The Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council / Ss. Cyril and Methodius

(Tone 6)

Great Vespers: Blessed is the man.

Lord I have Cried, Tone 6, on 10: Resurrection 3; Fathers 4 (Before the ages, before the morning star); Saints 3 (With what wreaths of praise); G: Fathers (Let us praise today the mystic clarions of the Spirit); N: Sunday Dogmatic in the tone of the week.

Entry; O Gladsome Light; Prokimenon of the day, Tone 6: The Lord is King.

3 Readings for the Fathers & 3 for the Saints.

Litia: Fathers (Ye were diligent keepers of the Traditions of the Apostles); Saints (Ye shone forth, taken from the Vespers Aposticha); G: Saints (Rejoice, O sacred twain); N: Feast (Having completed the mystery of Thy dispensation).

Aposticha: Octoechos; G: Fathers (This day let us, the assemblies of the Orthodox); N: Feast (Having fulfilled the mystery)

Troparia: O Theotokos and Virgin x2; Saints x1 (As ones equal in character to the Apostles).

Matins: God is the Lord, Tone 6; Troparia: Resurrection x1; Fathers (Most glorified art Thou, O Christ our God); G: Saints (As ones equal in character to the Apostles); N: Theotokion, Tone 4 (The mystery hidden).

After each Kathisma: Sessional hymns from the Octoechos.

Polyeleos and Magnification of the Saints: We magnify you, O Equals-of-the-Apostles Methodius and Cyril, who have enlightened all the Slavic lands by your teaching and brought them to Christ; The Evlogitaria (The assembly of angels was amazed).

Hypakoe of the Tone; all the Sessional hymns of the Saints; Hymns of Ascent, and Prokimenon, Tone 6.

Matins Gospel 10, John 21:1-14 (§66).

Having beheld the resurrection; Psalm 50; G: Through the prayers of the apostles; N: Through the prayers of the Theotokos; Have mercy on me, O God; Jesus having risen. Save, O God, Thy people.

Canon: Resurrection 4 Glory to Thy Holy Resurrection, O Lord.

Saints 4 Holy Equals-of-the-Apostles, Methodius and Cyril, pray to God for us.

Fathers 6 Holy God-bearing Fathers, pray to God for us.

Irmos of the canon of the resurrection, Tone 6

Katavasia, Tone 4: Covered by the divine cloud. 

After Ode 3, Kontakion (Let us honor our sacred pair of enlighteners) and Ikos of the Saints; Sessional Hymns of the Fathers (Ye truly shown, O blessed fathers); G: Saints (Thou didst liken the holy consubstantial Trinity to the Sun); N: Feast (Thou Who didst rise into the Heavens with glory).

After Ode 6, Kontakion (The preaching of the apostles) and Ikos of the Fathers.

At Ode 9, More Honorable.

Holy is the Lord, our God.

Exapostilaria: Resurrection; Fathers (Celebrating the memory of the divine fathers today); G: Saints (Celebrating your memory); N: Resurrectional Theotokion.

Praises, Tone 6, on 8: Resurrection 3; Fathers 2 (Having combined their spiritual art); Saint 3 (O divinely wise Cyril and Methodius – with the doxasticon (O ye people, piously celebrating) and the final two psalm verses: Thy priests shall be clothed with righteousness, and Thy righteous shall rejoice. & The mouth of the righteous shall meditate wisdom, and his tongue shall speak of judgment); G: Fathers (The choir of the holy fathers); N: Most blessed art thou. After the Great Doxology, the troparion: Having risen; the two remaining Litanies and Resurrectional dismissal. After the dismissal: G/N: Gospel Sticheron; followed by First Hour.

The Hours: Troparia: Resurrection; G: Fathers & Saints, alternating; Kontakion: Resurrection, Saints & Fathers, alternating.

Liturgy: Beatitudes on 12, Tone 6, from the Pentecostarion: 4; Fathers: 4, from Ode 3; Saints: 4, from Ode 6.

After the entrance: Troparia of the Resurrection, Fathers, Saints; Kontakion of the Fathers; G: Saints; N: Feast.

Prokimenon, the song of the fathers, Tone 4: Blessed art Thou, O Lord, the God of our fathers. & Tone 7: Precious in the sight of the Lord.

Epistle: Acts 20:16-18,28-36 (§44) ; Heb. 7:26-8:2 (§318).

Alleluia, Tone 1 & Tone 2.

Gospel: John 17:1-13 (§56); Matt. 5:14-19 (§11).

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 first canon of the ninth Ode (Thee that art above understanding and word, the Mother of God).

Communion Hymn: Praise the Lord in the heavens. & In everlasting remembrance shall the righteous be.

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

Resurrectional Dismissal.