You don’t need to buy anything. Service books are in the pews at St. Michael so you can follow along from the moment you walk in, and a parishioner will gladly help you find your place.
What You’ll Find in the Pews
At St. Michael, service books are in the pews. They contain the text of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, which is what we serve most Sundays. They’re free and they’re meant for you to use. You can pick one up, follow along, and put it back when you leave.
Do You Need Your Own Book?
Not at first. Many people attend for months using only the books in the pews. 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. Inexpensive paperback editions of the Divine Liturgy are available that are perfect for this, with the full text of St. John Chrysostom’s Liturgy and the prayers before and after Communion. Ancient Faith also sells an abridged Divine Liturgy prayer book that fits in your pocket.
You can order them from the Antiochian Village store or Ancient Faith’s website. Ask Fr. Michael or the parish office about getting one.
What Changes as You Keep Coming
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 map.
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
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. The service books are in the pews. 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.
