giving birth, O Theotokos; for for us thou gavest birth in the flesh to God the Word, to Whom we all cry out thus: Make straight our paths, we pray Thee!

Canon II of the Saints

Irmos: Shine forth thy radiant and everlasting light upon us who rise early unto the judgments of Thy commandments, O Master Christ our God, Who lovest mankind.

Holy Wonderworkers, Peter and Fevronia, pray to God for us.

O all-good twain! O all-radiant beacons! O goodly couple, who art a single light in two bodies! O ye who were goodly lamps unto your own life! Taking up the yoke of the Lord, ye followed Him with all your soul.

Holy Wonderworkers, Peter and Fevronia, pray to God for us.

Your right wondrous and all-glorious memorial hath dawned in the Russian land, O blessed ones, and filleth with joy and gladness the assembly of the faithful, who earnestly glorify you in hymns, O holy ones.

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

O ye hierarchs and priests, ye monks and lay folk, ye elders and youths, and people of every age: leap up with splendour, magnifying the memory of the all-glorious Peter and Fevronia in hymns.

Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. 

O Maiden, thou splendid temple of Christ, by thy supplications to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit make us also to be temples, O all-pure one, rendering us venerable.

Ode VI

Canon of the Theotokos

Irmos: Hearkening unto the sound of cries of entreaty from a soul in pain, O Master, deliver me from my grievous sins, for Thou alone art the Cause of our salvation.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

Human nature, enslaved to sin, hath obtained freedom through thee, O pure Lady; for thy Son hath been sacrificed like a lamb.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

We all cry out to thee, the true Mother of God: Save thou thy servants, the objects of wrath, for thou alone hast boldness before thy Son.

Canon I of the Saints

Irmos: Cleanse me, O Savior, for many are my transgressions; and lead me up from the abyss of evils, I pray, for to Thee have I cried, and Thou hast hearkened to me, O God of my salvation.

Holy Wonderworkers, Peter and Fevronia, pray to God for us.

O all-honoured couple! O great luminaries! Sanctify and glorify those who with love glorify you in hymns, O wonderworkers.

Holy Wonderworkers, Peter and Fevronia, pray to God for us.

As an all-radiant twain and an all-honoured summit and couple, who took up the yoke of the Lord, ye served Him with all your soul.

Holy Wonderworkers, Peter and Fevronia, pray to God for us.

As good counsellors for your own way of life, possessing a single mind in two bodies, ye illumine the world with miracles; wherefore, illumine us also by your supplications.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

The voices of the prophets make clear that thou art the Mother of God, O Virgin; and beholding the fulfilment of their Honoured prophecies, we also hymn thee, who art truly the abode of virginity and purity.

Canon II of the Saints

Irmos: Imitating the Prophet Jonah, I cry out: O Good One, free my life from corruption! O Savior of the world, save me who cry out: Glory to Thee!

Holy Wonderworkers, Peter and Fevronia, pray to God for us.

From a most honourable root didst thou arise, an all-glorious scion, O Peter; and having lived on earth in piety, thou didst become a pure receptacle of the Holy Spirit, Who enlighteneth those who now hymn thy memory.

Holy Wonderworkers, Peter and Fevronia, pray to God for us.

The land of Russia is now filled with gladness on the appointed day of your feast, O all-glorious wonderworkers; and chanting, it saith thus: Entreat Christ to preserve your homeland from alien nations.

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

Ye are the helpers of orphans and widows, unassailable allies amid tribulations, the calm haven of all who have recourse unto you, and their true consolation amid sins.

Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. 

Christ our God hath wrought mighty works in thee, O pure one. Him do thou ever beseech, that in us also He may magnify His mercy, O all-immaculate Mistress.

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

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

Kontakion, in Tone VIII: Pondering the transitory glory and governance of this world, for this thou didst live piously in peace with the all-wise Fevronia thy spouse, O Peter, pleasing God with almsgiving and prayers. Wherefore, lying inseparably in the tomb even after death, ye invisibly impart healing. Pray ye now unto Christ, that He preserve your city and the people who glorify you.

Ikos: Make clear my tongue and pacify my heart; enlarge my mouth and fill it with the Spirit and wisdom, that therewith I may give utterance and chant thus to Thy wonderworkers: Rejoice with the all-praised Fevronia, O blessed Peter; Rejoice, allies of the land of Russia and helpers of Orthodox princes! Rejoice, preservers of our homeland and confirmation of our city! O all-Honoured twain and goodly couple, pray ye to Christ, that He preserve the city and people who glorify you!

Ode VII

Canon of the Theotokos

Irmos: The youths of old showed themselves to be rhetors with the greatest love of wisdom, for, theologizing with their lips, they sang from the depths of their God-pleasing souls: O most divine God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

At night Jacob beheld God as in a dream, and He Who was incarnate of thee hath manifested Himself in splendour unto those who chant: Most divine and supremely glorified is the God of our fathers!

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

He Who wrestled with Jacob, prefiguring the ineffable union in thee, O pure one, whereby He willingly united Himself to mankind, is the most divine and supremely glorified God of our fathers!

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

The vile one who had not proclaimed Thee, the Son of the Virgin, to be One of the all-hymned Trinity, cried out with steadfast thought and with his tongue: Most divine and supremely glorified is the God of our fathers!

Canon I of the Saints

Irmos: Once, in Babylon, the youths who had come forth from Judæa trod down the flame of the furnace with their faith in the Trinity, chanting: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Holy Wonderworkers, Peter and Fevronia, pray to God for us.

O all-blessed Peter and all-praised Fevronia, deliver those who flee unto you amid sickness and who cry out unto Christ: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Holy Wonderworkers, Peter and Fevronia, pray to God for us.

Be ye a refuge for all and tranquillity untouched by storms for those amid sins, that with you we also may cry out to Christ: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Holy Wonderworkers, Peter and Fevronia, pray to God for us.

Be ye a refuge for me on the day of wrath, O divinely blessed ones, for I walk among many snares; wherefore, deliver me from them, that I may hymn you.

Holy Wonderworkers, Peter and Fevronia, pray to God for us.

Today the all-glorious memorial of Peter and Fevronia hath shone forth in the world like the sun; and gathering together for it, we all chant thus: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

The Drop, divinely flowing, that was born of thee, O Virgin Theotokos, hath sanctified the world. Pour forth upon me the drops of mercy that sanctify the souls and minds of those on earth.

Canon II of the Saints

Irmos: The young men raised together in piety, disdaining the impious command, feared not the threat of the fire, but, standing in the midst of the flame, they chanted: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Holy Wonderworkers, Peter and Fevronia, pray to God for us.

Among all lands did the word spread that all-glorious wonderworkers had appeared to the city of Murom, who grant a multitude of healings unto all who have recourse unto them and hymn them with faith.

Holy Wonderworkers, Peter and Fevronia, pray to God for us.

Lo! From all cities and lands have hierarchs and priests, monks and lay folk, the rich and the poor, hastened now, all of them rejoicing together, to render praise unto you, O ye who are blessed of God.

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

Like a flower didst thou flourish in thy miracles, O all-glorious Peter, as saith the prophet: The righteous man shall flourish like a palm-tree. Wherefore, all of us now glorify thee, O blessed one.

Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. 

Thee, O most holy and pure one, do thy servants ever entreat, day and night, with contrite mind, asking that we be granted deliverance from our sins through thy supplications.

Ode VIII

Canon of the Theotokos

Irmos: The thrice-blessed youths, disdaining the golden image and beholding the immutable and living image of God, chanted in the midst of the fire: Let all existing creation hymn the Lord and exalt Him supremely for all ages!

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

Through thee did He Who is incomparable in grace and might become visible on earth and dwell with men. Chanting unto Him, O all ye faithful, let us cry out: Let all existing creation hymn the Lord and exalt Him supremely for all ages!

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

Truly proclaiming thee the pure one, we glorify thee, O Theotokos, for thou gavest birth to the One of the Trinity Who became incarnate. And to Him, with the Father and the Spirit, we sing: Let all existing creation hymn the Lord and exalt Him supremely for all ages!

Canon I of the Saints

Irmos: The King of heaven, Whom the hosts of angels hymn, praise and exalt ye supremely for all ages!

Holy Wonderworkers, Peter and Fevronia, pray to God for us.

Wash away and forgive our offenses, O Sinless One, through the supplications of Peter and Fevronia who pleased Thee, that we may hymn Thee, O Christ, forever.

Holy Wonderworkers, Peter and Fevronia, pray to God for us.

Accept the praise offered unto you with an unworthy hand from the depths of my heart, O blessed ones, and make entreaty in our behalf unto Christ God.

Most Holy Trinity, our God, glory to Thee.

Remit the offences of the singers who hymn Thee, O all-holy Trinity, in that Thou art all-good, through the supplications of Peter and Fevronia, that we may hymn Thee forever.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

As thou art the vessel of divinity, O pure one, enlighten me, that I may walk in the commandments of the Light Who shone forth from thy womb and hath illumined the hearts of the faithful, O all-pure one,.

Canon II of the Saints

Irmos: Him of Whom the angels and all the hosts of heaven stand in awe as their Creator and Lord, hymn, ye priests; glorify, ye children; bless, ye people, and exalt Him supremely for all ages!

