Second Sunday after Pentecost: All Saints of Russia

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THE SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

SERVICE TO ALL THE SAINTS WHO HAVE SHONE FORTH IN THE RUSSIAN LAND

On the first Sunday after the commemoration of All Saints, which is the first Sunday of the Fast of the holy, glorious and all-praised Apostles, we celebrate the memory of all the saints who have shone forth in the land of Russia.

AT LITTLE VESPERS:

On “Lord, I have cried...”, 4 stichera of the resurrection, in Tone I; and Glory…, in Tone VI —

The memory of the saints hath been shown to be a cause of great festivity for our land; and, boasting therein, let us say: Forget not your native land of Russia, but be ye mindful of all of us who keep your memory, O all ye saints, praying to the Lord in our behalf.

Now & ever...: Theotokion, in Tone I.

At the Aposticha, one sticheron of the resurrection, in Tone I; and these stichera of the saints, in Tone I: Spec. Mel.: “Joy of the ranks of heaven...” —

Stichos: The righteous cried, and the Lord heard them.

Let us all pray to Christ, celebrating today the memory of the glorious Vladimir, the author of the enlightenment of the Russian land; and with him let us harmoniously hymn our divine fathers, saying unto them: O all ye saints, entreat the Lord in our behalf, that He grant us great mercy!

Stichos: Blessed are all those who fear the Lord, that walk in His ways.

Rejoice, thou mountain of the Caves most rich, curdled by the Spirit! Rejoice, O paradise of immortal delights; for within thee hath our God been well pleased ever to dwell, enriching thee with the torrents of wonders which thou dost pour forth through His venerable ones!

Glory…, in Tone I —

With spiritual songs let us all cry out: Rejoice and be glad, O city of Kiev, who hast presented us with the all-rich Olga! Rejoice, thou city of Suzdal’, who hast given rise to the right-believing Euphrosynia, a fruit of the tree of paradise, the confirmation of fasters! And with them let us also bless the all-glorious Febronia of Murom, Anna of Kashin, and Euphrosynia, the adornment of the land of Polotsk, and all the women of the Russian land who have been pleasing unto God; and let us cry out to them: O most blessed and holy ones, pray ye to the Lord in our behalf, that He grant us great mercy!

Now & ever …: Theotokion, in the same tone —

The prophet called thee the cloud of the everlasting Light, O Virgin; for Christ our God, the Word of the Father, Who shone forth from thee like the dew upon the fleece, hath enlightened the world and abolished deception. We beseech thee, O all-pure one: Cease thou never earnestly to entreat Him in behalf of us who confess thee to be the true Theotokos.

After “Now lettest Thou Thy servant depart…”, Trisagion through Our Father, and the Troparion of the Resurrection; Glory…: that of the saints, in Tone VIII —

The land of Russia doth offer Thee, O Lord, all the saints who have shone forth in it, as the beauteous fruit of Thy salvific splendor. By their supplications and through the Theotokos preserve Thou the Church and our land in peace profound, O most Merciful One.

Now & ever…: Theotokion, in the same Tone —

O Good One, Who for our sake wast born of the Virgin and, having endured crucifixion, cast down death by death, and as God revealed the resurrection: disdain not that which Thou hast fashioned with Thine own hand. Show forth Thy love for mankind, O Merciful One; accept the Theotokos who gave Thee birth and prayeth for us; and save Thy despairing people, O our Savior!

AT GREAT VESPERS:

After the Introductory Psalm, we chant “Blessed is the man…”, the full kathisma.

On “Lord, I have cried…”, we chant 10 stichera: 4 for the resurrection, in Tone I, and 6 of the saints —

In Tone I: Come, ye assemblies of Russia, let us praise the saints that are in our land — the venerable, the holy hierarchs, the right-believing princes, the martyrs, hieromartyrs, the fools for Christ’s sake, and the company of holy women — both those known by name and those unknown; for truly by their deeds and words, and their manifold ways of life, and through the gifts of God, they became saints, and God hath glorified even their graves with miracles. And now, standing directly before Christ Who hath glorified them, they pray fervently in behalf of us who celebrate their splendid festival with love.

In Tone II: With what beauties of hymnody shall we praise the divinely wise hierarchs of Russia, the splendid adornment of the Church of Christ, the crown of the priesthood, the rule of piety, the inexhaustible wellsprings of divine healing, the outpouring of the gifts of the Spirit, the rivers of manifold miracles which gladden the land of Russia with their flow, the fervent helpers of pious folk, for whose sake Christ, Who hath great mercy, hath cast down the uprisings of the enemy.

In Tone VIII: Earth is glad and heaven rejoiceth, O venerable fathers, praising your feats and labors, your spiritual fortitude and purity of mind; for ye were not overcome by the law of nature. O holy company and divine assembly, ye are truly the confirmation of our land.

