The Ascension of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ

Great Vespers: Priest exclaims Glory to the holy. Choir: Amen. Priest: O come let us worship. The choir sings the select verses of Psalm 103.

Great Litany. Blessed is the man is not sung

Lord I have Cried, Tone 6: Feast 10 (The Lord was taken up into the Heavens); G/N: Feast (Not being separated from the bosom of the Father).

Entry; O Gladsome Light; Prokimenon of the day, Tone 5: O God, in Thy name save me.

3 Readings for the Feast.

Litia stichera: Feast (As Thou ascendest unto the Heavens); G/N: Feast (O Lord, having fulfilled the mystery).

Aposticha: Feast (Thou wast born as Thou Thyself didst will); G/N: Feast (God is gone up in jubilation).

Troparia: Feast (Thou hast ascended in glory) x3.

Matins: God is the Lord, Tone 4; Troparia: Feast x2; G/N Feast.

After each Kathisma: Sessional hymns of the Feast.

Polyeleos and Magnification of the Feast: We magnify Thee, O Christ the Giver of life, and we honor Thy divine Ascension with Thy most pure Flesh into heaven. Psalm verse: Clap your hands, all ye nations; shout unto God with a voice of rejoicing.

Sessional hymns of the Feast (Having come down from Heaven unto the things of earth).

Hymns of Ascents, First Antiphon, Tone 4: From my youth.

Prokimenon of the Feast, Tone 4: God is gone up in jubilation.

Matins Gospel: Mark 16:9-20 (§71).

Having beheld the resurrection x1; Psalm 50; G: Through the prayers of the apostles; N: Through the prayers of the Theotokos; Have mercy on me, O God; and the Sticheron of the Feast (Today the hosts on high, beholding our nature in the Heavens). Save, O God, Thy people.

Canon: Feast (first canon ) 8 Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.

Feast (second canon) 6 Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.

Irmoi of the feast: Let us sing unto the only Savior and God. & I shall open my mouth. (According to the Typikon, each Irmos is sung twice)

Katavasia of Pentecost, Covered by the divine cloud.

After Ode 3, Sessional Hymn of the Feast (Having mounted upon heaven’s clouds).

After Ode 6, Kontakion (When Thou didst fulfill Thy dispensation for our sake) and Ikos of the Feast.

At Ode 9, we do not sing More Honorable. We instead sing the refrains of the Feast: Magnify, O my soul, Christ the giver of life, Who ascended from earth to Heaven, with the canon of the feast

Exapostilarion: Feast (While Thy disciples looked on Thee, Thou ascendest) x3.

Praises, Tone 1: Feast 4 (Let us that are in the world now keep feast angelically); G/N: Feast (Thou wast born as Thou Thyself didst will). After the Great Doxology: Troparion of the Feast; the two remaining Litanies and Festal dismissal: May Christ our true God, Who in glory did ascend from us into heaven and sit at the right hand of God the Father; First Hour.

Hours: Troparion: Feast; Kontakion: Feast.

Liturgy: The Festal Antiphons are sung in place of the usual Typical Psalms and Beatitudes.

At the entrance, the deacon (or priest if there is no deacon) says the Festal Introit in place of the usual O come, let us worship: God is gone up in jubilation, the Lord with the voice of the trumpet. And immediately the Troparion of the feast (Thou hast ascended in glory), G/N: Kontakion of the feast (When Thou didst fulfill Thy dispensation for our sake).

Prokimenon, Tone 7: Be Thou exalted above the heavens, O God.

Epistle: Acts 1:1-12 (§1).

Alleluia, Tone 2.

Gospel: Luke 24:36-53 (§114).

Instead of It is truly meet, we sing the refrain Magnify, O my soul, Him Who hath ascended from earth to heaven, Christ the Giver of life, with the Irmos of the Ninth Ode, first canon (Thee that art above understanding and word, the Mother of God).

Communion Hymn: God is gone up in jubilation.

Instead of We have seen the True Light, we sing the Troparion of the Feast.

Festal Dismissal: May Christ our true God, Who in glory did ascend from us into heaven and sit at the right hand of God the Father.

Great Vespers: Lord, I have cried, Tone 1, on 6: Feast 3 (O Lord, Who hast ascended); Martyr 3 (Attending unto the sweet words – Virgin Martyr Glyceria, May 13); G/N: Feast (Thou was born as Thou Thyself didst will).

Entrance with the censer, O Gladsome Light; The Great Prokimenon, Tone 7: Our God is in heaven and on earth; all things soever He hath willed, He hath done.

Aposticha: Feast (When He went up the Mount of Olives); G/N: Feast (Beholding Thine ascension).

Troparia: Virgin Martyr (Thy martyr Glyceria); G/N: Feast (Thou hast ascended in glory).