Holy Wonderworkers, Peter and Fevronia, pray to God for us.

The ranks of angels praise you, O all-glorious ones, and the generations of men hymn you unceasingly, celebrating your memory with faith.

Holy Wonderworkers, Peter and Fevronia, pray to God for us.

O Christ God, grant me the intelligence and sense to hymn the all-glorious wonderworkers with worthy praises, that, rejoicing, I may hymn their memory.

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

Truly victory hath been proclaimed by the faithful, for Peter and Fevronia have shown themselves to be mighty allies amid misfortunes.

Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. 

Cure the passions of my heart, O all-pure one who gavest birth to God the King; and show me to share in the lot of the righteous, O Virgin Theotokos, entreating Christ thy Son.

Ode IX

Canon of the Theotokos

Irmos: Thou art all desire, all sweetness, O Word of God, Son of the Virgin, God of gods, all-holy Lord of the saints. Wherefore, we magnify Thee and her who gaveth Thee birth.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

In thy womb, O pure one, the Word of God was given to corruptible nature as a staff of strength. And He restored what had been dragged down to hell. Wherefore, we magnify thee, O all-pure one, as the Theotokos.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

O Master, mercifully accept Thy Mother as an intercessor in our behalf, as Thou hast willed, and all things will be filled with Thy goodness, that we all may magnify Thee as our Benefactor.

Canon I of the Saints

Irmos: Saved by thee, O pure Virgin, we confess thee to be in truth the Theotokos, magnifying thee with the incorporeal choirs.

Holy Wonderworkers, Peter and Fevronia, pray to God for us.

Possessed of a conscience pure before God from your youth, ye therefore lived in piety and have passed over to the Most High. Entreat Christ God in our behalf, that we may Honour you with love.

Holy Wonderworkers, Peter and Fevronia, pray to God for us.

As ye stand before the Holy Trinity with the venerable and the righteous, O blessed ones, pray ye that He deliver us from wrath and every threat, that we may unceasingly magnify you.

Holy Wonderworkers, Peter and Fevronia, pray to God for us.

Thy people beseech thee, O Peter blessed of God: with the all-wise Fevronia, with whom thou didst live a God-pleasing life in the world, entreat Christ to deliver us from all evils.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

O great wonder! How did Christ God, Whom naught can contain, make His abode in thy womb? Beseech Him in behalf of those who praise thee, O Virgin, that He ever deliver us from misfortunes and from iniquitous men.

Canon II of the Saints

Irmos: The radiant cloud upon which the beginningless Master of all descended from heaven, like rain upon the fleece, and of whom He was incarnate, becoming man for our sake, let us all magnify as the pure Mother of God.

Holy Wonderworkers, Peter and Fevronia, pray to God for us.

Comely of soul and body, and resplendent in piety, O glorious Peter, full of divine understanding and wisdom thou wast an instrument of the Holy Spirit; and thou hast passed over, rejoicing, to immortal life, to endless bliss.

Holy Wonderworkers, Peter and Fevronia, pray to God for us.

Your feast hath appeared like he morn, like the radiant day, O glorious ones, and all manner of healings pour forth from your shrine like a stream, watering the hearts of the faithful, who honour you with love.

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

Thou hast been found to be a great shield and a mighty fortress for the land of Russia, O blessed Peter and Fevronia, the boast of the Orthodox people and their glory among all the nations. And now we beseech you to preserve our homeland from barbarian invasion.

Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. 

O most immaculate one who gavest birth to the divine Light, enlighten me who am benighted by all the assaults of the evil one, who live in despondency and anger God, and guide me unto good works, for thou art the cause of all good things.

Troparion, Tone VIII: Having lived well in piety, O blessed Peter, thou wast like a most precious offshoot of the root of piety; and thus having pleased God in peace with thy spouse, the all-wise Fevronia, ye were vouchsafed the life of the holy monastics. With them pray ye to the Lord, that He preserve your homeland unharmed, that we may honour you unceasingly.

O great favourites of God and all-wondrous wonderworkers, right-believing Price Peter and Princess Fevronia, intercessors for the city of Murom, preservers of honourable marriage and diligent advocates for all of us before the Lord! In the days of your earthly life ye showed forth a model of piety, Christian love and fidelity one to another, and thereby glorified lawful and blessed marriage. Wherefore, we have recourse unto you and pray with mighty zeal: Offer your holy supplications unto the Lord God for us sinners, and ask for us all things of goodly benefit to our souls and bodies: right faith, good hope, unfeigned love, unshakable piety, success in good works*; and by your supplications grant even more unto those united by the bond of matrimony chastity, love for one another in the bond of peace, oneness of mind of souls and bodies, an unsullied marriage bed, an undisgraced sojourn, long-lived progeny, the favour of children, homes full of goodness, and the imperishable crown everlasting glory in eternal life. Yea, O holy wonderworkers, disdain not our prayers which are offered unto you with compunction, but be ye our faithful helpers before the Lord, and vouchsafe that through your intercession we may receive eternal salvation and inherit the kingdom of heaven, that we may glorify the ineffable love for mankind of God Who is worshiped in Trinity – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit – unto ages of ages. Amen.

The Meeting of the Vladimir Icon

Posted on by

Dear brothers and sisters,

Greetings as we celebrate the feast of the Meeting of the Vladimirskaya icon of the Most Holy Mother of God, commemorating the deliverance of Moscow from the advancing armies of Khan Ahmet in 1480, through the intercessions of the Mother of God.

On arriving at the Ugra River in the  region, with Ivan III, Grand Duke of Moscow waiting on the other bank, the Tartars were suddenly filled with fear and the Khan would not cross the river, but suddenly retreated to the steppe.

This feast, with an annual Cross procession bearing the Vladimirskaya icon from the Kremlin’s Cathedral to the Sretensky monastery was established.

We began the feast with the celebration of Great Vespers in Llanelli, this evening, and the canon for this most beloved icon is posted below.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us!

 

The Canon of the Meeting of the Icon, in Tone IV

Ode I, Irmos: I will open my mouth, and with the Spirit will it be filled; and I shall utter discourse unto the Queen and Mother, and shall appear, keeping splendid festival; and, rejoicing, I will hymn her wonders.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

O Mistress, illumine our souls with divine radiance, with thy grace which passeth understanding, and grant me the bountiful gift to hymn thee as the helper of human nature, O all-hymned one, faithful ally against all heresies for our pious Orthodox hierarchs.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

Come ye, let us gather together, O ye assemblies of Russia, in the all-honourable temple of the most immaculate Mistress, and let us chant with compunction, praying before the precious image, and crying aloud: O Theotokos who knewest not wedlock, save those who praise thee!

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

The most godly Luke, the divinely eloquent recorder of the glad tidings of Christ, in painting thy most precious image, O Mother of God, depicted the Creator of all in thine honoured arms. And those who have recourse thereto thou deliverest from perils and grief, and coverest all with thy mercy.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

The Creator of all, finding thee alone to be an all-comely temple, made His abode within thee and hath deified men. Pray thou to Him for us, O Theotokos, that He save us from capture by the heathen and from every other tribulation which assaileth us, that with all honor we may celebrate the meeting of thine image today.

Ode III, Irmos: O Theotokos, thou living and abundant fountain: in thy divine glory establish those who hymn thee and spiritually form themselves into a choir; and vouchsafe unto them crowns of glory.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

Putting aside all earthly thought, O ye divinely wise, come ye to greet the all-comely beam who holdeth the all-luminous Ray Who enlighteneth and enricheth the whole world with mercy.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

Having acquired thy most precious and wonder-working icon as a mighty ally and an impregnable rampart, O Mother of God, the princes of Russia pray to thee, that thou grant victory over all heresies to our pious Orthodox hierarchs.

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

Thou hast been shown to be a radiant cloud washing clean the defilements of our bodies with the dew of grace and enlightening our souls, O thou who alone art most hymned.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Thou hast been revealed as a most fruitful tree delighting all with food which perisheth not, and gladdening men’s souls, O pure Bride of God. Pour forth goodly gifts upon all, and save us from violent tribulations.

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

Sessional hymn,Tone IV, Spec. Mel “Joseph marvelled…”: O ye God-loving people, come to greet the Virgin! For, lo! she who surpasseth all the prophets doth arrive, bearing in the arms of her precious image Him Who bestoweth life upon the world, that she might preserve her suffering city, cast down the boldness of the barbarians and show herself to be the steadfast guardian of all who entreat her might and protection with faith.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Ode IV, Irmos: Perceiving the inscrutable counsel of God – the Incarnation of Thee, the Most High, from the Virgin – the Prophet Habbakuk cried aloud: Glory to Thy power, O Lord!

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

The true and radiant Sun hath shown forth the all-great mountain, from whence came the Stone that was cut not by the hand of man, which hath crushed all temptations to dust and illumined the faithful, shedding light in rays, O Ever-virgin Theotokos.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

The children of Hagar arm themselves against thy people, O pure Theotokos, taking evil counsel, razing cities and destroying the faithful; yet do thou annihilate them all by thy mercy, O most hymned one, granting ascendancy to the Orthodox Faith over their false religion.

