The Daily Cycle of Services
This table contains the entirety of the daily cycle of services. It is typical for large-enough monastic communities to be able to serve the entire cycle of services every day of the year. As a parish of laypeople we only serve a few of these services on a weekly basis.
(source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Orthodox_worship#Daily_cycle_of_services)
| Service | Traditional Time | Themes |
| Vespers (Daily or Great) | At sunset | Glorification of God, the Creator of the world and its Providence |
| Compline (Small or Great) | At bedtime | Harrowing of Hell |
| Midnight Office | At midnight | Last Judgment |
| Orthros a.k.a. Matins | Morning watches, ending at dawn | The Lord having given us not only daylight but spiritual light, Christ the Savior |
| First Hour | At ~6 AM | Pilate |
| Third Hour | At ~9 AM | Holy Spirit |
| Sixth Hour | At noon | crucifixion |
| Ninth Hour | At ~3 PM | Christ’s death which happened at this hour. |
| Typica | follows sixth or ninth hour | Served in lieu of Liturgy |
Our Regular Parish Services
As a parish we serve a number of services on a weekly basis:
Saturday at 6 P.M. – 9th Hour and Great Vespers
Sunday at 9 A.M. – Orthros
Sunday at 10 A.M. – The Divine Liturgy
Wednesday at 6 P.M. – Paraklesis
We also serve a reader-led Daily Vespers throughout the week when leaders are available.
Many parishes will do a Daily Vespers on Wednesdays instead of Paraklesis.
Services of Initia
Often times these services are held during or after a Divine Liturgy and
- Litia and Artoklasia
- Memorial Service
- Admittance to the Catechumenate
- Crowning Ceremony
- Removal of the Crowns
- Baptism and Chrismation
- Churching of a New Mother
Reader’s Services
In the event a priest cannot be present for a service, services can be lead by a layperson.
Usually the highest ranking person present, up to a deacon, would lead a Reader’s service but oftentimes it can be done by whoever is leading the chant, man or woman.
In the event Divine Liturgy is not served we will have a Reader’s Orthros and Typika around the same time.
Great Vespers, likewise, can also be done as Reader’s Vespers.
Our Daily Vespers done throughout the week is a Reader’s service.
Compline is frequently done at home as a prayer service.
Our Lenten Parish Services
In addition to our normal services, during we Lent we often serve:
- Forgiveness Vespers
- Great Compline
- Little Compline
- Presanctified Divine Liturgy
- The Canon of St. Andrew (4 parts, in conjunction with Great Compline)
- Life of St. Mary in Conjunction with the Final Canon of St. Andrew
- Bridgegroom Matins
- Holy Wednesday
- Service of Holy Unction
- Holy Thursday
- Vesperal Liturgy
- Twelve Passion Gospels
- Holy Friday
- Royal Hours and Typika
- Taking Down of the Cross Vespers
- Orthros Lamentations
- Reading of the Psalms
- Holy Saturday Morning
- Vesperal Divine Liturgy and Baptisms
- Holy Saturday Night
- Rush Process, Paschal Orthros, Paschal Liturgy
- Pascha (Sunday) Morning
- Agape Vespers
- Bright Week
- Paschal Orthros
- Paschal Liturgy