Although these are few in number each year, they consume a lot of time. A funeral can easily take a few days of work, as the relatives of the dead person may require the daily presence of a priest in their homes. Most of our funerals are held in St. Barnabas’ Church, and they number 39 since 1992.
At the Funeral Home
The people stand. In the presence of the body, the priest puts on his epitrachelion; and putting incense in the censer, he incenses the dead, saying:
Priest: Blessed is our God, at all times, now and always, and forever and ever.
Cantor: Amen.
Troparia or Hymns
In the 4th Tone
1. With the just who have reposed in your peace, grant rest, O Saviour, to the soul of your servant (handmaid) and bestow upon it the blessed life which is from You, O Lover of Mankind!
2. Within your peace where all your saints repose, grant rest, O Lord, to the soul of your servant (handmaid) for You alone are the Lover of Mankind.
3. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
O Saviour, You are our God! You descended into Hades to deliver those who were bound there in suffering; grant rest also to the soul of this your departed servant (handmaid).
4. Now and always, and forever and ever. Amen.
O Mother of God, the only Virgin immaculate and pure, in virginity you have given birth to Christ our God; intercede with Him for the salvation of the soul of this your departed servant (handmaid).
Priest: Have mercy on us, O God, in your great mercy: we pray to You, hear us and have mercy.
Cantor: Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Priest: Again, let us pray for the soul of the departed servant of God (handmaid), (Name), and that to him (her) may be remitted every transgression, both deliberate and indeliberate.
Cantor: Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Priest: That the Lord God may grant his (her) soul to rest where the just repose.
Cantor: Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Priest: Let us ask the mercies of God, the
Cantor: Lord, have mercy.
Priest: O God of all spirits and of all flesh, who have destroyed death, overcome the devil, and given life to the world: grant, O Lord, to the soul of your servant (handmaid), (Name), who has departed from this life, that it may rest in a place of light, in a place of happiness, in a place of peace where there is no pain, no grief, no sighing. And since You are a gracious God and the Lover of Mankind, forgive him (her) every sin he (she) has committed by thought, or word, or deed, for there is not a man who lives and does not sin: You alone are without sin, your righteousness is everlasting, and your word is true. You are the Resurrection and the Life, and the repose of your departed servant (handmaid), (Name), O Christ our God, and we give glory to You, together with your eternal Father and your all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and always, and forever and ever.
Cantor: Amen.
The Dismissal
Priest: Glory to You, O Christ, God, our Hope, glory to You!
May Christ our true God [who has dominion over the living and the dead] (on Sundays: who is risen from the dead) have mercy on us and save us through the prayers of his all-pure Mother, of his holy and glorious Apostles who are worthy of all praise, of our venerable and God-bearing fathers, and of all the saints; and may He establish in the mansions of the just the soul of his departed servant (handmaid), (Name), grant him (her) rest in the bosom of Abraham, and to number him (her) among the saints, for He is good and loves mankind.
Priest and Cantor alternate: May his (her) memory be eternal (X3).
Priest: Through the prayers of our holy fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us.
Cantor: Amen.
In the Church
When the body is brought to the church, the priest, preceded by the cross-bearer and two candle-bearers, comes to the church door. He puts incense into the censer and, leading the procession into the church, he incenses while singing:
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One! Have mercy on us.
After the bier is placed in its proper place and the candles are lit around it, the priest intones:
Priest: Blessed is our God at all times, now and always, and forever and ever.
Choir: Amen.
Eighth Tone
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
- Blessed are those You have chosen and drawn near, to dwell in your courts, O Lord, and be filled with the good things of your house.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
- Their souls shall abide in abundance, and their generation shall inherit the earth.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
- Their memory will remain forever and ever.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Evlogitaria of the Dead
(Fifth Tone)
1. Blessed are You, O Lord: teach me your statutes!
The choirs of saints have discovered the Fountain of Life and the Gate of Paradise; may I also, through repentance find the way to You, O Lord. I am the lost sheep: O Saviour, call me back to your fold and save me.
2. Blessed are You, O Lord: teach me your statutes!
O holy martyrs, who preached the Lamb of God and like lambs were led to the slaughter and thus passed on to eternal and everlasting life; pray unceasingly that our sins may be forgiven us.