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

O only Mother of God, thou animate heaven who received the great Light, illumining all, dispel the darkness of the misfortunes which have beset us, and vouchsafe unto us communion with the Most High.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

David danced before the ark, and the Levites chanted hymns; and all the more doth Russia sing praises before thee as Queen, O pure Theotokos, earnestly giving utterance to thee with voices of entreaty: Rejoice, O ally of our city!

Ode V, Irmos: All things are filled with awe at thy divine glory; for thou, O Virgin who hast not known wedlock, didst contain within thy womb Him Who is God over all, and gavest birth to the timeless Son, granting peace unto all who hymn thee.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

Thee, O Mother of God, did Isaiah, great among the prophets, behold in the Spirit as containing within thy womb the burning Ember Who illumineth the faithful and utterly consumeth all temptations, saving the human race.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

Thou didst put forth the Rod of Aaron and hast uprooted the root of evil, O Virgin Bride of God, having given birth for the world unto the Bestower of life. Him do thou beseech, that this city be saved from manifold perils.

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

With gladness approach ye now the most honoured Mother of God, O divinely chosen flock, ye assemblies of Russia, and lovingly receive her precious image. For, lo! her grace is inexhaustible, pouring forth divine waters in abundance. Her do we honour, and we bow down before her precious image.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

From the root of Jesse the Tree of life hath grown forth for all, and thou didst produce its Fruit in thy womb, O pure Virgin, nurturing all men with thy mercy.

Ode VI, Irmos: Celebrating this divine and most honoured festival of the Mother of God, come, ye divinely wise, let us clap our hands and glorify God Who was born of her.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

From thee, O Mother of God, hath a Torrent of sweetness issued forth, giving drink to all men and washing their souls clean of defilement. O Mistress Theotokos, save all who with faith bow down before thy precious image.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

Having assembled together, let us all hymn the pure Virgin, the divinely chosen Maiden of Jacob, the fleece of Gideon, the mediatress of joy, the might and boast of those who are saved, the pure Theotokos.

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

Behold, gladness now draweth nigh, and sorrow is destroyed! The faithful are saved, drawing forth joy as from a wellspring, and they chant continually in praise: Rejoice, O pure Mistress, thou inception of our salvation, bulwark and boast of all the faithful!

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

By thine entreaties grant us thine aid, O all-pure Theotokos, for sorrows descend upon us, griefs have multiplied, and the enemy array themselves against us. Yet, interceding, O all-pure one, deliver us: cast down the arrogance of our foes and grant us victory over our enemies, that all who do evil to thy servants may be put to shame.

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

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Kontakion, Tone VIII, Spec. Mel. “To thee, the chosen leader…”: As ones delivered from evils by the arrival of thy precious image, O Mistress Theotokos, do we splendidly chant hymns of victory to thee, the chosen leader, on the feast of thy meeting, and we cry to thee as is our wont: Rejoice, O Bride unwedded!

Ikos: An angelic messenger was sent from heaven to say to the Theotokos: “Rejoice!”, with his incorporeal voice, O Lord; And perceiving Thee incarnate, he was filled with awe and stood, crying out to her such things as these: Rejoice, thou through whom Joy hath shone forth; rejoice, thou who didst annul the curse! Rejoice, restoration of fallen Adam; rejoice, deliverance of Eve from tears! Rejoice, height not easily scaled by the thoughts of men; rejoice, depth not easily plumbed even by the eyes of angels! Rejoice, for thou art the throne of the King; rejoice, for thou bearest Him Who bearest all things! Rejoice, thou star who revealest the Sun; rejoice, womb of the incarnation of God! Rejoice, thou through whom creation hath been restored; rejoice, thou by whom the Creator is worshipped! Rejoice, O Bride unwedded!

Ode VII, Irmos: The divinely wise youths worshipped not a creation rather than the Creator, but, manfully trampling the threat of the fire underfoot, they rejoice, chanting: Blessed art Thou, the all-hymned God of our fathers!

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

Arrayed by thee as in purple and fine linen dyed scarlet, O Mistress Virgin Theotokos, thy city magnifieth Christ and glorifieth the arrival of thy precious image, which hath appeared outshining the rays of the sun and illumining with light undimmed those who sing aloud thy praises.

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

The tablets divinely inscribed by the finger of the Spirit did Moses break in anger; yet the all-glorious Creator Who made His abode within thee, O pure one, preserved thee unharmed. To Him do we chant: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

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

Accept the entreaties of thy servants, O all-pure Virgin Theotokos. By thy supplications still thou the restless tempest, and drive away the councils of the adverse foe who fall upon thy flock, O most immaculate Mistress.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

By His nativity the Creator of all signified that thou alone art the helper of the human race, O Theotokos Mary, and the prophet prefigured thee: one as the gate, another as the bower of God. And we hymn thee as the Mother of God, our mediatress before God, our ally against all the evils which assail us.

Ode VIII, Irmos: The birthgiving of the Theotokos saved the pious children in the furnace – then in figure, but now in deed – and it moveth all the world to chant to Thee: Hymn ye the Lord and exalt Him supremely for all ages!

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

How can we hymn thee as is meet, O Virgin: our steadfast help, the preserver of our life, our sure mediatress before thy Son and our God? Him do we hymn and exalt supremely forever!

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

O Mary Theotokos, thou all-comely flower, rich fragrance: thou fillest all with sweet savour, savest and deliverest from infirmities, and dispellest the demons; wherefore, we cry out to thee: Rejoice, O helper of all the faithful who pray to thee!

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

Thou hast shown thyself to be a tower repelling the assaults of the adversary, O Mother of God; for thou hast been revealed as a bulwark and rampart, a refuge of salvation for all who honour thee with ardent hearts.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Like David we chant a hymn to thee, calling thee the mountain of God, O all-pure Virgin; for thou hast poured forth upon us the ever-flowing Wellspring. Him do we hymn and exalt supremely forever.

Ode IX, Irmos: Let every mortal leap for joy, enlightened by the Spirit; and let the nature of the incorporeal intelligences keep festival, honoring the sacred feast of the Mother of God, and let them cry aloud: Rejoice, O most blessed Theotokos, pure Ever-virgin!

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

O pure Theotokos, mediatress of Joy, gladden thou our minds, that we may cry to thee: Rejoice, O our guardian, might and protection, our refuge of salvation!

Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

Let heaven and earth praise thee together, in that thou gavest birth to the Bestower of life for the world: Rejoice, O tranquil haven, thou inexhaustible wellspring of the water of life, O Mistress!

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

O ye people, having assembled today to greet the all-pure Mother of God who bore the Fruit of the noetic vine Who ever exudeth the Wine which filleth all with gladness, let us glorify the Theotokos as is meet.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O Mother of God, thou divine river of the waters of life who watereth all valleys: drown thou our temptations, and destroy them utterly.

Troparion, Tone IV: Today the most glorious city of Moscow is adorned, having received thy wonder-working icon like the radiance of the sun; and we, hastening to it and entreating thee, O Mistress, do thus cry out: O all-wondrous Mistress Theotokos, entreat Christ our God, Who became incarnate through thee, that He deliver this city, and all cities and lands where Christians dwell, unharmed by all the assaults of the enemy, and save thou our souls, in that thou art compassionate.

The Canon to St Maximos the Greek

Posted on by

Today is the anniversary of the finding of the precious relics of St Maximos the Greek – the New-Confessor – in the Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra in 1997. 

The Canon from his feast day service, in January, is posted below, for anyone who wishes to honour St Maximos, by chanting it today. 

The Canon to the Venerable Maximos the Greek, in Tone I 

Ode I, Irmos: O ye people, let us all chant a hymn of victory unto Him Who delivered Israel from the bitter bondage of Pharaoh, and led them dry-shod in the depths of the sea, for He hath been glorified. 

Venerable Father, Maximos, pray to God for us. 

What tongue, O all-wondrous father, is able fittingly to hymn thy great corrections, sublime teaching, thy martyric suffering and long-suffering in prison and bonds? 

Venerable Father, Maximos, pray to God for us. 

What tongue, O all-wondrous father, is able fittingly to hymn thy great corrections, sublime teaching, thy martyric suffering and long-suffering in prison and bonds? 

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

How shall we hymn and what shall we call thee, O all-valiant father? Prophet, in that thou didst easily foretell what we have come to know and recognise? Apostle, for by the teachings of divine Scriptures thou didst make steadfast the Christian Faith, which was shaken by contrary winds? Or teacher, for truly thou art an instructor no less than or inferior to the great œcumenical teachers. 

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. 

O ye people, let us all hymn the holiness and glory of the all-pure and most hymned Mother of God, who is higher than the heavens and all the noetic hosts, and who bore Emmanuel in her all-pure womb, for she is holy and all-glorious! 

Ode III, Irmos: Establish me, O Christ, upon the immovable rock of Thy commandments, and illumine me with the light of Thy countenance, for there is none as holy as Thee, Who lovest mankind. 

Venerable Father, Maximos, pray to God for us. 

In thy heart, O venerable Maximos, thou didst establish divine fear, having hated all carnal lusts; wherefore, as a simple child thou wast made wise, and thou didst hasten after the Lord. 

