Sit down. That’s the short answer. The Orthodox Church welcomes you to participate fully in the Divine Liturgy whether you stand, sit, or need any other accommodation because of disability, illness, age, or injury.
Standing during worship is the ancient Christian posture of prayer. It expresses reverence, readiness, and the resurrection life we share in Christ. But it’s never been absolute. The Church has always recognized that some people can’t stand, and pastoral practice going back to the canons and the Fathers makes room for those who are sick or unable to maintain the typical postures.
Here’s what matters: your presence and your prayer, not your physical position. If you need to sit through the whole service, sit. If you can stand for parts but need to sit for others, do that. If you need a walker, a wheelchair, or someone’s arm to lean on, use them. The goal is your participation in the liturgy, not your performance of a particular posture.
The Church’s Approach
The OCA’s parish ministry resources put it plainly: Orthodox worship is communal and incarnational. We pray with our bodies, yes, but we also pray as a body, the Body of Christ. When someone can’t stand, they’re still part of that body. They still hear the Gospel, smell the incense, see the icons, receive Communion. The sensory and sacramental reality of the liturgy doesn’t depend on whether your knees work.
Antiochian and other Orthodox jurisdictions have been working actively on accessibility. Conferences like “Gathered as One Body” have brought together parishes to talk about adaptive liturgies, services that include ASL interpreters, seating options, hypoallergenic incense, and other accommodations. These aren’t fringe experiments. They’re expressions of what the Church has always believed: that the liturgy is for all of us, and we adapt what we can to make sure people aren’t excluded by barriers we can remove.
Some people worry they’ll be judged for sitting. I get that, especially if you’re visiting an Orthodox church for the first time and you see everyone else standing. But here’s the thing: most Orthodox parishes have people sitting for various reasons, and nobody’s keeping score. The elderly woman in the back corner with the cane isn’t less Orthodox because she sits. The guy who just had knee surgery and is in a brace isn’t less welcome. Neither are you.
What About the Priest?
If you’re concerned about what the priest will think, talk to him. Seriously. Orthodox priests are pastors, and part of their job is making sure people can participate in the life of the Church. If you need Communion brought to a particular spot because you can’t navigate the crowd, tell him. If you need to receive while seated, tell him. If you’re worried about anything related to your disability and how it affects your worship, ask. Chances are he’s already thought about it and will be glad you brought it up.
At St. Michael here in Beaumont, we want you to be able to pray. That’s it. We’re not running an endurance test.
A Word About Guilt
Some people feel guilty sitting when others stand, like they’re not trying hard enough or not being reverent enough. That’s not how the Church sees it. Reverence is in the heart, and the Church has never taught that physical suffering earns you points with God. If standing causes you pain or exhaustion that prevents you from praying, then standing isn’t helping your worship, it’s hindering it.
St. John Chrysostom and other Fathers wrote about the sick and the weak with tenderness, not condemnation. The canons that address physical limitations do so pastorally, recognizing that bodies fail and that the Church’s worship must be accessible to real people in real bodies, some of which don’t work the way we’d like.
Practical Stuff
Most Orthodox churches have at least a few chairs along the walls or in the back. Some have pews. If you visit a parish and don’t see seating, ask. Often there are folding chairs available. If you need something specific, a particular type of chair, a spot near an exit, a place where you can see but not be in the way, communicate that. Parishes want to help, but they can’t read minds.
And if you’re visiting for the first time and you’re anxious about the whole thing, know this: you won’t be the first person who needed to sit, and you won’t be the last. The Divine Liturgy has been prayed for centuries by people who were sick, elderly, injured, and disabled. You’re in good company.
Come as you are. Sit if you need to. Pray with us. That’s what the Church is for.