3. Blessed are You, O Lord: teach me your statutes!
All you who in this life have walked the narrow road in sorrow and pain, and taken up your cross as a yoke, and followed me faithfully, come now, enter the rewards of Heaven, and receive the crowns I have prepared for you.
4 Blessed are You, O Lord: teach me your statutes!
I am the image of your ineffable glory, even though I bear the wounds of sin. Look with compassion on your creature, O Lord, and purify me in your mercy. In your loving kindness cleanse me, restoring me to the right of those who dwell in the
5. Blessed are You, O Lord: teach me your statutes!
O Lord, who with your own hand have fashioned me from nothingness, and adorned me with your divine image, and who, when I transgressed your commandment, did cast me down into the dust whereof I had been made: deign, O Lord, to restore me to your likeness, that my original beauty may be renewed in me.
6. Blessed are You, O Lord: teach me your statutes!
Grant rest, O God, to your servant (handmaid), and appoint his (her) place in
7. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
With devotion, let us praise the threefold splendour of God, and let us say: Holy are You, the Eternal Father, and Holy is your Coeternal Son, and Holy your Divine Spirit! Enlighten us who adore You with faith, and deliver us from everlasting fire.
8. Now and always, and forever and ever. Amen.
Hail, O noble One, who, for the restoration of mankind, have brought forth God in the flesh. Through this same God, the human race has found salvation, O pure and blessed Mother of God; may we also through you find
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Glory to You, O God! (X3)
On Sundays and during the Easter Season, the ordinary Evlogitaria of the Dead is replaced by the following Evlogitaria of the Resurrection in the fifth tone:
1. Blessed are You, O Lord: teach me your statutes!
The hosts of the angels were amazed when they beheld You, O Saviour, among the dead destroying the power of Death, raising up Adam with You and releasing all the souls from Hades.
2. Blessed are You, O Lord: teach me your statutes!
The radiant angels standing by the grave cried out to the ointment-bearing women: “Why, O women disciples, do you lament and mingle your tears with the spices? Look upon the grave and rejoice, for the Saviour is risen from the dead.”
3. Blessed are You, O Lord: teach me your statutes!
The ointment-bearing women came lamenting very early to your grave. But the angel stood by them and said: “The time for lamenting has passed. Do not cry but go and announce the Resurrection to the apostles.”
4. Blessed are You, O Lord: teach me your statutes!
O Saviour, the ointment-bearing women came to your grave with ointments, and they heard the angel say to them: “Why are you counting the Living with the dead? Indeed, He is God. He is risen from the dead.”
5. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
We worship the Father and his Son and his Holy Spirit, Holy Trinity, One in substance, and we sing with the Seraphim: “Holy, holy, holy are You, O Lord.”
6. Now and always, and forever and ever. Amen.
O Virgin, you bore the Giver of Life. You redeemed Adam from his sin and granted joy to Eve instead of sadness. As for the God and Man who was incarnate of you, He has restored to life those who had strayed away from it.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Glory to You, O God! (X3)
The priest incenses while singing:
Priest: Again and again in peace let us pray to the Lord.
Choir: Lord, have mercy.
Priest: Again, let us pray for the repose of the soul of the departed servant (handmaid), (Name), and that to him (her) may be remitted every transgression, both deliberate and in deliberate.
Choir: Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Priest: That the Lord God may grant his (her) soul to rest where the just repose.
Choir: Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Priest: Let us ask the mercies of God, the
Choir: Lord, have mercy.
Priest: For You are the Resurrection and the Life, and the Repose of your departed servant (handmaid), (Name), O Christ our God, and we give glory to You, together with your eternal Father and your all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and always, and forever and ever.
Choir: Amen.
Troparia
(Fifth Tone)
Priest: O our Saviour, grant to this your servant (handmaid) to rest with the righteous ones and to dwell in your courts, as it is written. Since You are gracious, forgive his (her) sins both deliberate and indeliberate, and all the transgressions he (she) committed knowingly or unknowingly, O Lover of Mankind!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and always, and forever and ever. Amen.
O Christ our God, who shone upon the world from the Virgin, and through her made us to be children of light: have mercy on us.
First Ode
(Sixth Tone)
Holy Martyrs, intercede for us.
