Order
for the Taking out of the Cross
Before the beginning of the Vigil, the priest (wearing his phelonion)
and deacon, in his vestments, go to the Table of Oblation, where the precious
Cross, decorated with various flowers and lying on a tray that is covered with
an Aer, has been prepared. The Royal
Doors and the curtain are closed. The
deacon gives the censer to the priest, who censes the precious Cross and then
returns the censer to the deacon. Priest: Blessed
is our God. Deacon or Reader:
Trisagion Prayers. Priest: For
Thine is the Kingdom. Then are sung the troparion of the Cross,
Glory… Both now…and the Kontakion. During the Singing, the priest makes a
prostration, then he places the tray with the Cross on
his head and carries it to the Holy Table, preceded by candle-bearers and the
deacon who censes the Cross. The priest
puts the Cross on the Holy Table on the place of the Gospel Book, which has
previously been set upright at the back of the Holy Table. The deacon gives the censer to the priest, and
then the priest and the deacon cense three times around the Holy Table. The priest returns the censer to the deacon,
who then censes the priest three times.
A lighted candle is set before the cross. Then the curtain and the Royal Doors are
opened and the vigil begins.
After
the Gospel Reading: The priest holds up the Gospel, as usual, during the
singing of “Having Beheld the Resurrection…”, but the Gospel is not brought out
for veneration, but return to the back of the Holy Table, where it was before
the reading. The priest remains in the
Alter during the prayer “O Lord, save Thy people…”
During
the stichera of the Praises, the officiating priest puts on all his
vestments, as at the Liturgy. While the
choir sings the Great doxology, the deacon gives the censer to the priest, and
they cense three times around the Holy Table, whereon the precious Cross has
been placed; they cense the Cross from the four sides. The priest gives the censer to the deacon. While the choir sings the concluding Holy God…
to a slow and solemn melody, the priest makes a prostration, takes the Cross
with the tray and, placing it upon his head, proceeds around the Holy Table and
out of the Altar through the north door, preceded by
candle-bearers and the deacon who censes the Holy Cross. The priest stops in from of the Royal Doors,
facing to the east, and when the final Holy God…has ended, he raises up the
Holy Cross and, making the sing of the Cross with it, says “Wisdom! Aright!”
Then we sing the troparion of the
Cross, thrice.
The priest proceeds to the center of
the Church and places the Cross on a table or analogion specially prepared for
it. The deacon gives the censer to the priest,
and they cense the Cross from the four sides of the table, going around it
three times. The priest gives the censer
to the deacon, who then censes the priest three times. Then the clergy sing three times: Before
Thy Cross… and this is also repeated
three times by the choir and the people.
Meanwhile, the priest makes two
prostrations in front of the Cross and kisses it, after which he makes another
prostration. The Cross is then venerated
by the other clergy in order of rank and by all the faithful, each making two
prostrations before venerating the Cross and one after.
During the veneration
of the Cross, the choir sings the appointed stichera.
On the Apodosis
After the conclusion of the Liturgy,
the priest comes out from the sanctuary with the censer, preceded by the deacon
with a candle. He goes to the center of
the Church, where the Cross is resting on a table, and he censes the precious
Cross on all four sides, thrice. The
priest then returns the censer to the deacon.
During the singing of the troparion of the Cross; Glory… Both now…, and
the kontakion of the Cross, the priest puts the Cross on his head, he carries
it into the sanctuary, the deacon going in front and censing the Cross. Then the priest places the Cross on the Holy
Table. The deacon hand the censer to the
priest, and then the priest and the deacon cense the Cross on all four
sides. The priest then returns the
censer to the deacon, who censes the priest three times.
Troparion
Tone 1: O Lord,
save Thy people and bless Thine inheritance. Grant Thou victory unto
Orthodox Christians over their enemies,
and by the power of Thy Cross do Thou preserve
Thy commonwealth.
Kontakion of the Cross / Third Sunday of Lent Tone 7: No longer doth the flaming sword
guard the gate of
extinction hath come upon it, even the Tree of the Cross. The sting hath been taken from
death, and the victory from hades. And Thou, my Savior, didst appear unto those
in
hades, saying: Enter ye again into
Kontakion of the Cross / Exaltation
Tone
4: O
Thou Who wast lifted up willingly on the Cross, *
bestow Thy mercies upon
the new community
named after Thee, O Christ God; * gladden with Thy power the
Orthodox
Christians, * granting them victory over enemies; * may they have as Thy help
the weapon of
peace, the invincible trophy.