In the same tone: Spec. Mel.: “O most glorious wonder…” — O blessed and divinely wise princes of Russia, who shine forth with Orthodox loving-kindness and are resplendent with the brilliance of the virtues: Ye illumine all the faithful, driving away the darkness of the demons. Wherefore, we honor you as partakers of never-waning grace and unashamed preservers of your heritage, O right wondrous ones.

O all-blessed martyrs of Christ, ye gave yourselves over to voluntary sacrifice, have sanctified the land of Russia with your blood, and have brought splendor even unto the air by your repose; and now ye dwell in the heavens amid never-waning light, ever praying in our behalf, O beholders of God.

The corrections of your virtues have enlightened the hearts of the faithful, O fools for Christ’s sake and ye righteous, who have shone forth in Russia; for who hath heard of your boundless humility and forbearance, and doth not marvel? The needs of all did ye anticipate, O right-wondrous ones: ye were an example of meekness and guilelessness for all, of pity for the sorrowful, of speedy aid to those in misfortune, an untroubled haven for those at sea, and good speed for travellers. And now ye have been crowned with unfading wreaths by the hand of the omnipotent God. Him do ye entreat, that our souls be saved.

Glory…, in Tone V —

Rejoice, O faithful realm of Russia! Rejoice, O right-believing Prince Vladimir most rich! Rejoice, O chosen Olga! For ye were our first mediators before the Master of all, the initiators of Orthodoxy, and guides to the True Faith! Rejoice, every place and land and city nurtured by the citizens of the kingdom of heaven! These saints have been shown to be beacons for our souls! With the radiance of miracles, and by deeds and signs, they have shone forth mystically upon all the ends of the earth. And they now entreat Christ for the salvation of our souls.

Now & ever…: the Dogmatic Theotokion in the tone of the week.

Entrance. Prokimenon: “The Lord is King…” Three readings —

A Reading from the Prophecy of Isaiah

All the nations are gathered together, and princes shall be gathered out of them. Who will declare these things, or who will let them bring forth their witnesses, and be justified; and let them hear, and declare the truth? Be ye My witnesses, and I too am a witness, saith the Lord God, and My servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know, and believe, and understand that I am he: before Me there was no other God, and after Me there shall be none. I am God; and beside Me there is no Savior. I have declared, and have saved; I have reproached, and there was no strange god among you. Ye are My witnesses, and I am the Lord God, even from the beginning: and there is none that can deliver out of My hands. I will work, and who shall turn it back? Thus saith the Lord God Who redeemeth you, the Holy One of Israel.

A Reading from the Wisdom of Solomon

The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and there shall no torment touch them. In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die: and their departure is taken for misery, and their going from us to be utter destruction: but they are in peace. For though they be punished in the sight of men, yet is their hope full of immortality. And having been a little chastised, they shall be greatly rewarded: for God proved them, and found them worthy for Himself. As gold in the furnace hath He tried them and received them as a burnt offering. And in the time of their visitation they shall shine, and run to and fro like sparks among the stubble. They shall judge the nations, and have dominion over the people, and their Lord shall reign forever. Those who put their trust in Him shall understand the truth: and such as be faithful in love shall abide with Him: for grace and mercy is to His saints, and He hath care for His elect.

A Reading from the Wisdom of Solomon

The righteous live for evermore; their reward also is with the Lord, and the care of them is with the Most High. Therefore shall they receive a glorious kingdom, and a beautiful crown from the Lord’s hand: for with His right hand shall He cover them, and with His arm shall He protect them. He shall take to Him His jealousy for complete armor, and make the creature His weapon for the revenge of His enemies. He shall put on righteousness as a breastplate, and true judgment instead of a helmet. He shall take holiness for an invincible shield. His severe wrath shall He sharpen for a sword, and the world shall fight with Him against the unwise. Then shall the right- aiming thunderbolts go abroad; and from the clouds, as from a well-drawn bow, shall they fly to the mark. And hailstones full of wrath shall be cast as out of a stone bow, and the water of the sea shall rage against them, and the floods shall cruelly drown them. Yea, a mighty wind shall stand up against them, and like a storm shall blow them away: thus iniquity shall lay waste the whole earth, and ill dealing shall overthrow the thrones of the mighty. Hear, therefore, O ye kings, and understand; learn, ye that be judges of the ends of the earth. Give ear, ye that rule the people, and glory in the multitude of nations. For power is given you of the Lord, and sovereignty from the Most High.

