saints – St Jacob Orthodox Church

February 24, 2025February 24, 2025

Elder Nazarius service: Vespers and Matins

In love for Blessed Nazarius, Abbot of Valaam Monastery, I wanted to try to include some small reference to him in our Sunday services this past Sunday, since it was his day, February 23rd. However, because this was one of the Sundays of the Triodion, the Sunday of Last Judgment, as we near Great Lent, none of the material for the saint usually included.

I decided to just bring in his troparion (“dismissal hymn”), if I could find it, to add to the troparia at the beginning of Matins…a little nod to Elder Nazarius. I went to look in the volume of the Little Russian Philokalia dedicated to him, because I have seen the troparion and kontakion for the saint listed in other volumes of that series. Come to find out, his volume has the full service: Vespers and Matins for Abbot Nazarius of Valaam! And what’s more: the service was produced by Platina itself, the canon by the brotherhood as a whole, and the stichera at Vespers composed by Father Seraphim (Rose).

October 30, 2024

St. John Kochurov service: Vespers, Vigil, Matins, Liturgy

St. John Kochurov was a priest who service in the missionary diocese of America under St. Tikhon in the early 20th century. He was mainly in Chicago, and besides being responsible for the building of the Holy Trinity Cathedral there, he also was influential in helping start up several parishes in Illinois, including in Streator, Madison, and Joliet, but also far to the east and north in Buffalo, New York, and way down in Hartshorne, Oklahoma.

That is where he caught my interest, being from Oklahoma myself. I wanted to commemorate him in the services, so, back in 2018, I found his full service available on the OCA Diocese of the Midwest website. At that point, I only converted it to traditional English, “thou/thy” wording. This year, however, in preparation for his celebration tomorrow, I went through and pointed the text to be sung with the tones. That includes a fair amount of editing, just to smoothly fit text and music together, and to allow the music to bring out the essential meaning of the text.

Feel free to use this full service to St. John Kochurov, including Vespers and Matins to do a Vigil.

September 9, 2024September 10, 2024

St. Tikhon visits Oklahoma

Visitation by His Grace Bishop Tikhon (Bellavin), Bishop of the Aleutians and North America

to the Orthodox parish in Hartshorne, Indian Territory (Oklahoma)

as related in the Russian Orthodox American Messenger, May 1904

Our Orthodox Visitor: On April 6 (19), Bright Tuesday, Hartshorne had the good fortune to receive His Grace, Vladyka Tikhon. Meeting the archpastor at the railway station were the rector of the church, Hieromonk Tikhon (Rostovsky); the church warden, Vasiliy Prokopchak; and the local brotherhood, led by their chairman, Ivan Kitchak; along with a host of children. Led by Hierodeacon Anthony, His Eminence was brought from the station to the church in a carriage, accompanied by the crowd gathered.

June 3, 2024June 3, 2024

Service for Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth

We will soon be commemorating the New-martyr Elizabeth, martyred by the Bolsheviks along with the Romanov royal family. This service to the Grand Duchess Elizabeth was obtained from with the website of St. Elizabeth Convent in Minsk, but some editing was needed.

Changes were needed, not because of any inadequacies in the original text, but partially to help the meaning of the words come through when sung to the melodies used here at our parish. I would assume that the original Russian/Slavonic wording was created “straight into” the Church tones. Once translated into English, it would again need a little “massaging” to really help the meaning shine through.

March 9, 2024March 9, 2024

The Monk Who Never Judged Anyone and Died Joyfully

Coming up on the Sunday of the Last Judgment, we might feel a stirring of some of those fears we have, deep down, of that Judgment Day. But there is a trick. We actually have a large amount of control over how we are judged.

Christ says, Judge not, and you will not be judged. And, he adds elsewhere, with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. Meaning, if I am incredibly lenient with my judgment of others, the Lord will also be incredibly lenient with me. There is a beautiful entry of an unnamed monk in the Prologue of Ochrid: