Lent & Holy Week

Saturday of Souls Liturgy
Saturday, February 6, 13, 20 at 9:00 AM

Great Compline
Monday, February 15 at 7:00 PM

Liturgy of Pre-Sanctified Gifts
Wednesday, February 17, 24 and March 3, 10, 17 at 6:00 PM

Heretismi
Friday, February 19, 26 and March 5, 12 at 7:00 PM

Sundays of Lent
Sunday, February 21, 28 and March 7, 14, 21

Brief Introduction to the Services of Lent

SATURDAY of SOULS LITURGIES On the two Saturdays before Lent and the first Saturday of Lent we celebrate Liturgies in which we commemorate our loved ones who have passed on. Lists of names are brought, together with special wheat dishes (kolyva). But it's not a requirement to bring kolyva. Since Lent is a time of reflection on life and death, it is appropriate to get in the Lenten spirit with these commemorations.

GREAT COMPLINE WITH THE CANON OF ST. ANDREW This service is offered the first four nights in the first week of Lent, Monday to Thursday. It is a severely penitential service, and back in the 1990's at Holy Trinity Church we observed this service in the first week of every Lent. Then, it fell out of use for a variety of reasons. This year we're reviving it, but only on the first night of Lent, Monday, February 19th.

LITURGY OF PRE-SANCTIFIED GIFTS This Wednesday-night Liturgy is the most popular of our Lenten services. It is very different from the Liturgy that we're used to. It features Communion from Gifts that were consecrated at the Liturgy of the preceding Sunday — hence the name pre-sanctified. After every Liturgy of Pre-Sanctified Gifts we share a communal pot-luck dinner. Only non-meat, non-dairy dishes are brought.

HERETISMI This service is not, strictly speaking, a Lenten service. It is connected to the Feast of Annunciation, which invariably falls during Lent — hence the occurrence of these Friday-night services during Lent. On the fifth Friday of Lent we sing the Akathist, a complex Byzantine poem of praise and devotion to Mary. On the first four Fridays, we sing portions of the Akathist in the form of Heretismi (Salutations to Mary).

SUNDAYS OF LENT We celebrate the Liturgy of St. Basil instead of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. The main difference is that the prayers of St. Basil are much longer than the ones of St. Chrysostom and offer a profounder expression of our beliefs about God's providence and work of salvation.

Holy Week Worship Schedule

Sat., March 27 -  9:00 am  Liturgy of Lazarus Saturday. 
                           Preparation of Palm Crosses

Sun., March 28 - 10:00 am  Palm Sunday Liturgy, followed by Fish Dinner

Sun., March 28 -  7:00 pm  Nymphios Service — Bridegroom Matins

Mon., March 29 -  7:00 pm  Nymphios Service — Bridegroom Matins

Tue., March 30 -  7:00 pm  Nymphios Service — Bridegroom Matins

Wed., March 31 -  4:00 pm  Holy Unction for Children and Families

Wed., March 31 -  7:00 pm  Holy Unction

Thu., April  1 -  9:00 am  Liturgy of Holy Thursday

Thu., April  1 -  7:00 pm  Passion Service with the Twelve Gospel Readings

Fri., April  2 -  4:00 pm  Descent from the Cross

Fri., April  2 -  7:00 pm  Epitaphios — Matins of Holy Saturday,
                           with procession outdoors (weather permitting)

Sat., April  3 -  9:00 am  Liturgy of Holy Saturday

Sat., April  3 - 11:30 pm  THE LORD'S RESURRECTION: MATINS & LITURGY

Sun., April  4 - 11:30 am  Agape Vespers of Pascha, with Children's Egg Hunt