Other Vespers clips

The Deacon chanting the Trisagion Prayers.

+Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal: have mercy on us.
+Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal: have mercy on us.
+Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal: have mercy on us.

+Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

All-Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord, cleanse us from our sins. Master, pardon our iniquities. Holy God, visit and heal our infirmities for Thy name’s sake.

Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

+Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.

Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, of the +Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

At the Lighting of the Lamps, one of the oldest Christian hymns, older than much of the New Testament, O Gladsome Light (Phos hilaron, Byzantine setting).

O Gladsome Light of the holy glory of the Immortal Father, heavenly, holy, blessed Jesus Christ.

Now we have come to the setting of the sun and behold the light of evening, we praise God: +Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

For it is right at all times to worship Thee with voices of praise, O Son of God and Giver of Life.

Therefore all the world glorifies Thee.

The Aposticha, Russian Common Chant (Obikhod).

My First Attempt

From last night’s Vespers. There were four of us at the kliros, two tenors and two basses. Psalms and stichera.

Psalm 140 (141), “Lord I Call Upon Thee,” is Kievan. The stichera, with moving ison (no, I am not the chanter; I’m singing ison) are Russian Common Chant, popularly misnamed Obikhod. The bells, of course, are on the censor. By the way, the only music we had for this was Psalm 140. For the stichera, all we have are pointed texts and the tone (mode) for the week.

I finally gave up on audacity. I found I could cut up the audio file with Boisoft video splitter. And no, I have no idea what happened to the graphic. Ask Windows Movie Maker.

First kathisma from Saturday evening Great Vespers

Homophonic Orthodox music at its best. Simple — only 2 parts — and beautiful, this arrangement of the Antiphon of the First Kathisma sung at Saturday evening Great Vespers would be appropriate for any Christian service (and a Western choir could make this as long as necessary by adding psalm verses before the Glory). Traditionally, it’s sung antiphonally (back and forth between two choirs); in our parish, the chanter sings the verses and the choir sings the refrain (alleluia, alleluia, alleluia). The final alleluias are accompanied by deep bows, and should be sung with great reverence. Sorry, it’s Orthodox. No instrumental accompaniment exists.

Blessed is the man who walks not in the council of the wicked.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice in Him with trembling.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Arise, O Lord, save me, O my God.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Salvation belongs to the Lord, Thy blessing be upon Thy people.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

+Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

+Now and forever, and unto ages of ages, amen.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

+Allelluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to Thee, O God!
+Allelluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to Thee, O God!
+Allelluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to Thee, O God!

You’ll find the music (pdf) here.

News

From (oddly enough) Orthodox England, by way of ROCOR United, is this.

As a result of a teleconference on 1 July, the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church in America has divided its Washington and New York Diocese into two. This means that it has changed the title of its head, Metropolitan Jonah. He is now to be known as ‘Archbishop of Washington and Metropolitan of all America and Canada’.

This change means that there is now no overlap between Metropolitan Jonah’s title and that of Metropolitan Hilarion, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, Metropolitan of New York and Eastern America.

This appears to be the beginning of further profound transformations in the Orthodox Church landscape of North America and indeed worldwide. We remind readers that the former head of the parishes of the Moscow Patriarchate in North America, Archbishop Mercurius, was earlier this year removed to Moscow and has not been replaced.

Hmmmm. I’m not at all sure this means anything. We’ll see. And also via ROCOR United is this from Interfax.

The Union of Orthodox Church Banner-Bearers announced a contest for the project of a Church of New Russian Martyrs and Confessors in the Red Square to replace Lenin’s Mausoleum.

“Revival of Russia is impossible until the occult lab for destroying will and conscience of Russian people remains in the very heart of Moscow “the Third Rome.” To this end, the Mausoleum should be destructed, body of the world proletarian leader should be taken away, this place should be consecrated and an Orthodox Church should be constructed at this place,” the Union’s Head Leonid Simonovich-Nikshich has told an Interfax-Religion correspondent on Friday.

Look for Obama and the Democrats to oppose this if they hear about it.

Ancient Faith

Archbishop Elias and the monks of Balamand Monastery, the Magnificat from Matins, in Arabic and Greek.

My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.

More honorable than the cherubim, and more glorious beyond compare than the seraphim, without corruption thou gavest birth to God the Word: true Theotokos, we magnify thee!

