The Trisagion Prayers are a set of short prayers that Orthodox Christians pray multiple times daily. They’re one of the first things you’ll learn as a catechumen, and they’ll become as familiar as breathing if you stick with Orthodox life.
Think of them as the basic building blocks. Morning prayers? You’ll start with these. Midday prayers? Same thing. Evening prayers? There they are again. They show up in church services too, especially at memorial services for the departed.
What’s Actually In Them
The sequence goes like this. You make the sign of the cross and say, “In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” Then, “Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.”
Next comes the prayer to the Holy Spirit: “O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, Who art everywhere and fillest all things; Treasury of Blessings, and Giver of Life, come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.”
Then the Trisagion itself, said three times: “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal! Have mercy on us.”
After that, the doxology: “Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.”
Then a prayer to the Trinity: “O most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. O Lord, cleanse us from our sins. O Master, pardon our transgressions. O Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Thy name’s sake.”
You finish with “Lord, have mercy” three times, then the doxology again.
That’s it. The whole thing takes maybe two minutes.
Why These Prayers Matter
Every single prayer here addresses the Trinity. “Holy God” is the Father. “Holy Mighty” is the Son. “Holy Immortal” is the Holy Spirit. You’re not just reciting words, you’re standing before the three Persons of the one God, asking for mercy.
The prayer to the Heavenly King is especially important. We’re asking the Holy Spirit to come live in us, to clean out the mess we’ve made of ourselves, to save us. That’s not symbolic language. We believe the Spirit actually does this work in us when we pray with faith.
Notice how much of this is about mercy, cleansing, healing. The Trisagion Prayers aren’t a spiritual to-do list you check off. They’re medicine. You come to God sick, and you ask Him to make you well.
A Bit of History
The Trisagion hymn itself goes back to the early Church. There’s a legend about a boy who was caught up to heaven during some disaster and heard the angels singing it. When he came back down, he taught it to everyone before he died. Whether that’s literally true or not, the prayer is ancient.
It became really important during the Christological debates of the fifth century. Some groups wanted to add “Who was crucified for us” after “Holy Immortal,” which sounds pious but actually muddies the Trinitarian meaning. The Orthodox Church kept it clean: just the three-fold “Holy” addressed to the Trinity, followed by “Have mercy on us.”
You’ll find the Trisagion Prayers in the Antiochian Archdiocese’s Pocket Prayer Book, which most folks around here keep in their car or by their bed. Fr. Thomas Hopko used to say that if you can’t do anything else, do these prayers. They’re short enough for someone working a twelve-hour shift at the refinery, but they contain everything you need.
Making Them Your Own
When you first start praying these, they’ll feel awkward. You’re learning a new language. That’s fine. Keep at it.
Some people pray them standing. Some sit if their knees are bad. Some pray them in the car before work. I know folks who pray them in the parking lot at HEB before going in to shop, just to reset their mind.
The point isn’t perfection. The point is showing up. You say these prayers, and you’re joining yourself to millions of Orthodox Christians across two thousand years who’ve said the same words. You’re asking the same thing they asked: mercy, cleansing, healing.
Start with morning. If you can add midday or evening, great. If not, don’t beat yourself up. One time a day is infinitely better than zero times a day.
You can find the full text on the OCA website or in any Orthodox prayer book. But honestly, you’ll have them memorized within a couple weeks. Then they’ll be there whenever you need them, stuck in traffic, lying awake at 3 AM worrying, standing at a graveside. The words will come, and with them, the presence of the One who hears.
