Ode I, Irmos: Let us sing unto the Lord, * who led His people through the Red Sea: * for He alone hath gloriously been glorified.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Come, О ye faithful brethren, and let us mystically offer a new hymn to the holy Theotokos, praising her mighty works today as from the beginning.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Of old Moses, illumined in mind by divine vision, clearly learned of thy divine conceiving which transcendeth nature, О Virgin, and which was revealed to him in the bush.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Unto thee do I offer up the works of my heart, and to thee I offer in an acceptable manner these writings, setting thee before Christ the Master as intercessor, in that thou art close to the divine shelter of aid.
Now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
О pure one, incline thine ear unto me who with Orthodox Faith and love devoutly hastens to thee in the tabernacle of thy countenance, worshiping thee with fear. Hearken thou to my cry of supplication.
Ode III, Irmos: O Lord, Thou art the confirmation of those who flee to Thee, * Thou art the Light of those in darkness, * and my spirit doth hymn Thee.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
The patriarch’s ladder of old prefigured thee, О most immaculate one; for the angels’ descent revealed to us the divine descent of God into thy womb.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
The tribe of Judah rejoiced, as Jacob foretold, for from his tribe budded forth the one who would cause Jesus Christ, our Deliverance, to bud forth. Having given birth to Him, О most pure one, thou hast been glorified.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
In despair over my sins, I have found thee to be a refuge of salvation, О most pure Theotokos, our hope and aid; wherefore, guide me to repentance.
Now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
I have thee near the Master, О most glorious Lady, and with faith have entrusted to thee the book of my deeds. Cease thou never to take pityon me.
Ode IV, Irmos: From the overshadowed mountain, * from the only Theotokos, * the Prophet in divine vision * foresaw Thy coming in the flesh, O Word, * and with fear he glorified Thy power.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Having received grace and been adorned with the beauty of virginity, thou wast likened to the Bride of the Father, adorned with golden coins, and revealed to be the Mother of the Son of God.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Christ the Word was pleased to make thee, the true Sion, a divine habitation for Himself, О Theotokos, choosing thee as His elect, for the restoration of the whole world.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Rejoice, О beauteous palace of the Word, virginal bridal-chamber of the King! Rejoice, О boast of all the bodiless ones! Rejoice, O help of all mankind.
Now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
They who reject the icons of thy Son, О Virgin Theotokos, Mother of God, withdraw from God, and therefore perish; but those who honourthee are saved by the same images.
Ode V, Irmos: Disperse, O Word, the darkness from my soul, * O Christ God, the Light-Giver, * Having driven out the primordial darkness of the abyss, * grant unto me the light of Thy commandments, * that early in the morning I may glorify Thee.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Joining the divine Gabriel, let us cry aloud to the Theotokos with faith: Rejoice, О holy Virgin who art full of grace! The Lord is with thee Who, having put an end to grief on thine account, hath given us joy.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Gideon beheld thy most pure womb, О pure Virgin, wherein the Word, Who is inseparable from the divinity of the Father, became incarnate through the divine Spirit, descending like rain.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Thou art the helper of the world and an aid of the sinful, О Virgin Birthgiver of God; and for those who with faith and love have recourse unto thee thou art the saving deliverance and the absolution of many transgressions.
Now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
By the divine Spirit thou gavest rise without seed to the Son, the Offspring of the Father, Who existed before all creation, timeless and unoriginate, О pure Birthgiver of God, and we all honour the likeness of His visage.
Ode VI, Irmos: Held fast by a multitude of sins O Lover of mankind, * like the Prophet I fall down before Thy tender compassions. * Accept me O Lord and save me.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
О unwedded Virgin, with hymns we praise thee as the mirror of virginity and the pure receptacle of the Godhead.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
In an awesome and dispassionate manner God became incarnate within thy womb, О Bride of God, written, as it were, by the finger of the Father on a new scroll.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Thy protection do we have as cleansing, excellent hope and aid, О pure Virgin. О Lady, put not thy servants to shame!
Now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
By thy mediation, О Bride of God, reduce the never-ending mayhem of the passions to stillness, and guide us to the haven of tranquility.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Kontakion, Tone VIII: To thee, the Champion Leader, we thy servants dedicate a feast of victory and of thanksgiving * as ones rescued out of sufferings, O Theotokos: * but as thou art one with might which is invincible, * from all dangers that can be do thou deliver us, that we may cry to thee: Rejoice, thou Bride Unwedded!
Ode VII, Irmos: Once in Babylon the fire stood in awe * of God’s condescension; * for which sake the youths in the furnace, * dancing with joyous steps as in a meadow, chanted: * O God of our fathers, Blessed art Thou!
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Thou hast been revealed to be the mediatress of our joy, О Virgin, and offering thee a crown of grace with love, and praising thee we cry aloud: “Rejoice, О pure and blessed one!”.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Thou art the holy mountain of God overshadowed, the rich mountain, О most immaculate one, the mountain rendered fertile by divine effulgence, the mountain wherein God was pleased to dwell.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
No sin is too great for thy grace; for thou hast a mother’s boldness and will, and by thy prayers thou dost loose transgressions, leading us safely through all assaults.
Now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
О Theotokos, thou hast given birth to One of the Trinity Who, by uniting Himself to the flesh, remained immutable, being of two natures, wherefore we venerate the image of His countenance.
Ode VIII, Irmos: Glorified in the holy mountain, * the Lord revealed the mystery of the Ever-Virgin unto Moses * in the flames of the burning bush: * praise ye and supremely exalt Him throughout all ages.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Thou wast revealed to the prophet as the censer bearing the divine Coal Who taketh away sins, О Virgin Theotokos, Mother of our God.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Daniel foresaw thee as a great mountain, О Virgin Theotokos, from whence Christ, the precious Stone, arrayed Himself in the flesh and brought down the temples of the falsehood of idolatry.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
The great sea-monster of grievous sin and the despair of my passions seek to slay me; but do thou anticipate my need, and save thy servant, О Lady.
Now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
The God of all, Who through thee came to converse with mortals, assumed the guise of a man, wherefore we venerate His countenance in icons, О Virgin.
Ode IX, Irmos: Saved by thee, O pure Virgin, * we confess thee to be truly the Theotokos, * and together with the choirs of the bodiless hosts * thee do we magnify.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
With songs the most wise one hymneth thee as the enclosed garden and the fountain sealed by the divine Spirit, О Virgin Theotokos; wherefore, Christ became incarnate within thee as the Tree of life.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Describing thine ineffable birthgiving beforehand, the prophet foresaw thee as a sealed book, and the mystery of the incarnation of thine offspring remaineth incomprehensible.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
In compunction of soul we all beseech thee: О Lady, disdain not our supplications, but be thou our compassionate protectress, and hearken unto our prayer.
Now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
I fall down before the images of thee and thy Son, О Virgin Theotokos, but those who refuse to venerate them I reject, as I do the deception of Manes; wherefore, in an Orthodox manner I complete my hymnody.
Ode I, Irmos:A helper and a protector * hath become unto me salvation. * My God, whom I will glorify, * the God of my fathers, * and I will exalt Him * for gloriously hath He been glorified.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Reject me not, О good one, neither abominate nor despise me who with fervour hasten beneath thy tender compassion, О pure one, but grant that I may share in the grace which resides in thee.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
O good Theotokos, helper of the sorrowful, accept the sighing which issueth forth from my soul, and deliver me from all the shameless evils I have grievously committed.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Before thee do I fall down, О good one, thou intercessor for the troubled. From everlasting fire, from darkness and the abyss deliver me who have lived my whole life in evil.
Now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Woe is me! How can I who have immeasurably sinned before entreat Thee, О my Jesus? Yet I offer Thee as a mediatress the pure one who gave birth to Thee. Have mercy and save me!
Ode III, Irmos: O Lord, upon the rock * of Thy commandments * make firm my heart, * for Thou alone art Holy and Lord.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
I fall down before thee, О Mother of the Word. In thy compassion accept me, and by thy fervent prayers grant forgiveness of sins unto me who beseech thee.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Have mercy upon me, О Lady, have mercy upon me, and deliver me from all wickedness, from the oppression of the demons and everlasting torment.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Restrain me who am smitten with the bitterness of lusts, О Lady, granting me the divine sobriety of repentance and saving conversion.
Now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
О Birthgiver of God, who ineffably gave birth to the Lord and Creator of all things, entreat Him to save thy flock.
Ode IV, Irmos:The prophet heard * of Thy coming, O Lord, * and he was afraid. * How wast Thou to be born of a virgin * and appear unto mankind? * and he said * “I have heard report of Thee and I am afraid”; * glory to Thy power, O Lord.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Constantly picking at the sores brought upon my soul by the love of sensuality, and in pain from the stripes they cause me, I lie lacking feeling and unhealed. О Birthgiver of God, have mercy and heal me, and save me by thy prayers.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
The darkness of sin hath covered my soul, О Birthgiver of God, such that I go about in the light as though it were night, not knowing the commandments of Christ. О thou who hast given birth to the divine Light, have mercy upon me and enlighten me, I pray.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
The Word of the living God descended into thy womb, О Virgin Mother and, receiving my substance through thy most pure blood, He came forth in two natures, but a single hypostasis. Him do thou beseech, that He save our souls.
Now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
I have assiduously gone through the desires of the body and all pleasures, and have thereby become wholly corrupt, vile and abominable. О most pure Birthgiver of God, have mercy, and save me in thy tender compassion.
Ode V, Irmos: Out of the night I seek Thee early, * enlighten me I pray Thee, O Lover of mankind, * and guide me in Thy commandments, * and teach me, O Saviour, * to do Thy will.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
I have kindled for myself the fire of Gehenna, doing that which is shameful, and have grievously brought upon myself the wrath of God. Help me, О pure one, and forsake me not.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Though I am ever asking for the remission of my transgressions, yet I never cease committing exceedingly wicked deeds, О most pure one, and I offend thee. О purification of the faithful, have pity on me!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
О pure one, entreat Jesus, to Whom thou hast given birth through thy blood – perfect man and true God – that we be delivered from everlasting fire.
Now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
О impassable gate, open unto me the portals of true repentance, I pray, and show me the path of penitence, О pure one, thou guide of all.
Ode VI, Irmos: With my whole heart, I cried * unto the tenderly compassionate God, * and he heard me * from the lowest depths of Hades; * and raised my life up from corruption.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Waves of shameful thoughts now engulf me; yet do thou guide me to the calm harbour of true repentance by thy tender compassion, О Lady.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Having acquired thee as our hope and unassailable rampart, our steadfast intercessor, О Maiden, we are delivered from transgressions and grievous passions, and from all harm.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
О pure Virgin Theotokos, I fall down before thee and cry out in lamentation: Deliver my wretched soul from the judgment which is to come, and from everlasting fire.
Now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
In thy supplications thou art the strength of those who are faint of soul, О most pure one; wherefore, disdain me not, but heal me who am sick ofsoul.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Sessional Hymn, in Tone VI: In the loving-kindness of Thy compassions Thou didst come down to earth, О Christ, and became incarnate from the Virgin, sanctifying all on earth and calling them to heaven; wherefore, trusting in Thee, we no longer sin, but are freed from cares by Thee: for Thou art our Saviour, Creator and God.
Ode VII, Irmos:We have sinned, we have transgressed, * and we have done evil before Thee. * We have not kept nor followed * Thy commandments, but reject us not utterly, * O God of our fathers.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
When mine accursed soul will have to endure separation from my body, there will be no one to deliver or comfort it; do thou then stand forth, О Lady, and deliver me from the oppression of the demons.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
I fall down before thee and offer thee fervent tears. I know thy love for mankind, I know thy long-suffering and guilelessness: have mercy upon me now, О pure one; forgive me and save me.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
О Virgin, have mercy on my wretched soul which is beset by the passions. Look upon the tumult of my passions, look upon the inconstant burning of my flesh, and grant me thy saving help and salvation.
Now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
The Son and Word, Who is consubstantial and co-unoriginate with the Father, received from thee flesh like thine, though immutably noetic and animate in a way He Himself knoweth; and therein He hath refashioned our nature into something higher, О pure Virgin,
Ode VIII, Irmos:Him whom the hosts of heaven glorify, * and before whom tremble the Cherubim and Seraphim, * let every breath and all creation * praise, bless, and supremely exalt, * throughout all ages.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
That He might deify mankind, О Lady, thy Son revealed Himself to be a perfect man through thee; wherefore, beseech Him, that He show me forth as wholly purified, and a partaker in His divine kingdom.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
I am at a loss when I consider my acts, and I tremble before the dread tribunal of the Judge. What answer shall I give at that time, wretch that I am? О Sovereign Lady of the world, be thou my helper.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
О Mary, thou unwedded Bride of God, deliver me thy servant, from all the harm of the wicked one, I cry to thee, and at the coming trial stand before me as an advocate, О thou who alone art the intercessor for Christians.
Now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Turn not thy face away from me, О Lady, when I gaze upon thine image, but be merciful unto me, and avert from me the sentence which will be pronounced.