- In their heavenly mansions the noble martyrs beseech You without cease, O Christ. Enable the faithful one whom You have taken away from this earth to participate in your eternal blessings.
Within your peace give rest, O Lord to the souls of your servant (handmaid).
- O Saviour, after You had made all things in perfection, You fashioned me a man and put me in the world, a being made of grandeur and weakness. Wherefore, give rest to the soul of your servant (handmaid).
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
- O Saviour, You created me at the beginning to be a citizen of
Now and always, and forever and ever. Amen.
- O Pure One, He who from the beginning formed Eve, our first mother, from the rib of Adam took flesh in your very womb and overcame in this way the power of death.
The priest incenses while singing:
Priest: Again and again in peace let us pray to the Lord.
Choir: Lord, have mercy.
Priest: Again, let us pray for the repose of the soul of the departed servant (handmaid) of God, (Name), and that to him (her) may be remitted every transgression, both deliberate and indeliberate.
Choir: Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Priest: That the Lord God may grant his (her) soul to rest where the just repose.
Choir: Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Priest: Let us ask the mercies of God, the
Choir: Lord, have mercy.
Priest: For You are the Resurrection and the Life, and the Repose of your departed servant (handmaid), (Name), O Christ our God, and we give glory to You together with your eternal Father and your all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and always, and forever and ever.
Choir: Amen.
Kathisma
(Sixth Tone)
Priest: Indeed all is vanity! Life is like a shadow and a dream, and every earth-born creature disturbs itself in vain, as the Scriptures say, for even if we were to gain the whole world, we still would lie down in the grave where kings and beggars dwell together. Therefore, O Christ God, give rest to your departed servant (handmaid), for You are the Lover of Mankind.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and always, and forever and ever. Amen.
- O all-holy Mother of God, forsake me not in the day of my life, and do not let me put my confidence in human strength; but you yourself protect me and have mercy on me.
The priest incenses while singing:
Priest: Again and again in peace, let us pray to the Lord.
Choir: Lord, have mercy.
Priest: Again, let us pray for the repose of the soul of the departed servant (handmaid) of God, (Name), and that to him (her) may be remitted every transgression, both deliberate and indeliberate.
Choir: Lord, have mercy (X3).
Priest: That the Lord God may grant his (her) soul to rest where the just repose.
Choir: Lord, have mercy (X3).
Priest: Let us ask the mercies of God, the
Choir: Lord, have mercy.
Priest: For You are the Resurrection and the Life, and the Repose of your departed servant (handmaid), (Name), O Christ our God, and we give glory to You, together with your eternal Father and your all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and always, and forever and ever.
Choir: Amen.
Kontakion
Eighth Tone
Choir: O Christ God, with the saints, grant rest to the soul of your servant (handmaid), in a place where there is no pain, no grief, no sighing, but everlasting life. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Oikos
Priest: You are the only Immortal One, O Creator and Maker of man. We are mortals: out of the earth we were fashioned and to the same earth we shall return, as You have said and ordered, O my Maker: “Dust you are,” said You, “and to dust you shall return.” We all go down to the dust and we sing to You: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
The Beatitudes
(Sixth Tone)
Remember us, O Lord, when You come into Your kingdom!
- Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the
- Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
- Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess the earth.
- Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be satisfied.
- Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
O Christ who made the Thief to be a citizen of
- Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God.
O Lord of life and death, grant repose in the courts of the saints to your servant (handmaid) whom You have taken away from this uncertain life while he (she) was crying out to You: “Remember me when You come into your kingdom.”
- Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.
O Master of our souls and bodies, in whose hands is our breath, O Consoler of the afflicted, grant to your servant (handmaid) whom You have taken away that he (she) may rest in the city of the just.
- Blessed are they who suffer persecution for justice’ sake, for theirs is the
May Christ grant rest to you in the city of the living; may He open to you the gates of
- Blessed are you when men reproach you and persecute you, and, speaking falsely, say all manner of evil against you for my sake.
Let us go forth and look upon the graves: man is but bare bones, food for worms, and evil stench: here we learn what riches truly are, and beauty, strength, and comeliness!
- Rejoice and exult, because your reward is great in Heaven.
Let us listen to the voice of the Almighty: “Woe to those who wish to behold the fearful day of the Lord, for it is a day of gloom, and all things shall be tried by fire.”
- Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
I adore the Father because he is eternal; I glorify the Son because he is begotten; and I praise the Holy Spirit who is resplendent with the Father and the Son.
- Now and always, and forever and ever. Amen.
O Virgin, how did you give forth from your breast this abundance of milk? How did you sustain the Sustainer of creation, of whom it is written that He made water gush from the rock, a stream to quench the thirst of the people?
Epistle
Priest: Let us be attentive!
Reader: Blessed is the way in which you shall walk today, for a place of rest is prepared for you.
To You, O Lord, I call: O my God, be not deaf to me.
Priest: Wisdom!
Reader: A reading from the First Epistle of St. Paul to the Thessalonians.
Priest: Let us be attentive!
Reader: BRETHREN: We want you to be quite certain about those who have died, to make sure that you do not grieve about them, like the other people who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and that it will be the same for those who have died in Jesus: God will bring them with him. We can tell you this from the Lord’s own teaching, that any of us who are left alive until the Lord’s coming will not have any advantage over those who have died. At the trumpet of God, the voice of the archangel will call out the command and the Lord Himself will come down form Heaven; those who have died in Christ will be the first to rise, and then those of us who are still alive will be taken up in the clouds, together with them, to meet the Lord in the air. So we shall stay with the Lord for ever.
Priest: Peace to you, O reader.
Choir: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Priest: Wisdom. Let us stand and listen to the holy Gospel. Peace be to all.
Choir: And to your spirit.
Priest: The holy Gospel according to
Choir: Glory to You, O Lord, glory to You!
Priest: Let us be attentive!
THE GOSPEL
The Lord said to the multitude of the Jews who came to Him: “Amen, Amen, I say to you whoever listens to my words, and believes in the one who sent me, has eternal life; without being brought to judgement he has passed from death to life. Amen, Amen, I say to you, the hour will come - in fact it is here already - when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and all who hear it will live. For the Father, who is the source of life, has made the Son the source of life; and, because he is the Son of Man, has appointed him supreme judge. Do not be surprised at this, for the hour is coming when the dead will leave their graves at the sound of his voice: those who did good will rise again to life; and those who did evil, to condemnation. I can do nothing by myself; I can only judge as I am told to judge, and my judging is just, because my aim is to do not my own will, but the will of him who sent me.”
Choir: Glory to You, O Lord, glory to You!
Priest: Have mercy on us, O God in your great mercy: we pray to You, hear us and have mercy.
Choir: Lord, have mercy (X3).
Priest: Again, let us pray for the repose of the soul of the departed servant (handmaid) of God, (Name), and that to him (her) may be remitted every transgression, both deliberate and indeliberate.
Choir: Lord, have mercy (X3).
Priest: That the Lord God may grant his (her) soul to rest where the just repose.
Choir: Lord, have mercy (X3).
Priest: Let us ask the mercies of God, the
Choir: Lord, have mercy.
Priest: O God of all spirits and of all flesh, who have destroyed death, overcome the devil, and given life to the world: grant, O Lord, to the soul of your servant (handmaid), (Name), who has departed from this life, that it may rest in a place of light, in a place of happiness, in a place of peace, where there is no pain, no grief, no sighing. And since You are a gracious God and the Lover of Mankind, forgive him (her) every sin he (she) has committed by thought, or word, or deed, for there is not a man who lives and does not sin: You alone are without sin, your righteousness is everlasting, and your word is true. You are the Resurrection and the Life, and the Repose of your departed servant (handmaid), (Name), O Christ our God, and we give glory to You, together with your eternal Father and your all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and always, and forever and ever. Amen.
Choir: Amen.
Priest: Glory to You, O Christ God, our hope, Glory to You!
May Christ our true God [who has dominion over the living and the dead] (on Sundays: who is risen from the dead) have mercy on us and save us through the prayers of his all-pure Mother, of his holy and glorious Apostles who are worthy of all praise, of our venerable and God-bearing fathers and of all the saints; and may He establish in the mansions of the just the soul of his departed servant (handmaid), (Name), grant him (her) rest in the bosom of Abraham, and to number him (her) among the saints, for He is good and loves mankind.
Priest and Choir alternately: May his (her) memory be eternal (X3).
Priest: Through the prayers of our holy fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us.
