Paraklesis and Fast for the Assumption

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Batfink

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Hi all,

My Spiritual Director (a Latin Rite Catholic, like me) sent me a Word document today with a Paraklesis for the Dormition, to be said between now and 14th August.

I’ve never heard of this before, so I was hoping someone could help me with a few points:
  1. Is it ok to pray this on my own? The directions seem to be geared up for a public recitation in church. Are there any modifications to be made for private prayer? While we’re on it - is it ok for me to pray it as a Latin Riter or is it something reserved?
  2. Is it permitted to offer the prayer for particular intentions? And if so, when would one state them? Or would you just have in mind before you start what the intention is and offer it quietly?
  3. The instructions aren’t clear on this. Do I alternate the Small and Great Parakleses (Saturdays & Sundays as per instructions) or use the Small on weekdays and Great on Sundays?
  4. I still say the Great Paraklesis on the eve of the Transfiguration because Sunday trumps vigil, right? Or not?
  5. I don’t know the tones referenced in the text. And, to be honest, I’m a terrible singer so I wouldn’t recognise or be able to reproduce the tones even if I had heard them before. Would you think it would be better to just speak it or try a basic chant tone like I would use for the LOTH (it would have to be basic!)? Bearing in mind no one would hear me, it’s just what would be better in itself (in your opinion).
  6. All I can find online for the Fast is for Orthodox Christians. Do Catholics follow the same fasting rules? As I understand it, this means abstention from meat, fish, dairy products and oil? I’m not sure that I could keep this fast since I live with family who would not be prepared to accommodate it; the way I usually fast is to completely abstain from solid food for 2-3 (usually non-consecutive) days a week. Is there any way to merge this with accepted Eastern Catholic fasting or not? Obviously I’m not bound by Eastern fasting requirements, but it seems rude (irreverent? I’m not sure) to take one part of the prayer and ignore the other.
Sorry for the complete ignorance of anything but Latin Rite Catholicism. I am hoping that somebody here can help to educate me in this and maybe I’ll gradually build up my understanding of the richness of our faith.

Thank you for any advice. Feel free to comment on any other aspects of the preparation for the Dormition; it’s all new to me!
 
Why aren’t you asking your spiritual director these questions?
 
Because he’s a Latin Rite Catholic who recommended this to me because he thought I might like it; he’s not an expert in Eastern matters. I could ask him, and we’d have a 3 hour discussion about how it might work, but ultimately it will have been many years (if at all) since he’s actually seen the Paraklesis prayed by Easterners so I thought some people here might be more informed.

Sorry if they are rude questions. I am trying to pray this properly and I just don’t understand (parts of) it. I don’t mean to offend anyone.
 
Not a rude question 🙂

The Paraklesis, or Office of Consolation to the Most Holy Theotokos, can be served generally for any spiritual need. By tradition in churches of the Byzantine Rite, it is done during the Dormition Fast (August 1-14).

The word “Paraklesis” above is linked to the service book now used by the Byzantine [Ruthenian] Catholic Metropolitan Church of Pittsburgh. As you will note, it is led by a priest, assited by a deacon if available. The Canon of Supplication (marked Ode 1 through Ode 9) can be prayed privately, usually with introductory and concluding prayers according to Byzantine custom. Although the Odes as set to music in the service book (as we chant everything), they can be recited when done privately.

There is also a related thread from August 2008, with further guidance. I’d direct you to post # 2 for Diak’s well informed guidance and other useful links.
 
  1. Is it ok to pray this on my own? The directions seem to be geared up for a public recitation in church. Are there any modifications to be made for private prayer? While we’re on it - is it ok for me to pray it as a Latin Riter or is it something reserved?
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Absolutely. No spiritual treasures of the universal Church are “reserved”. The late Holy Father Blessed John Paul II was fond of both the Paraklesis and the Akathist Hymn (which I would also suggest).
  1. Is it permitted to offer the prayer for particular intentions? And if so, when would one state them? Or would you just have in mind before you start what the intention is and offer it quietly?
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The Paraklesis is specifically an intercessory service, and of course particular intentions can be made. You can do this at the beginning by specifically mentioning those you wish to pray for.
  1. The instructions aren’t clear on this. Do I alternate the Small and Great Parakleses (Saturdays & Sundays as per instructions) or use the Small on weekdays and Great on Sundays? 4) I still say the Great Paraklesis on the eve of the Transfiguration because Sunday trumps vigil, right? Or not?
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Vigils of a feast of the Savior (August 1 and 6) take precedence, and the Paraklesis is not celebrated on those eves. In the Greek tradition, yes, the canons are sometimes alternated between the Great and Small Paraklesis. You can find good translations of the Small Paraklesis at both goarch.org/chapel/chant/paraklesis/index_html and anastasis.org.uk/lit-parak.htm You can find a translation of the Great Paraklesis at orthodoxchristian.info/pages/megapara.htm

