Liturgy of Preparation
Encyclopedia
The Liturgy of Preparation, also Prothesis (Greek
Προθησις a setting forth) or Proskomedia (an offering), is the name given in the Eastern Orthodox Church
and the Byzantine-rite
Eastern Catholic Churches to the act of preparing the bread
and wine
for the Eucharist
. The Liturgy of Preparation is done quietly before the public part of the Divine Liturgy
begins, and symbolizes the "hidden years" of Christ's earthly life.
The bread used for the Liturgy is referred to as prosphora
. A prosphoron is a round loaf of leavened bread baked in two layers to represent the two natures of Christ. It has a square seal on the top side which has inscribed on it a cross and the Greek letters IC (an abbreviation in Greek for "Jesus") XC ("Christ") and NIKA ("Conquers"). The portion of the loaf that is cut out along this seal is the Lamb (Host), from which all are communicated, and therefore must be proportionately large for the number of communicants.
Prosphora must be made using only the finest wheat flour, water, salt, and yeast. It should be freshly baked and without blemish.
The Greeks will use one large loaf for the Liturgy of Preparation, with a large round seal on it inscribed not only with the square seal mentioned above (from which the Lamb will be taken), but also markings indicating where the portions for the Theotokos
, the Ranks, the Living and Dead will be removed (see Proskomedie, below).
Those churches which follow Slavic usage will use five small loaves, recalling the five loaves from which Christ fed the multitude . Normally all will be stamped with a small square seal, though special seals for the Theotokos are sometimes used.
In all traditions, only the Lamb is actually consecrated, other portions which are removed from the prosphora are memorials, but are never to be used for Communion.
These elements are referred to collectively as the "Gifts", both before and after the Consecration.
states that, before celebrating the Divine Liturgy, the priest must be reconciled to all men, keep his heart from evil thoughts, and be fasting since midnight. The same rules apply to the deacon.
The beginning of the Liturgy of Preparation should be timed so that it is concluded slightly before the Reader finishes reading the Third Hour and Sixth Hour.
s and deacon
s) stand together in front of the Holy Doors
of the Iconostasis
, venerate
the icon
s, and say special Entrance Prayers before they enter into the Altar. At the end of these prayers, they will bow to the throne of the bishop
who oversees the church, or, if it is a monastery, the Hegumen
, acknowledging the authority of their spiritual superiors, without whose permission they may not celebrate the Divine Services.
s. Before putting on each vestment the priest will say a prayer, usually drawn from the Psalms
, bless the vestment, and kiss the cross that is sewn onto it. The deacon will bring his vestments to the priest for him to bless. He then kisses the priest's hand and withdraws to vest, saying the same prayers as the priest and kissing the cross on each vestment. Any servers who will be vesting must bring their sticharia
to the priest for him to bless, before vesting. Though servers do not normally say the prayer of the sticharion, they will kiss the cross before vesting. If a bishop is present in the Altar, the clergy will bring their vestments for him to bless before putting them on.
After vesting, the priest and deacon wash their hands, saying the Prayer of the Washing of Hands (Psalm 35:6-12) They then go to the Prothesis
(Table of Oblation) where the Gifts are to be prepared.
The priest takes a prosphoron
and blessed it three times, making the sign of the cross over it with the liturgical spear
. Then, cutting on all four sides of the square seal on the prosphoron, he removes a cube
(the Lamb), taking from both layers of the loaf, and places it in the center of the diskos. He then cuts the underside of the Lamb, making a cross, then turns the Lamb right side up and pierces it with the spear, saying the words from the Gospel . (See Lamb for more details).
The deacon mingles a little water with the wine that will be poured in the chalice and presents it to the priest for him to bless. The deacon then pours the wine and water into the chalice, as the priest says, "Blessed be the union of Thy holy things, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen."
s. There are some differences between the Greek and the Slavic texts as to which particular saints are named, but the intent is that all of the saints are included. Saint John the Forerunner
and the Patron Saint
of the church or monastery are always named. The number nine was chosen because that is the traditional number of the ranks of angels.