For He hath looked upon the lowliness of His handmaiden; for behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

More honorable than the cherubim, and more glorious beyond compare than the seraphim, without corruption thou gavest birth to God the Word: true Theotokos, we magnify thee!

For the Mighty One hath done great things to me, and holy is His name.
And His mercy is on those that fear Him from generation to generation.

More honorable than the cherubim, and more glorious beyond compare than the seraphim, without corruption thou gavest birth to God the Word: true Theotokos, we magnify thee!

He hath shown strength with His arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their heart.

More honorable than the cherubim, and more glorious beyond compare than the seraphim, without corruption thou gavest birth to God the Word: true Theotokos, we magnify thee!

He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and exalted them of low degree. He hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He hath sent away empty.

More honorable than the cherubim, and more glorious beyond compare than the seraphim, without corruption thou gavest birth to God the Word: true Theotokos, we magnify thee!

He hath holpen His servant Israel in remembrance of His mercy, as He spake to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever.

More honorable than the cherubim, and more glorious beyond compare than the seraphim, without corruption thou gavest birth to God the Word: true Theotokos, we magnify thee!

Welcome, and unexpected

Archimandrite Touma (Bitar) on Ecclesiology

I started this blog with the intention of never commenting on the current controversy in the Antiochian Archdiocese of North America. In fact, for geographical reasons I’ve never been a member of that diocese and so it’s hardly my place. The purpose of this blog is to increase awareness of the Arab heritage of the Orthodox Church among English speakers and hopefully to encourage love for our Arabic-speaking brethren in Christ. That said, I ran across the following comments by Archimandrite Touma (Bitar), abbot of the monastery of Saint Silouan at Douma and author of Forgotten Saints in the Antiochian Heritage, about the ecclesiological controversy which has lately flared up in the Church of Antioch. As readers of this blog might guess, I have great respect for Fr. Touma. His thoughts on the current crisis were posted on his website on July 12, and I have yet to find any notice of them on the anglophone Orthodox web. Since his words need to be heard, I will post my own translation of them here. Please, if anyone has any corrections to the translation, let me know in the comment box.

It’s well worth the read, and he addresses not only the scandal, but the OCA, and Orthodox unity in America.

Excellent advice

for those interested in Orthodoxy at Ad Orientem. The only thing I’d add is read Timothy Ware’s The Orthodox Church.

+Melchisedek ordains a deacon

St Alexander Nevsky cathedral, Allison Park (Pittsburgh).

Rainbow Priestess Idiocy

Katherine Jefferts-Schori, the rainbow-vested Ultra High Priestess of the Smells and Bells Unitarians, has opened her mouth again, and as always, hilarity ensues.

There’s no “I” in Ubuntu.

It is, of course, yet another call to Marxism Progressivism disgused as Christianity, when of course, neither Christ nor Christianity has anything to do with it. What is it, exactly, about these loons that they’re so attracted to a form of government that slaughtered at least 100 million of their own people in the 20th century? More to the point, though not really anything to do with the Episcopal Church of Gaia High Priestess, is how does one explain Orthodox apologists for Marxism Progressivism, given that if anyone understands the nature of socialism, surely the Orthodox do.

What, exactly, is the attraction of stealing money from people who work for it so you can give it away to people who do not? How, precisely, is that moral? Why is it they seem to be unable to grasp the concept of charity, or helping others of our own free will?

Then there are the poisonously anti-Semitic dhimmi Orthodox who do nothing but support terrorists by whining and wailing about the awful things those Joooos do. They don’t even deserve scorn.

As my priest used to say, God gave the right religion to the wrong people.

Sorry

No Arts Festival pics this year, from either one, as I am camera-less, and both festivals are going on right now. I suspect I will go fairly soon just to pig out on pierogies and ice cream.

Consecration, Great Entrance

Pic

From the consecration. Wow. Who do you suppose that deacon on the left is? (-:

Rural Orthodox

On the Byzantine Forum, John Schweich calls Western Pennsylvania the “Galapagos Islands of eccelesial lifeform diversity.” I suspect the otherwise accurate appelation applies equally well to the eastern half of the state, at least if you don’t include the Rusyn migrations to Orthodoxy from Eastern Catholicism, an excellent historical lesson in how to drive people away from your church (there’s an excellent overview here). It’s just different Slavs in the two halves of the state (Ukrainians in the east, Rusyns and Galicians in the west). Still, Pennsylvania and the surrounding area are wildly different from the rest of the country.

