There are 12 rules for a church note submitted for repose or health. The concept of “health” includes not only the health and physical condition of a person, but also his spiritual condition. This note should include everyone to whom we wish health, salvation and prosperity. In the note “For the Repose” we write the names of deceased relatives, acquaintances, teachers, well-wishers, everyone who is dear to us. Just as we pray for the living, so we must pray for the dead - and not only for our closest relatives, but also for our entire family, for everyone who did us good in earthly life, helped us, taught us.
If you want the memorial note you submitted to the altar to be read carefully and slowly, remember the 12 rules of the Church Note:
- Write in clear, understandable handwriting, preferably in block letters, trying to mention no more than 10 names in one note.
- Title it “about health” or “about repose.” With the image of a cross.
- Write names in the genitive case (the question “who”?).
- Use the full form of the name, even if you are remembering children (for example, not Seryozha, but Sergius).
- Find out the church spelling of secular names (for example, not Polina, but Apollinaria; not Artem, but Artemy; not Egor, but Georgiy).
- Before the names of clergy, indicate their rank, in full or in an understandable abbreviation (for example, Priest Peter, Archbishop Nikon).
- A child under 7 years of age is called a baby, from 7 to 15 years of age is called an adolescent.
- There is no need to indicate the last names, patronymics, titles, professions of those mentioned and their degree of relationship in relation to you.
- It is allowed to include in the note the words “warrior”, “monk”, “nun”, “sick”, “travelling”, “prisoner”.
- On the contrary, there is no need to write “lost”, “suffering”, “embarrassed”, “student”, “grieving”, “maiden”, “widow”.If the woman you mention is pregnant, then Orthodox traditions before the name can be indicated - “non-idle”.
- In the funeral notes, mark the “newly deceased” (deceased within 40 days of death), “ever memorable” (deceased who have memorable dates on this day), “killed.”
- There is no need to pray for those whom the Church has glorified as saints (for example, Blessed Xenia).
Health is commemorated for those who have Christian names, and repose is remembered only for those baptized in the Orthodox Church.
Notes can be submitted at the liturgy:
On- the first part of the liturgy, when for each name indicated in the note, particles are taken out of special prosphoras, which are subsequently dipped into the Blood of Christ with a prayer for the forgiveness of the sins of those remembered;
At mass - this is what people call the liturgy in general, and the commemoration of it in particular. Usually such notes are read by clergy and clergy before the Holy See;
For the litany- commemoration for all to hear. It is usually performed by a deacon. At the end of the liturgy, these notes are commemorated a second time in many churches, at services. You can also submit a note for a prayer service or memorial service.
The venerable one writes similarly: It should also be remembered that notes for the Liturgy are not given for people who have even been baptized. but they do not live the Christian life. Saint Semyon of Thessaloniki strictly writes about this -» But as much as it is beneficial for the one for whom this sacrifice is made when he lives worthy of the Christian title, so much is it disastrous and harmful for him who, having given himself over to a sinful life, neglects the worthy correction of the Christian title. For a particle, being brought on behalf of any Christian, and reclining near the Divine bread, when it is sacredly performed and transformed into the Body of the Lord, becomes part of the sanctification, and brought into the dissolution of the Holy Chalice is then watered with the life-giving Blood: why the soul for which it is offered , sends down grace; then the spiritual union of man with God takes place. If the soul is pious, or although through weakness it falls into sin, it is then cleansed by repentance: this invisibly receives the communion of the Holy Spirit, and is often rewarded with bodily benefits, this is repeatedly demonstrated by experience. If someone, being given over to sin, and does not want to retreat from it, such as someone unworthy of communion with God, will receive the worst condemnation from the sacrifice made for him. Therefore, the Priest must carefully observe so as not to accept offerings and offer sacrifices for such people who, having banished shame and conscience from their hearts, indulge in all lawlessness; for this the Priest himself is condemned along with them. This is why man experiences many different temptations and sorrows. For this reason, Paul cries, there are many in you who are weak and ill, and sleep contentedly (1 Cor. 11:30). » Semyon of Thessaloniki (The Book of the Temple, word 63)