These nine particles are placed to the left of the Lamb (i.e., to the priest's right, as he looks down on the diskos).
him (if he is still among the living), the clergy who are concelebrating with him, and any living Orthodox Christian whom he wishes. Churches and monasteries will often have diptych
s (memorial books) of the living and departed who should be commemorated at every Liturgy.
Among the Slavic peoples, it is customary for the laity to offer small prosphora in commemoration of those living and the departed whom they would like to have prayed for during the Liturgy. These will often be smaller than the five prosphora used by the priest. They will hand these to the priest together with their list of names, and he will take particles out (living from the top of the loaf, departed from the bottom) and place them on the diskos. The loaves will be returned to the faithful.
All of the particles for the living are placed in a line below the Lamb and the particles for the Theotokos and saints.
him (if he is departed) and any of the departed whom he will, as well as the names in the diptychs and those presented by the faithful.
All of the particles for the departed are placed in a line below the particles for the living.
Before the conclusion, any concelebrating priests who would like to make their own commemorations of the living and the departed may do so.
The deacon places incense in the censer and holds it up for the priest to bless. The priest blesses the incense saying the Prayer of the Censer. Next, the priest takes the Asterisk
(star cover), holds it over the censer and then places it on the diskos, saying: "And the star came and stood over the place where the young child was."
He then holds each of the smaller veil
s over the censer and places them on the discos and the chalice, respectively, saying appropriate prayers for each.
Then he takes the larger veil, called the Aër
, wraps it around the censer and then covers the chalice and diskos together.
Finally, he will take the censer from the deacon and censes
the covered Gifts. The then says the concluding Prayer of Oblation.
Afterwards, the deacon will perform a full censing of the Prothesis, the Holy Table, the sanctuary, the entire church and the people while he recites the following hymn and Psalm 50
quietly to himself:
When it is time, the bishop enters formally into the church and the deacon reads the Entrance Prayers for him and he is then vested by the subdeacon
s while the deacon reads the Vesting Prayers for him. Then the Reader begins the Little Hours
. After the Liturgy begins, the Bishop himself will say the Prayer of Oblation.
Just before the Great Entrance, the bishop himself will commemorate anyone of the living and the dead whom he wishes, taking out particles from a special prosphoron that has been prepared for him. Then each priest, deacon and server will come to the bishop and ask him to pray for him, kissing the bishop's shoulder, and the bishop will take out a particle for him, commemorating him by name.
it is not permitted to celebrate the Divine Liturgy on weekdays. However, on Wednesdays and Fridays the faithful may receive Holy Communion from the reserved Mysteries
(Sacrament) at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts
. In order to provide for these services, on the Sunday before, the priest must cut out two extra Lambs (one for Wednesday, and one for Friday), or however many Presanctified Liturgies there will be that week.
(The week following Easter Sunday) most of the services are quite radically different than during the rest of the year. However, at the Liturgy of Preparation, only the Entrance Prayers change; everything else remains the same.
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
Προθησις a setting forth) or Proskomedia (an offering), is the name given in the Eastern Orthodox Church
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
and the Byzantine-rite
Byzantine Rite
The Byzantine Rite, sometimes called the Rite of Constantinople or Constantinopolitan Rite is the liturgical rite used currently by all the Eastern Orthodox Churches, by the Greek Catholic Churches , and by the Protestant Ukrainian Lutheran Church...
Eastern Catholic Churches to the act of preparing the bread
Bread
Bread is a staple food prepared by cooking a dough of flour and water and often additional ingredients. Doughs are usually baked, but in some cuisines breads are steamed , fried , or baked on an unoiled frying pan . It may be leavened or unleavened...
and wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
for the Eucharist
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
. The Liturgy of Preparation is done quietly before the public part of the Divine Liturgy
Divine Liturgy
Divine Liturgy is the common term for the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine tradition of Christian liturgy. As such, it is used in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches. Armenian Christians, both of the Armenian Apostolic Church and of the Armenian Catholic Church, use the same term...
begins, and symbolizes the "hidden years" of Christ's earthly life.