Choir: Amen.
If the custom of giving the dead the last Kiss of peace is in use, the people come one by one and kiss the Cross and Gospel Book on the bier, while the following is being sung, in the sixth tone:
Cantor: O you my brethren and beloved ones, my acquaintances and relatives, when you see me lying voiceless and deprived of breath, you may well weep for me: for yesterday I spoke with you, and suddenly the terrible hour of death fell upon me. Come you all who love me, and greet me with a final kiss, for never shall I walk with you or talk to you again: I go before the Judge where there is no respect of persons, where slave and master stand together, kind and soldier, rich and poor, in equal worthiness, for each is glorified or shamed according to his deeds. But I beg you all, and entreat you unceasingly, to pray to Christ God for me, that I be not sent to the place of torment on account of my sins, but that He may appoint my lot where the light of life is shining.
The priest leads the procession out of the church. He incenses while singing:
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One! Have mercy on us.
At the Cemetery
Before the body is laid in the grave, the priest takes some earth, and throwing it crosswise on the casket, says:
Priest: The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof, the world and all those who dwell therein.
The presiding priest now says the same prayers for the order of the burial of the dead at the Funeral Home.
And then everyone departs, giving thanks to God for His divine plan.
The Order of the Funeral of the Dead during New Week
First Week after Easter
It must be known that if anyone is called unto God on any day of the New Week, very little of the customary office for the Dead is sung, because of the majesty and honour of the joyful feast of the Resurrection: for it is the festival of joy and gladness, not of lamentation. Therefore the following service of Resurrection is said:
At the Funeral Home
The people stand. In the presence of the body, the priest puts on his epitrachelion; and putting incense in the censer, he incenses the dead, saying:
Priest: Blessed is our God, at all times, now and always, and forever and ever.
Choir: Amen.
Christ is risen from the dead and by his death he has trampled upon death; and has given life to those who were in the tombs (X3).
Priest: Have mercy on us, O God, in your great mercy: we pray to You, hear us and have mercy.
Choir: Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Priest: Again, let us pray for the repose of the soul of the departed servant (handmaid) of God, (Name), and that to him (her) may be remitted every transgression, both deliberate and indeliberate.
Choir: Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Priest: That the Lord God may grant his (her) soul to rest where the just repose.
Choir: Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Priest: Let us ask the mercies of God, the
Choir: Lord, have mercy.
Priest: O God of all spirits and of all flesh, who have destroyed death, overcome the devil, and given life to the world: grant, O Lord, to the soul of your servant (handmaid), (Name), who has departed from this life, that it may rest in a place of light, in a place of happiness, in a place of peace where there is no pain, no grief, no sighing. And since You are a gracious God and the Lover of Mankind, forgive him (her) every sin he (she) has committed by thought, or word, or deed, for there is not a man who lives and does not sin: You alone are without sin, your righteousness is everlasting, and your word is true.
For You are the Resurrection and the Life, and the Repose of your departed servant (handmaid), (Name), O Christ our God, and we give glory to You, together with your eternal Father and your all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and always, and forever and ever.
Choir: Amen.
Priest: Glory to You, O Christ God, our hope, Glory to You!
May Christ our true God who is risen from the dead have mercy on us and save us through the prayers of his all-pure Mother, of his holy and glorious Apostles who are worthy of all praise, of our venerable and God-bearing Fathers, and of all the saints; and may He establish in the mansions of the just the soul of his departed servant (handmaid), (Name), grant him (her) rest in the bosom of Abraham, and number him (her) among the saints, for He is good and loves mankind.
Priest and Choir alternately: May his (her) memory be eternal (X3).
Priest: Through the prayers of our holy fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us.
Choir: Amen.
In the Church
When the body is brought into the church, the priest, preceded by the cross-bearer and two candle-bearers, come to the church door. He puts incense into the censer and leading the procession into the church, he incenses while singing:
Priest: Christ is risen from the dead and by his death he has trampled upon death; and has given life to those who were in the tombs.
After the bier is placed in its proper place and the candles are lit around it, the priest intones:
Priest: Blessed is our God, at all times, now and always, and forever and ever.
Choir: Amen.
Priest: Christ is risen from the dead and by his death he has trampled upon death; and has given life to those who were in the tombs.