At the Litia, the sticheron of the temple, and these stichera of the saints, in Tone VIII —

Rejoice with us, all ye choirs of saints and ranks of angels, spiritually gathered together; and let us come and chant a hymn of thanksgiving unto Christ our God. For, lo! the countless assembly of our kinsmen, who have been well-pleasing unto God, standeth before the King of glory, and with entreaty mediateth for us. They are the pillars and beauty of the Orthodox Faith; they have glorified the Church of God with their ascetic feats and the shedding of their blood, with their teachings and deeds; they have confirmed the Faith of Christ with miracles and signs; they have shone forth from all the regions of our land, have established the Orthodox Faith therein, and with apostolic zeal have brought it even unto other lands. Others have adorned the wilderness and the cities with holy monasteries, manifesting an angelic life. Many have been subjected to trials through mockery, wounding and cruel death by the children of this age. And many have struggled in other ways, in every class. And all pray to the Lord, that He deliver our homeland from tribulations, and provide us with a model of patience and endurance in the face of evil.

Glory..., Now & ever…: in the same tone —

All the noetic ranks rejoice with us, joining in spiritual chorus. They have seen the Queen and Mistress of all, glorified by the faithful with many names. And all the souls of the righteous, beholders of the sight, rejoice to see her in the air, stretching forth her most precious hands in supplication, entreating peace for the world, confirmation for the land of Russia, and salvation for our souls.

At the Aposticha, the stichera of the Resurrection, in the tone of the week; and Glory…, in Tone IV —

Celebrating the yearly commemoration of our holy kinsmen, let us call them blessed, as is meet; for they have truly passed through all the beatitudes of the Lord: impoverished, they have become rich in spirit; being meek, they have inherited the land of the meek; having wept, they have found comfort; having thirsted after righteousness, they have been filled; having had mercy upon others, they have themselves found mercy ; pure of heart, they have seen God, as far as such is possible; peace-makers, they have been counted worthy of adoption by God; and persecuted and tormented for piety and righteousness’ sake, they now rejoice and are glad in the heavens; and they earnestly entreat the Lord, that He have pity on our homeland.

Now & ever...: Theotokion, in Tone V —

Let us sound the clarion of hymns! Together let us chant unto the Theotokos and Queen, the helper of our land: Rejoice, O thou who from ages past hast crowned our homeland with thy benevolence and pourest forth thy grace thereon! Wherefore, our Church of Russia doth celebrate with splendor thine all-honored protecting veil and the memory of thy miracles wrought thereby. Take not thy mercy away from us now, O Mistress; but look down upon our sorrows and oppression, and raise us up by thy mighty assistance.

After the blessing of the loaves, we chant: “O Virgin Theotokos, rejoice…”, thrice; and the troparion of the saints, once, in Tone VIII —

AT MATINS

At “God is the Lord…”, the troparion of the resurrection, twice; Glory…, the troparion of the saints; Now & ever…: the Theotokion:

After the kathismata, the sessional hymns of the resurrection, in the tone of the week, with their stichoi and theotokia.

After the Polyeleos, the Magnification —

We magnify you, O all ye saints who have shone forth in the land of Russia, and we honor your holy memory; for ye entreat Christ our God in our behalf.

Selected Psalm Verses —

A Hear this, all ye nations; give ear, all ye that inhabit the world. [Ps. 48: 2]

B My mouth shall speak wisdom, and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding. [Ps. 48: 4]

A Come, ye children, hearken unto me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. [Ps. 33: 12]

B I have proclaimed the good tidings of Thy righteousness in the great congregation. [Ps. 39: 10]

A Thy truth and Thy salvation have I declared. [Ps. 39: 11]

B I will declare Thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I hymn Thee. [Ps. 21: 23]

A That I may hear the voice of Thy praise, and tell of all Thy wondrous works. [Ps. 25: 7]

B O Lord, I have loved the beauty of Thy house, and the place where Thy glory dwelleth. [Ps. 25: 8]

A I have hated the congregation of evil-doers, and with the ungodly will I not sit. [Ps. 25: 5]

B For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and I have not acted impiously toward my God. [Ps. 17: 22]

A The mouth of the righteous shall meditate wisdom, and his tongue shall speak of judgment. [Ps. 36: 30]

B His righteousness abideth unto ages of ages. [Ps. 110: 3]

A Thy priests shall be clothed with righteousness, and Thy righteous shall rejoice. [Ps. 131: 9]

B Blessed are those who dwell in Thy house; unto ages of ages shall they praise Thee. [Ps. 83: 5]

Glory…, Now & ever…, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Glory to Thee, O God! Thrice.

Then, the troparia [eulogitaria]: “The assembly of the angels…”

Hypacoï, and these sessional hymns of the saints —

In Tone VIII: Having been illumined with the lightning-flashes of the saints, as though entering a beautiful paradise we have found delight in a torrent of sweetness; and gazing in wonder at their valorous feats, let us come to love their virtues, crying out to the Savior: Through their supplications, O God, give us a share in Thy kingdom!

In Tone I: Spec. Mel.: “Thy tomb, O Savior…” —

Like the radiant sun, like the brilliant morning-star, hath the honored day of the memorial of the saints who have shone forth in the land of Russia dawned, illumining all of us and rousing our hearts to emulate their godly life and their zeal for the Faith.

