The celebration of Christ's Nativity was amazingly beautiful this year -- everything seemed to come together for us to do the services fully, with extra singers even showing up to fill out the choir -- and the weather cooperated with snow for a white Christmas! At the end of this blog we post the schedule for the final days of our celebration: New Year's Day and St. Basil's feast on January 1st through January 6th, the Lord's Theophany. If you are in the area, you are welcome to join us for any of these services!
Some history: The celebration of the Nativity of our Lord was split from Theophany in the early centuries of Christian worship, yet they remain integrally linked. The famed Twelve Days of Christmas are not the post feast of the Nativity and certainly not twelve shopping days before Christmas, but rather one great explosion of light coming at the darkest time of the year, proclaiming the coming of true Light, Life, Love and Truth into the world, bookended by the Church with these two twenty four hour periods of intense liturgical worship in thanksgiving and praise of God’s great mercy towards us and all creation. Theophany is the amazing climax of this longest feast -- a full twelve-days -- of the Church year.
Christ is Born! Glorify Him!
Services for the Theophany of Christ 2013
Holy
Myrrhbearers Monastery, Otego, New York
Tuesday,
January 1
5:00 Vespers
of the Prefeast
7:00
Compline with Canon
of the Prefeast
Wednesday
- Thursday, January 2 - 3
6:00 A.M.
Matins of the Prefeast
9:00 Third
Hour
12 NOON
Sixth Hour
3:00 p.m.
Ninth Hour
5:00 Vespers
of the Prefeast
7:00 Compline
with Canon of the Prefeast
Friday,
January 4
6:00 A.M.
Matins of the Prefeast
9:00 First
& Third Royal Hours
12 NOON
Sixth & Ninth Royal Hours
5:00 Vespers
of the Prefeast
7:00 Compline
with Canon of the Prefeast
Saturday,
January 5 – Vigil of Theophany
9:00 A.M.
Third Hour
12 NOON
Sixth Hour
5:00
Supper
6:00 p.m. Vigil:
Vespers with Old Testament Readings &
Matins
Sunday, January 6 – Theophany
10:00 A.M. Divine Liturgy with the Great Blessing of Water
5:00 p.m. Vespers
of the Feast