The very first Ukrainian Greek Catholic prayer book printed for North America, “Hospodu Pomolimsya”, printed in the very early years of the 20th century contains the full service of the Paraklesis. In the Slavic tradition only the Canon of Theophanes (the Small Supplicatory Canon or Small Paraklesis) is used, and not the Great Paraklesis.
  1. I don’t know the tones referenced in the text. And, to be honest, I’m a terrible singer so I wouldn’t recognise or be able to reproduce the tones even if I had heard them before. Would you think it would be better to just speak it or try a basic chant tone like I would use for the LOTH (it would have to be basic!)? Bearing in mind no one would hear me, it’s just what would be better in itself (in your opinion).
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The simplest way is to chant the Paraklesis recto tono or with a single note using one other note to modulate or accentuate.
6)All I can find online for the Fast is for Orthodox Christians. Do Catholics follow the same fasting rules? As I understand it, this means abstention from meat, fish, dairy products and oil? I’m not sure that I could keep this fast since I live with family who would not be prepared to accommodate it; the way I usually fast is to completely abstain from solid food for 2-3 (usually non-consecutive) days a week. Is there any way to merge this with accepted Eastern Catholic fasting or not? Obviously I’m not bound by Eastern fasting requirements, but it seems rude (irreverent? I’m not sure) to take one part of the prayer and ignore the other.
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Yes, the Eastern Catholic Churches also recognize the Dormition Fast. Fasting should be done under the direction of your spiritual father taking into account your physical condition as well.
 
When I arrived last night at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral here for the Paraklesis listed on their website calendar I knew something was wrong because there was not a single car in the parking lot except mine. :confused:
 
My Spiritual Director (a Latin Rite Catholic, like me) sent me a Word document today with a Paraklesis for the Dormition, to be said between now and 14th August.

I’ve never heard of this before, so I was hoping someone could help me with a few points:
  1. Is it ok to pray this on my own? yesThe directions seem to be geared up for a public recitation in church. Are there any modifications to be made for private prayer?No While we’re on it - is it ok for me to pray it as a Latin Riter or is it something reserved? Not reserved
  2. Is it permitted to offer the prayer for particular intentions?Yes And if so, when would one state them? in the petitionsOr would you just have in mind before you start what the intention is and offer it quietly?
  3. The instructions aren’t clear on this. Do I alternate the Small and Great Parakleses (Saturdays & Sundays as per instructions) or use the Small on weekdays and Great on Sundays? If you use it on Sundays, only on Sunday evening, unless it is the eve of the Transfiguration and never on Sunday morning or, properly, Saturdau evening4) I still say the Great Paraklesis on the eve of the Transfiguration because Sunday trumps vigil, right? Or not? not
  4. I don’t know the tones referenced in the text. And, to be honest, I’m a terrible singer so I wouldn’t recognise or be able to reproduce the tones even if I had heard them before. Would you think it would be better to just speak it or try a basic chant tone like I would use for the LOTH (it would have to be basic!)? Bearing in mind no one would hear me, it’s just what would be better in itself (in your opinion). Recite it. “Bearing in mind” is in the Final Akathist on the 5th Fri of Great Lent, not Paraklesis. [Just joking!]
  5. All I can find online for the Fast is for Orthodox Christians. Do Catholics follow the same fasting rules? Yes As I understand it, this means abstention from meat, fish, dairy products and oil? I’m not sure that I could keep this fast since I live with family who would not be prepared to accommodate it; the way I usually fast is to completely abstain from solid food for 2-3 (usually non-consecutive) days a week. Is there any way to merge this with accepted Eastern Catholic fasting or not? Many actually do not keep the Dormition Fast nearly as strenuously as they would the Great [Lenten] Fast Obviously I’m not bound by Eastern fasting requirements, but it seems rude (irreverent? I’m not sure) to take one part of the prayer and ignore the other. Don’t be overly scrupulous. Better to do what you can than all or nothing!
Sorry for the complete ignorance of anything but Latin Rite Catholicism. To paraphrase what the Ethiopian said to Deacon Philip: If there’s no one to teach you, how could you know? I am hoping that somebody here can help to educate me in this and maybe I’ll gradually build up my understanding of the richness of our faith.

Thank you for any advice. Feel free to comment on any other aspects of the preparation for the Dormition; it’s all new to me!
 