Bread
Prosphora
A prosphoron is a small loaf of leavened bread used in Orthodox Christian and Greek Catholic liturgies. The plural form is prosphora...
. A prosphoron is a round loaf of leavened bread baked in two layers to represent the two natures of Christ. It has a square seal on the top side which has inscribed on it a cross and the Greek letters IC (an abbreviation in Greek for "Jesus") XC ("Christ") and NIKA ("Conquers"). The portion of the loaf that is cut out along this seal is the Lamb (Host), from which all are communicated, and therefore must be proportionately large for the number of communicants.
Prosphora must be made using only the finest wheat flour, water, salt, and yeast. It should be freshly baked and without blemish.
The Greeks will use one large loaf for the Liturgy of Preparation, with a large round seal on it inscribed not only with the square seal mentioned above (from which the Lamb will be taken), but also markings indicating where the portions for the Theotokos
Theotokos
Theotokos is the Greek title of Mary, the mother of Jesus used especially in the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches. Its literal English translations include God-bearer and the one who gives birth to God. Less literal translations include Mother of God...
, the Ranks, the Living and Dead will be removed (see Proskomedie, below).
Those churches which follow Slavic usage will use five small loaves, recalling the five loaves from which Christ fed the multitude . Normally all will be stamped with a small square seal, though special seals for the Theotokos are sometimes used.
In all traditions, only the Lamb is actually consecrated, other portions which are removed from the prosphora are memorials, but are never to be used for Communion.
Wine
The Wine used must be red grape wine, and it must be fermented. Orthodox tend to favor altar wine that is somewhat sweet, though this is not a requirement.These elements are referred to collectively as the "Gifts", both before and after the Consecration.
Ceremony
The Priest's Service BookEuchologion
The Euchologion is one of the chief liturgical books of the Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholic Churches, containing the portions of the services which are said by the bishop, priest, or deacon...
states that, before celebrating the Divine Liturgy, the priest must be reconciled to all men, keep his heart from evil thoughts, and be fasting since midnight. The same rules apply to the deacon.
The beginning of the Liturgy of Preparation should be timed so that it is concluded slightly before the Reader finishes reading the Third Hour and Sixth Hour.
Kairon
The clergy who will be celebrating the Liturgy (the priestPriest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
s and deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
s) stand together in front of the Holy Doors
Royal Doors
The royal doors, holy doors, or beautiful gates are the central doors of the iconostasis in an Eastern Orthodox or Greek-Catholic Church....
of the Iconostasis
Iconostasis
In Eastern Christianity an iconostasis is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a church. Iconostasis also refers to a portable icon stand that can be placed anywhere within a church...
, venerate
Veneration
Veneration , or veneration of saints, is a special act of honoring a saint: an angel, or a dead person who has been identified by a church committee as singular in the traditions of the religion. It is practiced by the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic, and Eastern Catholic Churches...
the icon
Icon
An icon is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, from Eastern Christianity and in certain Eastern Catholic churches...
s, and say special Entrance Prayers before they enter into the Altar. At the end of these prayers, they will bow to the throne of the bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
who oversees the church, or, if it is a monastery, the Hegumen
Hegumen
Hegumen, hegumenos, igumen, or ihumen is the title for the head of a monastery of the Eastern Orthodox Church or Eastern Catholic Churches, similar to the one of abbot. The head of a convent of nuns is called hegumenia or ihumenia . The term means "the one who is in charge", "the leader" in...
, acknowledging the authority of their spiritual superiors, without whose permission they may not celebrate the Divine Services.
Vesting
They then venerate the Holy Table and put on their vestmentVestment
Vestments are liturgical garments and articles associated primarily with the Christian religion, especially among Latin Rite and other Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Anglicans, and Lutherans...
s. Before putting on each vestment the priest will say a prayer, usually drawn from the Psalms
Psalms
The Book of Psalms , commonly referred to simply as Psalms, is a book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Bible...