Glory…, in Tone VIII —

All the faithful people of Russia celebrate on the day of the commemoration of Thy saints, O Lord. The heavens rejoice and the ends of our earth are glad. Through their supplications grant unto our souls great mercy.

Now & ever…, in the same tone —

Looking down from the highest, O most merciful Master, visit us who have been afflicted by sin, taking unto thyself the wretched; and through the supplications of the Theotokos and all the saints of Russia, grant unto our souls great mercy.

The Hymn of Ascents of the tone of the week.

Prokimenon of the tone of the week.

Let every breath praise the Lord.

Gospel of the Resurrection.

Psalm 50. Glory…: Through the prayers of the apostles… Now & ever…: Through the prayers of the Theotokos… And the stichera of repentance and the resurrection.

Canon of the Resurrection in the tone of the week, with 4 troparia, including its Irmos; that of the Theotokos, with 2 troparia; and that of the Saints, with 8 troparia.

Canon of All Saints of Russia, in Tone VIII —

Ode I

Irmos: O ye people, let us send up a hymn unto our wondrous God, Who freed Israel from bondage, singing and crying out a hymn of victory unto Thee Who alone art Master.

In spiritual songs let us all hymn together our godly fathers who have shone forth in piety, whom every place and region of the land of Russia hath brought forth, and whom the Church of Russia hath nurtured.

Rejoice, O ye seven holy hierarchs — Basil, Ephraim, Eugene, Elpidius, Agathadorus, Eutherius and Capito — who were bishops in Cherson and hallowed our land with your blood!

Come, O ye faithful who love the martyrs, and with hymns let us honor the protomartyrs of Russia, Theodore and the youth John, who would not worship the idols and shed their blood for Christ.

Thou art our greatness and boast, O divinely wise Olga; for by thee were we freed from the deception of idolatry. Pray thou now for the people whom thou hast led to God.

Rejoice and be glad, O servant of Christ, great and wise Prince Vladimir, intercessor for our souls; for by thee have we all been delivered from the deception of the demons. Wherefore, we cry to thee: Rejoice!

Michael, the hierarch of God, shineth like a star in heaven, who illumined the land of Russia with the light of the knowledge of the divine Faith and led to the Master a new people, reborn in the font of baptism.

O blessed passion-bearers of Christ, Boris and Gleb: forget not thy homeland. Dispel from it famine and affliction, and deliver us, who set our hope on you, from civil strife and every sinful fall.

Theotokion: With the ranks of the angels, O Mistress, with the honorable and glorious prophets, the preëminent apostles and hieromartyrs, and with the archangels, pray thou to God in behalf of us sinners, who in the land of Russia have glorified the feast of thy protecting veil.

Ode III

Irmos: None is as holy as the Lord, and none is as righteous as our God, Whom all creation doth hymn, singing: None is righteous save Thee, O Lord!

The sacred and great Lavra, which was founded by thee, O venerable father Anthony, first of all the monks of Russia, most gloriously preacheth and soundeth forth more loudly than a clarion; and the house of the Mother of God doth glory in splendor, chanting unto God: By Thee have I been established, O Lord!

Let us radiantly hymn the blessed Theodosius, eminent in miracles and great in the virtues, the founder of the cœnobitic monastic life in Russia, the glorious favorite of Christ and the all-pure Theotokos; and with him Nestor, the recorder of memorable events, and Alypius, the first iconographer in Russia.

Thou art a noetic paradise, O holy Mountain of the Caves, who produced a multitude of spiritual trees — the blessed fathers, whose number it is not possible to reckon individually. We therefore offer praise and hymnody to the one Master for all of them together.

O martyr Anthony and steadfast Eustathius, together with John, ye adornment of the Lithuanian land, who set at nought the arrogance of Olgerd: Quench ye the passions which mortify me!

Be ye intercessors for your earthly homeland and for the city wherein ye struggled in martyrdom, O venerable-martyr Athanasius, and thou, O young Gabriel. And teach us also to confess Orthodoxy with boldness and not to fear the enemy.

Let the venerable Job be honored, the adornment of the Lavra of Pochaev, together with all the wonderworkers and saints of Volyn’, who have illumined the ends of our land with their deeds and miracles.

With sacred hymns let us praise Athanasius, the holy bishop of Constantinople, who brought his own precious relics, as an earnest of unity with the universal Church, to be a blessing for the land of Russia, and hath left them to us.

Theotokion: Lo! the time for the assistance of the all-holy Theotokos is come, for temptations have multiplied. Behold! now is the time for us to sigh unto her, O brethren! Let us therefore say with our whole heart: O Mistress, O Mistress, help thou thy people!

Kontakion, in Tone III: Spec. Mel.: “Today the Virgin…” —

Today the choir of the saints who have pleased God in our land standeth forth in the Church and invisibly prayeth to God for us. With them the angels give glory, and all the saints of the Church of Christ celebrate with them; for all together they entreat the preëternal God for us.

