Triumph of Orthodoxy

[Michael Astley]

Dear friends in Christ,

Does anybody know where I may find the English-language text of the service for the triumph of Orthodoxy, preferably as used in the Russian Church Abroad? All that I have been able to find is this (http://www.allmercifulsavior.com/Liturgy/Anathemas.pdf), which is the work of Reader Isaac Lamberston but adapted for use in the Milan Synod, and missing at least one notable anathema of ROCOR. I do not know how much it has been adapted and how closely it resembles what would be considered usual in the Church Abroad.

Any help would be gratefully accepted.

In Christ,
Michael

[Father David Moser]

Dear friends in Christ,

Does anybody know where I may find the English-language text of the service for the triumph of Orthodoxy, preferably as used in the Russian Church Abroad? All that I have been able to find is this (http://www.allmercifulsavior.com/Liturgy/Anathemas.pdf), which is the work of Reader Isaac Lamberston but adapted for use in the Milan Synod, and missing at least one notable anathema of ROCOR. I do not know how much it has been adapted and how closely it resembles what would be considered usual in the Church Abroad.

Any help would be gratefully accepted.

In Christ,
Michael

I'm not sure what you are looking for - the bishop's service done only at the cathedral by the bishop (that's the one with the anathemas) or the parish service (the service for the salvation of those in error). Both should be available from St John of Kronstadt Press.

Fr David Moser

[Michael Astley]

I'm not sure what you are looking for - the bishop's service done only at the cathedral by the bishop (that's the one with the anathemas) or the parish service (the service for the salvation of those in error). Both should be available from St John of Kronstadt Press.

Fr David Moser

Thank you, Father David.

Please forgive my lack of clarity. I was unaware of the variations. My only direct experience of this service was in an Antiochian parish, sans hierarch, where the anathemas were pronounced. I had assumed that this was the norm. Am I to understand that the anathemas are not used in normal parish practice?

Thank you.

Michael

[Father David Moser]

Thank you, Father David.

Please forgive my lack of clarity. I was unaware of the variations. My only direct experience of this service was in an Antiochian parish, sans hierarch, where the anathemas were pronounced. I had assumed that this was the norm. Am I to understand that the anathemas are not used in normal parish practice?

I don't know what normal parish practice might be in the Antiochian Archdiocese, however, in the Russian Church to the best of my knowledge and experience the anathemas are pronounced only by the bishop as he is the only one who "rightly divides the word of truth". For the rest of us, it is our task to pray for those who might be in error hence the different service (service of supplication for the restoration of those in error).

Fr David Moser

[Michael Astley]

Thank youk, Father David.

For anybody interested, I think that this (http://www.saintjonah.org/services/moleben_departedintoerror.htm) is the parish service in question.

In Christ,
Michael

[M.C. Steenberg]

For reference, this service of the Triumph of Orthodoxy is available on the Monachos.net web site.

[Michael Astley]

Thank you, Father Matthew.

It is interesting to see the Creed in its conciliar, rather than usual liturgical, form.

In Christ,
Michael

[Michael Astley]

I thought I'd resurrect this thread in case anybody knows the answer to a question that I have. My parish plans to do the aforementioned moleben for the first time this year. Presumably, it comes between the Prayer Below the Ambo and the threefold "Blessed be the Name of the Lord...". However, I know that there is a custom of processions with icons on the Sunday of Orthodoxy. Is this done as something separate or is it the moleben which is done in processional form?

Thank you.

In Christ,
Michael

[Father David Moser]

Is this done as something separate or is it the moleben which is done in processional form?

It can be done either way. The molieben could be done simply in the Church at the end of the liturgy - or it could be done in the same manner as a molieben with a "Krestny Khod" around the temple.

Fr David Moser

[Michael Astley]

It can be done either way. The molieben could be done simply in the Church at the end of the liturgy - or it could be done in the same manner as a molieben with a "Krestny Khod" around the temple.

Fr David Moser

Thank you for your help, Father David. I'm not familiar with the terminilogy of "Krestny Khod" but I'm guessing it's a moleben cross-procession as is done on patronal festivals. Is that right? I shall ask my parish priest which he prefers for me to prepare. It's our first year in a building that we can actually process around so there are a number of firsts for us.

Now, this raises other questions, (I'm sorry to keep doing this). If this is done as a processional moleben, there are things about which I'm unsure. On a patronal festival, between stations, we would sing repetitions of "Holy New-Martyr Elisabeth, pray to God for us", interspersed with "Glory... both now...", and concluding with "Pray to God for us, O Holy New-Martyr Elisabeth, for fervently..." and so forth. What would we sing between the stations if we were to do this moleben in procession? Also, as the Apostle is not usually included in such processions but only the Gospel, would the Apostle be read in this instance? Finally, does the blessing in the four directions still take place at each of the stations, and is it done with holy water, with an icon of the Saviour, or alternately with both?

Many thanks.

In Christ,
Michael

[Owen]

In our Sunday of Orthodoxy rite, a procession forms, leaving the altar by the north door, and picking up the kids after the last of the clergy has left the soleas. The troparion "Your sacred Icon we venerate" is sung between the stations, and at the stations, the short form of the Litany of Fervent Supplication is sung. After the procession returns to the soleas, the Synodikon of the Seventh Ecumenical Council is read.

[Father David Moser]

"Krestny Khod" is indeed a "cross procession" (krest - cross and khod - procession). I don't have the service in front of me but it seems like Dr Owen's suggestion to sing the tropar "Thy sacred icon ..." would be appropriate and then the fervent ectenia and blessing from 4 directions at each side of the temple as usual. For the epistle, you would read it in order with the Gospel at the end of the procession. I don't know about the Synodicon, but rather the priest would read the prayer for the reconciliation of those in error after the Gospel. I think the Synodicon would be reserved for only the service with the bishop at the Cathedral.

Fr David Moser

[Michael Astley]

Great! Thank you, both. I think I have a much clearer idea now in my mind about how the service should look. My last question is to do with the location of the Gospel. We first did a Cross procession last summer when we moved into the church. We got it from the STS Trebnik and while we knew it wasn't what we had seen done at the cathedral (in Slavonic), we didn't actually know the usual thing, so we just did what was in the book. Then, when Metropolitan Hilarion visited our parish in November, we took the opportunity to ask him how to do it, and that's when we first learnt that general ROCOR practice is to do the Cross procession as a processional moleben as opposed to the form found in the Trebnik. However, he said that the Gospel is done at the east end, which would place it somewhere in the middle, rather than at the end, of the procession. Is this just one among a number of practices?

In Christ,
Michael