Worship & Services
84 writings in Worship & Services. Clear
Worship & Services
What is the difference between living and departed prayer lists?
The living list contains names of people who are alive. The departed list contains names of those who’ve died. Both are read during the Divine…
Worship & Services
What should I do during the service if I’m visiting?
Stand, watch, and don’t take communion. The longer answer is that you’re welcome to participate in everything except Holy Communion itself. Stand when others stand…
Worship & Services
When should I cross myself?
Cross yourself whenever you invoke the Holy Trinity, venerate an icon, begin or end a prayer, or need God’s help. There’s more to say about…
Worship & Services
When should I bow?
You bow when the priest gives a blessing, during petitions to Christ or the Theotokos, at the Trisagion, before venerating an icon, and before receiving…
Worship & Services
What is a prostration?
A prostration is when you go all the way down to the floor in prayer. You kneel, touch your forehead and hands to the ground,…
Worship & Services
When do Orthodox Christians make prostrations?
We make prostrations during Great Lent, at certain moments in services throughout the year, and in our personal prayer lives. But there are also times…
Worship & Services
What do icons have to do with the Incarnation?
We kiss icons to greet and honor the person depicted, Christ, His Mother, or one of the saints. It’s veneration, not worship. The honor passes…
Worship & Services
What am I doing when I venerate an icon?
You make the sign of the cross, bow slightly, kiss the icon, then cross yourself again and step back. That’s the basic physical action. But…
Worship & Services
Should I kiss the priest’s hand?
Yes, it is the customary greeting. But not because the priest is special or holy on his own. You’re kissing what his hand represents. When…
Worship & Services
Why do people kiss the priest’s hand?
We’re not kissing the man. We’re venerating Christ. When you see someone kiss Father’s hand after receiving a blessing, they’re doing something that goes back…
Worship & Services
What is the blessing with the cross at the end of Liturgy?
At the end of the Divine Liturgy, the priest holds out a cross and blesses the congregation, and people come forward to kiss it before…
Worship & Services
What is a festal service?
A festal service is what we call the special worship services celebrated on the Church’s feast days. These aren’t your regular Sunday services. They’re bigger,…