, bless the vestment, and kiss the cross that is sewn onto it. The deacon will bring his vestments to the priest for him to bless. He then kisses the priest's hand and withdraws to vest, saying the same prayers as the priest and kissing the cross on each vestment. Any servers who will be vesting must bring their sticharia
Sticharion
The sticharion is a liturgical vestment of the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches, roughly analogous in function to the alb of the Western Church...
to the priest for him to bless, before vesting. Though servers do not normally say the prayer of the sticharion, they will kiss the cross before vesting. If a bishop is present in the Altar, the clergy will bring their vestments for him to bless before putting them on.
After vesting, the priest and deacon wash their hands, saying the Prayer of the Washing of Hands (Psalm 35:6-12) They then go to the Prothesis
Prothesis (altar)
The Prothesis is the place in the sanctuary in which the Liturgy of Preparation takes place in the Eastern Orthodox and Greek-Catholic Churches....
(Table of Oblation) where the Gifts are to be prepared.
Proskomedia
If there are several priests concelebrating, usually only one—traditionally, the most junior—will celebrate the Proskomedia. Others may assist in taking out particles for the living and the dead.The Lamb
Prosphora
A prosphoron is a small loaf of leavened bread used in Orthodox Christian and Greek Catholic liturgies. The plural form is prosphora...
and blessed it three times, making the sign of the cross over it with the liturgical spear
Spear (liturgy)
The Spear or Lance is a liturgical implement used during the Divine Liturgy of the Eastern Orthodox and Greek-Catholic Churches....
. Then, cutting on all four sides of the square seal on the prosphoron, he removes a cube
Cube
In geometry, a cube is a three-dimensional solid object bounded by six square faces, facets or sides, with three meeting at each vertex. The cube can also be called a regular hexahedron and is one of the five Platonic solids. It is a special kind of square prism, of rectangular parallelepiped and...
(the Lamb), taking from both layers of the loaf, and places it in the center of the diskos. He then cuts the underside of the Lamb, making a cross, then turns the Lamb right side up and pierces it with the spear, saying the words from the Gospel . (See Lamb for more details).
The deacon mingles a little water with the wine that will be poured in the chalice and presents it to the priest for him to bless. The deacon then pours the wine and water into the chalice, as the priest says, "Blessed be the union of Thy holy things, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen."
The Theotokos
Next the priest takes up the second prosphoron, blesses it with the spear, and cuts a large, triangular particle from it, which he places on the diskos next to the Lamb in commemoration of the Theotokos. This loaf (if it is a separate loaf) will sometimes have been sealed with an icon of the Mother of God, or with her monogram.The ranks
Next, the priest takes up the prosphoron of the Nine Ranks. From this loaf will be taken smaller triangular particles in commemoration of the various ranks of saintSaint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
s. There are some differences between the Greek and the Slavic texts as to which particular saints are named, but the intent is that all of the saints are included. Saint John the Forerunner
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
and the Patron Saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of the church or monastery are always named. The number nine was chosen because that is the traditional number of the ranks of angels.
These nine particles are placed to the left of the Lamb (i.e., to the priest's right, as he looks down on the diskos).
The living
Then the priest takes up the prosphoron for the Living. He will take out a larger particle in commemoration of the Patriarch (or Synod of Bishops), and a second larger particle in commemoration of the Ruler (in former times, this would have been the Emperor, but nowadays it reflects the government of the local nation in which the church is located). He then takes out smaller particles in commemoration of others among the living. He must always commemorate the Bishop who ordainedOrdination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
him (if he is still among the living), the clergy who are concelebrating with him, and any living Orthodox Christian whom he wishes. Churches and monasteries will often have diptych
Diptych
A diptych di "two" + ptychē "fold") is any object with two flat plates attached at a hinge. Devices of this form were quite popular in the ancient world, wax tablets being coated with wax on inner faces, for recording notes and for measuring time and direction.In Late Antiquity, ivory diptychs with...
s (memorial books) of the living and departed who should be commemorated at every Liturgy.
