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, he 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, [the Archdeacon] 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...
[At Hierarchical and Priestly Services with a Deacon]
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.
[At Priestly Services without a Deacon]
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 [and unto ages of ages].
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.
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