Rubrics for a hierarchical Liturgy

[Alex Haig]

Does anyone know where I can get the rubrics for a Liturgy where a Bishop serves alone (no other priest) as I believe it is different from a 'normal' Hierarchical Liturgy?

With love in Christ

Alex

[Fr Raphael Vereshack]

Does anyone know where I can get the rubrics for a Liturgy where a Bishop serves alone (no other priest) as I believe it is different from a 'normal' Hierarchical Liturgy?

With love in Christ

Alex

You know that's a good question. Someone else help out here but I think there aren't rubrics to this as much as already having seen what a particular bishop does when he serves alone.

At St Tikhon's seminary/monastery in the 1980s then Bishop Herman (now Metropolitan Herman) loved to serve alone & without a deacon. His day to serve this way was always Saturday morning.

If I recall he would always serve just as a priest alone does except that when he would bless us, at certain times, we would add ispola eti despota.

But I have never seen this since. Other bishops whom I have seen serve alone at least had a deacon serving. So I think this would really depend on the circumstance & particular bishop serving and what he feels is right to do.

For those who have rarely seen bishops serve however be aware that they choose different options according to circumstance: full hierachical which is difficult without deacons and other serving clergy; hierachical but with vesting in the Altar instead of in the middle of the church (still difficult without deacons or other clergy); and a very simple way like I mentioned the then Bp Herman used to do.

In Christ- Fr Raphael

[Father David Moser]

I don't know of a source *in English* I have been told of an 8 volume liturgical guide that is published in Russian. I suspect that is where you might find such rubrics.

Usually, as far as I've ever seen, when there is not a priest serving with the bishop, he serves "as a priest" - iow, he serves as a priest would without a bishop present. The rubrics of the service then are the same as when a priest serves alone. The bishop, in my experience, would then vest only with the small omiphor and not use the great omiphor at all.

Fr David Moser

[David Dietrich]

This may be useful for you:

"When the bishop does not serve the hierarchical Divine Liturgy, but rather serves in the way a priest would serve, the service takes on several variations. The bishop may wish to be greeted as usual. After the Entrance Prayers, the Royal Doors are opened so that the bishop may enter the Altar. They are immediately closed once he enters the Altar. The bishop is vested inside the Altar with full vestments. The small omophorion is used instead of the great omophorion, and stays on for the entire service. If there is a deacon, the Royal Doors are closed during the litanies and after the Epiclesis. Some bishops may want their hands washed at the Cherubic Hymn. Most bishops will use a normal service book placed on an analogion rather than the Hierarchical Service book. The hierarch may bless with trikerion and dikerion during the Eucharistic Canon after the Creed in the same way as at the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy. He may also bless with trikerion and dikerion at the end of the divine liturgy. The bishop may wish to depart from the temple with mantle and staff." - A Subdeacon's Manual by Deacon C. Kirill Sokolov