Choir: Christ is risen from the dead and by his death he has trampled upon death; and has given life to those who were in the tombs (X2).
Troparia of the Resurrection
(Fifth Tone)
- Blessed are You, O Lord: teach me your statutes!
The hosts of the angels were amazed and dazzled when they beheld You, O Saviour, among the dead destroying the power of death, raising up Adam with You and releasing all the souls from Hades.
- Blessed are You, O Lord: teach me your statutes!
The radiant angel standing by the grave cried out to the ointment-bearing women: “Why, O women disciples, do you lament and mingle your tears with the spices? Look upon the grave and rejoice, for the Saviour is risen from the dead.”
- Blessed are You, O Lord: teach me your statutes!
The ointment-bearing women came lamenting very early to your grave. But the angel stood by them and said: “The time for lamenting is no more. Do not cry, but go and announce the Resurrection to the Apostles.”
- Blessed are You, O Lord: teach me your statutes!
O Saviour, the ointment-bearing women came to your grave with ointments, and they heard the angel say to them: “Why are you counting the Living with the dead? Indeed, He is God. He is risen from the dead.”
- Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
We worship the Father and his Son and his Holy Spirit. Holy Trinity, one in substance, and we sing with the Seraphim: “Holy, holy, holy are You, O Lord.”
- Now and always, and forever and ever. Amen.
O Virgin, you bore the Giver of Life. You redeemed Adam from his sin and granted joy to Eve instead of sadness. As for the God and Man who was incarnate of you, He has restored to life those who had strayed away from it.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Glory to You, O God! (X3, with a reverence each time)
The following Hirmoi of the Easter Canon are now sung in the First Tone:
First Ode
Today is the Day of the Resurrection: O Nations, let us be jubilant, for this Passover is the Passover of the Lord, in that Christ our God made us pass from death to life and from earth to Heaven, we who sing to Him triumphal praise.
Third Ode
Come, O faithful: Let us drink a new drink, produced miraculously not from a barren rock, but springing from the tomb which is a fountain of immortality: the tomb of Christ by which we are strengthened.
Christ is risen from the dead and by his death he has trampled upon death; and has given life to those who were in the tombs (X3).
Jesus is risen indeed, as He had foretold: He has given us eternal life and abundant mercy.
The priest incenses while singing:
Priest: Again and again in peace let us pray to the Lord.
Choir: Lord, have mercy.
Priest: Again, let us pray for the repose of the soul of the departed servant (handmaid) of God, (Name), and that to him (her) may be remitted every transgression, both deliberate and indeliberate.
Choir: Lord, have mercy (X3).
Priest: That the Lord God may grant his (her) soul to rest where the just repose.
Choir: Lord, have mercy (X3).
Priest: Let us ask the mercies of God, the
Choir: Lord, have mercy.
Priest: For You are the Resurrection and the Life, and the Repose of your departed servant (handmaid), (Name), O Christ our God, and we give glory to You, together with your eternal Father and your all-holy, good and life-giving Spirit, now and always, and forever and ever.
Choir: Amen.
Hypaoi
(Fourth Tone)
Mary and her companions went forth before dawn. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb and heard the angel say: “Why do you seek him among the dead? He is in eternal splendour! Behold the shroud. Hasten and proclaim to the world that the Lord is risen and has crushed death, for he is the Son of God, the Saviour of mankind.
Kontakion
(Eighth Tone)
Choir: O Christ God, with the saints, grant rest to the soul of your servant (handmaid), in a place where there is no pain, no grief, no sighing, but everlasting life. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Oikos
Priest: You are the only Immortal One, O Creator and Maker of Man. We are mortals, out of the earth we were fashioned, and to the same earth we shall return, as You have said and ordered, O my Maker: “Dust you are,” said You, “and to the dust you shall return.” We all go down to the dust and we sing to You: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Ninth Ode
Choir: Shine, shine, O new Jerusalem! For the glory of the Lord has shown upon you. Rejoice and be glad, O Sion; and you O pure one, O Mother of God, exalt in the Resurrection of your Son.
Christ is risen from the dead and by his death he has trampled upon death; and has given life to those who were in the tombs (X3).
Jesus is risen indeed, as He had foretold: He has given us eternal life and abundant mercy.