Ikos: Beautiful trees of the Garden of Eden, laden with goodly fruit, have the saints been shown to be, producing the sweet-smelling blossoms of doctrine and the fruits of good works: whereby our souls are fed, and our spiritual hunger is assuaged. Come ye, therefore, let us hasten beneath their shadow and bless them as the delight and adornment of our land, and as a model and pattern for our life; for they have received imperishable crowns from the preëternal God.

Sessional hymn, in Tone IV: Spec. Mel.: “Go Thou quickly before...: —

Christ, the Sun of righteousness, sent you forth as rays illumining the land of Russia, O favored ones of God, enlightening our race. Wherefore, with your divine entreaties, O blessed ones of God, make radiant my darkened soul.

Glory…, Now & ever …, in the same tone —

O ye faithful, let us make haste to the divine and healing robe of God our Savior, Whose good pleasure it was to assume this flesh and to shed His own holy Blood upon the Cross, and thereby redeemed us from slavery to the enemy. Wherefore, we cry out to Him in thanksgiving: Save Thou our Orthodox episcopate and this city, and with Thy precious robe defend all the people and save our souls, in that Thou lovest mankind.

Ode IV

Irmos: O Word, with divine vision the prophet perceived Thee Who wast to become incarnate of the Theotokos alone, the mountain overshadowed; and with fear he glorified Thy power.

O divinely blessed prince Daniel, the Lord showed thee forth as the founder and first prince of the city of Moscow. Praying unceasingly to Him, save thou the city of Moscow and all the land of Russia from tribulation, and in thy mercy visit its Orthodox people.

We entreat you, O holy hierarchs of Christ — Peter, Alexis, Jonah and Philip — and all the rest of the wonderworkers of Moscow, to still the turmoil of our spirit and the tempest of grief, and by your supplications to God grant us serenity.

A primate of the apostolic Church, a confessor of the Orthodox Faith, a second Chrysostom in denouncing the sin-loving and seditious, and a builder of the Orthodox kingdom wast thou, O holy hierarch Hermogenes; and for this thou wast tormented with imprisonment and starvation and hast received from God an imperishable crown. Wherefore thou dwellest with the martyrs.

Today the glorious city of Moscow rejoiceth, and all Russia is filled with gladness; and thine honored monastery, O divinely blessed Sergius, boasting, is adorned, possessed of thy precious relics as an inexhaustible and all-wondrous treasure.

With sacred hymns let us praise the venerable Nikon, the lover of obedience; and with him let us also hymn Stephen, Sabbas, Andronicus, and all the venerable disciples and companions of the great Sergius, by whose supplications the children of Russia are saved.

When there was no city, or village, nor vale wherein the people of Russia could hide from the tyranny of the enemies to whom they had been given over because of their sins, then thou, O venerable Dionysius, didst show thyself to be a mighty refuge for all the suffering.

We entreat you, O blessed and all-wise ones — Basil, Maximus and John of Moscow, and all the fools for Christ’s sake in Russia, who were wondrous in your manner of life and understanding: Beseech Christ our God in behalf of your earthly homeland, and beg salvation for all the faithful.

Theotokion: O Virgin Theotokos, thou hope of Christians, thine ancient mercies which thou didst show toward our fathers do thou also grant unto us, and protect and preserve us from all evil.

Ode V

Irmos: Delivering me from the darkness of the passions, O Christ, vouchsafe, I pray, that out of the deep night my spirit may rise at dawn in the light of the day of Thy precepts.

O first pastors of Novgorod the Great — Nicetas, John and Gregory, Theoctistus, Euthymius and Serapion — in the house of the Wisdom of God ye flourished like palm-trees in your right-fruitful words and blameless lives.

With splendor let the princes of Novgorod be praised: Vladimir, who erected the most marvellous Cathedral of the Holy Wisdom, and his mother Anna, and Mstislav and Theodore; and with them let all who shone forth in their God-pleasing life from the generation of the princes of Russia be hymned with divine songs.

Who among mortals can glorify as is meet the wondrous Barlaam, the adornment of Novgorod, the beacon of all Russia, and Anthony, who travelled from Rome on a stone, over the waves of the sea?

Come ye, let us behold the ever-living and divinely-blossoming flowers of the Garden of Eden: the struggles of the fathers who shone forth in the region of Novgorod, whose husbandman is the Lord alone.

With songs let us hymn the meek Vsevolod and Dovmont, the unassailable ramparts of Pskov, and Nicholas the Blessed, and Cornelius, who enlightened the land of Latvia with holy baptism.

Isidore the priest, and with him the assembly of martyrs in Yuriev, the city of Estonia, who confessed the Orthodox Faith in the face of the Latins, have passed over to the eternal mansions; and standing in splendor before the King of hosts, they pray for us who honor their memory.

