When Visiting Our Parish
How to dress
This is probably our most often asked question when people are visiting our parish… The short answer is DRESS MODESTLY. We come to the House of God still wearing our "Sunday Best".
Men: Come with pants (no shorts) and a nice shirt.
Women: dresses or skirts of appropriate length & covered shoulders,.Women may also wear pants and a nice blouse.
Headscarves for women, although not required, are very traditional and pious custom in the Orthodox Church and a beautiful way to honor the Mother of God.
What to expect…
A Sense of Holiness
If you are from a Protestant or non-liturgical tradition, you may feel overwhelmed the minute you walk in the door of an Orthodox church. All around you people will be doing things- lighting candles, venerating (kissing) icons, making the sign of the cross, bowing, standing in prayer- everything but sitting still. To someone accustomed to four bare walls and a pulput, all thins may seem pretty strange. Its important to keep in mind… everything we see, hear, semll, touch, taste or do in an Orthodox Church has one purpose and one purpose only: to lead us closer to God.
Stand Up
In the Orthodox tradition, the proper posture of prayer is standing through nearly the entirety of the service with the exception of the homily (sermon). In our parish you will not see any pews but rather chairs along the outside of the church. These are to be used by the elderly, pregnant and ill. We should all stive to stand for the Divine Services.
The Sign of the Cross
To say an Orthodox Christian makes the sign of the cross frequently would be an understatement. We sign ourselves whenever the trinity is invoked, whenever we venerate the cross or icons, and on many MANY other occasions during the course of the Divine Liturgy.
Keeling?
Generally, as a rule, we do not kneel during Sunday Services. While there are a few exceptions, Sundays are when we remember the Resurrection of Christ and celebrate.
There are times to kneel and prostrate in the church during weekday services and especially during Great Lent. During weekday services you will see kneeling during the Anapora and the Lord’s Prayer. During Great Lent you will see a lot of kneeling and full prostrations and example would be during the Lenten Prayer of St. Ephraim.
Not everyone is able to prostrate. Some kneel, some stand with their head bowed or sit crouched over. We ask that you participate to the best of your ability. If you are new to the church standing there feeling akward is all right too, nobody will notice if you do not prostrate.
Pucker Up
We kiss things! When you first come into the church you will see individuals kissing the icons (Jesus on his feet or hands and saints on the hands ideally). You will also notice people kiss the chalice after recieving the Holy Eucharist. The Altar servers will kiss the hand of the priest as they serve. We will all line up to kiss the cross at the end of the service. This is one way we show love. “Greet one another with a kiss of love” 1 Peter 5:14
Blessed Bread & the Eucharist
The Eucharist (Holy Communion) is reserved for Orthodox Christians who have properly prepared theirselves through fasting, a recent confession or if visiting a blessing from their spiritual father. We practice closed communion in the Orthodox Church. The Priest and Deacon offer the Gifts to the faithful from the chalice.
You will notice there are two tables off to the side that the faithful will then go to receive antidoron or blessed bread and a sip of wine. Antidoron translates to instead of the Gifts. This is blessed bread open for all in attendance. Do not be alarmed if a member of the parish offers you a piece of this bread dipped in wine.
Music Music Music
The majority of an Orthodox service is congregational singing led by our beautiful choir. Traditionally, Orthodox do not use instraments but rather use an a capella harmony. This constant singing may be overwhelming at first, but close your eyes and listen to the words of the Church.
No Shortcuts
Orthodox worship takes time. If there is a longer way to say something the Orthodox will find it. In Orthodox worship, more is always more, in every area including prayer. The original Liturgy lasted a little over five hours. The Liturgy of St. Basil editited this down to about two and a half hours and later (around 400AD) St. John Chysostom further deduced the Divine Liturgy to about an hour and a half. This Liturgy of St. John is the one you will see most often at our parish and you will service the Liturgy of St. Basil throughout prescribed times of the year.
Worship has already begun by the time the laity arrive to the church on Sunday mornings. The Proskomedia Service (Prepartion of Communion) is performed by the Priest and Deacon nearly an hour prior to the Sunday service. Then the hours are then chanted in the church to help us prepare for the Divine Liturgy which immediately follows.
Mary, the ever-virgin Theotokos
We love the Mother of God and it shows. We often address the Virgin Mary as Theotokos this means “Mother of God.” In providing the phycial means for God to become flesh, she made our salvation possible. To be clear we do not think she, or any of the other saints, have magical powers or ar demigods or co-mediatrix. We do believe that these people who have achieved oneness with God are very alive in Him and able to pray on our behalf as intercessors. You will hear the phrase, “Most Holy Theotokos, save us!” We do not mean save in an eternal salvation sense as we would pray unto Christ; we mean protect, defend and guide us here on earth. Just as we ask for the prayers of our friends and family, we too ask for the prayers of the Theotokos and the saints who are invisibly present joining us in Divine Worship.