The priest incenses while singing:
Priest: Again and again in peace let us pray to the Lord.
Choir: Lord, have mercy.
Priest: Again, let us pray for the repose of the soul of the departed servant (handmaid) of God, (Name), and that to him (her) may be remitted every transgression, both deliberate and indeliberate.
Choir: Lord, have mercy (X3).
Priest: That the Lord God may grant his (her) soul to rest where the just repose.
Choir: Lord, have mercy (X3).
Priest: Let us ask the mercies of God, the
Choir: Lord, have mercy.
Priest: For You are the Resurrection and the Life, and the Repose of your departed servant (handmaid), (Name), O Christ our God, and we give glory to You, together with your eternal Father and your all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and always, and forever and ever.
Choir: Amen.
Exapostilarion
(Second Tone)
O Lord and King, as a mortal man, You lay in the tomb with your body. You rose on the third day, raising Adam from corruption and destroying death. You are the Passover of Incorruption and the Salvation of the World.
Epistle
Priest: Let us be attentive!
Reader: Blessed is the way in which you shall walk today, for a place of rest is prepared for you.
To You, O Lord, I call: O my God, be not deaf to me.
Priest: Wisdom!
Reader: A reading from the First Epistle of St. Paul to the Thessalonians.
Priest: Let us be attentive!
Reader: BRETHREN: We want you to be quite certain about those who have died, to make sure that you do not grieve about them, like the other people who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and that it will be the same for those who have died in Jesus: God will bring them with him. We can tell you this from the Lord’s own teaching, that any of us who are left alive until the Lord’s coming will not have any advantage over those who have died. At the trumpet of God, the voice of the archangel will call out the command and the Lord Himself will come down from Heaven; those who have died in Christ will be the first to rise, and then those of us who are still alive will be taken up in the clouds, together with them, to meet the Lord in the air. So we shall stay with the Lord forever.
Priest: Peace to you, O reader.
Choir: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Priest: Wisdom. Let us stand and listen to the holy Gospel. Peace to all.
Choir: And to your spirit.
Priest: The holy Gospel according to
Choir: Glory to You, O Lord, glory to You!
Priest: Let us be attentive!
The Gospel
The Lord said to the multitude of the Jews who came to him: “Amen, Amen, I say to you whoever listens to my words, and believes in the one who sent me, has eternal life; without being brought to judgement he has passed from death to life. Amen, Amen, I say to you, the hour will come - in fact it is here already - when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and all who hear it will live. For the Father, who is the source of life, has made the Son the source of life; and, because he is the Son of Man, has appointed him supreme judge. Do not be surprised at this, for the hour is coming when the dead will leave their graves at the sound of his voice: those who did good will rise again to life; and those who did evil, to condemnation. I can do nothing by myself; I can only judge as I am told to judge, and my judging is just, because my aim is to do not my own will, but the will of him who sent me.”
Choir: Glory to You, O Lord, glory to You!
Priest: Have mercy on us, O God, in your great mercy: we pray to You, hear us and have mercy.
Choir: Lord, have mercy (X3).
Priest: Again, let us pray for the repose of the soul of the departed servant (handmaid) of God, (Name), and that to him (her) may be remitted every transgression, both deliberate and indeliberate.
Choir: Lord, have mercy (X3).
Priest: That the Lord God may grant his (her) soul to rest where the just repose.
Choir: Lord, have mercy (X3).
Priest: Let us ask the mercies of God, the
Choir: Lord, have mercy.
Priest: O God of all spirits and of all flesh, who have destroyed death, overcome the devil, and given life to the world: grant, O Lord, to the soul of your servant (handmaid), (Name), who has departed from this life, that it may rest in a place of light, in a place of happiness, in a place of peace, where there is no pain, no grief, no sighing. And since You are a gracious God and the Lover of Mankind, forgive him (her) every sin he (she) has committed by thought, or word, or deed, for there is not a man who lives and does not sin: You alone are without sin, your righteousness is everlasting, and your word is true.
You are the Resurrection and the Life, and the Repose of your departed servant (handmaid), (Name), O Christ our God, and we give glory to You, together with your eternal Father and your all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and always, and forever and ever.
Choir: Amen.
Priest: Glory to You, O Christ God, our hope, Glory to You!