Yes, you can. Laypeople pray Akathists at home all the time, and it’s a normal part of Orthodox devotional life.
An Akathist is a hymn of praise, usually to Christ, the Theotokos, or a saint, structured in a particular way with verses that alternate between longer narrative sections and short acclamations that begin “Rejoice!” The most famous is the Akathist to the Theotokos, also called the Salutations, which we sing in church during Great Lent on Friday evenings. But you don’t have to wait for a church service to pray one.
What You Need to Know
First, talk to your priest. Not because you need formal permission to pray an Akathist, but because your priest can help you figure out how it fits into your prayer rule. If you’re new to Orthodoxy and still getting used to morning and evening prayers, adding a full Akathist might be too much. Your priest knows you and can give you better guidance than a website can.
That said, there’s nothing stopping you from picking up an Akathist and praying it at home. Light a candle if you have one. Stand before your icons if you’re able. The standard opening prayers are simple, you can find them in most Akathist booklets or online. When no priest is present, you begin with “Through the prayers of our holy fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us. Amen.” Then you pray the Trisagion prayers and move into the Akathist itself.
The key thing is to finish what you start. Don’t pray half an Akathist and wander off to check your phone. Set aside the time to complete it in one sitting. An Akathist isn’t long, maybe twenty to thirty minutes if you’re reading at a normal pace, but it’s not something you rush through between errands.
Which Ones to Pray
The Akathist to the Theotokos is the most common one for home prayer. It’s beautiful, it’s ancient, and it’s the one the Church uses liturgically during Lent. If you’re just starting out with Akathists, that’s the one to begin with.
After that, there are Akathists to Christ, to your guardian angel, and to various saints. The Akathist to the Theotokos of the Inexhaustible Cup is prayed often by people struggling with addiction or asking for healing for loved ones. The Akathist to St. Nicholas is another popular one. Ancient Faith Publishing and other Orthodox bookstores carry collections of these.
Some people pray the same Akathist regularly as part of their rule. Others pray different ones depending on the feast or their particular need at the time. There’s no single right way to do it. What matters is that you’re praying, not just reading words.
Home Prayer vs. Church
When we pray an Akathist in church, there’s a priest, incense, chanting, and the whole congregation. At home it’s just you and the words and your icon corner. That’s fine. Private prayer isn’t meant to replicate the liturgical life of the parish. It’s meant to sustain you between Sundays, to keep you connected to God when you’re not standing in church.
Don’t try to turn your living room into a mini-cathedral. You’re not a priest. You don’t have a censer. (Well, you might, but you don’t need to use it for this.) Just pray the words. If you want to chant them, go ahead. If you’d rather read them quietly, that’s fine too. Some people use recordings from Ancient Faith Radio to follow along. Do what helps you pray.
A Word of Caution
Akathists are powerful prayers, but they’re not magic formulas. You’re not earning points with God by praying more of them. You’re not twisting His arm to give you what you want. You’re entering into communion with the saints, asking their prayers, offering praise to God through their intercession.
If you’re praying an Akathist for something specific, healing for your dad who’s sick, help for your daughter who’s struggling, protection for your husband who works offshore, that’s good. But don’t substitute private devotions for the sacramental life of the Church. The Akathist isn’t more important than showing up for Liturgy. It’s not more important than going to confession or receiving Communion. It’s a supplement, not a replacement.
And if you find yourself praying Akathists constantly, or using them in ways that feel superstitious or obsessive, talk to your priest. Sometimes people coming from Protestant backgrounds where “more prayer equals more faith” can bring that same mindset into Orthodoxy. We don’t measure spiritual life by volume.
Getting Started
If you want to try praying an Akathist at home, get a copy of the Akathist to the Theotokos. Ancient Faith Publishing has a nice edition. Stand before your icons some evening this week when you have thirty minutes. Light your vigil lamp or a candle. Pray the opening prayers, then work through the Akathist slowly. Don’t worry about getting the pronunciation perfect. Don’t worry about whether you’re doing it “right.” Just pray.
Then, if it helps, keep doing it. Maybe every Friday during Lent. Maybe once a month. Maybe whenever you feel like you need the Theotokos’s prayers in a particular way. Ask your priest how he thinks it should fit into your life. And remember that the goal isn’t to finish an Akathist. The goal is to pray.