“If the Church does not allow a bloodless sacrifice to be made for an Orthodox open sinner who does not repent, then can she allow one to be made for someone who has died without any repentance in opposition to the Holy Church? No way. Saint Simeon, Archbishop of Thessalonica, testifies about an obvious sinner that it is not appropriate for him to partake of the Holy Mysteries and it is impossible to make a bloodless sacrifice for him with the following words: “there is no place for the infidel or the wise. Therefore, no priest should make a sacrifice or commemorate someone who is clearly sinning and does not repent, since this offering is a condemnation for them, just as the reception of the terrible Mysteries is unworthy and without repentance for those who receive communion, as the divine Paul says about this.” (Cor.11:29). The same Simeon, about which particles should be offered: “The priests should not accept the offerings of the faithful who are obviously sinning, as it happens, but first demand repentance. For communion is a part offered, and it is not proper, being unworthy, to partake of this sacrifice.” The same Simeon that the priest should carefully observe about whom he brings a particle: “how much useful an offering is for those who bring it worthy, so disastrous and harmful for the unworthy, to the extent this is possible for people, for a particle brought about someone , being placed near the divine bread, after this bread is consecrated and becomes the body of Christ, immediately that particle partakes of the shrine; put into the chalice, it is united with the Blood, and this imparts grace to the soul for which it was offered. For there is mental communion, and if a person turns out to be devoted to reverence, or even though he has sinned, he has repented, then invisibly, as we said, he receives communion of the Spirit with his soul. In many cases, as we have seen, he also receives bodily benefits. Therefore, the priest should carefully observe, so as not to accept an offering from everyone who wants, and not to bring about those who sin without any shame, so as not to be condemned along with them.” Hitherto the words of Saint Simeon, or better yet, the words of the entire holy conciliar Church, for he speaks in accordance with the conciliar wisdom. From these words it follows that church commemoration should not be performed for those who died without repentance and in opposition to the Holy Church. He who dares to commemorate such people will pay a terrible answer for this, before Christ our God on the day of His terrible judgment.”
The Optina elders held the same opinion -
“We must not openly remember sinners who are in unrepentance, in error and schism; according to the interpretation of church teachers - through the combination of particles taken out for their names with the Divine Blood - not purification, but condemnation occurs for them... Submit to the proskomedia about your neighbors known to you; and pray for others in general, and in your thoughts try to consider everyone as saints (however, without imitating their bad deeds) ... " (Soulful teachings of the Optina elders. Letter 207 to Thomas Nikitich and others, January 31, 1836 - Holy Vvedenskaya Optina Hermitage, 2000).
Why do they write notes in churches?– A note about health or repose is a type of general prayer, a desire to help a living or deceased neighbor, a manifestation and development of love. Sincere, diligent, sincere prayer always helps - however, the composition and time of help is determined not by people, but by God. Only He knows what kind of help is most useful at each stage of a person’s earthly life.
How often should memorial notes be submitted?
The prayer of the Church and the Most Holy Sacrifice attract the mercy of the Lord to us, purifying and saving us. We always, both during life and after death, need God's mercy towards us. Therefore, it is necessary to be rewarded with the prayers of the Church and the sacrifice of the Holy Gifts for us or our loved ones, living and deceased, as often as possible, and especially on those days that are of exceptional significance: birthdays, baptism days, name days of both one’s own and members of one’s family. family. Honoring the memory of the saint whose name we bear, we call on our patron to pray and intercede before God, because, as the Holy Scripture says, the intense prayer of the righteous can accomplish much (James 5:16). It is imperative to submit a note for remembrance on the child’s birthday and baptism. Whether sin attracts us to itself, whether a bad passion takes possession of us, whether the devil tempts us, whether despair or inconsolable sorrow befalls us, trouble, need, illness comes - the prayer of the Church with the offering of the Bloodless Sacrifice serves deliverance, strengthening and consolation.
How to write a note in a temple?
- Draw an eight-pointed cross at the top of the note, then inscribe it - “On health” or “On repose.” Next, in large, legible handwriting, list in the genitive case the full names (usually 10 names) given at Baptism of those people for whom prayers are asked. Names should be written in church form, for example, not Ivan, but John; not Semyon, but Simeon; not Ulyana, but Juliania. Children's names should also be written in full, for example, “Sergius”, not “Seryozha”. The names of the clergy are written first; the rank is indicated before the names, in full or in an understandable abbreviation, for example: “Bishop. Eustathius", "Jerome. Photius", "Priest Alexander". If you want to remember many of your family and friends, you can submit several notes. In the notes “On Repose” the deceased is referred to as “newly deceased” (new) within 40 days after death. There is no need to pray for those whom the Church has glorified as saints (for example, Blessed Xenia), they themselves are already praying for us.
Who can't submit notes for?
– Notes in the church are not submitted for those who are not members of the Orthodox Church: for the unbaptized, heterodox, non-Orthodox, for suicides (if there is no Bishop’s blessing for their funeral service and church commemoration), for convinced atheists and fighters against God, even if they have been baptized.
How does commemoration take place according to notes at the proskomedia?