In most of the US, Eastern Christianity is primarily an urban and suburban phenomenon. The oldest parishes are in the cities, and younger parishes are in the suburbs. This is slowly changing as Orthodox missions spring up in smaller communities, and eventually become parishes (and this is largely an Orthodox phenomenon), but when there is an Eastern Christian presence in small-town or rural America, it is very small and very recent.

Except in Pennsylvania and the surrounding area. Here, Eastern Christianity is not only urban and suburban, but rural. Small town and country Orthodox and Eastern Rite churches dot the landscape. Some are very old, dying parishes, and others are healthy, depending on the community, but nearly all are small. Most are either OCA or ACROD if Orthodox, BCC or UCC if Eastern Rite.

Here are some pictures of small, local rural churches.

In Phlipsburg, at the western edge of the county, is the Nativity of St. John the Baptist (OCA), a very small, but active parish.

A very small part of Philipsburg spills over into the next county, and becomes Hawk Run, population a little over 400. In Hawk Run, there are three churches: An Episcopal chapel, a Byzantine Catholic church, and literally next door to it, an Orthodox church (ACROD). The Byzantine and Orthodox churches are both called St John the Baptist. The Byzantine church:

The Orthodox St John the Baptist, right next door.

Consecration of Bishop Melchisedek

Biography (from OCA site — I’d just publish the link, but URLs have a way of mysteriously changing there).

Biography of His Grace, the Right Reverend Melchisedek

Bishop of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania
(Born in 1942)

His Grace, Bishop Melchisedek was born Thomas Alexander Pleska, in Dayton OH, August 20, 1942. His father, Alexander Peter Pleska, was born in Byelo-Russia near Brest-Litovsk, and immigrated with his parents to the US in 1925. His mother Johanna (Eugenia Stachuk) Pleska was born in Cleveland, Ohio, of Ukrainian immigrant parents, and baptized in St. Theodosius Cathedral.

At the time he was growing up in Dayton there was no Orthodox parish present, and he and his sister received their Christian formation in local Protestant parishes and taken to the “Russian” Church in Cleveland for important Holy Days, and other visits. It was as an adult that Fr. Melchisedek describes himself as becoming a member in the Orthodox Church at Christ the Saviour Church in Cincinnati, OH, under the pastorship of Fr. Daniel Rentel.

After High School, Thomas Pleska first attended the University of Michigan School of Music and then Miami University in Oxford, OH, where he completed a BA with a major in Philosophy, with aspirations to eventually receive a doctorate and teach. After graduating he entered the business world, first in a stock brokerage and later in real estate.

In the early 1980s, he made the decision to take a Master of Divinity degree at St. Vladimir’s Seminary. During his studies, under the deanship of Protopresbyter John Meyendorff, Thomas was encouraged to consider ordination. Through several encounters with monastic spiritual fathers, including Elder Dionysios of the Simono-Petras Monastery on Mount Athos and Archimandrite Dimitry Egouroff, a monk of Old Valaam, he also made the decision to take the monastic tonsure after ordination.

Thomas Pleska was ordained to the Diaconate in 1985, on the feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple, November 21, by His Grace, Bishop Job. In 1986, on the Feast of the Annunciation, March 25, he was ordained to the Priesthood by His Beatitude, Metropolitan Theodosius.

In the Fall of 1986, Fr. Thomas accepted the position of Instructor of Dogmatic Theology at St. Tikhon’s Seminary. During his time teaching at St. Tikhon’s, he served as chaplain at the Holy Myrrhbearers Women’s Monastery in Otego NY, and as interim pastor at the Churches of the Holy Trinity in Pottstown, PA, St. Michael in Old Forge, PA, and St. Basil in Simpson, PA. It was also at this time that he made his acquaintance with the Elder Sophrony and his monastery in Essex, England.

From 1989 to 1998 Fr. Thomas served as rector of Saints Peter and Paul Church in Meriden, CT.

In 1998, Fr. Thomas traveled to Greece where he served first at the Monastery of the Holy Cross, an international women’s community in Thebes. In 2003, he was transferred to serve as chaplain at the women’s monastery of St. George the Great Martyr and to serve his own brotherhood at the Monastery of the Dormition of the Theotokos in Petras.

