You don’t need to buy anything. Most parishes, including ours at St. Michael, provide simple bulletins or service booklets so you can follow along from the moment you walk in.
That’s the short answer. But let me explain what you’ll actually encounter and what you might want down the road.
What You’ll Find in the Pews
When you arrive for Divine Liturgy, someone will likely hand you a bulletin. Sometimes these are single sheets with the day’s hymns and Scripture readings. Other times they’re small booklets with more of the service printed out. Either way, they’re free and they’re meant for you to use.
These bulletins show the order of service and include the parts that change each Sunday, the troparia (short hymns) for the day, which Epistle and Gospel we’re reading, sometimes the Communion hymn. They’ll also have announcements about the coffee hour or upcoming events. The bulletin is usually enough for a first-timer to get a sense of what’s happening and when to stand or sit.
Some parishes also keep small service books in the pews or on a table in the back. These contain the full text of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, which is what we serve most Sundays. You can pick one up, follow along, and put it back when you leave.
Do You Need Your Own Book?
Not at first. I’ve known people who attended for months using only the bulletin. They learned the responses by hearing them, picked up the rhythm of the service, and didn’t feel lost.
But some people want to follow every word. If that’s you, you might want to get a personal copy of the Divine Liturgy. The Antiochian Archdiocese publishes an inexpensive paperback called “Divine Liturgy 2024” that’s perfect for this. It’s got the full text of St. John Chrysostom’s Liturgy, the prayers before and after Communion, and some common hymns. Ancient Faith also sells an abridged Divine Liturgy prayer book that fits in your pocket.
These run about eight to fifteen dollars. You can order them from the Antiochian Village store or Ancient Faith’s website. Some parishes keep copies for sale in the bookstore or on a table in the hall.
What Changes as You Keep Coming
Here’s what happens after you’ve been attending a while. You stop needing the book so much. The responses become familiar. “Lord have mercy” and “Grant this, O Lord” and “To Thee, O Lord” start coming automatically. You know when to make the sign of the cross, when the Great Entrance is coming, when to line up for Communion if you’re a communicant.
At that point the book becomes less about following along and more about deepening your prayer. Some people like having the priest’s prayers printed out so they can pray them silently along with him. Others use their Liturgy book at home during the week to prepare for Sunday. It becomes a prayer aid rather than a roadmap.
What About All Those Other Books?
You’ll see the priest and deacon using large, ornate books at the altar. Those are clergy books, the Liturgikon or Hieratikon, and they contain everything the clergy need for the whole liturgical year. Vespers, Orthros, different feast days, the whole works. You don’t need those. They’re not even meant for laypeople.
Same goes for the big red or black books the chanters use. Those are for leading the singing and contain musical notation and all the variable hymns for the church year. Unless you’re planning to join the choir, don’t worry about them.
A Word for the Practical-Minded
I know some of you reading this work shifts at the refinery or offshore and can’t make it every Sunday. When you do come, you might feel behind. Don’t stress about the book situation. Just show up. Someone will hand you what you need. If you can’t find the page, watch the person next to you. Orthodox worship is something you learn by doing, not by reading about it.
And if you’ve got family asking why you’re going to “that church with all the standing,” you can tell them the books are actually simpler than a Baptist hymnal. We don’t flip between three different books during the service. It’s one Liturgy, same structure every time, and after a few visits it starts to feel like home.
If you want to get a personal Divine Liturgy book, go ahead. It’s a good investment and you’ll use it for years. But if you’d rather wait and see, that’s fine too. Come as you are. We’ll make sure you can follow along.