Ode IX, Irmos:О Virgin who received the angel’s salutation * and hast given birthto thine own Creator, * save those who magnify thee.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Thou alone art the intercessor for all mankind, О most pure one; thou art the bulwark of Christians, О pure one. Thee do I now set before Christ as a mediator for me, the lowly one, that By thy prayers He may have mercy on me, wretched as I am.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
I have committed deeds of the night, and the night of tortures should rightly now cover me, the vain one, and the retribution of hell should receive me; but as thou hast given birth to God the Judge, О pure Virgin, deliver me from all torment.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
I have wasted the time of my life in evils, I have drawn nigh unto the gates of Hades, but in nowise desire to enter therein. Help me, О good Theotokos, for I have placed my hope in thee.
Now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen
О right loving Lady, adornment of the angels and glory of the martyrs, with them pray that we find mercy and remission of our debts, and help us all to finish well the race of our life in the doing of good.
Ode I, Irmos: When Israel walked on foot in the sea as on dry land, * on seeing their pursuer Pharaoh drowned, * they cried: * Let us sing to God * a song of victory.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Drive the cloud of the passions from my mind, О pure one, and shine light upon me, О most pure one who hast given birth to the Son, the Effulgence of the Father, that I may hymn thee.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Come, ye people, and like Gabriel let us cry aloud to the Virgin with reverence of soul: Truly adorned art thou, О pure one who hast given birth to Joy! Rejoice, most pure one!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
The Son Who was dispassionately begotten of the Father before all ages didst thou in latter days bear in thy womb, О most pure one, giving birth to Him as both God and man.
Now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Without corruption thou hast given birth to the one God, and didst remain a virgin after giving birth, as thou wast before birth-giving, О most pure one; wherefore, we, the faithful, cry out to thee: Rejoice!
Ode III, Irmos: There is none as holy as Thou, * O Lord my God, * who hast exalted the horn of Thy faithful O good One, * and strengthened us upon the rock * of Thy confession.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
There are none as immaculate as thee, О all- pure Theotokos, who hast given birth to the Creator and Master of all things; wherefore, all of us, the faithful, cry out to thee in thanksgiving: Rejoice!
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
The cruel waves of the passions buffet me, О pure one, and I am truly cast into the abyss of evils by my many bitter falls. О pure one, extend to me a helping hand, and save me.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Break through the darkness of my transgressions, О Virgin, and shine upon me the light of dispassion, О pure one who ineffably hast given birth to the intangible Sun.
Now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Having cleansed me of transgressions and defilement with the fire of the fear of God, О Maiden, clothe me in the radiant vesture of the virtues and set me among the choirs of the saints.
Ode IV, Irmos: Christ is my power, * my God and my Lord, * the holy Church divinely singeth, * crying with a pure mind, * keeping festival in the Lord.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
With thy radiance dispel the gloom of my many transgressions, О most immaculate Lady who hast given birth to the Light, Who hast shone upon the faithful the Sun of righteousness.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
In mine affliction I now set my hope on thee, О most pure one. Let me not depart from thee untreated, but rather rejoicing, having received salvation.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
О most pure one, grant thy rich compassions unto us who with faith and love have recourse to thy temple, and deliver us from all temptations and sorrows.
Now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
The Word made His abode within thee, О most pure Lady, delivering the world from the mindlessness of the passions, and granting the kingdom of heaven unto those who hymn thee.
Ode V, Irmos: Illumine with Thy divine light, I pray, O Good One, * the souls of those who with love rise early to pray to Thee, * that they may know Thee, O Word of God, * as the true God, * Who recalleth us from the darkness of sin.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
With the divine radiance of Him who shone forth from thy womb do thou illumine my soul which sleepeth in darkness, О Virgin, and drive away the darkness of sin, illumining me with thy light.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Heal thou my soul, which hath fallen among thieves, О good one, pouring forth the oil of mercy and the wine of thy tenderheartedness upon my wounds, granting me abundant understanding.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Heal thou the infirmities of flesh and soul of us who have recourse to thee, О all-hymned one; for thou art the strength of those who flee beneath the shelter of thy supplication, O Theotokos.
Now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
The Holy Spirit of God, dwelling within thy womb, О most pure one, and overshadowing thee, showed thee to be the habitation of the Trinity, for at the Father’s good pleasure thou didst conceive the Son and give birth unto Him.
Ode VI, Irmos: Beholding the sea of life surging with the tempest of temptations, * I run to Thy calm haven, and cry to Thee: * Raise up my life from corruption, * O greatly Merciful One.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Dispel the gloom, of mine accursed soul, and shine upon me the light which shone forth from thy womb illumining all human nature, О most pure one.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Deliver me from the assaults of enemies visible and invisible, О pure one, and grant me the mighty shelter of thine aid; for to thee, О Virgin, have I now fled.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
He Who created all things became incarnate through thy holy womb in the latter days and, setting aright human nature, which had grievously fallen through Adam, He hath restored the world.
Now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
The majesty of the angels hymned thee, О most immaculate one, and I beseech thee: Drive from me the unseemly fantasies of the demons, preserving my heart in peace.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Sessional Hymn, in Tone VI: The majesty of the angels hymned thee, О most immaculate one, and I beseech thee: Drive from me the unseemly fantasies of the demons, preserving my heart in peace.
Ode VII, Irmos: An Angel made the furnace bedew the holy Children. * But the command of God consumed the Chaldeans * and prevailed upon the tyrant to cry: * O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Shedding unapproachable light upon me who am in the darkness of ignorance, О most pure one, guide me to the Light, that I may piously cry out to thy Son with faith: Blessed is the God of our fathers!
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Drive the cloud of gloom from my soul, О Theotokos, illumining me with the light of the Creator of all; for thou art the receptacle of the pre-eternal Light Who shone forth dispassionately from the Father.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Incline thyself to our pleas, О pure Theotokos, and in thy mercy be thou moved to entreat God, rendering Him merciful to us who ever place our hope in thee, О good one.
Now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Grant cleansing unto me who am defiled by the passions of wicked deeds, О pure one, and send me tear-drops to wash away the evil shame of my sin, the outpouring of filth.
Ode VIII, Irmos: Thou didst make flame bedew the holy children, * and didst burn the sacrifice of a righteous man with water. * For Thou alone, O Christ, dost do all as Thou willest, * Thee do we supremely exalt throughout all ages.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
О Maiden who hast given birth to the Master of all in the flesh, rescue me from the violence of the passions, and unite me to the Creator of all by love, that I may hymn Him throughout all ages.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
By thy visitation, О Maiden, raise me up who lie upon the bed of pain, and grant health of body and soul unto me who hymn Christ throughout all ages.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
With the dew of thy supplications quench thou the flame of my pas- sions, О Lady, and save me, as before thy Son saved the children who supremely exalted Him.
Now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
I fear not the treachery of the foe, setting my hope and expectation upon thee, О good one; for thou dost ever help, saving those who praise thee from misfortunes.
Ode IX, Irmos: It is impossible for mankind to see God * upon Whom the orders of Angels dare not gaze; * but through thee, O all-pure one, * did the Word Incarnate become a man * and with the Heavenly Hosts * Him we magnify and thee we call blessed.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
From all manner of evils deliver me who have recourse to thee with faith, О most pure Virgin, and grant health and deliverance from the wicked unto me who flee to thy protection, О Maiden, that I may ever glorify thee with cries of thanksgiving.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Thou hast abolished the curse of grief, О pure one, and hast poured forth joy upon the world through thy birth-giving, having borne the Well-spring of blessing. Wherefore, praising thee, the all-hymned one, all of us, the faithful, ever bless thee with thanksgiving.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Thy womb became a receptacle of the Light Who shone forth from the Father before all ages, О all-hymned Theotokos; wherefore, we all glorify thee, the Theotokos, and magnify Him as thy Son and God.
Now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
When the divine Spirit had come upon thee, thou hast given birth in time to the timeless Son who shone forth from the Father; wherefore, with tongue and heart all of us, the faithful, confess thee to be the Theotokos who knewest not a man.
A Canon of Supplication to the Most Holy Theotokos
Ode I, Irmos: He who of old gathered the waters * into one by His divine decree, * divided the sea for the people of Israel. * For He is our God and supremely glorious, * to Him alone let us sing, for He hath been glorified.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Having lived out my life in slothfulness, I have drawn nigh unto the end of my life; yet do thou thyself, О most pure one, if but one last time, grant me compunction, I pray, that I may weep bitterly over my countless transgressions.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
With the passions of my flesh, О Virgin, I have mindlessly defiled the beauty of the divine image, and am afraid of God’s displeasure and the terrible threat of fire; yet do thou thyself have mercy upon me who flee to thee.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Falling to my knees, wretch that I am, I beg thy help, О most holy Virgin: hearken thou to my pain-wracked soul, and by the radiance of thy prayers dispel the cloud of grief which weighs heavily upon me.
Now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Grant that the furrows of my passion-plagued soul may be watered abundantly with tears, and grant that I may produce fruit an hundredfold, О Lady; and fill my heart with all manner of gladness, that I may glorify thee.
Ode III, Irmos: O Most High, Ruler of all, * who out of nothing hath established all things, * fashioned by Thy Word, * perfected by the Spirit, * confirm me in Thy love.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
О good Theotokos, grant me a torrent of tears, and thereby quench the furnace of my passions, and wash away all defilement from my soul.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
In iniquities have I defiled the nobility of my soul, О most pure one, and I tremble at the thought of the interrogation, when the Word will examine the state of my worthiness.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Beset now by the tempest of transgressions, I have been brought down into the abyss of despair; yet grant me thy hand, О pure one, and lead me to repentance.
Now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Deliver thy servant from Gehenna and every other threat at the hour of judgment, О most immaculate one, and cause me to share in the kingdom of thy Son and God.
Ode IV, Irmos: Thou hast shown us steadfast love, O Lord, * for Thou gavest Thine only-begotten Son over to death for our sake. * Wherefore with thanksgiving we cry unto Thee, * ‘Glory to Thy power, O Lord!’
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
The waters of unseemly deeds have flooded my wretched soul, О pure one; wherefore, beset by worldly thoughts, I cry out in pain: Spurn not thy servant, О Lady!
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Noetic beasts have now mercilessly surrounded me and have striven pitilessly to seize my lowly soul, О all-immaculate one; yet do thou, О most pure one, break their soul-destroying jaws.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
О all-pure Lady, be thou merciful to thy servant, I pray, and rescue thy people from the coming threat, that we may cry out to thee in thanksgiving: Glory to Thee, О Queen of all!
Now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
When the Bridegroom will come at night to judge the earth, О most pure one, then be thou well-pleased that I may go forth to meet Him with a lighted lamp, and may worship His coming.
Ode V, Irmos: The Invisible One hath appeared on earth, * and the Unapproachable One hath willingly dwelt among mankind; * and, rising early at dawn, we hymn Thee, * O Lover of mankind.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Many dogs have truly set themselves against me, and a horde of evil spirits have surrounded me; yet set their counsels now at naught, О most pure one.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Having dug now a pit for me, the evil one strives to cast me into it; yet with thy right hand, О Lady, may he fall into the pit which he hath made.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Let me not be denounced by the wrath of thy Son at the time of His coming, neither let me be punished by His anger, О all-hymned one; but save me by thine entreaties.
Now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Behold my weakness, behold the lowliness of my soul, О pure one, and the uprising of mine incorporeal enemies; and deliver me from their harm.
Ode VI, Irmos: The uttermost depths of sin have surrounded me, * and my spirit perisheth. * but do Thou, O Master, stretch forth Thy lofty arm * and like Peter O Helmsman, * do Thou save me.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
At the behest of the Creator of all, when my soul must needs part from the flesh, О all-immaculate and all-hymned Theotokos, free me from the hands of those who hate me.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
With streams of compunction dry up the turbulent rivers of my wicked deeds, О Birth-Giver of God, and guide me to the waters of tranquility on the day of judgment.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Thou knowest the weakness of my soul, the feebleness of my mind and the infirmity of my flesh, О most pure one. Wherefore, save thy servant, for thee have I acquired as an invincible ally.
Now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Grant me streams of spiritual tears, О most immaculate Lady, whereby I may wash away the mire of my transgressions, the tumult of the passions and the defilement of my body.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Sessional Hymn, Tone III, Spec. Mel. “Awed by the beauty of thy virginity …”: О Lady who bore the Merciful One within thy womb, have pity on me who flee beneath thy protection and with all my soul ask thy divine help, and grant mercy unto me when we will stand before the Author of creation, О pure one, and deliver me from everlasting fire and all condemnation.
Ode VII, Irmos: Of old the three children did not worship the golden image, * of the Persian idol, * but chanted in the midst of the furnace: * O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
The waters of transgressions have been poured out upon me and my soul drowns, O pure one, and the uttermost abyss hath engulfed me; yet rescue me from its threefold billows.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Sprinkle me with the blood which flowed from the side of thine Offspring and by the multitude of thy mercies; wash thou and cleanse me of all defilement with streams of tears.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Grant thou contrition to my soul and humility to my heart, О all- pure one, that I may be delivered from all the wiles of those who ever pitilessly pursue me.