In 2004, he was tonsured to the Great Schema, taking the name Melchisedek, and raised to the rank of Archimandrite.

On April 2, 2009, Archimandrite Melchisedek was elected Bishop of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania by the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America. He returned to the US

On Saturday, June 27, 2009, His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah and the members of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America consecrated Archimandrite Melchisedek Bishop of Pittsburgh and the Diocese of Western Pennsylvania at St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Allison Park, PA.

Collection of consecration pics here, collected with gratitude from the OCA Diocese of Eastern Pennsylvania and Michael the Iconographer.

O Gladsome Light

Because we reckon the days from sunset to sunset (And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. Genesis 1:5), Vespers is the first service of the liturgical day; hence, Sunday worship begins on Saturday evening with Sunday Vespers, after which the priest typically hears confessions. Sunday worship then continues on Sunday morning, first with Matins (Orthros), then Divine Liturgy.

Vespers begins our liturgical day, and our Sunday liturgical cycle. It is a central part of our worship, and its almost Spartan beauty stands in stark contrast to the elaborate beauty of the Divine Liturgy. The priest wears only the riassa and epitrachelion (cassock and stole).

O come, let us worship God, our King!
O come, let us worship and fall down before Christ, our King and our God!
O come, let us worship and fall down before Christ Himself, our King and our God!
O come, let us worship and fall down before Him!

In silence, the church is censed to represent the Spirit of God moving over the waters before the first Words of Creation, and then Psalms 103 (104) is chanted to commemorate the Creation.

Bless the Lord, O my soul. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, blessed art Thou!
Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord, my God, Thou art very great. Thou art very great.
Blessed art Thou, O Lord. How glorious are Thy works, O Lord. In wisdom hast Thou made them all!
Glory to Thee, O Lord, glory to Thee, Who hast created all!

+Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
now and ever, and unto ages of ages, Amen.

+Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to Thee, O God!
+Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to Thee, O God!
+Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to Thee, O God!

Vespers traces the history of the relationship between God and man, beginning with the Creation. The open Royal Doors are closed at the Great Litany, representing the Fall, the closing of the gates of the Eden. The priest (or deacon, if there is one) stands outside the iconostasis before the closed Royal Doors, as Adam stood before the gates of Paradise, representing the misery of man cut off from God after the Fall, and leads us in the Great Litany, in which we petition God for salvation.

We then call upon God to save us by chanting Psalm 140 (141) while the priest or deacon censes the church, representing our prayers rising to heaven.

Lord, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee.
Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.
Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties.
Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head: for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities.
When their judges are overthrown in stony places, they shall hear my words; for they are sweet.
Our bones are scattered at the grave’s mouth, as when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the earth.
But mine eyes are unto thee, O GOD the Lord: in thee is my trust; leave not my soul destitute.
Keep me from the snares which they have laid for me, and the gins of the workers of iniquity.
Let the wicked fall into their own nets, whilst that I withal escape.
Psalm
I cried unto the LORD with my voice; with my voice unto the LORD did I make my supplication.
I poured out my complaint before him; I shewed before him my trouble.
When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path. In the way wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare for me.
I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul.
I cried unto thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living.
Attend unto my cry; for I am brought very low: deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I.
Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name: the righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me.

After a number of other Psalms are chanted comes the Lighting of the Lamps, when we look forward to the coming Christ, and chant one of the most ancient hymns of the church, even older than much of the New Testament, O Gladsome Light (Byzantine tone 5 mp3). The Light refers to the Uncreated Light, the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

O Gladsome Light of the holy glory of the Immortal Father,
heavenly, holy, blessed Jesus Christ.
Now we have come to the setting of the sun
and behold the light of evening.
We praise God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
For it is right at all times to worship Thee
with voices of praise, O Son of God and Giver of Life,
therefore all the world glorifies Thee.

Vespers ends with the Prayer of St Symeon (O Lord, lettest now Thy servant depart in peace …) also commemorating the Christ, and His redemption of man, followed by the Trisagion Prayers and the dismissal.

And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.
And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,
Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,
Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:
For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;
A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.

St Luke 2:25-32

Vespers begins with the Creation, and ends with the Redemption. When we pray Vespers, we focus upon our sinful nature, and our reunification with God.

Saint Ignatius Orthodox Church has a description of Vespers. Vespers on Orthodoxwiki.