Fr. John Whiteford: Reader Services through the Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt

Thursday, March 17, 2022

Reader Services through the Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt

This installment covers the Sundays and Feasts of Old Calendar March, which on the civil Calendar runs from March 14th through April 13th. I intend to keep these texts posted as long as there are states or English speaking countries that are still under lockdown due to the Coronavirus.

The Eves

For the Eves of the upcoming Sundays and Feasts, you could ideally do the Vigil. The fixed portions can be downloaded here:

http://www.saintjonah.org/services/reader_vigil.doc

or viewed in HTML, here:

http://www.saintjonah.org/services/vigil.htm

For the Rubrics, see: http://www.saintjonah.org/rub/

The variable portions of the service can be downloaded here (all of these would be served on the eve of their respective days). The Sunday services prior to Pascha require two files, because these combinations do not repeat annually. Beginning with Pascha, all the variable material is included in one file. On Sundays, there are some hymns that are appointed according to which Matins Gospel is read. To find out which one is read, you also need to look at the Rubrics. For those texts, you will find them here: http://www.saintjonah.org/services/matinsgospel.doc Those hymns are usually done at the Exapostilaria and then at the Doxasticon at the Praises.

For the Sunday of the St. Gregory Palamas (March 20th n.s. / March 7th o.s.):

http://www.saintjonah.org/services/lent2.doc

http://www.saintjonah.org/services/tone6.doc

For the Sunday of the Cross (March 27th n.s. / March 14th o.s.):

http://www.saintjonah.org/services/lent3.doc

http://www.saintjonah.org/services/tone7.doc

For the Sunday of St. John Climacus (April 3rd n.s. / March 21st o.s.):

http://www.saintjonah.org/services/lent4.doc

http://www.saintjonah.org/services/tone8.doc

For the Great Canon, (which this year is on Tuesday of the 5th Week of Lent, due to Annunciation), for those who are not use to doing services, I would recommend that you use the text of Small Compline: http://www.saintjonah.org/services/compline.htm and then, right after the Creed, you would do the Great Canon. This text has the text has the text for the Great Canon on the 5th week of Lent, beginning on page 42:

http://www.saintjonah.org/services/greatcanon_sts.pdf

For the Feast of Annunciation (April 7th n.s. / March 25th o.s.):

Annunciation is one of the more complicated services in the Liturgy Year. If anyone wants to try to put it together, the rubrics and texts are posted here:

https://saintjonah.org/services/annunciation_index.htm

But for most people, I would suggest that if you are unable to go to Church, on the eve of the feast (Monday night) use this text for Small Compline, which has the Annunciation Canon in it, laid out for lay use:

http://www.saintjonah.org/services/smallcompline_annunciation.doc

For the Fifth Friday of Great Lent, we do the service of the Akathist Hymn. For those not use to doing services, I would recommend using this text, which follows the more simple Greek order of service, but is arranged as a Reader Service:

http://www.saintjonah.org/services/smallcompline_akathist.doc

For the Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt (April 10th n.s. / March 28th o.s.):

http://www.saintjonah.org/services/lent5.doc

http://www.saintjonah.org/services/tone1.doc

Typika

In place of the Liturgies, you would do Typika:

For the Sunday of the St. Gregory Palamas (March 20th n.s. / March 7th o.s.):

http://www.saintjonah.org/services/typika_lent2_t6.doc

For the Sunday of the Cross (March 27th n.s. / March 14th o.s.):

http://www.saintjonah.org/services/typika_lent3_t7.doc

For the Sunday of St. John Climacus (April 3rd n.s. / March 21st o.s.):

http://www.saintjonah.org/services/typika_lent4_t8.doc