Euphrosynia, the joy of Polotsk and splendor of virgins, do we bring before Thee, O my Christ, as an intercessor. For her sake do Thou save us.

Theotokion: O thou who art a fervent helper for those who have recourse to thee and the hope of the hopeless: Look upon the affliction of thy people and reveal to us a sign of thy mercy, O all-pure one.

Ode VI

Irmos: O Thou Who lovest mankind, accept me, who am held fast by many sins, and who fall down before Thy compassion; and save me, as Thou didst the prophet, O Lord.

O venerable Zosimas, Sabbatius and Germanus, who loved Christ, ye turned away from the world in accordance with the Gospel, crossing over to the trackless and barren islands of Solovki. And ye accustomed yourselves to all the virtues, emulating the wise bee, and became eminent receptacles of the Holy Spirit, O all-wise ones.

Let us hymn the venerable Tryphon, great in wonders, the enlightener of Kola, who shone forth in the uttermost ends of the lands of the north, delivered the people from bitter slavery to the demons, and illumined them with holy baptism.

Rejoice, O wilderness which before wast barren and uninhabited, but now dost blossom like a lily and is filled with a multitude of monks! Leap up, ye mountains of Valaam and all ye groves, praising Sergius and Germanus, together with Arsenius of Konev and Alexander of Svir, the most lauded fathers.

Thou didst pass over the rolling deep of this life, having the Mother of God as pilot, O venerable Cyril. And thou, O Joseph, boast of Volotsk, and Nilus the unacquisitive, who wisely pastured the flocks of your disciples by the still waters and on the meadow of abstinence, and dwell now with them invisibly: Pray ye for us who keep your memory.

Like the sun thou didst shine forth among the assemblies of the monastics, and from the days of thy youth wast sanctified, emitting the virtues of thy life like beams of radiance, O Dimitrius of Priluki, our venerable and God-bearing father.

Having lived in God-pleasing manner, thou didst make the fastness of the wilderness useful and spiritually profitable, like cities, pouring forth a wellspring of healings upon those who with faith honor thee, O venerable Dionysius.

Join chorus, O Russian Thebaïd! Adorn yourselves, O wilderness and forests of Olonetz, Belozersk and Vologoda, which produced a holy and glorious multitude of fathers, who by their wondrous life instruct all not to cleave unto the world, but to take their cross upon their shoulders and follow after Christ.

Theotokion: Of old, the Creator of all wrought a wonder through thy most precious icon, O Virgin, and saved the Imperial City from the incursion of aliens. Thus be thou now also a protection and aid for the land of Russia, O Lady and Queen, saving it from all the assaults of the enemy.

Kontakion & Ikos of the resurrection, in the tone of the week.

Ode VII

Irmos: On the plain of Dura the tyrant once built a furnace to torment the God-bearers; and therein the three youths chanted hymns unto the one God, and sang, all three together, saying: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Let Leontius, Isaiah and Ignatius, James and Theodore, the precious vessels of the Spirit and honored adornment of Rostov, Abraamius, the valiant scourge of the demons, and the other Joasaph, who shone forth in Russia, Peter, the scion of royalty, and Heirinarchus, the voluntary sufferer, be hymned with the other godly wonderworkers of Rostov.

After God, ye are the helpers and protecters of the city of Vladimir: O valorous Alexander, conqueror of the Swedes; George, who laid down thy life in battle for the Church of God and the people; Andrew, builder of the Russian nation, with the chaste Gleb, and thou, O venerable Abraamius, who like the merchant of the Gospel purchased the kingdom of heaven with thy sufferings. Guide us to the haven of salvation, for ye are the bulwark of the faithful.

Glory be to John and Theodore, the luminaries of Suzdal’! And with them let Euthymius also be hymned, who was great in ascetic struggles, the companion of the great Sergius, and also Euphrosynia, the all-radiant star of Suzdal’.

Let Nicetas be honored, the model of repentance, who struggled ascetically on a pillar and received death at the hands of his kinsmen; and Daniel, the burier of the dead; and with them also Andrew, who forsook the glory of the princely rank and finished his life in poverty: the wonderworkers of Pereaslavl’.

O Constantine, apostle and enlightener of the land of Murom, together with thy noble offspring Theodore and Michael; and thou, O valiant and pious Peter, vanquisher of the serpent of pride, with thy wise spouse Febronia and the righteous and merciful Juliana: Entreat Christ in our behalf!

O holy hierarch Arsenius, boast of Tver’; Michael, prince and martyr, and Anna, treasure of the city of Kashin; venerable Nilus and Macarius, Ephraim, enlightener of the city of Torzhok, with Arcadius and Juliana: O ye blossoms of chastity: entreat Christ in our behalf!