The Three Doors
Every Orthodox Church has an iconostasis or icon screen before its altar. This separtates the Nave (where the faithful stand) from the Holy of Holies (The Altar where the clergy lead the service).
The central opening, in front of the Altar table itself, has two doors called “The Royal Doors”, because that is where to King of Gloy comes out to the congregation in the Eucharist. Only the Bishop, Priest and Deacon will use these doors as they are ordained to do so.
There are two other openings on either side of the Royal Doors. These are called “The Deacon Doors” Altar servers and otehrs with business behind the Altar will used these doors. It is important to remember that nobody enters into the Altar space without a purpose and a blessing from the Priest or Bishop to do so.
Am I Welcome?
YES! Of course! All inquirers are welcome to attend any of the services at our parish! You, your family and your children are all invited to come worship with us!
While you may have seen “Greek” or “Romanian” or “Russian” in front of an Orthodox Church in your community, know that we are all a part of the One Holy Catholic and Apsostalic Church of Eastern Orthodoxy. There is no ethnic requirement to be a part of an Orthodox Church. Our parish is part of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA). You will find a lot of American Converts in our parish. The services are served in English.
Please reach out to Fr. Gabriel or to the parish office with any questions you may have prior to your arrival. We just ask that you keep the above mentioned in mind.
Orthodoxy seems startling different aft first, but as the weeks go by it gets to be less and less so. It will begin to feel more and more like home, and ti will drw you into the Kingdom of God.
We pray that your visit to our parish will be enjoyable and that it wont be your last!
Displaying Reverence…
Avoid Social Talking
If we were to enter Buckingham Palace in the presence of the King while he is sitting on the throne, would we be having social conversations with one another? How much more so should it be that we avoid unnecessary speech when standing in the presence of God, especially during the Divine Services and Prayer.
We are a family, and we have people that we love to see and greet every time we enter into the Church. Greet them with a hug, but it’s best to save the social conversation for the coffee hour after we leave the sanctuary. If we must speak, we do so in hushed tones so as not to disturb those around us praying before the Throne of God!
Avoid Leaving the Church
While sometimes leaving the Church during the service is needed, especially with parents of young children, we should only leave when it is absolutely necessary. Going to the narthex for any other reason, such as casual conversations during the homily or to "take a break" during parts of the Liturgy are never acceptable times to leave the presence of God, especially after the reception of Holy Communion.
The early Church took being in the Church for the entire service very seriously…as we should as well! There were saints who would receive the Eucharist and go to a quiet corner of the Church to sit for hours after they had received God within them! At the very least, we can wait until the veneration of the cross before departing the Throne Room of God!
Stillness
Walking into the House of our Lord requires reverence and stillness, which is often difficult for us living in such a fast paced world. With young children especially, we should endeavour to keep them close by. If they want to venerate an icon, we walk with them to do so in a reverent manner. It is never acceptable to allow children to run, jump off of steps, or crawl under the Church furniture.
We have a sacred responsibility to not only learn how to be still in our own lives, but to pass it on to our children to the best of our ability. The world is only getting faster…and our children won’t have as easy of a time as we did growing up to learn stillness. Church and prayer are the places that we can instill this incredible virtue within our Children (but of course, not without trial and error)
Parents, keep bringing those kiddos. It will get easier! If you are getting frustrated or want to vent a bit, come talk to me!
Timeliness
We are often on time for work, for sporting events, and even early for concerts. Why is it that we don’t put as large of a priority in being on time to be in the presence of the King of Kings?!
Adults that come after the Epistle and the Gospel, unless they have a special blessing from the priest to do so, should not approach the Holy Chalice for Communion. It’s a scary thing to approach the chalice unworthily, and with the exception of an emergency, if we can’t get to the Liturgy at a decent time, we simply are in no position to approach the dread mysteries. This is not a punishment this is a protection. Please still have children under the age of 16 approach the chalice if they are late.
If you are having an issue getting to Church on time, talk to the priest!
No Food or Drink
Under no circumstances should we bring food or drink (including gum and bottled water) into the Church, with the exception of having a baby bottle for a little one. Toddlers should be fed in the Narthex if absolutely necessary. All of us who are preparing for Holy Communion, with few exceptions, should be fasting from food and drink before receiving the Body and Blood of God. For children, it is a general rule that they should start the Eucharistic fast after their first confession (around 7 or 8 years old).
Standing, Sitting, and Kneeling
At certain points in the Liturgy, unless physically unable to do so, it is necessary for us to stand in reverence. These points include the reading of the Gospel, the Entrances with the Gospel and the Holy Gifts, the Anophora Prayers, and the Distribution of Communion to the faithful.
On Sunday’s with very few exceptions, we do not kneel. During the weekday Liturgies, it is appropriate for us to kneel during the Anophora Prayers and the Our Father.