Venerable Father, Maximos, pray to God for us. 

Having the Lord Jesus Christ as thy confirmation, O venerable Maximos, to thy kinsmen, friends and acquaintance thou didst become like an unknown stranger, homeless, bereft of homeland and possessions, and misunderstood. 

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

Anchoring thyself to the commandments of the Lord, through the bitterness of imprisonment thou didst become as one dead for a long time; yet thou didst make supplication in behalf of those of evil ways, saying: “O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, hold not to account for this sin those who slander me with lies!” 

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. 

Render us steadfast for thy laudation, O Virgin, and preserve us from harm and every wile of the evil one; and vouchsafe that we may stand at the right hand of thine only-begotten Son, to Whom is due all glory, honor and worship, unto the ages of ages. 

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

Sessional hymn, Tone IV: Having adorned thy mind with the divinely inspired Scriptures, with watchful prayer and God-pleasing vigils thou didst confirm thy heart in the Lord by keeping His salvific commandments; wherefore, Athos and the people of Russia continually glorify thee, and the Monastery of Vatopedi crieth out with us: O all-wise Maximos, forsake us not who pray to thee! 

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. 

Theotokion: I beseech thee, O all-pure Mother of God Most High, only consolation of my soul, my hope, delight, divine protection, light, help and salvation: By thy supplications vouchsafe that I may hear the voice which calleth the blessed to enter the bridal-chamber of the Master. 

Ode IV, Irmos: Great is the mystery of Thy dispensation, O Christ! For, foreseeing it with divine vision from above, Habbakuk cried out to Thee: Thou hast come for the salvation of Thy people, O Thou Who lovest mankind! 

Venerable Father, Maximos, pray to God for us. 

No secret false heretical teaching could stay concealed from thee, O venerable Maximos; but through the grace of the worshipful Holy Spirit they were all unmasked by thee. 

Venerable Father, Maximos, pray to God for us. 

Thou not only showed thyself to be a true and faithful champion of the mystical dogmas of the Orthodox Faith, but thou wast shown to be a finely honed scythe for the mowing down of all heresies under the sun. 

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

Thou wast truly shown to be an initiate of the mysteries of the Holy Spirit, a lover of the life of heaven and a teacher of the law of the Lord, O all-wise Maximos. 

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. 

Moses, who beheld God, was taught a great mystery when he saw the unburnt bush: the bush is the weakness of human nature, and the fire is the divinity of the only-begotten Son of God; for our God is a Fire which devoureth our sins, as the divine apostle saith. 

Ode V, Irmos: Waking at dawn out of the night, we chant to Thee, O Christ, Who art consubstantial with the Father and art the Saviour of our souls: Grant peace to the world, O Thou Who lovest mankind! 

Venerable Father, Maximos, pray to God for us. 

The moon at night and the sun during the day enlighten and gladden all visible creation; and the manner of life and the wisdom of the saints enlighten and gladden the souls of all men who desire to be saved and come to a knowledge of the Truth. Thus also do the writings of the venerable Maximos the Greek sound forth like divinely blown trumpets. 

Venerable Father, Maximos, pray to God for us. 

When thou didst pray at night in thy prison-cell, by the providence of the divine and all-good Trinity the angel of the Lord heard thee, and said: “O elder, thanks to these torments thou shalt avoid eternal torments.” 

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

At night, O all-wise Maximos, thou didst sing like a sweet-voiced and melodious nightingale: “Be not grieved, neither sorrowful nor downcast, O my beloved soul! Thou sufferest unjustly, yet thy reward will be great in the heavens!” 

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. 

Rising at dawn, we hymn thee, O Virgin, the daughter of the King, arrayed in golden vesture inwrought with many colors, the ladder which Jacob beheld, the mountain whereon God was well-pleased to dwell, for the Lord made His abode there to the end. 

Ode VI, Irmos: Thou didst save the prophet from the sea monster, O Thou Who lovest mankind. Lead me up from the abyss of transgressions, I pray. 

Venerable Father, Maximos, pray to God for us. 

Like a prophet thou didst rebuke the people, O venerable Maximos, leading them to repentance, saying: “We have strayed, we strayed from the straight and unerring way of life which holy monks lead, and we mindlessly run after the honours of high positions.” 

Venerable Father, Maximos, pray to God for us. 

Thou wast shown to be a prophet of repentance, O venerable Maximos, acquiring watchfulness of soul through divine discourse, and leading up from the pit of the passions those benighted by sins. 

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

The writings of the prophets, which were uttered in secret, didst thou make plain, O all-wise Maximos; wherefore, all men ever pay great heed to thee. 

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. 

The prophets proclaimed thee beforehand, O pure Virgin, the apostles preached thee, all the saints called thee blessed, and we cry out with the archangel: Rejoice, O thou who art full of grace! The Lord is with thee!” 

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

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. 

Kontakion, Tone VIII: With divinely inspired writings and the preaching of theology didst thou denounce the vanity of the heretics, O thou who art most rich; and establishing them firmly in Orthodoxy, thou didst guide them to the path of true understanding. And like a divinely melodious harp thou didst delight and unceasingly gladden the minds of those who hearkened unto thee, O right wondrous Maximos. Wherefore, we beseech thee: Entreat Christ God, that He send down remission of sins upon those who with faith hymn thy most holy dormition, O Maximos our father. 

Ikos: How can we hymn the all-valiant Maximos, the namesake of greatness, the beauteous crown of the venerable, the firm rule of athletes, the true humiliation of heretics, the unshakable pillar of the Church, the renowned instructor of the virginal and champion of honourable marriage, the all-wise sage of philosophers, the ever-flowing fountain of Truth, the boast of monks and true adornment of all men? Wherefore, we beseech thee, O right wondrous Maximos: Entreat Christ God, that He send down remission of sins upon those who with faith hymn thy most holy dormition, O Maximos our father. 

Ode VII, Irmos: When the people were summoned with the sound of music to worship the image, the children of David, chanting the songs of Sion like their fathers, rejected the wicked edict of the tyrant and transformed the flame into dew, singing the hymn: O supremely exalted God of our fathers, blessed art Thou! 

Venerable Father, Maximos, pray to God for us. 

Giving utterance to a hymn of thanksgiving to the image of the providence of the all-holy Trinity, O venerable Maximos, thou didst summon us all to bless in purity the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the one God in three Hypostases. 

Venerable Father, Maximos, pray to God for us. 

O holy Maximos, thou wast shown to be a model of the endurance of evils, and of patience and prayer, and even more of hope, for God the Judge is just, mighty and long-suffering, and He will render unto each according to his deeds. 

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

Thou didst acquire the image of sublime theology, O all-wise Maximos, that is the dogmas of the divine apostles and fathers, poured forth by the Holy Paraclete, whereby thou teachest us with thy divine wise writings. 

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. 

The image of thine all-pure birthgiving is ineffable and incomprehensible, O Virgin Mother; for thou didst become the dwelling-place of the preëternal and only-begotten Son of the Father, without being consumed by Him. 

Ode VIII, Irmos: Hymn the Lord, Who preserved the children in the burning fiery furnace and descended unto them in the guise of an angel, and exalt Him supremely forever! 

Venerable Father, Maximos, pray to God for us. 

Thou didst desire the radiance of the flame of the divine Paraclete, O venerable Maximos; wherefore, with the most sweet light of doctrine and the fire of miracles thou didst drive away all the darkness of the demons. 

Venerable Father, Maximos, pray to God for us. 

Thou didst teach men to flee the flame of Gehenna, O venerable Maximos, calling upon them to embody the commandments of Christ in deed, and to shun malice, fornication, lying, pride, falsehood and the unjust theft of things which belong to others. 

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

As with flame thou didst burn up the ungodliness of heretics, O all-wise Maximos, making brilliant the divine confession of the unblemished Christian Faith. 

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. 

Moses the God-seer beheld thee in the fiery flame of the burning bush, O all-pure Virgin, and proclaimed thy seedless birthgiving; wherefore, free us from the carnal passions. 

Ode IX, Irmos: Thee, the Mother of God, the radiant lamp, the all-wondrous glory more exalted than all creatures, do we magnify with hymns. 

Venerable Father, Maximos, pray to God for us. 

We know thee to be a radiant lamp, an excellent mind and an unshakable pillar; and we proclaim thee an instructor of monks and a denouncer of heresies. 

Venerable Father, Maximos, pray to God for us. 

Thou didst shine forth brilliantly from the noonday lands, O venerable Maximos, exhibiting a splendid manner of life, dispelling the darkness of evil, and shining forth in right pleasing supplication. 

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

As a torch of divine understanding, thou didst attain unto the knowledge of the Son of God, becoming a perfect man according to the measure of the stature of Christ; wherefore, we cry out to thee: Truly blessed art thou in all things, through the struggles, glory and grace which thou didst receive from on high! 

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. 

In hymns we magnify aloud thee who art a radiant beacon amid the night of the passions, a shelter of goodness, and an unassailable defence against the assaults of the enemy. 