With the sword of your supplications, O right-believing and venerable princes Theodore, David and Constantine, ye vanquished the demons and received from heaven the grace to heal illnesses and to expel evil spirits from those who cry out: Blessed art Thou, O God of our fathers!

Theotokion: Through thine entreaties grant us aid, O all-pure Theotokos. Tribulations are come upon us, sorrows have multiplied, and our foes have arrayed themselves against us. But, standing forth, do thou, O all-pure one, deliver us. Cast down the uprising of our enemies, and grant us victory, that all who do evil to thy servants may be put to shame.

Ode VIII

Irmos: Becoming vanquishers of the tyrant and the flame by Thy grace, taking exceeding care to keep Thy commandments, the children cried out: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

Adorn thyself, O city of Kazan’, having as thine intercessors the venerable and holy hierarchs Gurius, Barsanophius and Germanus, who expelled from thee the darkness of unbelief, and the martyr John, and Stephen and Peter, who forsook the ungodliness of their fathers and won passage to the heavenly homeland through the sword of their compatriots.

Having studied the sacred Scriptures from thy youth, O God-bearing Stephen, thou didst cultivate the stony hearts of the people of Perm with the plough of thy words; and having sown the divine seed therein, didst bring forth beautiful fruit for Christ.

Be glad, O land of Siberia; for in thee the Lord hath revealed His favored ones: the righteous Symeon of Verkhoturya, and the holy hierarchs of Irkutsk: Innocent, Sophronius and John, the new and wondrous luminaries and wonderworkers.

O divinely wise hierarch Dimitrius, recorder of the lives of the saints and good lover thereof: By thy supplications show us to share in their glory.

O holy hierarch Metrophanes, first pastor of Voronezh, who showed great courage, fearing neither the threats of the Emperor nor death, and who saved thy soul in simplicity: Entreat God in our behalf.

Thou didst gather spiritual treasure from the corrupt world, as a bee gathereth sweet honey from ephemeral blooms, O father Tikhon; and therewith thou dost sweeten us all.

Truly wondrous and indescribable are thy miracles, O Theodosius our father; for thou art shown to be the adornment of the city of Chernigov, the glory of the Church of Russia, the heavenly preacher of the Orthodox Faith, and a sure witness to the Truth.

Truly thou wast a light to the world, O John our father; for having adorned thy soul with divine works, thou wast shown to be an exemplary pastor of the Orthodox Church, and wast a model for all the faithful in word and life. Wherefore, we call thee blessed.

Theotokion: Thou art the boast of Christians, O Mistress; thou art a weapon against our enemies and a bulwark for those who flee to thee. On thee do we now call for help, O Lady: Let not the foe — who praise thee not, nor thy Son, nor venerate thine icon — rise up against thy people; but vanquish them and save thou our souls.

Ode IX

Irmos: O Theotokos, thou uttermost limit of virginity, who dost exalt thy feast with thy grace, with thy mystic visitation dost now adorn thereon those who magnify thee now in the virginal memory of thy Word.

O venerable Seraphim, our joy! We honor thy great struggles and labors in the wilderness, and thy teaching, whereby thou didst enlighten many who came to thee and didst teach them to hymn the Trinity One in essence.

O holy hierarch Joasaph of Belgorod, who by thy pious life hast provided a rule of faith and a model of loving-kindness for all: Pray thou unceasingly to the Lord, that He establish the right Faith, peace and piety in the realm of Russia.

O holy hierarch and martyr Joseph, the city of Astrakhan and all the lands of the Volga honor and boast in thee, who suffered cruelly for righteousness at the hands of godless rebels.

Glory to Thee, O God, Who hast revealed to us Thy wondrous favorite Herman. By his supplications preserve us from every assault of the enemy and from soul-corrupting passions, and guide us to every good thing, that, escaping everlasting torment, we may attain unto Thy kingdom.

O, the new passion-bearers! They launched a campaign against wickedness, taking up the Faith of Christ as a shield against the teachings of this world, and providing us with a worthy model of forbearance and the endurance of evil.

O, the steadfastness and courage of the company of the martyrs of Christ, who were slain for Christ! For they have adorned the Orthodox Church, and in their own country have given their blood as the seed of faith; and with all the saints they are worthily honored.

O our great fathers, known by name and unknown, revealed and hidden, who have attained unto the heavenly Sion and have received much glory from God: Ask consolation for us the sorrowful; raise up our land, which hath fallen, and gather its scattered people, accepting as a gift from us this hymn of thanksgiving.

Triadicon: O All-holy Trinity, accept as first-fruits, as choice incense, all the saints which Russia hath offered Thee, of old and in recent times, known and unknown; and by their supplications preserve it from all harm.

Theotokion: O Virgin full of grace, who hast enriched our cities and villages with the images of thy precious countenance, as with traces of sweet fragrance: Accept our thanks, and deliver our homeland from cruel misfortunes; for we all magnify thee as the almighty protection of our land.

