A Variety of Topics: Saints, Seasons, Society, the Moral Life, plus Travels mostly to Greece, and more, by Father Bill Olnhausen
At last! a Holy Week service that is “in sync” with the time of day and doesn’t go on forever! Beginning with last night’s Procession of the Cross of Christ and continuing through Pascha, the ceremonies are intended to draw us more fully in these wonderful closing events of Holy Week. The Cross of Christ […]
Read More »The Royal Hours These four services are the short “Hours” (First Hour (dawn), Third Hour (9 a.m.), Sixth Hour (Noon), Ninth Hour (3 p.m.) sung in monasteries. Today they are scheduled also in parish churches – usually on Holy Friday morning, or in some places scattered through the day. On this day they contain […]
Read More »Some advice: For the remaining three days of this Holy Week, do not read this Blog. Or rather: if it’s a choice between reading this Blog and going to church, Go to church. If you can’t get to church, worship Live-stream either live or by video. This Blog may help you (and me) to understand […]
Read More »We all know that in the Orthodox Church the Divine Liturgy is always a celebration, not allowed on the penitential weekdays of the Great Lenten Fast. We also know that Holy Week is our most penitential period, so we certainly do not celebrate the Divine Liturgy during the day of Holy Friday. Western Christianity joins […]
Read More »Note that we’re still on our Holy Week “topsy-turvy” schedule, always “anticipating” the next appointed service. Above: This is how they must have been seated. The traditional image with all seated behind the table is for symbolic reasons. Introduction For most of our Orthodox history the Holy Wednesday night service was Matins/Orthros, which continues […]
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