Troparion, Tone VIII: Made brilliant by the radiance of the Spirit, through divine wisdom thou wast vouchsafed the intelligence of the rhetors, enlightening with the light of piety the hearts of men, which were darkened by ignorance; and thou wast shown to be a most splendid lamp of Orthodoxy, O venerable Maximus. Wherefore, having become a stranger and wanderer in thy zeal for Him Who seeth all things, thou wast a sojourner in the land of Russia, suffering imprisonment and incarceration at the command of the sovereign; yet thou art crowned by the right hand of the Most High, and workest all-glorious miracles. Be thou also a true mediator for us who honour thy holy memory with love. 

 

 

Liturgy in the Christian Home: Praying the Canons

Posted on by

I was very happy that one of our parish-brothers asked for a blessing to chant the canons to the saints of the day during Thursday’s confessions in Nazareth House, with another young brother formatting the canons to St Cyril of Alexandria and St Columba for them to chant together.

As I turned to welcome each penitent before their confession, it was wonderful to see four of our parish brothers praying before the shrine containing an icon of the Saviour and the analoy bearing the icons of the icons of the saints of the day, and to hear the refrains of the canons from the other end of the temple.

On our Facebook page, we are always keen on publishing such liturgical canons: cycles of hymns based around the themes of the Biblical Odes, or Canticles, as they are often called in the west.

A good explanation is to be found on orthowiki, so we will simply quote:

“There are nine Biblical Canticles that are chanted at Matins These form the basis of the Canon, a major component of Matins.

The nine Canticles are as follows:

Canticle One – The (First) Song of Moses (Exodus 15:1-19)

Canticle Two – The (Second) Song of Moses (Deuteronomy 32:1-43)

Canticle Three – The Prayer of Hannah (I Kings 2:1-10) KJV: 1+Samuel 2:1-10

Canticle Four – The Prayer of Habakkuk (Habakkuk 3:1-19)

Canticle Five – The Prayer of Isaiah (Isaiah 26:9-20)

Canticle Six – The Prayer of Jonah (Jonah 2:2-9)

Canticle Seven – The Prayer of the Three Holy Children (Daniel 3:26-56)

Canticle Eight – The Song of the Three Holy Children (Daniel 3:57-88)

Canticle Nine – The Song of the Theotokos (the Magnificat: Luke 1:46-55); the Song of Zacharias (the Benedictus Luke 1:68-79)

Originally, these Canticles were chanted in their entirety every day, with a short refrain inserted between each verse. Eventually, short verses (troparia) were composed to replace these refrains, a process traditionally inaugurated by Saint Andrew of Crete.

Gradually over the centuries, the verses of the Biblical Canticles were omitted (except for the Magnificat) and only the composed troparia were read, linked to the original canticles by an Irmos. During Great Lent however, the original Biblical Canticles are still read.

Another Biblical Canticle, the The Song of Simeon (Luke 2:29-32), is either read or sung at Vespers.”

Source: https://orthodoxwiki.org/Biblical_Odes

The canons – usually, but not always appointed to be chanted during matins – are a great liturgical treasure of our Church, and a great accomplishment of Byzantine hymnography, associated with some great hymnographers: St Andrew of Crete, St John of Damascus, St Joseph the Hymnographer.

The first two names are, of course, particularly associated with two of the great liturgical canons: the Great Canon of Repentance, and the Paschal Canon – both of which have a very important place in Orthodox liturgico-spiritual life.

Other canons, which we know particularly well are the Canon of Preparation for Holy Communion, the Penitential Canon included in most Slavic type prayerbooks, and the “three canons”, chanted as part of preparation for Holy Communion in the East Slavic tradition: the Supplicatory Canon to the Saviour (O Sweet/Sweetest Jesus, in the Old and New Rites respectively), the Small Supplicatory Canon to the Mother of God), and the Small Supplicatory Canon to the Guardian Angel).

Current East Slavic praxis tends not to know the Greater Supplicatory Canon to the Mother of God (not a standard part of liturgical tradition in the centuries of the spiritual formation of Rus) known and loved in the Greek world, and the Greater Supplicatory Canon to the Guardian Angel, to be found in Slavic Old Rite prayerbooks.

Pre-Nikonian Psalters contained the canons for the departed, for those who give us alms, and to St Nicholas – so these were, at one time a common component in the prayer-life of the literate.

The brothers of our parish who use the Old Orthodox Prayerbook (from the ROCOR Old Rite parish in Erie, Pennsylvania), have expressed their appreciation for the canon for the sick, largely unknown by the faithful, today.

Supplication to St Varus, for those who have died without Holy Baptism made the canon to the Great-Martyr popular in Russia, Belorus and Ukraine, and similarly the canon to St Paisius for those who have died without repentance. Recourse to both of these saints was reflected by the popularity of cast icons, particularly among Old Believers.

Over the centuries after the reforms of Patriarch Nikon, the growing popularity of akathist hymns (of varying, and sometimes dubious quality) largely supplanted the chanting of canons by many believers, but it is firstly to the canons that we should turn for intercessory prayer and supplication, rather than akathist hymns, as the canons are the liturgical prayers and hymns of the Church – not para-liturgical or optional extras. We should remember that only one akathist hymn is appointed to be chanted liturgically: that to the Mother of God, by St Romanos the Melodist. Conversely, the canons, are part of the sanctified liturgical prayer of the Church… so I would always encourage parishioners to pray the canons first, with the akathist as an extra though still valuable offering.

The faithful would greatly benefit by including the canons in their day-to-day prayer-life, particularly for Great Feasts of the Lord and the Mother of God, and for the feasts of our major saints, as well as regularly praying the various canons for the sick and the departed.

This is easy for those praying in Slavonic, as the Kanonik (according both Old and New Rite texts) is freely available as a unified collection of texts, in print and electronically, but with the wealth of liturgical material available on-line, a little searching will lead those praying in English to a wealth of resources – especially in the monthly menaia to be found online at the ponomar project (https://www.ponomar.net) and at st-sergius.org (http://www.st-sergius.org/services/pent/100.pdf), both also having texts in Slavonic.

Following simple custom, a canon may be chanted just before the end of our morning or evening prayer-rule, followed by “It is Truly Meet” or its festal replacement and just before the usual dismissal of the prayers. Alternatively canons may chanted ‘alone’ with slightly varying orders available on-line.

Parishioners use a variety of different prayerbooks, and I would recommend that British parishioners in particular ensure that any prayerbook they consider buying contains the canons we use week by week, not just for preparing for communion but as a more regular part of Orthodox prayer.

Additionally, I hope that parishioners make the most of freely available resources, and assemble their own ‘kanonik’, so that they always have a source of liturgical prayer freely available in our homes, so that we do not spend times of prayer scrolling down the screen of a mobile phone.

As an extremely geographically dispersed community, the canons in our daily prayers can be a source of liturgical and prayerful unity across the miles, as we mark the feasts and seasons in our homes in the cities, towns and villages in which we live.

Traditions of Praying the Hours

Posted on by

Dear brothers and sisters,

I have previously reposted Vladimir Basenkov’s excellent article “Edinovertsi’s Treasure: The Rule of Home Prayer”, regarding the culture and praxis of home prayer and worship according to Old Rite tradition, and encourage anyone who has not read it to do so.

https://orthochristian.com/122042.html?fbclid=IwAR0mGVHoPfbuwKPhNkFTkbHgU0qUK0_-vO0LkSOFwwGIkTv6Zqgnb0G8wUg

Reflecting on the desire of our young parish brothers to pray together and their realisation that most of the services of the Church may be accomplished without clergy, I would like to re-share a little of the above article regarding the praying of the various hours of prayer using the lestovka (or other prayer rope), or by reading the Psalter – which many of our parishioners make a key part of their spiritual-life (with our Slavonic style Psalters having penitential troparia and prayers at the end of each kathisma).

I very much hope that over the next month, I am able to have some teaching time with some of our parishioners, so that they feel confident to come together to celebrate services other than the hours and compline (which are so simple in their format), giving them the skills to combine the variables of the day with the static texts of the daily services.

For now, I would just like to remind parishioners that apart from using the horologion/chasoslov, there are other ways that the faithful have traditionally marked the hours.

“…the practice of replacing the daily cycle of services with the Jesus Prayer with bows and without has very ancient roots. Laboring in isolation from civilization, monks prayed with the help of a verveets (an ancient prayer rope). By the way, this custom has survived to this day—for example, in Athonite monasteries, sometimes the monks pray certain parts of the daily cycle with the help of the Jesus Prayer, whether in their cells or together.”

The rule of prayer on the lestovka/prayer-rope without bows: 

  • For Vespers: 600
  • For Great Compline: 700
  • For Small Compline: 400
  • For Midnight Office: 600
  • For Matins: 1,500
  • For the Hours: 1,000; with the Inter-Hours: 1,500

And with bows: 

  • For Vespers: 300 bows
  • For Great Compline: 300 bows
  • For Small Compline: 200 bows
  • For Midnight Office: 300 bows
  • For Matins: 700 bows
  • For the First Hour: 150 bows
  • For the Third, Sixth, and Ninth Hours: 500 bows; for the Hours with the Inter-Hours: 750 bows

If you decide to pray the Psalms, then the guidelines are as follows: 

  • For Vespers: 2 Kathismas
  • For Great Compline: 2 Kathismas
  • For Small Compline: 1 Kathisma
  • For Midnight Office: 2 Kathismas
  • For Matins: 5 Kathismas
  • For the First Hour: 1 Kathisma
  • For the Third, Sixth, and Ninth Hours: 3 Kathismas

St Cyril of Alexandria: Life and Canon

Posted on by
Saint Cyril, Archbishop of Alexandria, a distinguished champion of Orthodoxy and a great teacher of the Church, came from an illustrious and pious Christian family. He studied the secular sciences, including philosophy, but most of all he strove to acquire knowledge of the Holy Scriptures and the truths of the Christian Faith. In his youth Cyril entered the monastery of Macarius in the Nitreia hills, where he stayed for six years. Theophilus (385-412), the Patriarch of Alexandria, ordained him as a deacon, numbered him among the clergy and entrusted him to preach.