Resurrectional exapostilarion; Glory…, of the saints —

In hymns let us praise the never-waning luminaries of the land of Russia, the initiates of the mysteries of the Word, glorifying Christ Who hath enlightened and loveth them, and hath given them to us as helpers amid sorrows.

Now & ever…: Resurrectional theotokion.

On the Praises, 4 stichera of the Resurrection, and 4 of the saints —

In Tone I: Thou didst send Thy Spirit, O Lord, to the wise soul of Prince Vladimir, that he might know Thee, the one God in Trinity. Wherefore, having enlightened Thy chosen people, entrusted to him by Thee, Thou broughtest them into Thy Church with faith, chanting: O our Deliverer, glory be to Thee!

In Tone II: Assembling together, let us bless the beacons of the land of Russia, the all-praised martyrs, the holy hierarchs, our enlighteners and the foundation of our faith, the venerable dwellers in the wilderness and instructors in piety, crying out to them: O ye venerable, ye martyrs, ye righteous, and all ye saints of Russia, entreat Christ God, that He grant us great mercy!

Stichos: The righteous cried, and the Lord heard them.

O venerable fathers, the spiritual blossoms of the Russian land, our boast and confirmation, and a right calm haven for all were ye; for, having acquired you as an inexhaustible treasure, our land doth boast in you. And now, even though your bodily tongues have fallen silent, yet do miracles bear witness that the Lord hath glorified you. Him do ye entreat, that He grant our souls great mercy.

Stichos: Blessed are those who fear the Lord, that walk in His ways.

In Tone IV: Having listened to the voice of the Gospel and become enflamed with apostolic zeal, ye made haste to teach the unbelieving heathen, O divinely blessed Kuksha, Leontius, Stephen and Gurius, equals of the apostles, and thou, O right-wondrous Innocent, apostle of the great land of Siberia and initiator of the enlightenment of the new lands beyond the sea. Wherefore, as is meet, with all the others who have labored in spreading the Gospel of Christ, ye are called blessed.

Glory…, the Evangelical Sticheron. Now & ever…: Theotokion: All-blessed art thou, O Virgin Theotokos…

Great Doxology. And after the Trisagion, the troparion of the resurrection alone.

AT LITURGY:

On the Beatitudes, 10 troparia: 6 of the tone of the week; and 4 of the saints, in Tone IV —

We have not inherited our land through the sword, but through Thy right hand, and Thine upraised arm, and the light of Thy countenance; and by the tears of Thy saints, their struggles and sweat, their blood and teaching, is our homeland firmly established.

When we turned away from Thee and did not keep Thy commandments, then didst Thou thrust us aside and cast us down; and we have become the least among all the nations. But have pity on us, O God our Savior, through the entreaties of the saints.

Glory…: Triadicon: O all-blessed Trinity, return us from exile; heal our sickness and our sorrow; and lift our spirit from slothfulness and the sleep of sin, that we may be worthy of our fathers and brethren who by their struggles glorified Thy name in our land.

Now & ever…: Theotokion: Gather in the dispersed, return those who have been cut off, bring back again those who have fallen away from the Orthodox Faith, comfort the weeping and sorrowful, and heal the dissolution of our tormented land, O thou who art full of grace, entreating God in our behalf with the saints who are our compatriots.

After the Little Entrance, the troparion of the Resurrection, that of the temple, if dedicated to the Theotokos, and that of the saints. Kontakion of the Resurrection; Glory…: that of the saints; Now & ever…: that of the temple, if dedicated to the Theotokos; or, O intercession for Christians unashamed…

Prokimenon of the tone of the week; and that of the saints, in Tone VII —

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.

Epistle, as appointed; and that of the saints: Hebrews § 330 [Heb. 11: 33-12: 2].

Brethren: By faith all the saints subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions. Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: and others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our Faith.

Alleluia, in Tone I —

Stichos: O God, Thou givest avengement unto me and hast subdued peoples under me.

Stichos: Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, ye righteous.

Gospel, as appointed; and that of the saints: Matthew § 10 [Mt. 4: 25-5: 12].

At that time, there followed Jesus great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judæa, and from beyond Jordan. And seeing the multitudes, He went up into a mountain: and when He was set, His disciples came unto Him: and He opened His mouth, and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in the heavens: for so persecuted they the prophets who were before you.”

Communion Verse —

Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous; praise is meet for the upright.

N.B.: If the church be dedicated to All Saints of Russia, at Matins we chant: Having beheld the Resurrection of Christ…; and Psalm 50. Glory…: Through the prayers of all the saints of Russia, O Merciful One…; Now & ever…: Through the prayers of the Theotokos…

And instead of Jesus having risen from the dead…, we chant the sticheron: Celebrating the yearly commemoration… (the first of the aposticha stichera at Great Vespers); and the rest as usual.

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