During the prayer of the Trisagion

[Fr. Francis DesMarais]

In the Slavic practice, and perhaps the Greek also, during the Trisagion Prayer at a Pontifical Liturgy the Deacon proclaims once "O Lord, save your Faithful people" to which the choir responds "and hear us." I have found several place in Romania where this is done at other than Pontifical Liturgies - even every Sunday - whether there is a deacon or not, and repeated three times in a very solemn and ornate fashon. Can anyone supply the basis for this practice?

[Anthony Stokes]

In the Slavic practice, and perhaps the Greek also, during the Trisagion Prayer at a Pontifical Liturgy the Deacon proclaims once "O Lord, save your Faithful people" to which the choir responds "and hear us." I have found several place in Romania where this is done at other than Pontifical Liturgies - even every Sunday - whether there is a deacon or not, and repeated three times in a very solemn and ornate fashon. Can anyone supply the basis for this practice?


We do this at my parish (OCA) with permission of the bishop at every liturgy, and we have no deacon. It is actually from a directive of the Moscow Synod from July 17, 1997, taken from here - http://www.mospat.ru/archive/se170771.htm (pretty far down on the page).



HEARD: the order of exclamation «O Lord, save the righteous…» during the Divine Liturgy at a patriarchal, episcopal and priestly service. The Liturgical Commission proposes the following order:
At the Little Entrance during the Divine Liturgy:
The Patriarch, having taken the censer, censes around the Holy Altar and the Table of Oblation and the whole sanctuary, holding the patriarchal staff in his left hand. Then he goes through the Holy Doors and censes the icons of Christ and the Most Holy Theotokos, standing before the Holy Altar. Then the choir sings the regular troparia and kontakia according to the order and the day.
However, the concluding kontakion is not sung. The Patriarch stands before the Holy Altar, while the archdeacon, having come out of the sanctuary, stands to the side facing the Holy Doors. Holding the orarion with three fingers and lifting it up slightly, says: O Lord, save the righteous. Those in the sanctuary sing the same and the choir repeats it. The archdeacon says: And hear us. And those in the sanctuary sing the same and the choir repeats it.
Then the archdeacon says the Great Praises.
The Patriarch, standing before the Holy Altar, sings, together with the concelebrants serving together with him, the concluding kontakion according to the order.
Immediately after this, the archdeacon says: Bless, Master, the time of the Thrice-Holy.
And standing before the Door, says: Let us pray to the Lord.
Choir: Lord, have mercy.
Patriarch: For holy art thou, O our God, and unto thee we ascribe glory, to the Father, and to the Son, and to thee Holy Spirit, now, and ever.
The archdeacon, standing near the Door and holding the orarion with three fingers and pointing it to the people, says:
And unto ages of ages.
The first choir sings softly: O Holy God…
2) to adopt the order of the exclamation «O Lord, save the righteous and hear us» at the hierarchical and priestly service (as the Praises is not sung) as follows:
When the choir sings the concluding troparion, the protodeacon, addressing himself to the bishop and holding the orarion with three fingers, says:
Bless, Master the time of the Thrice-Holy.
The bishop blesses him. After the troparion, the protodeacon comes close to the Holy Door and, standing before it, says:
Let us pray to the Lord.
Choir: Lord, have mercy.
The bishop says the exclamation: For holy art thou, O our God, and unto thee we ascribe glory, to the Father, and to the Son, and to thee Holy Spirit, now, and ever.
The Protodeacon stands near the Holy Door and, pointing the orarion first to the icon of Christ, says:
O Lord, save the righteous.
And the choirs repeats the same.
The Protodeacon: And hear us.
And the choir repeats the same.
Then the protodeacon, in a sweeping motion, says loudly to those who stand without:
And unto ages of ages.
Choir: Amen. And, O Holy God, softly.

3. The priest, when there is no serving deacon, should himself say: O Lord, save the righteous and hear us, as it is not one of those exclamations which belong to the deacon alone (Tserkovnye vedomosti, 1900, 23).

The priest says the exclamation:
For holy art thou, O our God, and unto thee we ascribe glory, to the Father, and to the Son, and to thee Holy Spirit, now, and ever.
Choir: Amen
The priest says: O Lord, save the righteous.
The choir repeats the same.
The priests says: And hear us.
The choir repeats the same and sings, O Holy God.
RESOLVED: the proposed order of the exclamation «O Lord, save the righteous…» be adopted and observed at the Divine Liturgy.


I'm not sure about doing it 3 times. That is a new one to me.



Sbdn. Anthony

[Michael Astley]

In the Slavic practice, and perhaps the Greek also, during the Trisagion Prayer at a Pontifical Liturgy the Deacon proclaims once "O Lord, save your Faithful people" to which the choir responds "and hear us." I have found several place in Romania where this is done at other than Pontifical Liturgies - even every Sunday - whether there is a deacon or not, and repeated three times in a very solemn and ornate fashon. Can anyone supply the basis for this practice?

The usual practice that I have seen with priest and deacon is as follows (starting from he end of the Trisagion Prayer - mystikos):

Priest: ...sanctify our souls and bodies, and grant us to serve Thee in holiness all the days of our life, through the intercessions of the holy Mother of God and of all the Saints who from ages past have been well-pleasing unto Thee.
During the final kontakion:
Deacon: Bless, master, the time of the thrice-holy.
After the final kontakion is exclaimed:
Priest: For holy art Thou, O our God, and unto Thee do we send up glory, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever...
Deacon: O Lord, save the pious, and hearken unto us!
People: O Lord, save the pious, and hearken unto us!
Deacon: ...and unto the ages of ages.
People: Amen.

However, at an hierarchical Liturgy, the order is as follows:

Bishop: ...sanctify our souls and bodies, and grant us to serve Thee in holiness all the days of our life, through the intercessions of the holy Mother of God and of all the Saints who from ages past have been well-pleasing unto Thee.
During the final kontakion:
Deacon: Bless, master, the time of the thrice-holy.
After the final kontakion is exclaimed:
Deacon: Let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Bishop: For holy art Thou, O our God, and unto Thee do we send up glory, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever...
Deacon: O Lord, save the pious...
People: O Lord, save the pious...
Deacon: ...and hearken unto us!
People: ...and hearken unto us!
Deacon: ...and unto the ages of ages.
People: Amen.

If there is no deacon, the "O Lord, save the pious" is not done in Church Abroad practice.

In the Antiochian church I sometimes visit, however, the hierarchical "Let us pray to the Lord/Lord, have mercy" is said even when there is no bishop serving, and the "O Lord, save the pious" is not done, even if there is a deacon serving. I don't know if this is Greek influence as the parish's custom is part Greek, part Slavic.

I, too, have never come across it being done three times.

In Christ,
Michael