Upon the death of Patriarch Theophilus, Cyril was unanimously chosen to the patriarchal throne of the Alexandrian Church. He led the struggle against the spread of the Novatian heresy in Alexandria, which taught that any Christian who had fallen away from the Church during a time of persecution, could not be received back into it.

Cyril, seeing the futility of admonishing the heretics, sought their expulsion from Alexandria. The Jews appeared a greater danger for the Church, repeatedly causing riots, accompanied by the brutal killing of Christians. The saint long contended with them. In order to wipe out the remnants of paganism, the saint cast out devils from an ancient pagan temple and built a church on the spot, and the relics of the Holy Unmercenaries Cyrus and John were transferred into it. A more difficult struggle awaited the saint with the emergence of the Nestorian heresy.

Nestorius, a presbyter of the Antiochian Church, was chosen in 428 to the see of Constantinople and there he was able to spread his heretical teaching against the dogma about the uncommingled union of two natures in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Nestorius called the Mother of God not the Theotokos, but rather Christotokos or “Birth-giver of Christ,” implying that she gave birth not to God, but only to the man Christ. The holy Patriarch Cyril repeatedly wrote to Nestorius and pointed out his error, but Nestorius continued to persevere in it. Then the saint sent out epistles against Nestorianism to the clergy of Constantinople and to the holy emperor Theodosius the Younger (408-450), denouncing the heresy. Cyril wrote also to other Churches, to Pope Celestine and to the other Patriarchs, and even to monks of several monasteries, warning of the emergence of a dangerous heresy.

Nestorius started an open persecution against the Orthodox. In his presence one of his partisans, Bishop Dorotheus, pronounced an anathema against anyone who would call the Most Holy Virgin Mary the Theotokos.

Nestorius hated Cyril and brought out against him every kind of slander and fabrication, calling him a heretic. The saint continued to defend Orthodoxy with all his powers. The situation became so aggravated, that it became necessary to call an Ecumenical Council, which convened in the city of Ephesus in the year 431. At the Council 200 bishops arrived from all the Christian Churches. Nestorius, awaiting the arrival of Bishop John of Antioch and other Syrian bishops, did not agree to the opening of the Council. But the Fathers of the Council began the sessions with Cyril presiding. Having examined the teaching of Nestorius, the Council condemned him as a heretic. Nestorius did not submit to the Council, and Bishop John opened a “robber council”, which decreed Cyril a heretic. The unrest increased. By order of the emperor, Patriarch Cyril of Alexandria and Archbishop Memnon of Ephesus were locked in prison, and Nestorius was deposed.

Soon Saints Cyril and Memnon were freed, and the sessions of the Council continued. Nestorius, not submitting himself to the determinations of the Council, was deprived of priestly rank. By order of the emperor he was sent to the faraway place Sasim in the Libyan wilderness, where he died in grievous torments. His tongue, having blasphemed the Mother of God, was overtaken by punishment — in it there developed worms. Even Bishop John of Antioch and the remaining Syrian bishops signed the decrees of the Council of Ephesus.

Cyril guided the Alexandrian Church for 32 years, and towards the end of his life the flock was cleansed of heretics. Gently and cautiously Cyril approached anyone, who by their own simpleness and lack of knowledge, fell into false wisdom. There was a certain Elder, an ascetic of profound life, who incorrectly considered the Old Testament Priest Melchizedek to be the Son of God. Cyril prayed for the Lord to reveal to the Elder the correct way to view the righteous one. After three days the Elder came to Cyril and said that the Lord had revealed to him that Melchizedek was a mere man.

Cyril learned to overcome his prejudice against the memory of the great John Chrysostom (November 13). Theophilus, the Patriarch of Alexandria, and uncle of Cyril, was an antagonist of John, and presided in a council in judgment of him. Cyril thus found himself in a circle antagonistic to John Chrysostom, and involuntarily acquired a prejudice against him. Isidore of Pelusium (February 4) repeatedly wrote to Cyril and urged him to include the name of the great Father of the Church into the diptychs of the saints, but Cyril would not agree.

Once in a dream he saw a wondrous temple, in which the Mother of God was surrounded by a host of angels and saints, in whose number was John Chrysostom. When Cyril wanted to approach the All-Holy Lady and venerate her, John Chrysostom would not let him. The Theotokos asked John to forgive Cyril for having sinned against him through ignorance. Seeing that John hesitated, the Mother of God said, “Forgive him for my sake, since he has labored much for my honor, and has glorified me among the people calling me Theotokos.” John answered, “By your intercession, Lady, I do forgive him,” and then he embraced Cyril with love.

Cyril repented that he had maintained anger against the great saint of God. Having convened all the Egyptian bishops, he celebrated a solemn feast in honor of John Chrysostom.

Cyril died in the year 444, leaving behind many works. In particular, the following ought to be mentioned: commentaries On the Gospel of Luke, On the Gospel of John, On the Epistles of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians and to the Hebrews; also an Apologia in Defense of Christianity against the Emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363). Of vast significance are his Five Books against Nestorius; a work on the Most Holy Trinity under the title Thesaurus, written against Arius and Eunomios. Also two dogmatic compositions on the Most Holy Trinity, distinguished by a precise exposition of the Orthodox teaching on the Procession of the Holy Spirit. Cyril wrote Against Anthropomorphism for several Egyptians, who through ignorance depicted God in human form. Among Cyril’s works are also the Discussions, among which is the moving and edifying Discourse on the Exodus of the Soul, inserted in the Slavonic “Following Psalter”.

Today we commemorate the repose of this great Father of the Church. He is also remembered on January 18, the date of his flight from Alexandria.

Source: www.oca.org

The canon of the saint, the acrostic whereof is: “Cyril is the harp of divine visions”, the composition of Theophanes, in Tone IV.

Ode I, Irmos: Having traversed the depths of the Red Sea with dryshod feet, Israel of old vanquished the might of Amalek in the wilderness by Moses’ arms stretched out in the form of the Cross.

Hierarch of Christ, Cyril, pray to God for us.

Receiving light-giving grace from God, O Cyril, and revealed as a radiant beacon, thou hast shone forth upon the rays of the Word by thy commemoration, that we may hymn thee as is meet.

Hierarch of Christ, Cyril, pray to God for us.

As a keeper of the commandments of Christ thou wast full of the effulgence of the Spirit, O all-wise Cyril, having been cleansed of the passions; and thou truly becamest a dwelling-place of the all-divine Trinity.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,

As one full of zeal and boldness, O glorious Cyril, contending for the right Faith thou hast truly denounced the God-opposing blasphemies of ungodly heresies.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Theotokion: In giving birth to the Creator of all Who hath lifted us up who have been laid low by the fall of our first father, O most immaculate Bride of God, thou hast healed the broken state of mankind.

Ode III, Irmos: Thy Church rejoiceth in Thee, O Christ, crying aloud: Thou art my strength, O Lord, my refuge and my consolation!

Hierarch of Christ, Cyril, pray to God for us.

Strengthened in Christ, O Cyril, with steadfast mind thou didst destroy the wiles of the evil serpent like a spider’s web.

Hierarch of Christ, Cyril, pray to God for us.

Thou didst shake off the mire of the passions from thy soul, O Cyril, and cast down the uprising of every thought which exalteth itself against Christ.

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

As a successful athlete, O father, thou didst steadily turn away from every carnal pleasure as harmful and detrimental.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

With joy we all splendidly glorify thee as the only blessed one among women who became the habitation of God.

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

Sessional hymn, Tone III, Spec. Mel. “Awed by the beauty of thy virginity…”: As a pillar and sacrifice of the Church of Christ, O father, thou didst preserve it unshaken by the temptations of the evil one, and all-wise; for thou didst destroy all the evil works of Nestorius and didst proclaim the Mother of God to be the ­Theotokos. Wherefore, assembling, we honor thee, O divinely blessed Cyril.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Theotokion: As an uncultivated vine, O Virgin, thou didst put forth the most comely Cluster Who poureth forth upon us the wine of salvation which maketh glad men’s souls and bodies. Wherefore, ever blessing thee as the cause of good things, we cry out to thee with the angels: Rejoice, O thou who art full of grace!

Stavrotheotokion (replaces the Theotokion on Wednesdays and Fridays): Thy pure Mother who knew not wedlock, beholding Thee, O Christ, hanging dead upon the Cross, said, lamenting maternally: “How hath the iniquitous and ungrateful assembly of the Jews rewarded Thee, which enjoyed Thy many and great gifts, O my Son? I hymn Thy divine condescension.”