Now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
As thou art merciful, О Lady Mother of God, grant mercy to those who with faith cry out to thy Son: О God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!
Ode VIII, Irmos: United together in the unbearable fire, * yet not harmed by the flame, * the children, champions of godliness, sang a divine hymn: * O all ye works of the Lord, * bless ye the Lord and supremely exalt Him throughout all ages.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
With the might of thy Son thou hast broken the arrows of the archer, О pure one. Let his unrighteousness now descend upon his own head, that I may cry out: All ye works of the Lord, hymn the Lord and supremely exalt Him throughout the ages!
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
With thy light do thou illumine my darkened heart, О Maiden, and with the sword of light open thou the portals of light to me who cry: All ye works of the Lord, hymn the Lord and supremely exalt Him throughout the ages!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Falling into the sleep of death, I lie in the grave of despondency; yet do thou thyself raise me up, О Virgin, and grant that I may chant with vigilance: All ye works of the Lord, hymn the Lord and supremely exalt Him throughout the ages!
Now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
О pure one, cease thou never to pray for those who honor thee, that, delivered in compunction from the snares of the devil, we may cry out to thy Son: All ye works of the Lord, hymn the Lord and supremely exalt Him throughout the ages!
Ode IX, Irmos: In the shadow and the letter of the Law, * let us, the faithful, discern a figure: * every male child that openeth the womb * shall be sanctified to God. * Therefore we magnify the firstborn Word * and Son of the unoriginate Father, * the firstborn Child of a Mother who hath not known a man.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
The turbulence of the passions and the turmoil of vile thoughts bestorm my soul, and evil men ever smite me like a tempest; yet as thou lovest mankind, О Virgin, quickly deliver me from my besetting needs
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
О my lowly soul, leave off thy wicked deeds and cease from doing evil and angering God; but earnestly embrace His commandments, for thou hast the Theotokos directing thy ways.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
As thou hast given birth to the Lord of all, free me from the passions and from grievous sins, and in thy surpassing loving-kindness enrich me wholly with good works, that, rejoicing, I may magnify thee, О all-immaculate one.
Now & ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
The end approacheth, О my soul, judgment is at the door! Forsake thy shameful works and undertake to live a good life; for thou hast the Theotokos as thine ally, delivering thee from all oppression.
Ode I, Irmos: He Who of old gathered the waters into one at His divine behest, and parted the sea for the people of Israel, is our God and is most glorious. To Him let us chant, for He hath been glorified!
Holy Fathers, Cyril and Methodius, pray to God for us.
At a loss how to traverse the waters of life’s tumult, O venerable Methodius, thou didst abandon all the beauties of this world and, fighting the invisible foe in the angelic habit, thou didst serve the one God, joyously singing: to Him alone let us chant, for He hath been glorified!
Holy Fathers, Cyril and Methodius, pray to God for us.
Thou wast shown to be a chosen vessel from thine infancy, O blessed Cyril, in nowise desiring to receive milk from a stranger’s breasts, thereby showing that thy mind would not be deceived by a strange doctrine, but would be illumined by the teaching of the holy Orthodox Church, and that thou thyself wouldst become the teacher and enlightener of many.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Bedewed by the waters of your teachings, even to this day the Slavic lands bring forth fruit right pleasing unto Christ the Master; wherefore, the Holy Church doth bless you, crying aloud: Deliver us from tribulations, for ye have been glorified!
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
The waters of sin have entered in unto my soul, O Mistress, and I am sunk in the mire of the passions. To thee do I flee, O most immaculate one: still thou the turmoil of impure thoughts and grant me peace of mind.
Ode III, Irmos: O Most High, Thou Ruler of all, Who out of non-existence hast brought all things, which are fashioned by Thy Word and made perfect by the Spirit: Confirm me in Thy love!
Holy Fathers, Cyril and Methodius, pray to God for us.
O venerable Methodius, hearing with the ear of thy heart: “He who would come after Me, let him take up his cross and follow after Me,” thou didst follow Christ, shouldering the cross of the monastic life. Him do thou entreat, that in His love He establish me, who am cold.
Holy Fathers, Cyril and Methodius, pray to God for us.
He Who of old showed Jacob, in a dream, a ladder which extended up into the heavens, O holy Cyril, when thou wast a boy also in a wondrous dream betrothed thee to a maiden more lovely than all others, Sophia by name. And, behold! the wisdom which sitteth at His throne hath established thee in the love of the Most High.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
He Who hath brought all things out of non-existence, O right wondrous fathers, sanctified you for Himself as chosen vessels from your mother’s womb, that ye might bring His name before the nations. Wherefore, celebrating your honored memory, we entreat you, O Cyril and Methodius, to establish your wavering mind in the confession of the right Faith.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O pure one, who hast given peace to the world and given birth to the Origin of tranquility, still the waves of my passions and establish me upon the rock of dispassion.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Sessional hymn of the saints, Tone IV: Thou didst liken the holy consubstantial Trinity to the sun, O divinely inspired Cyril, declaring that the visible, created sun in the sky is an image of the Holy Trinity, saying: “The solar disc is an image of God the Father, Who hath neither beginning nor end; and as a ray of light issueth forth from the solar disc, illumining the earth, so is the Son, the Effulgence of the Father, begotten of God the Father; and the warmth which giveth life to the whole world, and with the ray is poured forth from the same disc, is an image of the Holy Spirit, Who proceedeth from the same Father.” Heeding thy wondrous teaching, we also worship the one God in Trinity, blessing thy memory, O right wondrous one. 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.
Repeat the foregoing hymn.
Ode IV, Irmos: Thou hast shown us constant love, O Lord, for Thou didst give Thine only-begotten Son over to death for us. Wherefore, in thanksgiving we cry to Thee: Glory to Thy power, O Lord!
Holy Fathers, Cyril and Methodius, pray to God for us.
Thou didst set the keeping of the commandments as thy corner-stone, O venerable Methodius, and building the house of thy soul thereon thou didst make it a habitation of the Holy Spirit. And I, who am the abode of sin, fall down before thee, O most blessed one: cleanse me with the dew of thy prayers, that I may cry out in thanksgiving: Glory to Thy power, O Lord!
Holy Fathers, Cyril and Methodius, pray to God for us.
“Grant that I may understand what is pleasing unto Thee, O Master!”, thou didst cry out, O blessed Cyril, when thou wast given over to study with the young emperor; wherefore, in addition to outward philosophy, thou didst receive the wisdom of the Spirit and the fear of God from on high, and didst regard earthly wisdom as nought, crying: Glory to Thy power, O Lord!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Thou didst set love for thy Creator like a seal upon thy heart, O most blessed Cyril; wherefore, thou didst reject an earthly betrothal and the glory of this world, and, escaping like a bird from the hunters’ snares, thou didst attain unto the calm haven of monastics and wast clothed in the robe of joy, chanting with Methodius: Glory to Thy power, O Lord!
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Setting mine iniquities and injustices before me, I see that they have multiplied more than the sands of the sea. To thee do I flee, O most immaculate one: heal the sores of my soul, that in thanksgiving I may cry out to Him Who was born of thee: Glory to Thy power, O Lord!
Ode V, Irmos: In a vision Isaiah beheld God exalted upon a throne borne aloft by angels of glory, and he cried: O accursed am I, for I have beheld beforehand the incarnate God, the unwaning Light, Who reigneth with peace!
Holy Fathers, Cyril and Methodius, pray to God for us.
Thou didst flower like a fragrant lily in the wilderness, O venerable Methodius, adorning thy soul with prayer, vigils and fasting; and, having lived angelically upon the earth, with the angels thou dost now contemplate in splendour the never-waning Light Who reigneth with peace.
Holy Fathers, Cyril and Methodius, pray to God for us.
Praying in the wilderness to Him Who is upborne by the angels of glory, O Cyril, thou wast prevailed upon to return to the Imperial City and adorned with priestly rank, that thou mightest show the way of salvation to men, illumining them with the light of doctrine and offering up the unbloody sacrifice to the never-waning Light Who reigneth with peace, for all.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Thou wast shown to be an inexhaustible well of wisdom, O God-bearing Cyril, when thou wast sent by the emperor to dispute with the Saracens, who blaspheme the all-holy Trinity; and they were unable to drown in the turgid waters of their false religion thee who art illumined from on high by the never-waning Light.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
How can I fail to fear the dread felling, since I am a barren tree, wretch that I am? Make haste quickly to her who is full of grace, O my soul; for if she will not help thee, thou wilt never behold the never-waning Light Who reigneth with peace!
Ode VI, Irmos: The uttermost abyss of sins hath engulfed me, and my spirit doth perish. But, stretching forth Thine upraised arm, O Master, save me as Thou didst Peter, O Helmsman!
Holy Fathers, Cyril and Methodius, pray to God for us.
“Our God is like the deep of the sea, unfathomable by the mind and indescribable in words,” thou didst say to the Moslems who disputed with thee, O all-wise Cyril; “and some who attempt to sail across this deep in the leaky boats of their own intellect are drowned, falling into errors and heresies, while others are buffeted by incomprehension and doubt, knowing not how to chant: O Helmsman, save us, as Thou didst Peter!”
Holy Fathers, Cyril and Methodius, pray to God for us.
Sunk deep in the abyss of their false understandings, the Moslems secretly offered thee deadly poison. But He Who said: “If ye drink anything deadly, it will not harm you”, preserved thee whole and returned thee with honor to the Imperial City. And, fittingly blessed by the emperor and patriarch, thou wast supremely exalted, crying: “O Helmsman, Thou hast saved me as Thou didst Peter!”
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit once said to the disciples: “Separate for Me Barnabas and Saul for the task to which I have called them,” the enlightenment of the nations who are perishing in the abyss of ignorance of God; and He likewise commanded that ye be sent to the lands of the Slavs, O venerable fathers. And, illumined by the light of your teaching, people who sat in darkness and the shadow of death have cried out: “O Helmsman, Thou hast saved us as Thou didst Peter!”
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
The uttermost abyss of sins hath encompassed me, and, beset with trembling and terrified of utter drowning, I offer thee entreaty, O all-immaculate one: Have mercy upon my passion-plagued soul! Stretch forth thy hands, in that thou art good, and as Thy Son saved Peter, so do thou save me, O thou who dost steer my soul.
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: Let us honour our two sacred enlighteners, who poured forth upon us a spring of divine knowledge through their translation of the divine Scriptures. Drawing forth abundantly therefrom to this very day, we bless you, O Cyril and Methodius, who stand before the throne of the Most High and fervently pray for our souls.
Ikos: Come, ye faithful, let us praise our God-bearing fathers Methodius and Cyril, the preachers of piety who shone forth in virtue, the true pillars and foundation of the Church, the divine clarions of Christian dogmas; for having driven the darkness of unbelief away from us and burned up the impieties of heresy with the fire of the Spirit, by their translation of the Scriptures they transformed the Slavic race from wild olive-trees into a fruitful grove, through divine baptism have brought them into the Christian Faith, and have filled the whole world with a multitude of miracles; wherefore, they stand, crowned, before God Almighty. And we cry out to them: O divine fathers, peers of the apostles, entreat Christ, that He grant all the Slavic peoples steadfastness in Orthodoxy and oneness of mind, bring peace to the world, and save Thou our souls.
Ode VII, Irmos: The three children would not bow down before the golden image, the object of the Persians’ worship, but chanted in the midst of the furnace: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!
Holy Fathers, Cyril and Methodius, pray to God for us.
Abiding alone in solitude before, O Methodius, thou didst make thy soul like a divinely planted garden; but later, undertaking the apostolic preaching with the divinely wise Cyril, thou didst labor in the lands of the Slavs, where, unburnt by the fire of impiety like the youths in the furnace, ye chanted: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!
Holy Fathers, Cyril and Methodius, pray to God for us.
Thou didst best the Jews and Saracens in argument, O all-wise Cyril, and didst enlighten the land of the Khazars with holy baptism, freeing a multitude of captives, and didst transform brackish water in an arid wilderness into potable water; and, saved by thee, the people chanted: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
O venerable fathers, ye were vessels chosen to bear the name of the Lord before the nations; wherefore, the Slavic peoples desired to be illumined by the light of your doctrine. And ye deemed it better to exchange the sweetness of solitude for apostolic labor, that ye might win a great many for Christ; and together with them ye chant: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
I am a vessel full of the passions, O all-holy Virgin Theotokos, and fear ultimate death and the threat of the fire. But do thou save me who am perishing, O all-pure one, and gird my spirit about with strength, that, bursting the bonds of sin, I may chant in thanksgiving: Blessed art thou who gavest birth to Him Who hath delivered the captives!
Ode VIII, Irmos: With immaterial flame the God-seeing children caused the flame of the material fire to die out, and they chanted: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!
Holy Fathers, Cyril and Methodius, pray to God for us.