– During the proskomedia (translated from Greek as “offering”), the preparatory part of the Liturgy, people are remembered whose names are written in the notes about health and repose, and the priest at this time takes out particles from the prosphora and at the end of the Liturgy, after communion of the laity, lowers these particles into the Holy Chalice, in which are the Body and Blood of Christ, with the prayer: “Wash away, O Lord, the sins of those remembered here by Thy Honest Blood, by the prayers of Thy saints.”
On Valaam, such a commemoration is performed by the brethren of the monastery in the temple during the reading of the midnight office. At this time, a proskomedia is performed in the altar.
Until what age is a child, an infant, an adolescent? How to properly reflect this in notes?
– Up to 7 years of age, a child is an infant, from 7 to 14 years of age is an adolescent. This is indicated in abbreviation before the child’s full name when writing notes. For example: “ml. Sergius" or "neg. Evgenia."
Is it possible to write “lost”, “embarrassed” in notes?
- It’s not customary to write like that. To the name of the person being commemorated, written in the genitive case, it is allowed to add the words: “baby”, “youth” (for children). In funeral notes, before the name of the deceased, within 40 days after death, the word “newly deceased” is usually added. Sanity is added to the names of clergy and written at the beginning of notes. For prayerful commemoration, it is enough for the priest to know the person’s name given in Baptism.
Is it possible to submit health notes for an unborn child?
- It is forbidden. The unborn child has not yet received holy Baptism, and only the names of baptized Orthodox Christians are written in the notes.
Notes on the health of the expectant mother should be submitted, and the mother herself should visit church more often, confess and receive communion - this will be useful both for her and for the child, who from the moment of conception is already a person with an immortal soul.
What is sorokoust and how to order it?
– Sorokoust is a forty-day commemoration of health or repose during proskomedia. Sorokoust can be ordered in the candle shop of the temple only for baptized Orthodox Christians.
What is annual commemoration?
– In addition to notes on one-day commemorations, churches and monasteries also accept notes on daily commemorations of living and deceased Christians for long periods: for 40 days (Sorokoust), for a year.
WRITING NOTES CORRECTLY
TO How to write a note correctly?
At the top of the note you need to draw an eight-pointed cross, then inscribe it - “On health” or “On repose.” In our church there are ready-made forms in red - “about health” and blue - “about repose”. Next, in large, legible handwriting, you need to list in the genitive case the full names (usually 10 - 15 names) given at Baptism, of those people for whom prayers are asked. Names should be written in church form, for example, not Ivan, but John; not Semyon, but Simeon; not Ulyana, but Juliania. Children's names should also be written in full, for example, “Sergius”, not “Seryozha”. It is necessary to clearly write the endings of the names that both men and women bear: Alexandra (man) and Alexandra (woman), Valentina and Valentina, etc. The names of the clergy are written first, before the names the rank is indicated, in full or in an understandable abbreviation, for example: “Archbishop Jerome”, “Archpriest Nicholas”, “Priest Peter”.
Until what age is a child, an infant, an adolescent? How to properly reflect this in notes?
Up to 7 years of age, a child is an infant, from 7 to 14 years of age is an adolescent. This is indicated in abbreviation before the child’s full name when writing notes. For example: “Jr. Sergius” or “Jr. Evgeniy”.
Is it possible to write “lost”, “embarrassed” in notes?
The name of the person commemorated in the genitive case may include the following words: “baby”, “youth” (for children), as well as: “warrior”, “sick”, “traveling”, “prisoner”, “student”. Before the names of living people who are baptized but do not live the church life, they write: “lost” so that the clergyman understands for whom he is praying. They do not write: “suffering”, “embarrassed”, “grieving”, “maiden”, “widow”.
In the funeral notes, one should note “newly deceased” (within 40 days after death), “ever memorable” (if the deceased has a memorable date on this day), “killed”, “warrior”. Sanity is added to the names of clergy and written at the beginning of notes.
Who can't submit notes for?
Notes in the temple cannot be submitted for those who are not members of the Orthodox Church: for the unbaptized, heterodox (Catholics, Protestants, Armenians), non-believers (Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, etc.), as well as for suicides (if there is no bishop’s blessing for them funeral service and church commemoration), for convinced atheists and atheists, even if they were baptized.
How does commemoration take place according to notes at the proskomedia?
During the proskomedia - the preparatory part of the Liturgy ("proskomedia" - in Greek "preparation"), for those people whose names are written in the note, the priest takes out particles from the prosphora and at the end of the Liturgy lowers these particles into the Holy Chalice, in which the Body is located and the Blood of Christ, with the prayer: “Wash away, O Lord, the sins of those remembered here by Thy Honest Blood, by the prayers of Thy saints.” By performing this sacred rite, the grace of the Holy Spirit is given to the souls of people commemorated according to the notes.