Ode IV, Irmos: Beholding Thee lifted up upon the Cross, O Sun of righteousness, the Church stood rooted in place, crying out as is meet: Glory to Thy power, O Lord!

Hierarch of Christ, Cyril, pray to God for us.

Seeing thee, O God-bearing father Cyril, who vanquished the soul-corrupting passions and restrained carnal thoughts, Christ set thee as a primate of His divine Church.

Hierarch of Christ, Cyril, pray to God for us.

Inheriting the paternal virtue of Mark as a beloved son, thou wast an inheritor of his divine throne, following in the footsteps of the evangelist.

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

Tended by Christ like a lamb, O father, like a shepherd thou didst pasture thy flock on thy spiritually nourishing discourses, feeding them grace as though it were grass and flowers.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Giving birth to the incarnate Word of God Who before was incorporeal, O most hymned and joyous one, thou hast restored the world. Wherefore, O Bride of God, with Orthodox faith we proclaim thee.

Ode V, Irmos: Thou hast come, O my Lord, as a light into the world: a holy light turning from the darkness of ignorance those who hymn Thee with faith.

Hierarch of Christ, Cyril, pray to God for us.

Thy discourse, O Cyril, was like unto a mighty torrent which floodeth rivers, scouring away the craftiness of the heretics.

Hierarch of Christ, Cyril, pray to God for us.

The vile division of Arius and the abominable confusion of Sabellius didst thou equally consign to the abyss, O Cyril.

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

O Cyril, thou hast left to the Church of Christ thine enriching discourses like gold and thy treasuries like precious stones.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Let heaven drop down gladness and grace upon the earth, for it now sendeth up gladness on high, the only Mother of God.

Ode VI, Irmos: I will sacrifice to Thee with a voice of praise, O Lord, the Church crieth unto Thee, cleansed of the blood of demons by the blood which, for mercy’s sake, flowed from Thy side.

Hierarch of Christ, Cyril, pray to God for us.

With tongs the seraph gave the prophet a burning coal, and by thy hands, O initiate of sacred mysteries, thou givest to the Church of Christ a purifying coal from the divine Fire.

Hierarch of Christ, Cyril, pray to God for us.

Thou didst not destroy Philistines like Samson, but didst cast down all the alien doctrines of the heterodox and hast given might to the Orthodox, O Cyril.

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

Manifestly heading the divinely elect council, O father, thou didst cast down the ungodliness of Nestorius and his Christ-opposing audacity, O father, breathing forth with zeal for the true Mother of God.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Thou didst bud forth the Fruit of incorrupt understanding, O Theotokos, being shown forth to the world as an ever-living mediator of incorruption for those who hymn thee with faith and love.

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

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Kontakion, Tone VI, Spec. Mel. “Fulfilling the dispensation concerning us…” : Thou hast manifestly poured forth upon us an abyss of doctrines of theology from the wellsprings of the Savior, drowning heresies and saving thy flock unharmed by threefold waves, O blessed Cyril; for thou art shown to be a guide for all lands, O venerable one, revealing things divine.

Ikos: When the great, beauteous and radiant sun showeth itself at dawn, darkness is driven away and the moon retreateth, for night cannot abide it: it shineth forth with the light of day, illumineth the air, showeth forth the sky as beautiful for us, adorning the earth and causing plants to grow; it maketh bright the sea and also adorneth the whole world. Alike in all is the most radiant Cyril, whose wise teachings save the world. For he illumineth the souls of the faithful therewith and ever vanquisheth heresies with piety; for he is the guide for all lands, revealing things divine.

Ode VII, Irmos: The children of Abraham in the Persian furnace, afire with love of piety more than with the flame, cried out: Blessed art Thou in the temple of Thy glory, O Lord!

Hierarch of Christ, Cyril, pray to God for us.

Moses of old, entering the darkness on Mount Sinai, received the law which slayeth by the letter; but thou, O blessed Cyril, hast disclosed the hidden beauty of the Spirit.

Hierarch of Christ, Cyril, pray to God for us.

As revelation was made to the children of old in the indistinct images of the law, O father, thou didst lift the lid from the cup given thee, opening it like a rose of understanding, most manifestly speaking in images.

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

Theologizing the three Hypostases in unconfused divine unity and manifestly indivisible distinction, O father Cyril, thou didst utter immutable truths concerning the one Essence and Godhead.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

The angels beheld strange things in thy birthgiving, O Mother of God: the corrupt nature of the earthly race hastening toward the life of incorruption and the glory of heaven.

Ode VIII, Irmos: Stretching forth his hands, Daniel shut the lions’ mouths in the pit; and the young lovers of piety, girded about with virtue, quenched the power of the fire, crying out: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

Hierarch of Christ, Cyril, pray to God for us.

Like a wave of the sea did the wellspring of wisdom truly flow forth in thee; for ever-flowing rivers of the doctrines of piety issued forth from within thee, as Christ foretold, O father; for thy divinely chosen words surpass the sands.

Hierarch of Christ, Cyril, pray to God for us.

Thou wast a wise pastor and teacher of the Church, O venerable Cyril, manifestly interpreting both covenants; for, possessing thy discourses as an anchor and a paternal inheritance, it crieth out: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

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

Thou teachest the ineffable union of the Word, the Fashioner of all, Who became incarnate for our sake, which is indivisible and unconfused, O Cyril, and didst incline towards an individual will for each nature, crying: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

The Son and Word of God Who is wholly unapproachable in His essence, made His abode within thee, O pure, all-pure one, and, ­clothing Himself in our essence, in that He is merciful, He appeared accessible in the flesh and dwelt with us who cry aloud: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

Ode IX, Irmos: Eve, through weakness, abode under the curse of disobedience; but thou, O Virgin Theotokos, hast put forth blessing for the world through the Offspring of thy child-bearing. Wherefore, we all magnify thee.

Hierarch of Christ, Cyril, pray to God for us.

O Cyril, thou didst cast down the disdain directed against the understanding of Christ and His divine Mother, and all the might of the ungodly Nestorius, the dual sonship, and the mingling of essences of the Acephaloi.

Hierarch of Christ, Cyril, pray to God for us.

With the power of understanding and the enlightenment of grace, O blessed one, thou didst theologize concerning the consubstantial Trinity and the incarnate Word of God; and showing thyself to be champion of the Theotokos, thou art now glorified in the highest.

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

O ever-memorable father, thou dost mercifully look down from on high upon us who hymn thee, granting victory over all heresies to our right-­believing hierarchs, by thy supplications lifting up the horn of the Orthodox, and illumining those who magnify thy memory.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Beset by many falls and the cruelty of misfortunes, O all-hymned one, I now offer thee a sacrifice of praise and earnestly cry out to thee: O holy Theotokos, help me, for I finish my hymnody glorifying thee.

Troparion, Tone VIII: O instructor of Orthodoxy, teacher of piety and purity, beacon of all the world, divinely inspired adornment of hierarchs: O all-wise Cyril, by thy doctrines thou hast enlightened all. O harp of the Spirit, entreat Christ God, that our souls be saved.

The Holy Equals to the Apostles, Constantine and Helena

Posted on by

21 May / 3 June

On this feast of the Holy Equals of the Apostles, Constantine and Helena, we greet and congratulate the  Elenas, Helenas, Jelenas, Alyonas, Olyenas, Elenis and Helens among our parishioners in Cardiff and Cheltenham, our many friends in London, in Walsingham and across our Orthodox communities in Britain. May God grant them all many, blessed years!

We also remember our departed Llanelli sister, Eleni, on this coincidence of her nameday and the soul-sabbath. Memory Eternal!

Canon of the saints, Tone VIII.

Ode I, Irmos: Having passed through the water as upon dry land, * and having escaped the malice of the Egyptians, * the Israelites cried aloud: * Unto our God and Redeemer let us sing.

Holy Equals to the Apostles, Constantine and Helena, pray to God for us.

O Thou Who alone art the King of heaven, through the entreaties of Thy favoured ones, free Thou my lowly soul from sin, which now reigneth within me.

Holy Equals to the Apostles, Constantine and Helena, pray to God for us.

As one who loved the kingdom on high, O blessed Constantine, believing with a pure mind, thou didst worship the King and Master of all.

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

Illumined with divine light, O divinely wise Helena, thou didst truly forsake the darkness of ignorance and most sincerely enslave thyself to the King of the ages.

Now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O Lady, thou portal of the divine East, open unto me the door of repentance, and by thine intercession deliver me from the gates of deadly sin.

Ode III, Irmos: O Lord, Creator of the vault of Heaven * and Builder of the Church, * do Thou strengthen me in Thy love, O Summit of desire, * O Support of the faithful, * O only Lover of mankind.

Holy Equals to the Apostles, Constantine and Helena, pray to God for us.

Thou didst strive to receive heavenly rewards; wherefore, O divinely wise father, thou didst follow Him Who called thee, forsaking the darkness of the falsehood bequeathed to thee, and didst become a luminary through the divine Spirit.

Holy Equals to the Apostles, Constantine and Helena, pray to God for us.