Batfink,

On fast and abstinence, the key question to ask is why we are doing it. We prepare ourselves for the celebration though fast and abstinence, without being extreme. We temper our desires and this temperance is part of emptying ourselves, or kerygma, protecting us from the evil one, we are led to eternal life. Through our proclaiming and living our faith in God, we are becoming a likeness of Christ our God. This calls for humility, prayer, and charity.

The fast and abstinence took different forms in the west and east, with eating of the poor mans food in the west (fish) and one meal. In the east with more variety of foods, there is focus on limiting the variety of mammalian foods, and fried food. Also, abstaining from marital relations is practiced (by mutual agreement). However there is always the Eucharistic fast, originally beginning from midnight.
 
5Loaves said:
When I arrived last night at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral here for the Paraklesis listed on their website calendar I knew something was wrong because there was not a single car in the parking lot except mine. :confused:
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Might it perhaps have been an Old Calendar cathedral, in which case the day you arrived would have the [usual] “Gregorian” date and not the “Julian”. Admittedly, quite confusing. Or, as Riley {Wm Bendix] would have put it: “What a revolting development THIS is!”
 
I don’t think it is a calendar issue. Many parishes, especially smaller parishes or parishes where the priest has to travel, don’t take the Paraklesis on the evening of August 1st or the 6th as they have already had other services earlier in the day for the Procession of the Cross or the Transfiguration depending on the date.
 
Aboona_Joe said:
Might it perhaps have been an Old Calendar cathedral, in which case the day you arrived would have the [usual] “Gregorian” date and not the “Julian”. Admittedly, quite confusing. Or, as Riley {Wm Bendix] would have put it: “What a revolting development THIS is!”
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I haven’t thought of Riley in forever! Thanks for that memory.🙂

Anyway… the Cathedral is on the same calendar as my parish-- revised Julian, the quite confusing cathedral. 😉 I got an email from the assistant priest. It turned out the head priest got called away to their camp, and the assistant was flyin back from Serbia. A friend and I were there for Vigil for Transfiguration.
 
Once again, we reach for the convoluted theoretical when the ridiculously mundane was quite at the ready: to wit, Gregorian vs. Julian blah, blah, blah trumped by “called away” and “flyin’ in”. Oh, when will I ever learn!
 
5Loaves said:
I haven’t thought of Riley in forever! Thanks for that memory.🙂

Anyway… the Cathedral is on the same calendar as my parish-- revised Julian, the quite confusing cathedral. 😉 I got an email from the assistant priest. It turned out the head priest got called away to their camp, and the assistant was flyin back from Serbia. A friend and I were there for Vigil for Transfiguration.
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Oops… the result of multitasking- watching the Olympics while posting…That was supposed to say “the quite confusing calendar” 😉
 
It’s interesting that this practice never became popular during the Spasivka in Slavic usage. In some parishes of Slavic usage the Akathist is actually sung rather than the Paraklesis during this time. Even in the old Ukrainian prayer book I cited above that includes the Paraklesis there is no note on when the service should be taken.

In the UGCC Molitvoslov as in the pre-Nikonian Old Rite Horologion the Canon of Supplication to the Mother of God of Theophanes (the “Little Paraklesis Canon”) is appointed to be taken on all evenings at Small Compline when prayed “in the cell” or privately outside of a parish or monastery that may have the full Octoechos Canons to the Mother of God, and it is appointed for Polyeleos-rank feasts in addition to the Canon(s) from the Menaion at Matins. It is of course also frequently taken with the Moleben to the Mother of God when prayed in its fuller form. Some rules for preparation for Holy Communion also prescribe the Canon of Supplication as part of the prayer rule.

I’m just wondering if the more frequent regular use of the Canon of Supplication in the Slavic tradition may have impacted the lack of specific prescriptions for it to be used during this time since it would be used at Compline and at other times anyway. Just thinking out loud here.
 
Diak said:
It’s interesting that this practice never became popular during the Spasivka in Slavic usage. In some parishes of Slavic usage the Akathist is actually sung rather than the Paraklesis during this time.
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I think you may be on to something. At Holy Spirit Byzantine Catholic Church in Oakland, PA (part of Pittsburgh), for example, the Akathist was sung nightly during the Dormition Fast in 1961 and 1964 (probably other years as well). The services were advertised in the eparchial newspaper.
 
I think you may be on to something. At Holy Spirit Byzantine Catholic Church in Oakland, PA (part of Pittsburgh), for example, the Akathist was sung nightly during the Dormition Fast in 1961 and 1964 (probably other years as well). The services were advertised in the eparchial newspaper.
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I was speaking about this to an OCA priest friend and he indicated his parish has only celebrated the Akathist and never the Paraklis during Spasivka as long as anyone in the parish can remember.
 
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