Is it possible to write names in notes that are not in the Orthodox calendar, for example, Egor?
Only the names given at Baptism are written in the notes. As a rule, Yegor takes the Orthodox name George at Baptism.
What is sorokoust and how to order it?
Sorokoust is a forty-day commemoration during the Liturgy with the removal of a particle from the prosphora for the person for whom prayers are asked. In our church, the magpie is accepted only for the repose of the newly departed and, in addition to the liturgy, it is also commemorated at the memorial service. Sorokoust can be ordered where the church sells candles (candle box) only for baptized Orthodox Christians.
What is an annual, semi-annual commemoration?
In addition to notes on one-day commemorations, our church also accepts notes on daily commemorations of living and deceased Christians for long periods of time: for a month, for 40 days (Sorokoust), for six months, for a year. The names are recorded in the funeral synodik and the brethren of the church pray for these people during the specified period at each liturgy.
What is eternal remembrance?
This commemoration lasts as long as the temple or monastery exists. In our church, such a commemoration is "".
What is a “name brick” and how to buy it?
- "" in our church is called eternal remembrance of health or repose, but only on Sundays and holidays. If you purchase a “personalized brick” in our church, then the name of the person for whom you are purchasing the brick will be written on one of the bricks, you will be given a certificate for the “personalized brick” and the name is recorded in a special synod. Bricks with names written on them are used to build the temple.
You can buy "" in the temple behind the candle box or in the church shop.
Is it possible to submit health notes for an unborn child?
It is forbidden. The unborn child has not yet received Holy Baptism, and only the names of baptized Orthodox Christians are written in the notes. Notes on the health of the fertile (not idle) mother should be submitted - this will be useful for both her and the child. The expectant mother needs to visit the temple, and not just visit, but confess and receive communion. In our church every Thursday at 17:00 there is a prayer service “for expectant mothers”.
Prayer book
Abbreviations adopted in church calendars
ap. - apostle
App. - apostles
archbishop - archbishop
Archbishop - archbishops
archim. - archimandrite
Archimm. - archimandrites
bessr. - unmercenary, unmercenary
blgv. - missus (missive)
blgvv. - faithful
blzh. - blessed, blessed
blzh. - blessed
led - great, great
VMC. - great martyr
vmcc. - great martyr
Vmch. - great martyr
vmchch. - great martyrs
diak. - deacon
ev. - evangelist
Ep. - bishop
epp. - bishops
abbot. - abbot
hierome - hieromonk
hieroschema - hieroschemamonk
imp. - to the emperor
Spanish - confessor, confessor
book - prince
knn. - princes
Kng. - princess
Prince - princess
Metropolitan - metropolitan
Metropolitan - metropolitans
martyr - martyr
mchch. - martyrs
mts. - martyr
mcc. - martyrs
novmch. - new martyr
novosvschmch. - new martyr
Patr. - patriarch
patrr. - patriarchs
right - righteous
right - righteous
presbyt. - presbyter
prophet - prophet
prorr. - prophets
prophet - prophetess
lumen - educator, enlightener
prot. - archpriest
Protoprev. - protopresbyter
prmch. - venerable martyr
prmchch. - Venerable Martyrs
prmts. - Venerable Martyr
prmtst. - Venerable Martyrs
St. (outside the calendar it is permissible rev.) - reverend
prpp. - Reverends
equal to - equal to the apostles, equal to the apostles
equal to app. - Equal to the Apostles
St. - holy, holy
St. - saints
St. - saint
svtt. - saints
priest (outside the calendar) - priest
sschmch. - martyr
sschmchch. - holy martyrs
pillar - stylite
passion. - passion-bearer
schema. - schemamonk
miracle - miracle worker
holy fool - holy fool
In prayer books and liturgical books, some frequently used prayers are not given in full each time, but are indicated abbreviated. Such abbreviations - for example, the abbreviation “Glory, and now:” - are found in almost all prayer books. This not only saves space, but is also very convenient for experienced readers and singers.
There are much more abbreviations of this kind in liturgical books: they are designed for the reader to have a firm knowledge of a very wide range of prayers and chants. In the Church Slavonic tradition, the indicator of such a contraction is the colon (:) - it plays here a role similar to the role of the ellipsis (...) in modern Russian writing.