Among the Slavic peoples, it is customary for the laity to offer small prosphora in commemoration of those living and the departed whom they would like to have prayed for during the Liturgy. These will often be smaller than the five prosphora used by the priest. They will hand these to the priest together with their list of names, and he will take particles out (living from the top of the loaf, departed from the bottom) and place them on the diskos. The loaves will be returned to the faithful.
All of the particles for the living are placed in a line below the Lamb and the particles for the Theotokos and saints.
The departed
From the prosphoron of the Departed the priest will take a larger particle as a general memorial of the departed hierarchs, rulers and the founders of the local church or monastery. He then takes out smaller particles in commemoration of departed Orthodox Christians. He will commemorate the Bishop who ordainedOrdination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
him (if he is departed) and any of the departed whom he will, as well as the names in the diptychs and those presented by the faithful.
All of the particles for the departed are placed in a line below the particles for the living.
Before the conclusion, any concelebrating priests who would like to make their own commemorations of the living and the departed may do so.
The celebrant himself
For the last commemoration, the priest takes out a particle for himself, saying: "Remember, O Lord, mine unworthy self, and pardon me every transgression, whether voluntary or involuntary."Conclusion
Asterisk (liturgy)
The Asterisk , or Star-cover , is one of the holy vessels used in the Divine Liturgy of the Eastern Orthodox and Greek-Catholic Churches...
(star cover), holds it over the censer and then places it on the diskos, saying: "And the star came and stood over the place where the young child was."
He then holds each of the smaller veil
Veil
A veil is an article of clothing, worn almost exclusively by women, that is intended to cover some part of the head or face.One view is that as a religious item, it is intended to show honor to an object or space...
s over the censer and places them on the discos and the chalice, respectively, saying appropriate prayers for each.
Then he takes the larger veil, called the Aër
Aër
The Aër is the largest and outermost of the veils covering the Chalice and Diskos in the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite. It is rectangular in shape and corresponds to the veil used to cover the chalice and paten in the Latin Rite, but is...
, wraps it around the censer and then covers the chalice and diskos together.
Finally, he will take the censer from the deacon and censes
Incense
Incense is composed of aromatic biotic materials, which release fragrant smoke when burned. The term "incense" refers to the substance itself, rather than to the odor that it produces. It is used in religious ceremonies, ritual purification, aromatherapy, meditation, for creating a mood, and for...
the covered Gifts. The then says the concluding Prayer of Oblation.
Afterwards, the deacon will perform a full censing of the Prothesis, the Holy Table, the sanctuary, the entire church and the people while he recites the following hymn and Psalm 50
Psalm 51
Psalm 51 , traditionally referred to as the Miserere, its Latin incipit, is one of the Penitential Psalms. It begins: Have mercy on me, O God....
quietly to himself:
In the Tomb with the body, and in HadesHadesHades , Hadēs, originally , Haidēs or , Aidēs , meaning "the unseen") was the ancient Greek god of the underworld. The genitive , Haidou, was an elision to denote locality: "[the house/dominion] of Hades". Eventually, the nominative came to designate the abode of the dead.In Greek mythology, Hades...
with the soul, in ParadiseParadiseParadise is a place in which existence is positive, harmonious and timeless. It is conceptually a counter-image of the miseries of human civilization, and in paradise there is only peace, prosperity, and happiness. Paradise is a place of contentment, but it is not necessarily a land of luxury and...
with the thiefSaint DismasThe Penitent thief, also known as the Thief on the Cross or the Good Thief, is an unnamed character mentioned in the Gospel of Luke who was crucified alongside Jesus and asked Jesus to remember him in his kingdom....
, and on the Throne with the FatherGod the FatherGod the Father is a gendered title given to God in many monotheistic religions, particularly patriarchal, Abrahamic ones. In Judaism, God is called Father because he is the creator, life-giver, law-giver, and protector...
and the SpiritHoly SpiritHoly Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...
