The following is extracted from the decisions of the Holy Synod of the
Church of Russia, and is presented here for your information.
HEARD: the order of exclamation "O Lord, save the righteous..."
during the Divine Liturgy at a patriarchal, episcopal and priestly service.
The Liturgical Commission proposes the following order:
At the Little Entrance during the Divine Liturgy:
The Patriarch, having taken the censer, censes around the Holy Altar and the
Table of Oblation and the whole sanctuary, holding the patriarchal staff in his
left hand. Then he goes through the Holy Doors and censes the icons of Christ
and the Most Holy Theotokos, standing before the Holy Altar. Then the choir
sings the regular troparia and kontakia according to the order and the day.
However, the concluding kontakion is not sung. The Patriarch stands before
the Holy Altar, while the archdeacon, having come out of the sanctuary, stands
to the side facing the Holy Doors. Holding the orarion with three fingers and
lifting it up slightly, says: O Lord, save the righteous. Those in the
sanctuary sing the same and the choir repeats it. The archdeacon says: And hear
us. And those in the sanctuary sing the same and the choir repeats it.
Then the archdeacon says the Great Praises.
The Patriarch, standing before the Holy Altar, sings, together with the
concelebrants serving together with him, the concluding kontakion according to
the order.
Immediately after this, the archdeacon says: Bless,
Master, the time of the Thrice-Holy.
And standing before the Door, says: Let us pray to
the Lord. Choir: Lord, have mercy.
Patriarch: For holy art Thou, O our God, and unto
Thee we ascribe glory, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
now, and ever.
The archdeacon, standing near the Door and holding the orarion with three
fingers and pointing it to the people, says:
And unto ages of ages.
The first choir sings softly: O Holy God...
2) to adopt the order of the exclamation "O
Lord, save the righteous and hear us" at the hierarchical and
priestly service (as the Praises is not sung) as follows:
When the choir sings the concluding troparion, the protodeacon, addressing
himself to the bishop and holding the orarion with three fingers, says:
Bless, Master the time of the Thrice-Holy.
The bishop blesses him. After the troparion, the protodeacon comes close to
the Holy Door and, standing before it, says:
Let us pray to the Lord.
Choir: Lord, have mercy.
The bishop says the exclamation: For holy art Thou,
O our God, and unto Thee we ascribe glory, to the Father, and to the Son, and
to the Holy Spirit, now, and ever.
The Protodeacon stands near the Holy Door and, pointing the orarion first to
the icon of Christ, says:
O Lord, save the righteous.
And the choirs repeats the same.
The Protodeacon: And hear us.
And the choir repeats the same.
Then the protodeacon, in a sweeping motion, says loudly to those who stand
without: And unto ages of ages.
Choir: Amen. And, O
Holy God, softly.
3. The priest, when there is no serving deacon, should himself say: O Lord,
save the righteous and hear us, as it is not one of those exclamations which
belong to the deacon alone (Tserkovnye vedomosti, 1900, 23).
The priest says the exclamation:
For holy art Thou, O our God, and unto Thee do we
ascribe glory, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now, and
ever.
Choir: Amen
The priest says: O Lord, save the righteous.
The choir repeats the same.
The priests says: And hear us.
The choir repeats the same and sings, O Holy God.
RESOLVED: the proposed order of the exclamation "O
Lord, save the righteous..." be adopted and observed at the
Divine Liturgy.
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For more information email Rev. Fr. George Konyev at frgeorge@msn.com