"Glory, even now: (or: “Glory: And now:”) - Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
“Glory:” - Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
“and now:” - And now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Attention! In the Psalter, each of the kathismas - the twenty parts into which the Psalter is divided for reading - is divided into three parts, after each of which it is usually written: "Glory:"(this is why these parts are called “Glories”). In this (and only this) case, the designation “Glory:” replaces the following prayers:
(Thrice)
Lord, have mercy. (Thrice)
Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
"Alleluia" (Thrice) - Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to You, O God.(Thrice)
« Trisagion By Our Father" or " Trisagion. Holy Trinity... Our Father..." - prayers are read sequentially:
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.(Thrice)
Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; Lord, cleanse our sins; Master, forgive our iniquities; Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Thy name's sake.
Lord, have mercy.(Thrice)
Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors; and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
Reduction " Come, let's worship...» should read:
Come, let us worship our King God. (Bow)
Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ, our King God.(Bow)
Come, let us bow and fall down to Christ Himself, the King and our God. (Bow).
Instead of Theotokos We usually say: Most Holy Theotokos, save us, but instead Trinity: Most Holy Trinity, our God, glory to Thee, or Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Let's imagine that someone bought an expensive, very high-quality Swiss watch. And suddenly a thought occurs to him: “Let me open them up, take out a couple of parts and see: will they work or not?” If he does this, the watch will most likely stop working.
Orthodox worship is much more precise and subtle than a Swiss watch.
It was created either directly by God (for example, the Eucharist) or by the Fathers of the Church under the gracious guidance of the Holy Spirit. All its elements combine harmoniously and naturally, helping us to follow the path of salvation. Can we arbitrarily and especially through laziness or negligence break this Divine harmony?
Second example. The life of Blessed Andrei the Foolish One describes a vision of grace that prompted the confessor to embark on the path of the feat of foolishness for Christ for the sake of...
It was a kind of lists (from the Church Slavonic language - “contest”, “competition”, “place for racing or gymnastic exercises”), on which saints and angels fought with demons. That is, we see that spiritual life is a struggle, a war with God’s help with one’s passions, sins, and demons. In this sense, it seems to me that it can be compared to sports.
Can you imagine that a candidate for world champion, for example, in high jump, will stop hard training and say: “Okay, I’ll probably train for thirty to forty minutes a day, that’s enough.”
Will he be able to win the gold medal? Of course not.
The same is true in spiritual life. Here, too, you need to “train” your spiritual “muscle” - your heart, your soul and body, among other things, in order to acquire the saving skill of prayer. Let us remember the Gospel verse where the Savior speaks about demons: “This generation is driven out only by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:21). And in this sense, Orthodox worship is a battle.
So can we cut back on our life-saving spiritual “training”? And who will benefit from such a reduction? Hardly for us. Rather, to our invisible enemies.
Moreover, church worship is a reflection of the heavenly angelic worship at the Throne of God, where saints and angels are in continuous praise of the Lord. And we on earth (of course, very carefully and gradually, under the necessary spiritual guidance!) must acquire the skill of continuous prayer, or at least approach it. But will we get closer to it if we begin to reduce service? Probably not.
In addition, it seems to me that there is some self-will and self-indulgence in this, and the Church, as we know, is based on obedience.
Of course, there are different cases in life. And priestly life is full of them.
Example. Twelfth holiday. The priest served the Divine Liturgy and hurries to the next village for a prayer service. It's already late. People come up to him and say that they are in trouble (the court, for example), someone has been taken to the hospital or is leaving urgently. And the priest knows that they need to serve a prayer service, they need to call on the grace of God on these people in need of the Lord’s protection. But he no longer has time. There are people waiting for him there too. And they may also not wait and disperse. What to do? He shortens the prayer service to the priestly exclamation “Heavenly King,” a litany and prayer with petitions for someone who is sick or traveling or in some other need. Then follows the release and blessing of these people who turned to him. And he is already “flying” to continue serving.
I repeat, cases are different.
But it’s one thing if you do it out of necessity, another thing if you do it out of laziness and carelessness.
The famous liturgist, professor at the Kyiv Theological Academy, Mikhail Skaballanovich, wrote that the Typikon is not only a normative Charter, but also an ideal to which the actual worship of an Orthodox church should strive.
From my own experience, I would like to say that parishes where statutory services are omitted or reduced, somehow wither and become impoverished. Where parishioners, led by a priest, try to strive for this ideal - the Typikon - in their worship, there is an upsurge and prosperity. An example of this is monasteries. In Rus' they have always been not only models of spiritual life, but also of economic management. Why? Everyday worship takes place there, calling on God's grace. And the Lord looks upon the faithfulness of his own.
Because the Lord does not live in man-made temples. And He does not need a stone, but our heart, directed towards Him. And such aspiration of the soul is the statutory Orthodox service and deepening into prayer during it.