Continually illumined by the immaterial fire of grace, thou didst receive the rank of priest, O blessed Cyril; and with the aid of the Holy Spirit, thou didst devise an alphabet for the Slavs, that the people, enlightened by the translation of divinely inspired books into their native speech, might chant: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!
Holy Fathers, Cyril and Methodius, pray to God for us.
O most lauded fathers, ye first thundered out the chief heading of our Faith, the unearthly words of the son of thunder: “In the beginning was the Word”, and then the melodious Psalter, wherewith the Holy Church crieth out in gladness: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Ye have enriched us with an immaterial treasure, O right wondrous fathers, for thanks to you the divine liturgy began to be celebrated in the Slavonic language; and partaking of this grace to this day, we bless you, chanting: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
The fire of temptations and evil perils hath surrounded me. To thee do I flee, O Virgin Theotokos. Disdain not the supplications of thy servant, O pure one, but deliver me from the cruel ones who beset me, that, uttering blessing, I may bless thee and exalt thy name supremely forever.
Ode IX, Irmos: Thee, the unconsumed bush, the holy Virgin, the Mother of the Light, the Theotokos, the hope of us all, do we magnify!
Holy Fathers, Cyril and Methodius, pray to God for us.
Who can praise thee fittingly, O most glorious Methodius? And who can reckon the labours thou didst apostolically undertake for the salvation of an erring people, O Cyril? We who have been taught by you to glorify God Most High in our native tongue magnify you in oneness of mind.
Holy Fathers, Cyril and Methodius, pray to God for us.
When thou hadst completed thy work and finished the race, O blessed Cyril, thou didst receive word of thy repose from on high, and, accepting it joyfully, thou didst chant: “My spirit was glad because of them that said unto me, Let us go into the courts of the Lord!” And yearning for the heavens, thou wast borne aloft in soul, where with the hosts of heaven thou dost continually magnify the consubstantial Trinity.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Receiving the episcopacy of the Church of Moravia, O venerable Methodius, in proclaiming the Holy Faith thou didst undertake many labours and struggles, and didst endure many tribulations and persecutions; and, rejoicing now in the highest with the holy Cyril, pray for us, that we may continually magnify you as our helpers and mediators.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Theotokion: O thou who art more exalted than the angels and more honourable than the cherubim, we pray thee: through the intercession of the holy Cyril and Methodius have pity on our lowliness, lead us up from the depths of sin, and deliver us from everlasting damnation, that with them we may magnify thee, the Theotokos and Mother of the Light, and our hope.
Troparion, Tone IV: In that ye share the ways of the apostles, O divinely wise Cyril and Methodius, ye teachers of the Slavic lands, entreat the Master of all, that He confirm all the Slavic nations in Orthodoxy and oneness of mind, grant peace to the world and save our souls.
Ode I, Irmos: O ye people, let us send up a hymn unto our wondrous God, Who freed Israel from bondage, singing and crying out a hymn of victory unto Thee Who alone art Master.
Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.
Accept Thou the song of my lips, O Christ my Benefactor, and cleanse Thou my tongue, being not mindful of my manifold sins; that I may extol in song the honourable life of Thy hierarch, in memory of the translation of his relics.
Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.
Having received the gift of working miracles, and crowns of patience, and being adorned with thy hierarchal office, do thou beseech God, O our Father, that He grant remission of transgressions to us who glorify the translation of thy relics.
Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.
O Father, shepherd of the flock of Christ, thou art sent to other sheep, of the Latin tongue, that thou mayest astonish all with thy wonders and lead them to Christ. O blessed one, pray thou unceasingly in our behalf.
Most Holy Mother of God, save us.
The heathen nations formerly far removed have drawn nigh unto God through thy birth-giving, O Theotokos; and, deified and set free from the ancient curse by thy blood, I have been given rebirth by thee.
Another Canon to the Holy Hierarch, Tone IV
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.
Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.
Illumine my soul and heart, I pray thee, O Bestower of light and Fashioner of creation. Grant unto me the gift of praising in song Thy most honoured favourite, by whom do Thou deliver the world from misfortune.
Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.
Illumine my soul and heart, I pray thee, O Bestower of light and Fashioner of creation. Grant unto me the gift of praising in song Thy most honoured favourite, by whom do Thou deliver the world from misfortune.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Having acquired heavenly wisdom, thou didst invest it as a talent entrusted to thee; for, having set at nought the guile of those opposed to God, thou didst enlighten the people with divine instruction.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
From a Maiden is the Infant born, pre-eternal of origin and preserved in perfection, Whom thou didst preach in two Natures and in one Hypostasis, O divinely blessed one.
Ode III, 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.
Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.
Guileless in manner and meek in demeanour, possessed of an angelic life, O divinely blessed Nicholas: cease thou never to pray to Him Who loveth mankind, in behalf of us all.
Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.
What city doth not have thee as a helper, O blessed one? What soul uttereth not thy name? And what place dost thou not visit in spirit, astounding all with thy wonders, O Nicholas?
Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.
Though the city of Bari hath received thy body, yet thy spirit dwelleth in the heavenly Jerusalem, where thou exultest with the prophets, apostles and holy hierarchs, praying in our behalf to Him Who alone loveth mankind.
Most Holy Mother of God, save us.
Beg thou enlightenment for me who am engulfed in darkness because of my many sins, O all-pure Lady who gavest birth to the Light of the whole world; and drive far from me the gloom of the passions, O divinely blessed one.
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.
Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.
The grieving have found great consolation; they that are in darkness have acquired the light; and those assailed by sorrows have in thee received deliverance from evils, O most sacred father.
Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.
The grieving have found great consolation; they that are in darkness have acquired the light; and those assailed by sorrows have in thee received deliverance from evils, O most sacred father.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
O holy hierarch Nicholas, who wast the mouth of God: thou hast delivered men from the maw of the diabolic wolf, O glorious one, and hast borne them to the Creator as a gift, granting healing unto all.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O most pure Mother of God: the Word Who chose for Himself a servant, the hierarch Nicholas, as a teacher of His people, did will to be born of thee alone in the flesh, in manner past all recounting.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Sessional hymn, Tone I, Spec. Mel. “Thy tomb, O Saviour…”: The translation of thy precious relics is for us an occasion of splendid celebration, O Nicholas, holy hierarch of the Lord whom we piously praise, joyously honouring thee, the light of the never-setting Sun, thou adornment of the faithful.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Repeat the foregoing hymn.
Ode IV, 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!
Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.
Enlighten my heart and dispel from it the gloom of sin, O holy hierarch who art illumined by the light of the Most High, that I may joyously hymn the holy translation of thy relics.
Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.
Having ascended the ladder of the virtues, O blessed one, thou wast revealed to all the world as a wonder-worker, O Nicholas; wherefore the people of Bari removed thy holy relics from Myra.
Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.
Faithful priests rejoice in thee, and Christ-loving princes call upon thee as an ally in battle; and we, unworthy though we are, exhort thee to pray to God in our behalf, O Nicholas.
Most Holy Mother of God, save us.
The depth of thy mystery doth astound the ranks of the angels, O Theotokos, and thine icon doth cast the demons into confusion; and honouring thee as the Mother of God, we bow down before it.
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!
Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.
O herald of God, through partaking of the primal light of God, thou wast shown to be a secondary luminary, enlightening with thy splendour them that are in darkness, in that thou art a lover of virtue, soaring aloft in glory.
Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.
O herald of God, through partaking of the primal light of God, thou wast shown to be a secondary luminary, enlightening with thy splendour them that are in darkness, in that thou art a lover of virtue, soaring aloft in glory.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Deliver thy flock from the tempests of sins, from waves of tribulation and hostility, guiding us ever to the calm haven by thy saving prayers.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
He to Whom thou gavest birth in an ineffable manner is by nature the unutterable Light of the Most High, Who is rich in mercy, and hath enriched us, impoverished as we are, with the gifts of God.
Ode V, Irmos: O Christ God, Bestower of light, Who didst dispel the primeval darkness of the abyss: disperse the gloom of my soul, and grant me the light of Thy commandments, O Word, that, rising early, I may glorify Thee.
Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.
Thy cathedra was in Myra, but thy body was transported to Bari; yet in spirit thou dwellest with the apostles in heaven, in that thou art their successor. With them pray for us who hymn the translation of thy relics.
Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.
O hope of all Christians and great defender of the oppressed, healer of the afflicted, consolation of the grieving and intercessor before the Lord for the human race: beg thou peace for our land, and save us from the incursions of the aliens.
Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.
Through thine intercessions, O Nicholas, do thou enliven my soul which hath drowned because of its many passions and hath been slain by the fall; and guide it to repentance, that I may glorify the translation of thy relics with all the faithful.
Most Holy Mother of God, save us.
O Virgin, thou dost nourish as a babe Him Whom the myriads of angels and multitudes of the seraphim fear, and before Whom all reason-endowed creatures tremble; and, beholding Him in thine arms, we ever worship Him, as is meet.
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.
Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.
Having acquired beautiful feet through the working of many wonders, thou didst bring glad tidings of good things to all. Freeing all from the ancient enmity by thy divine teaching, save us, O sacred hierarch.
Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.
Having acquired beautiful feet through the working of many wonders, thou didst bring glad tidings of good things to all. Freeing all from the ancient enmity by thy divine teaching, save us, O sacred hierarch.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Embarking upon the crest of the sea by God’s will, thou didst arrive at the city of Bari, having traversed the deep with many pious men, O blessed Nicholas.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
We truly glorify thee, O Virgin Mother of God, as the shield of the faithful, crying out to thee as did the angel: Rejoice, thou who art blessed and full of grace, awesome rumor and report, wondrous place of rest for the Master of all creation!
Ode VI, Irmos: As Thou didst deliver the prophet from the uttermost abyss, O Christ God, in that Thou lovest mankind deliver me from my sins, and direct my life, I beseech Thee.
Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.
Health of body and cleansing of soul do we receive abundantly from thy divine church as from a pool, O holy hierarch Nicholas; for through grace wonders pour forth upon them that trust in thee with faith unfeigned.
Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.
As thou art the most glorious favorite of Christ, O father, deliver thy servants, who honour the translation of thy holy relics, from all manner of danger, from grievous misfortunes and the sorrows that beset us.
Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.
Blighted by the frost of sin and driven by the wind of life, let me be warmed by thy prayers, gazing upon the likeness of thy divine image; for thou art a second sun, O father Nicholas, thou servant of Christ.
Most Holy Mother of God, save us.
The earthly mind cannot comprehend heavenly mysteries; neither can a creature attain to knowledge of the Creator: for the birth of the Lord from the Virgin passeth man’s understanding. And entreating her with faith, we shall receive remission of sins.
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.
Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.
Save us by thy guidance, O Nicholas, preacher and teacher of the nations, who hast led to salvation the people of God Who appeared in the flesh for the benefit of many.
Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.
Save us by thy guidance, O Nicholas, preacher and teacher of the nations, who hast led to salvation the people of God Who appeared in the flesh for the benefit of many.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
O thou who didst have the sea as thy way and the waters as thy paths: beseech the Lord, that we may navigate the sea of life unharmed, and may reach the heavenly kingdom by the waters of our tears.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Thou art the portal of the King of the heavens and the temple of His glory, O all-hymned Virgin. Open thou the gates of mercy, and lead us into the abode of heavenly glory by thy supplications.
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…”: Thy relics have moved like a star, from the East unto the West, O holy hierarch Nicholas; and the sea hath been sanctified by thy passage. The city of Bari receiveth grace through thee, for thou hast been shown forth for us as a wonder-worker: illustrious, most wondrous and merciful.
Ikos: Let us now praise with hymns the holy hierarch, pastor and teacher of the people of Myra, that by his entreaties we may be enlightened. For he is shown to be wholly pure, incorrupt of spirit, bringing unto Christ an unblemished sacrifice, pure and well-pleasing unto God, in that he is a hierarch pure of both body and soul. Wherefore, he is truly an intercessor and champion for the Church, and a wonder-worker: illustrious, most wondrous and merciful.
Ode VII, 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!
Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.
Today the angels of God rejoice and a multitude of demons lamenteth; for He hath delivered the people from temptation and hath driven away the spirits of darkness. Wherefore, thou, O Nicholas, art worthily called victor; for which cause we chant unto the Lord: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!
Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.
They that are taken with the grief of sickness, who are heavy laden with divers afflictions, hasten to thy shrine with faith, and, having received thy mercy, depart in haste, joyfully chanting unto the Lord: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!
Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.
The assemblies of the people stand before thee, O blessed one, and the teachers of the Church rejoice in thee. Kings glorify thee as their defender; and we entreat thee, O Nicholas: Save us who chant unto the Lord: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!
Most Holy Mother of God, save us.
O how can I chant unto my Saviour, Whom even the angels praise with trembling? But do thou, O Mother, direct me, and by thy compassion move the mercy of thy Son to have pity on us who set our hope on thee. As thou dost beseech Him in our behalf, deliver us from torment.
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!
Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.
By thy word grant healing to the whole human soul which, like salt, hath lost its savor through the vanity of things; and teach us to chant unto the Lord: O all-hymned Lord and God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!
Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.
