The Epiclesis is the moment in the Divine Liturgy when the priest calls on God the Father to send the Holy Spirit down upon the bread and wine to transform them into the Body and Blood of Christ.
It happens near the end of the Eucharistic Prayer, right after the Anamnesis (when we remember Christ’s death, resurrection, and promised return). You’ll hear the priest pray something like: “Send down Your Holy Spirit upon us and upon these gifts here presented, and make this bread the precious Body of Your Christ, and that which is in this cup the precious Blood of Your Christ, changing them by Your Holy Spirit.”
The word itself comes from Greek and means “invocation” or “calling down.” We’re asking the Spirit to do what we can’t do ourselves.
Why It Matters
If you grew up Catholic, you might’ve been taught that the bread and wine become Christ’s Body and Blood at the exact moment the priest says “This is my Body” and “This is my Blood.” That’s the Words of Institution, and they’re absolutely part of what’s happening. But Orthodox theology doesn’t pin everything on that single moment.
We believe the entire Eucharistic Prayer is one unified action of consecration. The Words of Institution are there. The Anamnesis is there. And the Epiclesis is there, explicitly asking the Father to send the Spirit who makes the transformation real. It’s not magic words. It’s the Church’s prayer, and it’s the Holy Spirit who accomplishes what we’re asking for.
Fr. Alexander Schmemann wrote about this beautifully in his book The Eucharist. He explained that the whole Anaphora (that’s the Eucharistic Prayer) is the Church participating in the Kingdom of God. The Spirit doesn’t just change bread into Body. The Spirit makes us into the Body of Christ, the Church, even as we receive Christ’s Body in communion.
This is deeply Trinitarian. The Father is invoked. The Son is remembered and made present. The Spirit descends to accomplish the mystery. All three Persons of the Trinity are active in what’s happening at the altar.
What You’ll See and Hear
During the Epiclesis, the priest often extends his hands over the gifts. Sometimes he’ll make the sign of the cross over them. The deacon (if there is one) points to the bread and wine with his orarion. Everyone in the church is praying along, even if silently. Some people bow. You might hear a slight shift in the priest’s voice because this is the holiest moment of the Liturgy.
It’s not a show. But it’s not invisible either.
The priest’s voice might drop to a near-whisper for parts of the prayer, then rise again for the Epiclesis itself. In some parishes you’ll hear every word clearly. In others, parts are said quietly. Either way, the whole church is holding its breath, so to speak, as we ask the Spirit to come.
A Word About Differences
This isn’t about being anti-Catholic or anti-Protestant. But it’s worth knowing that this emphasis on the Holy Spirit’s role in consecration is distinctively Orthodox. Western Christianity, especially after the medieval period, focused more and more on the Words of Institution as the precise moment of change. Orthodox theology kept the older, more holistic understanding that the Spirit is the one who makes the sacrament real.
St. John of Damascus, writing in the eighth century, taught that just as the Spirit overshadowed Mary to bring about the Incarnation, the Spirit comes upon the gifts to make Christ present sacramentally. Same Spirit, same divine action, different mode.
If you’re coming from a Baptist or non-denominational background, this whole conversation might sound strange. You might be used to thinking of communion as a memorial, a symbolic reminder. We believe it’s that too, but not only that. When we say “This is my Body,” we mean it. And the Epiclesis is where we see most clearly that this isn’t our doing. It’s God’s.
Living It
You don’t need to understand every theological detail to participate in the Liturgy. But knowing what the Epiclesis is can deepen your experience. When you hear the priest call on the Holy Spirit, you’re hearing the Church’s ancient prayer. The same prayer Christians have prayed for nearly two thousand years.
And you’re not just watching. You’re part of it. The Epiclesis asks the Spirit to come “upon us and upon these gifts.” We’re being changed too. That’s the point. The Eucharist isn’t just about what happens to bread and wine. It’s about what happens to us when we receive Christ and become, more and more, His Body in the world.
If you want to read more about this, the OCA website has a good short article on the Epiclesis in their section on the Divine Liturgy. Fr. Thomas Hopko’s talks on Ancient Faith Radio cover it too, in his usual clear and pastoral way. But honestly, the best way to understand it is to keep coming to Liturgy and letting the prayer soak into you over time.
