When a Parish is Far Away: Doing Holy Week Services at Home

A Guide to Using the Bilingual Holy Week Book from Holy Transfiguration Monastery

[Created when COVID-19 restrictions were in place]

By Fr. Steven Allen

Great and Holy Week is very rich, and the services are long and complex! It would be a big task to master reading all of the services in order. I've selected from the book some of the services, so that you can read at least one per day at home, starting Palm Sunday night with the Matins of Holy Monday (the first Bridegroom service).

For the other services, listen to the live-streamed service from St. John Monastery, while saying your prayer rope in order to keep attention, and following with the book the best you can.

 

Palm Sunday Night / Bridegroom Matins of Holy Monday: Go to p. 149 and begin reading Matins. Wherever there is a priest or deacon part, just leave it out (except for the Gospel reading, which you should read!). From pp. 149 to 169 is the normal beginning for Lenten Matins, and you will find that for several more of the Matins services, instead of reprinting this section, the book directs you back to p. 149. Tonight, just read straight through to the end of Matins on p. 193.

Great Monday Night / Bridegroom Matins of Holy Tuesday: Start at p. 149 again. At the top of 169, then skip to p. 209 for Alleluia and the Bridegroom troparion. Then follow Matins to the end, p. 229.

Great Tuesday Night / Bridegroom Matins of Holy Wednesday: Start at p. 149 again, then at the top of 169 skip to p. 247 for Alleluia and the Bridegroom troparion. Read to the end of Matins on p. 271.

Great Wednesday Night / Unction Service and Matins of Holy Thursday: If you would like to study the Unction Service, it is given word for word from pp. 281 to 355. Since it is a Holy Mystery, it cannot really be performed as a reader's service, but it is very worthwhile to study the texts prayerfully!

For Matins of Holy Thursday, start at p. 149 again. At the top of p. 169, skip to p. 357 and read to the end of Matins on p. 385.

Great Thursday Night / Matins of Holy Friday, the Twelve Gospels: Start at p. 149. At the top of p. 169, skip to p. 413 and read to the end of the service. The service is very long, and if you cannot read the entire service, just make sure to read the twelve Gospel readings.

Great Friday Night / Matins of Holy Saturday, the Burial of Christ (Epitaphios):  Begin at p. 617. They have reprinted the beginning of Matins, and you don't have to go back to p. 149. If you feel you cannot read the entire service, go to p. 635 and after reading the troparia beginning with "Noble Joseph," read Psalm 118 and the Lamentations (Enkomia), to p. 699.

Great Saturday Night, Midnight Resurrection Matins: Go to p. 809 and begin reading the service of the Resurrection with the hymn "Angels in heaven, O Christ our Savior." Read the service through the sermon of St. John Chrysostom, which ends on p. 843.

Alternative:

“Selected Services of Holy Week and Pascha as celebrated by Christians at home,” compiled by the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America during the COVID-19 era:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1s7Xbjip4xQZdYT4UPxD85FFo_cPhJa-o/view?usp=sharing