By thy word grant healing to the whole human soul which, like salt, hath lost its savor through the vanity of things; and teach us to chant unto the Lord: O all-hymned Lord and God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
O most glorious are the wonders thou hast wrought! For thou healest infirmities and deliverest from misfortunes, commanding all to chant unto the Lord: O all-hymned God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O pure Theotokos, thou art the defender and rampart of our lowliness, and we, thy servants, ever cry unto the Lord: O all-hymned God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!
Ode VIII, Irmos: O ye angels and heavens, bless, hymn and exalt supremely Him Who sitteth upon the throne of glory and as God is glorified unceasingly forever!
Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.
The angels of the heavens accept thee as a minister, and the prophets greet thee as a fellow servant. The Lord Himself receiveth thee. And we sinners ask thee for mercy.
Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.
Great is the authority given thee by God, O Nicholas: the sea is subject to thee; the winds obey thee; and the nations, beholding thy most glorious wonders, submit themselves to thee.
Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.
O Saviour, Thou hast shown Thy holy hierarch Nicholas to be more glorious than Moses, delivering from all tribulation the New Israel, the Christian people.
Most Holy Mother of God, save us.
In that thou art the Mother of God, ask for us remission of sins, O Lady, and stretch forth thy hand unto me, who am sunk in the abyss of despair, that, raised up by hope, I may exalt thee supremely for all ages.
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!
Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.
Thou didst grow as a sweet-smelling flower in the land of Myra, O glorious one, wafting gifts of healing like fragrant perfume upon all that praise thee and sing: O ye works, chant unto the Lord and exalt Him supremely for all ages!
Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.
Thou didst grow as a sweet-smelling flower in the land of Myra, O glorious one, wafting gifts of healing like fragrant perfume upon all that praise thee and sing: O ye works, chant unto the Lord and exalt Him supremely for all ages!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Having poured out the sweetness of God’s grace like oil from the Mount of Olives, thou didst have in the sea a path made safe by the grace of the Lord, to Whom we sweetly cry: O ye works, chant unto the Lord and exalt Him supremely for all ages!
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Thou gavest birth, yet remainest ever Virgin, to the astonishment of the choirs above; for thou didst bear the Word, Who was man unaltered by His divinity, and to Whom we sing: O ye works, chant unto the Lord and exalt Him supremely for all ages!
Ode IX, Irmos: Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, Who hath exalted the horn of salvation for us in the house of David His child, wherein the Dayspring from on high hath visited us, and directed us to the path of peace.
Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.
Blessed be the Lord our God, for He hath glorified His holy hierarch throughout all lands, who gusheth forth streams of wonders, who worketh healing in all the lands of Myra and of the Latins, who visiteth us with mercy.
Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.
Blessed be the Lord our God, for He hath glorified His holy hierarch throughout all lands, who gusheth forth streams of wonders, who worketh healing in all the lands of Myra and of the Latins, who visiteth us with mercy.
Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.
Thou didst fall into an honourable sleep and didst permit thy body to go to Bari for the good of all; for by thy supplications thou art an ever-vigilant defender for all that call upon thee with faith, O Nicholas.
Most Holy Mother of God, save us.
At a loss for words, I am unable to praise thee fittingly, who art higher than the heavenly hosts and more honourable than all creation, who gavest birth to God the Creator in the flesh. Entreat Him, O Theotokos, to have mercy upon us on the day of judgment.
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!
Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.
Thy memorial is for us an occasion of festivity this day. The choir of the apostles, the assembly of martyrs and the spirits of the righteous rejoice; and we, the faithful, glorify thee with hymns, crying aloud: O holy hierarch of Christ, deliver us from all sorrows!
Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.
Thy memorial is for us an occasion of festivity this day. The choir of the apostles, the assembly of martyrs and the spirits of the righteous rejoice; and we, the faithful, glorify thee with hymns, crying aloud: O holy hierarch of Christ, deliver us from all sorrows!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Thy most glorious memory hath shown forth upon us, illumining the faithful with splendour, O wise Nicholas, holy hierarch of Christ. Wherefore, we beseech thee: be thou mindful of us all, and deliver us from all the temptations of the adversary by thine intercessions.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Mortify our carnal passions and lusts, O pure Theotokos; still the tempest of our passions; calm the tumult of our thoughts; and strengthen the hearts of them that honour thee as their defender, O most pure and blessed one.
Troparion, Tone IV: The day of splendid solemnity is come; the city of Bari rejoiceth, and with it the whole world doth exult with hymns and spiritual songs. For today is the sacred feast of the translation of the precious and much-healing relics of the hierarch Nicholas the wonder-worker. For like the never-setting Sun, he shineth with brilliant beams of light, driving away the darkness of temptations and misfortunes from them that cry out with faith: Save us, O Nicholas, for thou art our intercessor!
In the eleventh century the Byzantine Empire was going through some terrible times. The Turks put an end to its influence in Asia Minor, they destroyed cities and villages, they murdered the inhabitants, and they accompanied their cruel outrage with the desecration of churches, holy relics, icons and books. The Mussulmen also attempted to destroy the relics of Saint Nicholas, deeply venerated by the whole Christian world.
In the year 792 the caliph Aaron Al’-Rashid sent Khumeid at the head of a fleet to pillage the island of Rhodes. Having lain waste this island, Khumeid set off to Myra in Lycia with the intent to rob the tomb of Saint Nicholas. But instead he robbed another tomb standing alongside the crypt of the saint. Just as they succeeded in committing this sacrilege, a terrible storm lifted upon the sea and almost all the ships were shattered into pieces.
The desecration of holy things shocked not only Eastern, but also Western Christians. Christians in Italy were particularly apprehensive for the relics of Saint Nicholas, and among them were many Greeks. The inhabitants of the city of Bari, located on the shores of the Adriatic Sea, decided to save the relics of Saint Nicholas.
In the year 1087 merchants from Bari and Venice went to Antioch to trade. Both these and others also proposed to take up the relics of Saint Nicholas and transport them to Italy on the return trip. In this plan the men of Bari commissioned the Venetians to land them at Myra. At first two men were sent in, who in returning reported that in the city all was quiet. In the church where the glorified relics rested, they encountered only four monks. Immediately forty-seven men, having armed themselves, set out for the church of Saint Nicholas. The guards, suspecting nothing, showed them the raised platform, beneath which the tomb of the saint was concealed, and where they anointed foreigners with myrrh from the relics of the saint.
At this time the monks told them about an appearance of Saint Nicholas that evening to a certain Elder. In this vision Saint Nicholas ordered the careful preservation of his relics. This account encouraged the barons, they saw an avowal for them in this vision and, as it were, a decree from the saint. In order to facilitate their activity, they revealed their intent to the monks and offered them money, 300 gold coins. The guards refused the money and wanted to warn the inhabitants about the misfortune threatening them. But the newcomers bound them and put their own guards at the doorway.
They took apart the church platform above the tomb with the relics. In this effort the youth Matthew was excessive in his zeal, wanting to find the relics of Saint Nicholas as quickly as possible. In his impatience he broke the cover and the barons saw that the sarcophagus was filled with fragrant holy myrrh. The compatriots of the barons, the priests Luppus and Drogus, offered a litany, after which the break made by Matthew began to flow with myrrh from the saint’s sarcophagus. This occurred on April 20, 1087.
Seeing the absence of a container chest, the priest Drogus wrapped the relics in the cloth, and in the company of the barons he carried them to the ship. The monks, having been set free, alerted the city with the sad news about the abduction of the relics of the Wonderworker Nicholas by foreigners. A crowd of people gathered at the shore, but it was too late.
On May 8 the ships arrived in Bari, and soon the joyous news made the rounds of all the city. On the following day, May 9, 1087, they solemnly transported the relics of Saint Nicholas into the church of Saint Stephen, not far from the sea. The solemn bearing of the relics was accompanied by numerous healings of the sick, which inspired still greater reverence for God’s saint. A year afterwards, a church was built in the name of Saint Nicholas and consecrated by Pope Urban II.
This event, connected with the transfer of the relics of Saint Nicholas, evoked a particular veneration for the Wonderworker Nicholas and was marked by the establishment of a special Feast day on May 9. At first the Feast day of the Transfer of the Relics of Saint Nicholas was observed only by the people of the city of Bari. It was not adopted in the other lands of the Christian East and West, despite the fact that the transfer of the relics was widely known. This circumstance is explained by the custom in the Middle Ages of venerating primarily the relics of local saints. Moreover, the Greek Church did not establish the celebration of this remembrance, since they regarded the loss of the relics of Saint Nicholas as a sad event.
The Russian Orthodox Church celebration of the memory of the Transfer of the Relics of Saint Nicholas from Myra in Lycia to Bari in Italy on May 9 was established soon after the year 1087, on the basis of an already established veneration by the Russian people of the great saint of God, brought from Greece simultaneously with the acceptance of Christianity. The glorious accounts of the miracles performed by the saint on both land and sea, were widely known to the Russian people. Their boundless power and abundance testify to the help of the great saint of God for suffering mankind. The image of Saint Nicholas, a mighty wonderworker and benefactor, became especially dear to the heart of the Russian people, since it inspired deep faith and hope for his intercession. The faith of the Russian people in the abundant aid of God’s saint was marked by numerous miracles.
A significant body of literature was compiled about him very early in Russian writings. Accounts of the miracles of Saint Nicholas done in the Russian land were recorded at an early date. Soon after the Transfer of the Relics of Saint Nicholas from Myra to Bari, a Russian version of his Life and an account of the Transfer of his holy relics were written by a contemporary to this event. Earlier still, an encomium to the Wonderworker was written. Each week on Thursday, the Russian Orthodox Church honors his memory in particular.
Numerous churches and monasteries were built in honor of Saint Nicholas, and Russian people are wont to name their children after him at Baptism. In Russia are preserved numerous wonderworking icons of the saint. Most renowned among them are the icons of Mozhaisk, Zaraisk, Volokolamsk, Ugreshsk and Ratny. There was no house or temple in the Russian land in which there was not an icon of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker.
The significance of the intercession of the great saint of God is expressed by the ancient compiler of the Life, in the words of whom Saint Nicholas “did work many glorious miracles both on land and on sea, aiding those downtrodden in misfortune and rescuing the drowning, carrying to dry land from the depths of the sea, raising up others from corruption and bringing them home, liberating from chains and imprisonment, averting felling by the sword and freeing from death, and granting healing to many; sight to the blind, walking to the lame, hearing to the deaf, and speech to the mute. He brought riches to many suffering in abject poverty and want, he provided the hungry food, and for each in their need he appeared a ready helper, an avid defender and speedy intercessor and protector, and such as appeal to him he doth help and deliver from adversity. Both the East and the West know of this great Wonderworker, and all the ends of the earth know his miracle-working.”
Ode I, Irmos: The staff of Moses, once working a wonder, striking the sea in the form of the Cross and dividing it, drowned the mounted tyrant Pharaoh, and saved Israel who fled on foot, chanting a hymn unto God.
Holy All-Praised Apostle and Evangelist, John the Theologian, pray to God for us.
In that thou wast pure and beloved of the incorruptible light, thou didst recline, resting against His breast, and with thy bold soul didst draw forth from the Abyss of wisdom the light of understanding, O blessed Apostle John.
Holy All-Praised Apostle and Evangelist, John the Theologian, pray to God for us.
In that thou wast pure and beloved of the incorruptible light, thou didst recline, resting against His breast, and with thy bold soul didst draw forth from the Abyss of wisdom the light of understanding, O blessed Apostle John.
Holy All-Praised Apostle and Evangelist, John the Theologian, pray to God for us.
Theologising supernaturally, thou didst thunder forth, O beloved of Christ: “In the beginning was the Word, as alive and hypostatic as His Father; and the Word was God; and the Word became flesh, and remained God immutable.”
Most Holy Mother of God, save us.
Fleeing beneath thy protection, O pure one, we are buried beneath all the perils which befall us, O all-pure one. Wherefore, we now beseech thee: From the depths of transgressions raise up the fallen by thy divine entreaties, O pure one.
Canon of the venerable one, in the same tone
Irmos: The staff of Moses…
Venerable Father, Arsenius, pray to God for us.
Submitting to the divine precept of the Master, thou didst abandon the glory of royal wealth, as did Moses the law-giver; and fleeing from men, thou becamest a dweller with the angels, rejoicing with them.
Venerable Father, Arsenius, pray to God for us.
Submitting to the divine precept of the Master, thou didst abandon the glory of royal wealth, as did Moses the law-giver; and fleeing from men, thou becamest a dweller with the angels, rejoicing with them.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Fleeing from turmoil, O Arsenius, thou didst restrain thy tongue with silence as it were a spring of sin; wherefore, in stillness thou didst preserve thy mind untroubled, becoming a right magnificent house of rest for the divine Spirit.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
All-glorious things have been said of thee among generations of generations, O Mary Theotokos who contained God the Word in thy womb, and remained pure. Wherefore, we all honour thee as our help after God.
Ode III, Irmos: O Christ, Who in the beginning established the heavens in wisdom and founded the earth upon the waters, make me steadfast upon the rock of Thy commandments; for none is holy as Thee, O Thou Who lovest mankind.