Having cleaved unto Christ and set all thy hope on Him, O most honoured one, thou didst attain unto His sacred places, wherein the Supremely good One, having become incarnate, endured His most pure sufferings.

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

Burning with divine desire, O divinely blessed one, thou didst uncover the precious Cross, the weapon of salvation, the insuperable victory, the hope of Christians, which had been hidden in malice.

Now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Having fallen away from my sacred citizenship, O most pure one, I have become like a beast and am wholly condemned. O thou who hast given birth to the Judge, deliver and save me from all condemnation.

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

Sessional Hymn of the saints, in Tone VIII, Spec. Mel.: “Of the Wisdom …”: Having stretched forth thy senses toward heaven and acquired the beauty of the stars, thou wast taught by them the mysteries of the Lord of all; and the weapon of the Cross shone forth in their midst, signifying that in which thou shouldest conquer and achieve dominion. Wherefore, opening the eyes of thy soul, thou didst read the writings and learn about the image. O most honored Constantine, entreat Christ God, that He grant remission of sins unto those who celebrate thy holy memory with love. (Twice)

Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Theotokion, Tone VIII: Having conceived the Wisdom and Word in thy womb without being consumed, O Mother of God, thou hast given birth for the world unto the Nourisher of all and Fashioner of creation; and thou didst bear in thine arms Him Who holdeth all things. Wherefore, I beseech thee, O all-holy Virgin, and glorify thee with faith: May I be delivered from transgressions, and, on the day of judgment when I shall stand before the face of my Creator, O pure Virgin Sovereign Lady, grant me thine aid; for thou canst do all things whatsoever thou dost will, O thou who art all-hymned.

Ode IV, Irmos: O Lord, I have heard the mystery of Thy dispensation; * I have considered Thy works, * and I have glorified Thy Divinity.

Holy Equals to the Apostles, Constantine and Helena, pray to God for us.

Christ the Lord pursued thee from heaven, as He had Paul of old, O Constantine, teaching thee to worship Him as the only King.

Holy Equals to the Apostles, Constantine and Helena, pray to God for us.

With a most radiant sign of stars, O blessed one, Christ the Sun illumined thee, showing thee to be a luminary for the darkened.

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

O blessed one, thou wast God-loving in nature and right wondrous in thy divine works; wherefore, we glorify thee with faith.

Now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O Ever-virgin who hast given birth to the Sun of righteousness, illumine my soul, which hath been darkened by sins.

Ode V, Irmos: Rising early we cry to Thee, O Lord; * save us, for Thou art our God, * and we know none other besides Thee.

Holy Equals to the Apostles, Constantine and Helena, pray to God for us.

Having risen at dawn unto the never-waning Sun and Master, O divinely wise emperor, thou wast filled with light.

Holy Equals to the Apostles, Constantine and Helena, pray to God for us.

Wearing love and perfect loving-kindness like a robe of royal purple, thou hast now made thine abode in the kingdom on high.

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

O Helena, thou hast joined the choirs of the incorporeal ones, having pleased God by thy virtuous works.

Now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Cleanse thou my soul, which hath been defiled by carnal pleasures through the treachery of the serpent, O Virgin.

Ode VI, Irmos: I will pour out my prayer unto the Lord, * and to Him will I proclaim my grief; * for my soul is filled with evils, * and my life unto Hades hath drawn nigh, * and like Jonah I pray unto Thee: * Raise me up from corruption, O God. Most gloriously didst thou assemble the divine choir of the God-bearing fathers,

Holy Equals to the Apostles, Constantine and Helena, pray to God for us.

O Constantine, and through them make steadfast the storm-tossed hearts of all, that they might glorify the Word as equal in honor and co-enthroned with the One Who begat Him.

Holy Equals to the Apostles, Constantine and Helena, pray to God for us.

Having believed on the living Lord Who giveth life unto all, O Helena, thou didst spurn the abominable worship of vain idols and joyously received the kingdom of heaven.

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

Guided by Thy hand, O Word, through Thee the sovereigns thrust aside the most profound darkness of ignorance and the tempest of cruel godlessness, and arrived, rejoicing, at the calm havens of piety.

Now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Heal thou my heart, which hath grown incurably sick and hath been grievously wounded by the sting of the evil one, O Maiden, and by thine entreaties grant healing unto me, and save me who trust in thee, O most pure one.

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

Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Kontakion, Tone III: Spec. Mel.: “Today the Virgin …”: Today Constantine and his mother Helena * have revealed the Cross, the most precious Tree, * which putteth to shame all the Jews * and is the weapon of faithful kings against the adversary. ** For our sake the great standard hath appeared, terrible in battle.

Ikos: Let us honor Constantine, and Helena his mother; for, hearing the words of David, they recognized the three parts of the Cross in the cedar, the pine and the cypress, upon which the suffering of the Savior was accomplished. And having found it, in preparation to display it before the people, they set it before all the Jews, hidden because of their hatred and jealousy; revealing it to be the great justification. Wherefore, they have been revealed to all as victors, bearing the invincible trophy, the great standard, terrible in battle.

Ode VII, Irmos: The Hebrew children in the furnace * boldly trampled upon the flames, * changing the fire into dew, they cried aloud: * ‘Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, throughout the ages’.

Holy Equals to the Apostles, Constantine and Helena, pray to God for us.

Keeping Thy precepts, Constantine submitted to Thy law. Wherefore, he hath cast down hordes of the iniquitous, crying out to Thee: Blessed art Thou, O Lord God!

Holy Equals to the Apostles, Constantine and Helena, pray to God for us.

The Tree which hath drawn all from the pit of destruction, O right wondrous one, and which was buried out of malice, thou didst disclose unto us, burying the most pernicious demons forever.

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

By godly works thou didst make thy heart a temple of God, O Helena, and didst likewise build sacred churches for Him, where for our sake He endured His most pure sufferings for our sake.

Now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Willingly committing sins, and enslaved by unseemly habits, I flee now to thy tender compassion. O most holy Sovereign Lady, save me who am in despair!

Ode VIII, Irmos: In his wrath the Chaldean Tyrant made the furnace blaze, * with heat fanned sevenfold for the servants of God; * but when he perceived that they had been saved by a greater power * he cried aloud to the Creator and Redeemer, * ‘O ye youths bless, O ye priests praise, * O ye people, supremely exalt Him throughout all ages’.

Holy Equals to the Apostles, Constantine and Helena, pray to God for us.

Arrayed in loving-kindness as in a robe and in goodly meekness as in cloak, O glorious one, thou wast adorned with a mind perfect in the virtues as with a crown; and having been translated from earth to the kingdom on high, thou dost cry aloud: O ye priests bless; O ye people supremely exalt Christ throughout all ages!

Holy Equals to the Apostles, Constantine and Helena, pray to God for us.

Beholding thee rejoicing with thy divinely wise son, in the kingdom of God, O glorious Helena, we magnify Christ Who hath shown us your honoured festival, which illumineth us more brightly than the rays of the sun, wherefore we chant with faith: O ye people supremely exalt Christ throughout all ages!

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

Wondrous is thy desire and godly thy character, O glorious Helena, thou boast of women! For having attained unto the places where the precious sufferings took place, thou didst adorn them with all-beauteous temples of the Master of all, crying: O ye people supremely exalt Christ throughout all ages!

Now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O Theotokos, enlighten the eyes of my soul, which have been blinded by many crimes; grant peace to my mind and heart, which have been vexed by multifarious pleasures, I pray, and save me who cry: O ye priests bless; ye people supremely exalt the pure one throughout all ages!

Ode IX, Irmos: Heaven was stricken with awe, * and the ends of the earth were filled with amazement, * for God hath appeared in the flesh, * and thy womb was rendered more spacious than the heavens. * Wherefore, the ranks of men and of angels * magnify thee as the Theotokos.

Holy Equals to the Apostles, Constantine and Helena, pray to God for us.

The tomb wherein thy sacred and precious body doth lie, O Constantine, doth ever pour forth the radiance of divine healings upon those whoever approach it in purity, driving away the darkness of divers passions and illumining those who praise thee with never-waning light.

Holy Equals to the Apostles, Constantine and Helena, pray to God for us.

Having finished thy life in holiness, thou hast now made thine abode with the saints, full of sanctity and enlightenment. Wherefore, ever pouring forth rivers of healings, thou dost burn up our sufferings, giving drink to our souls, O blessed Helena.

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

O unoriginate and immortal King, Thou hast vouchsafed Thy heavenly kingdom to the holy Helena and the great Constantine, whom of old thou didst grant to reign piously on earth, and who loved Thee in purity, O Lord. By their supplications have pity on us all.

Now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Having conceived, thou hast given birth to the King and Creator of all, O Virgin. And, lo! as a Queen thou standest forth now at His right hand. Wherefore, I beseech thee: at the hour of judgment deliver me from the left side, and number me with the sheep on the right.

Troparion, Tone VIII: Beholding the image of Thy Cross in the sky, * and like Paul receiving a call not from men, * Thine apostle among kings placed the imperial city in Thy hands, O Lord. * Do Thou ever preserve it in peace, ** through the supplications of the Theotokos, O Thou Who alone art the Lover of mankind.