, wast thou, O Christ, who art everywhere present and fillest all things.
Hierarchical Liturgy
When a bishop is serving the Divine Liturgy, one of the priests will vest and perform the Liturgy of Preparation as normal, except that will not commemorate the other clergy who are serving; nor will he say the Prayer of Oblation, and there will be no censing of the temple at its conclusion. Also, the reading of the Hours will not begin until after the arrival of the bishop. The Proskomedie must be finished before the arrival of the bishop.When it is time, the bishop enters formally into the church and the deacon reads the Entrance Prayers for him and he is then vested by the subdeacon
Subdeacon
-Subdeacons in the Orthodox Church:A subdeacon or hypodeacon is the highest of the minor orders of clergy in the Orthodox Church. This order is higher than the reader and lower than the deacon.-Canonical Discipline:...
s while the deacon reads the Vesting Prayers for him. Then the Reader begins the Little Hours
Little Hours
The Little Hours are the fixed daytime hours of prayer in the Divine Office of Christians, in both Western Christianity and the Eastern Orthodox Church. These Hours are called 'little' due to their shorter and simpler structure compared to the Night Hours...
. After the Liturgy begins, the Bishop himself will say the Prayer of Oblation.
Just before the Great Entrance, the bishop himself will commemorate anyone of the living and the dead whom he wishes, taking out particles from a special prosphoron that has been prepared for him. Then each priest, deacon and server will come to the bishop and ask him to pray for him, kissing the bishop's shoulder, and the bishop will take out a particle for him, commemorating him by name.
Great Lent
During Great LentGreat Lent
Great Lent, or the Great Fast, is the most important fasting season in the church year in Eastern Christianity, which prepares Christians for the greatest feast of the church year, Pascha . In many ways Great Lent is similar to Lent in Western Christianity...
it is not permitted to celebrate the Divine Liturgy on weekdays. However, on Wednesdays and Fridays the faithful may receive Holy Communion from the reserved Mysteries
Sacrament
A sacrament is a sacred rite recognized as of particular importance and significance. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites.-General definitions and terms:...
(Sacrament) at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts
Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts
The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, informally Presanctified Liturgy, is an Eastern Christian liturgical service for the distribution of communion on the weekdays of Great Lent....
. In order to provide for these services, on the Sunday before, the priest must cut out two extra Lambs (one for Wednesday, and one for Friday), or however many Presanctified Liturgies there will be that week.
Pascha
During Bright WeekBright Week
Bright Week or Renewal Week is the name used by the Eastern Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholic Churches of the Byzantine Rite for the period of seven days beginning on Pascha and continuing up to the following Sunday, which is known as Thomas Sunday...
(The week following Easter Sunday) most of the services are quite radically different than during the rest of the year. However, at the Liturgy of Preparation, only the Entrance Prayers change; everything else remains the same.
Oriental Orthodox
The various Oriental Orthodox Churches also have Liturgies of Preparation before the commencement of the public portion of the Divine Liturgy. `Some of these are very simple, and some are more complex. They all involve the entry of the clergy, vesting and preparing the Gifts of bread and wine, accompanied by appropriate prayers.External links
- The Vesting and Prothesis from the website of the Orthodox Church in AmericaOrthodox Church in AmericaThe Orthodox Church in America is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church in North America. Its primate is Metropolitan Jonah , who was elected on November 12, 2008, and was formally installed on December 28, 2008...
, with photos and descriptions. - Entrance Prayers Russian Orthodox ChurchRussian Orthodox ChurchThe Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
- Prothesis - the Gifts Prepared
- Commemorations by bishop at Hierarchical Liturgy
- The Preparatory Order of the Divine Liturgy (Syriac Orthodox ChurchSyriac Orthodox ChurchThe Syriac Orthodox Church; is an autocephalous Oriental Orthodox church based in the Eastern Mediterranean, with members spread throughout the world. The Syriac Orthodox Church claims to derive its origin from one of the first Christian communities, established in Antioch by the Apostle St....
)