Holy All-Praised Apostle and Evangelist, John the Theologian, pray to God for us.
Among fishermen thou becamest a fisher of men and a theologian, O wise John, setting aside the love of thy father and that of the world, and following the Word and Master with divine desire.
Holy All-Praised Apostle and Evangelist, John the Theologian, pray to God for us.
Among fishermen thou becamest a fisher of men and a theologian, O wise John, setting aside the love of thy father and that of the world, and following the Word and Master with divine desire.
Holy All-Praised Apostle and Evangelist, John the Theologian, pray to God for us.
Having purified the eyes of thy soul, O theologian, thou didst behold the ineffable glory which doth emanate from the Word, the only-begotten Son of the Father, through Whom all things are wisely accomplished by the divine Spirit.
Most Holy Mother of God, save us.
We flee beneath thy saving refuge, O Virgin Theotokos, and find salvation from the assaults of the enemy by thy supplications; and we are delivered from the torment which is to come, O pure one.
Irmos: O Christ, Who in the beginning…
Venerable Father, Arsenius, pray to God for us.
O father Arsenius, the torn and exceedingly tattered rags of thy poverty, assumed in emulation of Christ, replaced the splendour of thy former robes, winning for thee vesture of ineffable glory.
Venerable Father, Arsenius, pray to God for us.
O father Arsenius, the torn and exceedingly tattered rags of thy poverty, assumed in emulation of Christ, replaced the splendour of thy former robes, winning for thee vesture of ineffable glory.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Receiving help from God through contrition of heart, O father Arsenius, thou didst cast down the offences of the enemy and the boastful spirit, becoming a victor through humility.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Thou wast shown to be more exalted than the cherubim and the seraphim, O Theotokos; for thou alone didst receive the infinite God within thy womb, O undefiled one. Wherefore, all of us, the faithful, bless thee with hymns, O pure one.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Kontakion of the Venerable One, Tone III, Spec. Mel. “Today the Virgin…”: From Rome thou didst shine forth like the great sun, and thou didst reach the imperial city, O all-blessed one, illumining it with thy words and deeds and dispelling all the darkness of ignorance. Wherefore, we honor thee, O venerable Arsenius, thou glory of the fathers.
Ikos: Hearkening to the voice of the Lord, and forsaking the beauties of this world, O divinely wise one, thou didst enter upon the monastic life, emulating the life of the angels. Wherefore, thou wast shown to be wholly transformed, an angel in the body, offering to Christ fasting and tears, blameless prayer and standing all night. Thus thou becamest a temple of the Trinity, a model for monks, an instructor in the virtues and a fervent advocate for those who ever honor thee. Therefore, we honor thee, O venerable Arsenius, thou glory of the fathers.
Sessional hymn, Tone VIII, Spec. Mel. “Of the Wisdom…”: Having reclined against the breast of Wisdom and learned an understanding of things, thou didst thunder forth divinely: “In the beginning was the Word!”, being the first to record the unoriginate begetting; and thou hast proclaimed to all the incarnation of the Word. Wherefore, fishing for the nations, using thy tongue as a net, thou teachest the ends of the earth by the grace of the Spirit, and dost enlighten them with miracles. O theologian and apostle, entreat Christ God, that He grant remission of sins unto those who with love celebrate thy holy memory.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Sessional Hymn of the Venerable One, the same tone & melody: Fleeing the tumults of the world and perfecting thy life in stillness, thou didst mortify the passions and furnish thy mind with wings to soar aloft to God; and thou wast shown to be a pillar of fire and a luminary for all the faithful who honour thee. And thou didst show thyself to be a fruitful tree watered by showers of tears. O God-bearing Arsenius, entreat Christ God, that He grant remission of offences unto those who honour thy holy memory with love.
Ode IV, Irmos: Thou art my strength, O Lord, Thou art my power; Thou art my God, Thou art my joy, Who, without leaving the bosom of the Father, hast visited our lowliness. Wherefore, with the Prophet Habbakuk I cry unto Thee: Glory to Thy power, O Thou Who lovest mankind!
Holy All-Praised Apostle and Evangelist, John the Theologian, pray to God for us.
The Lord called thee the son of thunder and vouchsafed through the Spirit that thou thunder forth that He was ineffably begotten of the Father divinely and unapproachably; wherefore, with hymns we glorify as is meet thy most festive memory, O theologian.
Holy All-Praised Apostle and Evangelist, John the Theologian, pray to God for us.
The Lord called thee the son of thunder and vouchsafed through the Spirit that thou thunder forth that He was ineffably begotten of the Father divinely and unapproachably; wherefore, with hymns we glorify as is meet thy most festive memory, O theologian.
Holy All-Praised Apostle and Evangelist, John the Theologian, pray to God for us.
Thou didst mount to the heights by the virtues, O apostle, and didst behold the only-begotten Word shining forth with glory in the flesh, Who sitteth eternally in the bosom of the Father; and thou wast vouchsafed to hear the voice of the Father, Who bore witness that He was His Son.
Most Holy Mother of God, save us.
As I now flee to thine aid, O most immaculate one, let me not, thy useless servant, be put to shame; for thee do I have as an intercessor before God and an impregnable bulwark. In thee may I enjoy the tranquility and divine life which is to come, I pray.
Irmos: Thou art my strength, O Lord…
Venerable Father, Arsenius, pray to God for us.
Thou hast shown thyself to be a constrainer of nature, O father Arsenius, for thou didst make the passions subject to the dominion of thy mind, commanding sleep as though it were a servant. Wherefore, thou didst cry out amid thine all-night vigils: Glory to Thy power, O Thou Who lovest mankind!
Venerable Father, Arsenius, pray to God for us.
Thou hast shown thyself to be a constrainer of nature, O father Arsenius, for thou didst make the passions subject to the dominion of thy mind, commanding sleep as though it were a servant. Wherefore, thou didst cry out amid thine all-night vigils: Glory to Thy power, O Thou Who lovest mankind!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Thou didst seek after God with all thy desire, O venerable one. Thou didst greatly desire Him Who had revealed Himself, and having become wholly godly in appearance through purity, thou didst converse with Him Whom thou didst desire, gaining understanding through a union past all attainment, O father Arsenius.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Thou art the boast of the faithful, O unwedded one; thou art the intercessor and refuge of Christians, their rampart and haven: for thou bearest supplications to thy Son, O most immaculate one, and savest from misfortunes those who with faith and love acknowledge thee to be the pure Theotokos.
Ode V, 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 All-Praised Apostle and Evangelist, John the Theologian, pray to God for us.
Beholding the all-pure Light Who shone forth amid the darkness of the world, thou wast transformed by love; and as a beacon of piety, O John, thou didst illumine with the light of theology the generations of populous nations.
Holy All-Praised Apostle and Evangelist, John the Theologian, pray to God for us.
Beholding the all-pure Light Who shone forth amid the darkness of the world, thou wast transformed by love; and as a beacon of piety, O John, thou didst illumine with the light of theology the generations of populous nations.
Holy All-Praised Apostle and Evangelist, John the Theologian, pray to God for us.
Having learned that the shadowy law was given by Moses, but that divine grace came about through Christ our God, O beloved son of thunder, thou didst proclaim His divinity with the language of theology.
Most Holy Mother of God, save us.
Thou art my protection and might, my confirmation and indestructible rampart, O all-pure one, and I call upon thee: Night and day preserve me from all the harm wrought by Belial, that I may glorify thee with faith and love.
Irmos: Wherefore hast Thou turned Thy face from me…
Venerable Father, Arsenius, pray to God for us.
Perceiving well the wiles of the enemy, O father, thou didst piously reject the instigator of the primeval disobedience of Adam the first created; wherefore, dancing in the immaculate haven of sustenance, entreat Christ the Master.
Venerable Father, Arsenius, pray to God for us.
Perceiving well the wiles of the enemy, O father, thou didst piously reject the instigator of the primeval disobedience of Adam the first created; wherefore, dancing in the immaculate haven of sustenance, entreat Christ the Master.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Denying thyself, thou didst reject all luxury; and bearing thy cross upon thy shoulder and desiring Christ, O Arsenius, thou wast fittingly shown to be a fellow heir in the heavens.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
As thou hast maternal boldness before thy Son, O most pure one, disdain not thought of thy kinship with us, we pray; for thee alone do we set before the Master as our cleansing, seeking mercy.
Ode VI, Irmos: The abyss of my sins and the tempest of my transgressions discomfit me and thrust me down into the depths of violent despondency; but stretch forth Thy mighty arm unto me, as Thou didst to Peter, and save my, O my Guide.
Holy All-Praised Apostle and Evangelist, John the Theologian, pray to God for us.
Isaiah beheld in an image the burning Coal of the divine fire which purified his lips, and He was vouchsafed prophecy; and thou, O blessed John, wast shown to recline against the breast of God the Word incarnate.
Holy All-Praised Apostle and Evangelist, John the Theologian, pray to God for us.
Isaiah beheld in an image the burning Coal of the divine fire which purified his lips, and He was vouchsafed prophecy; and thou, O blessed John, wast shown to recline against the breast of God the Word incarnate.
Holy All-Praised Apostle and Evangelist, John the Theologian, pray to God for us.
The only-begotten Word Who sitteth in the bosom of the Father was seen incarnate, O blessed John, and told thee, as the beloved initiate of His mysteries, that thou wouldst see the incorporeal God Whom no-one can behold.
Most Holy Mother of God, save us.
Illumine my soul, O most hymned Virgin Theotokos who gavest birth to the Effulgence of the Father’s glory; for, having thy true grace, we abstain from blasphemous speech.
Irmos: The abyss of my sins…
Venerable Father, Arsenius, pray to God for us.
Through dispassion thou didst piously mortify thy carnal understanding, not loving an earthly inheritance, O venerable father Arsenius, but desiring to receive from Christ an inheritance in the highest.
Venerable Father, Arsenius, pray to God for us.
Through dispassion thou didst piously mortify thy carnal understanding, not loving an earthly inheritance, O venerable father Arsenius, but desiring to receive from Christ an inheritance in the highest.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
The sun which appeared interrupted thine all-night standing, but the incomparable effulgence of the noetic Sun shone forth amid the night of thy life of labors, to enlighten thee, O Arsenius.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
As thou hast compassion, in that thou gavest birth to the Word Who loveth man, save us from bitter and cruel peril; for thee alone, O all-pure Mistress, have we, the faithful, acquired as an invincible help.
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 of the apostle, Tone II: Who can recount thy mighty works, O virgin apostle? For thou pourest out miracles and dost cause healings to flow forth; and thou prayest for our souls, in that thou art a theologian and the friend of Christ.
Ikos: It is a bold and unattainable thing to study the heights of heaven and to plumb the depths of the sea; for as it is impossible to calculate the number of the stars and the sands of the shore, so is it impossible to speak sufficiently of the theologian, whom Christ loved and hath crowned with so many crowns. For, reclining against His breast, he ate with Him at the mystical supper, in that he is a theologian and friend of Christ.
Ode VII, Irmos: Once, in Babylon, the fire stood in awe of the condescension of God; wherefore, the youths, dancing with joyous step in the furnace, as in a meadow, chanted: Blessed art Thou, O God of our fathers!
Holy All-Praised Apostle and Evangelist, John the Theologian, pray to God for us.
Thou didst diligently depart from the bonds of matter, O most blessed one, as an intercessor before God, and as a herald of divinely inspired theology thou hast taught all to cry: Blessed art Thou, O God of our fathers!
Holy All-Praised Apostle and Evangelist, John the Theologian, pray to God for us.
Thou didst consider gold and riches to be like the grass, O most blessed one, and by the action of God thou didst transform hay into gold when thou didst theologise concerning the Creator and Lord, crying: Blessed art Thou, O God of our fathers!
Holy All-Praised Apostle and Evangelist, John the Theologian, pray to God for us.
The Holy Spirit Who proceedeth from the unoriginate Father do we accept as indivisible from Thee, O only-begotten Word of God; and Thou didst call upon the apostles to cry: Blessed art Thou, O God of our fathers!
Most Holy Mother of God, save us.
Thou wast the temple and palace of Christ the King; thou alone wast the couch of Solomon, which, as saith the Scriptures, sixty of the mighty surround. And with thee, O Virgin do they cry out and chant: Blessed art Thou, O God of our fathers!
Irmos: Once, in Babylon, the fire stood in awe…
Venerable Father, Arsenius, pray to God for us.
Mindful of the perniciousness of thy former ointments, and enduring fœtor for their sake, O father Arsenius, through partaking of grace thou didst become a sweet fragrance, and didst cry out: Blessed art Thou, O God of our fathers!
Venerable Father, Arsenius, pray to God for us.
