Lent & Holy Week

Saturday of Souls Liturgy
Saturday, February 26 and March 5, 12 at 9:00 AM

Great Compline
Monday, March 7 at 7:00 PM

Liturgy of Pre-Sanctified Gifts
Wednesday, March 9, 16, 23, 30 and April 6 at 6:00 PM

Heretismi
Friday, March 11, 18, 25 and April 1 at 7:00 PM

Sundays of Lent
Sunday, March 13, 20, 27 and April 3, 10

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, March 7th.

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., April 16 -  9:00 am  Liturgy of Lazarus Saturday. 
                           Preparation of Palm Crosses

Sun., April 17 - 10:00 am  Palm Sunday Liturgy, followed by Fish Dinner

Sun., April 17 -  7:00 pm  Nymphios Service — Bridegroom Matins

Mon., April 18 -  7:00 pm  Nymphios Service — Bridegroom Matins

Tue., April 19 -  7:00 pm  Nymphios Service — Bridegroom Matins

Wed., April 20 -  4:00 pm  Holy Unction for Children and Families

Wed., April 20 -  7:00 pm  Holy Unction

Thu., April 21 -  9:00 am  Liturgy of Holy Thursday

Thu., April 21 -  7:00 pm  Passion Service with the Twelve Gospel Readings

Fri., April 22 -  4:00 pm  Descent from the Cross

Fri., April 22 -  7:00 pm  Epitaphios — Matins of Holy Saturday,
                           with procession outdoors (weather permitting)

Sat., April 23 -  9:00 am  Liturgy of Holy Saturday

Sat., April 23 - 11:30 pm  THE LORD'S RESURRECTION: MATINS & LITURGY

Sun., April 24 - 11:30 am  Agape Vespers of Pascha, with Children's Egg Hunt