Entering into the divine darkness in the body, O father Arsenius, and having learned to recognise the unoriginate Father and the Spirit in Christ , thou didst hymn the Unity in Trinity, crying: Blessed art Thou, O God of our fathers!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Theologising in Orthodox fashion the only Father of the one only-begotten Son, we declare Thee the Lord of all, acknowledging Thine only upright Spirit, Who proceedeth from Him, shareth the same essence and is equally everlasting.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Without knowing wedlock thou gavest birth in time to the Timeless One, O pure one, and didst bear the Word Who before was incorporeal, giving Him flesh. To Him do we chant together, crying: Blessed art Thou, O God of our fathers!
Ode VIII, Irmos: Madly did the Chaldæan tyrant heat the furnace sevenfold for thepious ones; but, beholding them saved by a higher Power, he cried out to the Creator and Deliverer: Ye children, bless; ye priests, hymn; ye people, exalt Him supremely for all ages!
Holy All-Praised Apostle and Evangelist, John the Theologian, pray to God for us.
As thine all-glorious memory is magnificent and right well renowned, O herald of the divinity of Christ, it hath shone forth upon the Church, perfuming it with godliness. Wherefore, rejoicing, we cry out, O ye faithful: Ye children, bless; ye priests, hymn; ye people, exalt Him supremely for all ages!
Holy All-Praised Apostle and Evangelist, John the Theologian, pray to God for us.
As thine all-glorious memory is magnificent and right well renowned, O herald of the divinity of Christ, it hath shone forth upon the Church, perfuming it with godliness. Wherefore, rejoicing, we cry out, O ye faithful: Ye children, bless; ye priests, hymn; ye people, exalt Him supremely for all ages!
Holy All-Praised Apostle and Evangelist, John the Theologian, pray to God for us.
Having the theologian as the leader of our choir, O Christ, We declare Thee, Who wast theologised by him, and the Father and the Spirit, to be God, and hymning the monarchy thereof, we cry: Ye children, bless; ye priests, hymn; ye people, exalt Him supremely for all ages!
Most Holy Mother of God, save us.
O most immaculate one, thou gavest birth to God the Word incarnate. Him do thou beseech, that He deliver me from fire; for, lo! my whole life hath become a burden and I have become wholly enslaved to cruel sins. Wherefore, I flee to thee, O Virgin, and call upon thee, the joyous one.
Irmos: Madly did the Chaldæan tyrant…
Venerable Father, Arsenius, pray to God for us.
With the springs of thy tears thou didst prudently quench the tormenting conflagration of soul-destroying lusts and the burning of Gehenna, O Arsenius; wherefore, that thou mightest rescue us from them both, cease thou never to entreat Christ, the Savior of the world, Whom we bless for all ages.
Venerable Father, Arsenius, pray to God for us.
With the springs of thy tears thou didst prudently quench the tormenting conflagration of soul-destroying lusts and the burning of Gehenna, O Arsenius; wherefore, that thou mightest rescue us from them both, cease thou never to entreat Christ, the Savior of the world, Whom we bless for all ages.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Within thyself thou didst kindle a furnace of compunction seven times more intense than that of Babylon, which was heated sevenfold; and bedewed therein by the enlightenment of grace, thou didst cry out to the Creator and Saviour: Ye children, bless; ye priests, hymn; ye people, exalt Him supremely for all ages!
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
The thrice radiant Godhead Which shineth forth a single radiance from a single Essence in three Hypostases—the unoriginate Father, the Word Who is of the same essence as the Father, and the consubstantial Spirit Who reigneth with them—do ye children bless, ye priests hymn, ye people exalt supremely for all ages!
Ode IX, Irmos: Heaven was stricken with awe, and the ends of the earth were amazed, that God hath appeared in the flesh, and that thy womb became more spacious than the heavens. Wherefore, the ranks of men and angels magnify thee as the Theotokos.
Holy All-Praised Apostle and Evangelist, John the Theologian, pray to God for us.
Standing before the Cross of the Master and the pure Virgin Theotokos, the beloved disciple, the pure instrument of theology, in that he himself was virginal, accepted the commission to care for her; and, becoming the guardian of the immaculate Theotokos, he is now blessed as is meet.
Holy All-Praised Apostle and Evangelist, John the Theologian, pray to God for us.
Standing before the Cross of the Master and the pure Virgin Theotokos, the beloved disciple, the pure instrument of theology, in that he himself was virginal, accepted the commission to care for her; and, becoming the guardian of the immaculate Theotokos, he is now blessed as is meet.
Holy All-Praised Apostle and Evangelist, John the Theologian, pray to God for us.
The All-pure One, loving thine honoured and blameless life as is meet, accepted thee, who lived angelically on earth, together with thy brother, O blessed John, and declared thee the son of His own Mother, the Theotokos. With her we all call thee blessed.
Most Holy Mother of God, save us.
Be thou a pillar of salvation for me, O pure one; render the hordes of the demons impotent, cutting off the tumult of temptations and misfortunes, granting me pure freedom, and bestowing upon me divine gifts in abundance.
Irmos: Heaven was stricken with awe…
Venerable Father, Arsenius, pray to God for us.
Moses marvelled, being vouchsafed to behold the birth-giving of the Virgin in the image formed by the fiery bush; and thou, having wholly united thyself to the divine Spirit in ecstasy, becamest fiery of visage. Wherefore, we bless thee as is meet, O Arsenius.
Venerable Father, Arsenius, pray to God for us.
Moses marvelled, being vouchsafed to behold the birth-giving of the Virgin in the image formed by the fiery bush; and thou, having wholly united thyself to the divine Spirit in ecstasy, becamest fiery of visage. Wherefore, we bless thee as is meet, O Arsenius.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Christ, the never-waning Light, shone forth upon thee, and joy bore thee up to the heavens; for through constant memory of death, thou didst diligently bring thyself to an undefiled life. Wherefore, thou hast received the fruits of thy labours as is meet, O most blessed one.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O Virgin Mother of God, thou hast been shown supernaturally to have given birth in the flesh to the Word of God, Whom the Father put forth from His own heart before time began, in that He is good. Him do we now understand as transcending the body, even though He was clothed in a body.
Troparion of the Apostle, Tone II: O beloved apostle of Christ God, haste thou to deliver a defenceless people. He Who permitted thee to recline against His breast receiveth thee, prostrate in supplication. Him do thou beseech, O theologian, that He dispel the gloom of the nations which doth beset us, asking for us peace and great mercy.
Troparion of the Venerable One, Tone VIII: With the streams of thy tears thou didst irrigate the desert, and with sighs from the depths of thy soul thou didst render thy labours fruitful an hundredfold, and becamest a beacon for the whole world, resplendent with miracles. O Arsenius our father, entreat Christ God, that our souls be saved.
The godly-wise women with myrrh followed after Thee in haste; but Him Whom they sought with tears as dead, they worshipped joyfully as the living God, and they brought unto Thy disciples, O Christ, the good tidings of the mystical Pascha.
+
Dear brothers and sisters, Christ is Risen! Христосъ воскресе!
In greeting you all with the continuing Paschal season, our greetings go beyond South Wales and the west of England, to our parishioners who are abroad at the moment – in Morocco, Russia, Montenegro and wherever else our faithful are in these Paschal days.
The joy and triumph of the resurrection continues to resound through our services, with the recurring words of Christ is Risen echoing as we approach the victory of the resurrection from different perspectives… from that of the apostles and St Thomas, the late comer; then through the experience of the Myrrh-Bearing women, whom we remembered yesterday, together with the Noble Joseph and the Righteous Nicodemus.
What a perfect example of Christian discipleship and devotion we see in their enduring witness: supporting the Lord and the twelve during His earthly ministry; following Christ as He carried the Cross; standing by the Cross as all but one of the disciples fled; and then coming to the garden Tomb at the break of day bearing sweet-smelling ointments. Such was their love, devotion and sense of duty to the Lord, that despite the darkness, confusion and fear that had descended on them as they saw the Light go out in their lives. They never gave up on the Lord, despite seeing His death on the Cross and His lifeless body laid in the Tomb.
Their enduring devotion led them through their darkness, and in the dawn of the first Pascha their faithfulness led them to the rising of the Sun Who never sets. Despite the confusion and fear that must have gripped their lives in that short time after the Saviour’s death on the Cross, they did not hide behind locked door like the twelve, and as a result discovered that Christ their hope had trampled down death by death and was risen. Devotion and faithfulness led them from darkness to light, and in the place of death and corruption they discovered the Unwaning Light.
Let us all emulate their devotion and fulfilment of duty in their unwavering love for the Saviour, and trust that this will lead us through the uncertainties and fears of life, for with them, we know that “from the tomb today, as from a bridal chamber, Christ hath shone forth…”.
Thanks to all who contributed to our Liturgy, and thanks also to our Cheltenham faithful who gathered in Prestbury for Liturgy and a panikhida on Saturday. As we celebrate the Myrrh-Bearing Women, our thanks especially go to our devoted parish-sisters, who work tirelessly for our communities.
Tomorrow, will see the ninth hour and vespers chanted at the shrine of St Alban, in Swinton Street, marking the eve of the feast of the translation of the relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra to Bari. The office will be chanted at 14:30, and I will be very happy if any of you are able to join me, but remind you that services are celebrated on behalf of the whole community, wherever the faithful are at times of worship.
Vespers will also be celebrated in St Alban’s at the same time on Thursday, and I will be available to hear confessions before and immediately after the service. If anyone requires a later confession, which will need to be in Nazareth House, please contact me immediately, so that I can arrange to visit in the evening. Requests for confessions in St Alban’s by Wednesday at 18:00, please.
Saturday, being the fourth in the month will see a quite informal local pilgrimage-visit to the holy well at Penrhys, in the Rhondda, with midday prayers at the statue on the site of the former Cistercian monastic grange, and a moleben at the holy well, which sadly sounds like it is in need of some tlc and attention. This may be a prompt for a follow-up visit, in which we offer the Mother of God our time and energy in caring for a place that was so important in the spiritual consciousness of Welsh Christianity in the Middle-Ages.
The nearest station is Ystrad, with trains from Queen St. The walk from there to Penrhys takes around thirty minutes, and should in itself be part of the pilgrimage-experience for anyone availing themselves of this route.
I hope that at least a few souls will join me in honouring the Mother of God at the site of her ancient shrine.
Those of you who were at Liturgy will have heard the now official news, after Vladyka’s edict, that Deacon Mark will be ordained to the sacred priesthood in our cathedral on Wednesday 17 July, the feast of Royal Martyrs, the altar-feast of the lower church.
We very much hope that as many parishioners as possible will be able to be in the cathedral that day, supporting their devoted deacon as he submits to our need for a second priest, and offers himself to serve our Great-High priest in ministering to His flock. A bus will carry those wishing to make the journey to London for this very special day, and we would appreciate indications of those who wish to attend the feast as soon as possible, so that the size of bus can be confirmed. Once the bus is booked we will not be able to change plans. So… so please communicate your interest.
As you know, we will hold our General Meeting the Sunday after next, 2nd June, and in the course of the meeting will elect parishioners to the office of starosta and senior-sister. We have had nominations for both positions, with several individuals actually having been nominated for both posts.
Any further nominations should be received by next Sunday. Thanks to those who have taken the time to do so, and for having spoken with those whom they consider to be worthy, and capable candidates for these obediences. We would also welcome items for the agenda.
Before we know it, the summer will have passed and the March for Life will be held in London. An increasing number of parishioners have attended over the last few years, and the considerable Orthodox presence was clearly valued and appreciated last year.
This year’s march is on Saturday 7th September. I hope Karen doesn’t mind me directing those interested in her direction without having checked with her. Last year’s Cardiff attendees travelled with our friends from St Alban’s, in Splott, and it would be good if this could be repeated.
Please endeavour to keep the Pascal season and the feasts, wherever you are in the wide diaspora of our parish, and if you are able to gather together for prayer, this is a great blessing and sign of community in the Risen Lord.
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.
Venerable father, Nilus, pray to God for us.
Covered over by the darkness of sin, I am unable to gaze clearly toward the height of thy corrections, O father; but as thou art compassionate and merciful, help me, shining the light of salvation into my soul, that, rejoicing, I may hymn thy splendid corrections and all-glorious miracles.
Venerable father, Nilus, pray to God for us.
Thou hast been shown to be a noetic garden of paradise, O father, producing divers flowers of the virtues; and thou didst offer beautiful fruits to thy Master, Who hath adorned thee with miracles.
Venerable father, Nilus, pray to God for us.
Having broken but a single commandment, the first-created man was driven from paradise; but thou, O venerable one, hast by the keeping of the commandments of the Master been shown to be the inheritor thereof, delighting ever in the tree of life; and, gazing upon the Lord in the gladness of thy pure heart, thou sharest in His divine light.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Following the paths of the commandments without wavering, and holding the Cross of Christ in thy hand as a staff of power, thou didst attain unto the haven of dispassion, O father; wherefore, thou didst also receive the grace to heal the infirmities of men and to work all-glorious miracles.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Now is the time for thee to help us, O Mistress! Mercifully regard the affliction of thy servant, O pure one, granting me consolation, that, rejoicing, I may hymn thy divine wonders.
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.
Venerable father, Nilus, pray to God for us.
Without being prideful, I have dared to offer hymnody to thy sacred memory, O father. Therefore, moved by thy love, O thou who art beloved of God, accept it from thy servant, and by thy mediations before the Lord vouchsafe unto me salvation.
Venerable father, Nilus, pray to God for us.
O father, from misfortunes and evil circumstances save those who honour thee with love, forming themselves into a choir for thine honoured memorial; by thine entreaties make us firm who have been shaken by the tempest of the passions, and vouchsafe that we may reach the harbour of salvation.
Venerable father, Nilus, pray to God for us.
Who can describe thy struggles, O father; who can recount the height of thy humility? Truly thou wast a disciple of Christ, O thou who art beloved of God, and a fellow heir to His kingdom. Wherefore, be thou mindful of thy children, O father, praying to Christ, that He vouchsafe unto us also the portion of the saved.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Useless am I and altogether unprofitable; and I am at a loss how fittingly to hymn thy directions toward God. Yet accept thou my love and faith, O kind-hearted father, and by thy sacred mediations vouchsafe unto me salvation.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Truly every human tongue is at a loss how to glorify thee as is meet, O Mistress. What then shall I, who am beset by ignorance and many sins, offer unto thee, O good one? Yet accept thou the love and faith of thy servant, and vouchsafe unto me salvation.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Sessional hymn, Tone VIII: Thou didst mount from action to the summit of divine vision, O father, and, having embraced utter stillness, thou didst ever converse with God with a mind untroubled; wherefore, thou wast enriched by divine understandings therefrom, O blessed one, and hast become a pastor and guide for those who follow thine angelic way of life. Therefore, O Nilus our God-bearing father, entreat Christ God, that He grant remission of sins unto those who with love celebrate thy holy memory.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Repeat the foregoing sessional hymn.
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!
Venerable father, Nilus, pray to God for us.
Standing vigilantly on attentive watch, and foreseeing the insidious snares of the enemy, O father, thou didst bring down all their hordes, and soaring aloft unharmed, through prayer and fasting, thou didst chant victoriously: Glory to Thy power, O Christ!
Venerable father, Nilus, pray to God for us.
Having the sufferings of our Saviour and His voluntary crucifixion on the Cross ever in thy mind, thou wast crucified with Him in the mortification of thy flesh, O venerable one; and thy heart, wounded by divine love, O thou who art beloved of God, was shown to be a wellspring of compunction, ever pouring forth tears and chanting: Glory to Thy compassionate condescension, O Christ!
Venerable father, Nilus, pray to God for us.
Wounded by the love of Christ, thou didst unceasingly shed torrents of tears from thine eyes, O Nilus our ever-memorable father; and, dwelling in the wilderness as in the garden of paradise, thou didst offer up incessant supplications, ever chanting: Glory to Thy power, O Christ!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Alas! with what insensitivity am I plagued! Guilty as I am of every evil, I neither fear death nor tremble before the dread judgment! Yet do thou henceforth come to thy senses in repentance, O most passionate soul, crying aloud unto Christ: Have pity on me, O Saviour, for the sake of Nilus Thy favoured one, and guide my steps aright with Thine omnipotent power, O Master!
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O Virgin Theotokos, true hope of all Christians, who gavest birth to the Life of all: grant life unto me who am dead in soul. O Life-bearing wellspring, give me to drink the waters of compunction, for I am cruelly consumed by the burning heat of the passions, that, cooled by tears of repentance, I may cry out in thanksgiving: Glory to thine almighty power, O Mistress!
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.
Venerable father, Nilus, pray to God for us.
Emulating the way of life of the ancient fathers of the Holy Mountain, O ever-memorable Nilus our God-bearing father, thou didst hasten, rejoicing, to the tranquility of the stillness of the wilderness; and there, bringing forth the fruits of the Spirit in humility, thou wast exceeding well-pleasing to Him Who enriched thee with the glory of miracles.
Venerable father, Nilus, pray to God for us.
Fulfilling the commandments of the Lord, O father, thou wast meek and guileless, humble and simple, and right skilful in all the virtues; wherefore, thou wast shown to be an instrument of the Holy Spirit, O all-wise one, teaching and instructing thy children to walk worthily in the steps of Christ, Who granteth salvation unto those who serve Him in humility.
Venerable father, Nilus, pray to God for us.
O venerable Nilus, receiving the reward of thy labours in the heavens, forget us not who joyously celebrate thy feast, but ask for us the remission of sins, entreating Christ Who granteth salvation unto those who glorify those who have glorified Him.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Thou didst clothe thyself in Christ, O divinely wise one, adorning thyself with the vesture of dispassion; and thou wast compassionate and merciful unto those who sinned, O father, teaching them with humility of mind, urging them on to repentance and leading them to Christ, Who granteth salvation unto all who ask it in humility.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Wretch that I am, I have clothed myself in garments of shame, having shed the divinely woven raiment I received at baptism, O most immaculate Virgin, Yet do I beseech thee, O most merciful one: Clothe me again in the vesture of salvation, that I may be worthy to attend the wedding-banquet of the Lamb, for Whom thou didst weave a royal robe of thy pure blood, and Who granteth salvation unto all who hymn thee.
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.
Dwelling now with the choirs of the saints in the mansions of heaven, O God-bearing Nilus, and standing with boldness before the all-holy Trinity, forget not us, thy children, O father, but ask remission of sins for those who celebrate thy feast with joy, that with thanksgiving we may glorify God Who hath glorified thee.
Venerable father, Nilus, pray to God for us.
Thou wast shown to be a new and goodly wellspring flowing in the land of Russia, pouring forth streams of healing from thy holy grave upon those who with unwavering faith have recourse unto thee, O Nilus our father; and, full of gladness, we glorify God Who glorifieth thee.
Venerable father, Nilus, pray to God for us.
From thy youth even unto thine honoured repose thou didst earnestly serve Christ with a pure conscience, O venerable one, keeping His divine commandments; for, guarding thyself with poverty and non-acquisitiveness, O wise Nilus our father, thou didst set thy feet firmly upon the rock of patience.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
O thy manifold corrections and thy labours and struggles for God, O father! Who can describe thy fasting and keeping of vigils, thy lying upon the ground and patient endurance of ill treatment? For thou didst truly show thyself to be a true monk, O thou who art beloved of God. Wherefore, lovingly honouring thy memory, we glorify God Who strengthened thee.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O all-immaculate Virgin, thy womb, which contained the uncontainable God, was shown to be far more spacious than the heavens! O the all-glorious things! O He Who in thee wrought a mystery beyond the comprehension of angels and men! Wherefore, truly confessing thee to be the Theotokos, we glorify God Who was born of 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, Spec. Mel. “To thee, the champion leader…”: Fleeing from the tumult of the world for the sake of Christ’s love, with joyous soul thou didst make thine abode in the wilderness, and struggling well therein, O father Nilus, thou didst live on earth like an angel; for thou didst lay waste to thy body through fasting and the keeping of vigils for the sake of everlasting life. And having been counted worthy thereof, standing with the saints before the all-holy Trinity in the light of ineffable joy, pray thou,—we, thy children, beseech thee, falling prostrate,—that we be preserved from every assault of enemies visible and invisible, and from evil circumstances, and that our souls be saved.
Ikos:Emulating the life of the angels and likening thyself to those who were great among the fathers, thou didst cut thyself off wholly from the turmoil of the world and, manfully arming thyself for the struggles of asceticism, thou didst carefully tread the path of the commandments of God, O blessed one. Wherefore, honouring thy sacred memory with faith, we bless thee with these praises: Rejoice, emulator of the life of the angels; rejoice, heir to the way of life of the great fathers of old! Rejoice, courageous vanquisher of invisible enemies; rejoice, diligent keeper of the commandments of God! Rejoice, ardent lover of the divinely inspired traditions of the fathers; rejoice, recorder of rules for the ascetic life of monastics! Rejoice, most clear mirror of the virtues; rejoice, melodious instrument of the Holy Spirit! Rejoice, paragon of profound humility; rejoice, zealous doer of godly works! Rejoice, for through thee have we learned to tread the way of life without wandering; rejoice, for through thy mediation for us do we hope to receive salvation! Rejoice, O wonder-working Nilus our father!
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!
Venerable father, Nilus, pray to God for us.
O father, I earnestly offer thee simple hymnody; wherefore, accept it from me who am unworthy, and spurn me not who have sinned beyond all others, O all-blessed one; but, mercifully inclining thyself, vouchsafe that through thine intercession I may receive salvation, that, rejoicing, I may chant: O all-hymned Lord God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!
Venerable father, Nilus, pray to God for us.
Thou didst unceasingly converse with God face to face, O father, offering pure supplications unto Him with a pure and untroubled mind and a clean conscience, O divinely wise one; for, hastening from action to vision, thou didst wholly attain the vision of God, O blessed one, ever chanting: O all-hymned Lord God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!
Venerable father, Nilus, pray to God for us.
Thou didst show thyself to be a fertile garden producing the fruits of the Spirit, O father; for thou wast full to overflowing with love and joy, peace, long-suffering, meekness and temperance, and as one truly belonging to Christ, thou didst crucify the flesh with its passions and lusts, ever chanting: O all-hymned Lord God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Accept me who hymn thee not with wisdom, but with love, O father, and, driving away from me the darkness of oblivion and ignorance by thy luminous supplication, help me ever to cry: O all-hymned Lord God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
merciful, save thy poor servant, delivering me from my boundless offences, that, rejoicing, I may chant: O Mother of the all-hymned Lord and God of our fathers, blessed art thou forever!
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!
Venerable father, Nilus, pray to God for us.
O ever-memorable Nilus our father, beloved of God, thou didst truly lead a good and beautiful life; for fleeing turmoil and withdrawing into the solitude of the wilderness, thou didst sow the tribulations of fasting with tears, but now, rejoicing, dost reap the grain of everlasting life.
Venerable father, Nilus, pray to God for us.
Venerable father, Nilus, pray to God for us.
Thou didst labor in secret for the one God Who knoweth things hidden, O father, passing through the ascetic contest in humility; and after thy repose thou wast revealed and illumined by miracles, moving the faithful to chant: Hymn the Lord, O ye works, and exalt Him supremely for all ages!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
By the divine grace within thee thou pourest forth healings and drivest away evil spirits from those who have recourse to thee with faith, O most blessed Nilus; wherefore, we lovingly honour thy most sacred memory, chanting with gladness: Hymn the Lord, O ye works, and exalt Him supremely for all ages!
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Hearken, O Mistress, to the pain-wracked sighing of thy servant, pulling asunder the chains of mine offences; change my grief into joy and quickly transform my pangs, that, rejoicing, I may hymn thee, O pure Virgin, and exalt thee supremely for all ages.
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!
Venerable father, Nilus, pray to God for us.
Thou hast been shown to be an all-radiant beacon for thy native land, O venerable and blessed one, illumining our habitations with thy brilliance and with the splendours of the miracles whereby thou hast been glorified since thy repose; wherefore, honouring thy radiant memory, we glorify Christ Who doth glorify thee with splendour.
Venerable father, Nilus, pray to God for us.
When upon thy death bed thou didst stretch out thy beautiful feet which had trod well the path of salvation, O blessed one, thy disciples, shedding tears, said: “Whither goest thou, O our pastor? O father, to whom dost thou leave thy children, whom, having given birth to them in the Spirit, thou didst nurture with the milk of thy wise instruction?”
Venerable father, Nilus, pray to God for us.
“Mingle not weeping with my joy, O my children,” thou didst say to them, O thou who art blessed of God, “for in gladness I am departing to receive the crown of righteousness which Christ hath promised to those who love Him, and which ye also must strive to attain, keeping His commandments as well as mine own.”
Venerable father, Nilus, pray to God for us.
Let thy wilderness also lament with us, O father; for even though it blossomed like a lily, adorned with Thy God-pleasing life, yet, bereft of a good husbandman after thy departure, thorns and thistles have grown rife in it. Fail not to visit thy flock, O father, and do thou thyself shepherd those who magnify thee.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Forget not those who now abide in the place of thine industrious life, O God-bearing Nilus our father, and mediate salvation for those who earnestly offer thee hymnody; for, having acquired thee as an advocate and intercessor before the Lord, O most blessed one, let not us who honour thee with faith, suffer the loss of hope.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Clothe me in the vesture of salvation, O most merciful Mother of God, thou full hope of my salvation, for I place my trust in thee; for thou art a treasury of mercy and savest all who have recourse unto thee. Wherefore, save even me, the accursed, that I may chant in thanksgiving: Rejoice, O most blessed Theotokos, pure Ever-virgin!
Troparion, Tone I: Having spurned the worldly life, O our venerable and God-bearing father Nilus, fleeing the tumult of life thou wast quick to gather the flowers of paradise from the writings of the fathers, and, having made thine abode in the wilderness, thou didst flourish like a lily of the field; wherefore, thou hast passed over to the mansions of heaven. Teach us also who honor thee to tread thy royal path, and pray thou for our souls
The Canon of the Saint, Tone VIII
Canon of the Apostle, in Tone VIII
