What is Vesperal Divine Liturgy?

[Vico]

I’ve never been to a Vesperal Divine Liturgy, or for that matter a Byz Cath Divine Liturgy at all, but here in the Latin Church (or at least the Anglican Use expression of it) is something that seems to be similar to what is described above, that is, Evensong (Vespers) with the Mass attached to it after what would normally be the Liturgy of the Word. I’ve never been to this form of Evensong/Mass either, but as it is described in the Book of Divine Worship, it does not appear to be an occasion to be encouraged, but rather for those churches who desire Evensong but also need Mass but who for some reason are not able to have them separately. Or at least that was how I remember the rubrics; I may have misread it entirely.

Evensong:

Prayers (with responses), Psalmody, Old Testament reading, the ‘Magnificat’ or Psalm 98 (‘Cantate Domino’), New Testament reading, ‘Nunc Dimittis’ or Psalm 67 ( ‘Deus Misereatur’), Apostle’s Creed, prayers (with responses), three collects.

The Mass follows on weekdays but not Sunday evening. But I found the practice, when I researched, of following with Benediction of The Blessed Sacrament, on Sunday Evening.

The choir sings using Anglican Chant. Evensong is in English, but the anthem may be in Latin. It might take 45 minutes. Benediction 15 more.

Byzantine Vespers portion of the Vigil Divine Liturgy:

Blessing, Psalm 103, Litany of Peace, Psalms 140, 141, 129 and 116, with stichera, The Hymn of the Evening: “O joyful light”, Small Litany *, Trisagion, Prokeimenon, Apostolic Reading, Alleluia, Gospel Reading, Homily, Litany of Fervent Supplication, Litany for the Catechumens (option), Litany of the Faithful (option).

The Divine Liturgy continues with the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

• The transition point of Vespers to the Divine Liturgy is after the small litany.

Comparison:

The Byzantine Liturgy of the Eucharist seems to roughly correspond to the Liturgy of the Faithful. The litanies are prayers for people, with responses.

 

[ciero]

The Vesperal Divine Liturgy when NOT prescribed by the typicon is an ABUSE, plain and simple. Another Petrasism of the Ruthenians. Unfortunately it has spread East to the OCA and the Antiochians.

 

[Vico]

The Vesperal Divine Liturgy when NOT prescribed by the typicon is an ABUSE, plain and simple. Another Petrasism of the Ruthenians. Unfortunately it has spread East to the OCA and the Antiochians.

It sure seem to be the case. In our Byzantine parish we only have the Vigil Divine Liturgy (Chrysotsom) for the Annunciation (March 25) in place of the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts (W or F), and the St. Basil Vigil Divine Liturgy for Theophany eve and Nativity eve. The Byzantine Catholic USA particular law prefers the Divine Liturgy in the morning but allows the prior evening also.

 

[Aramis]

The Vesperal Divine Liturgy when NOT prescribed by the typicon is an ABUSE, plain and simple. Another Petrasism of the Ruthenians. Unfortunately it has spread East to the OCA and the Antiochians.

Which is more abuse? The VDL, an established form expanded in use… or a DL in the evening with no adaptations?

Essentially, that is the choice, since the US culture fails to respect people’s need for Sundays off for religious reasons…

 

[Palamas]

The Orthodox church normally has a vesperal litugy during the week. It is held the night before an important feast day that falls in the middle of the week. We celebrated a vesperal liturgy last night, August 5, to commemorate Holy Transfiguration, which happens today, Friday the 6th. It consists of evening prayer/vespers followed by the divine liturgy. At the point in the evening prayer, right after we sing " O Gladsome Light", we switch to the divine liturgy starting with the trisagion. A kontakion for the particular feast will be sung. Otherwise, the divine liturgy is the same as on Saturday. The only time I have ever been to an evening divine liturgy on Saturday, other that on Easter, is when Christmas falls on a Sunday.

Our Easter services obviously begin on Saturday too, but the evening prayer before the actual divine liturgy begins at 10:00PM and is called rush. It is a very long service so that divine liturgy usually starts at or near 12:00 AM, so that the liturgy and the receiving of communion occur on Sunday, not Saturday. We have a big Easter feast afterward at the church and we usually don’t start going home till around 3:00AM.

I have never heard of any Orthodox Church having a divine liturgy on a Saturday evening in order to satisfy the requirement of attending divine liturgy on Sunday. We do have divine liturgy on some Saturday mornings. This is done several times during Great Lent and are known as Soul Saturdays, where church members can have the names all of their relatives and friends who have fallen asleep in the Lord read aloud and prayed for with special prayers at this time. We also have a divine liturgy in the morning on Great and Holy Saturday. This is when we normally baptize converts.

 

[dvdjs]

The Orthodox church normally has a vesperal litugy during the week. It is held the night before an important feast day that falls in the middle of the week…

This information is not correct Palamas. As pointed out by others, this practice - common among the Antiochians, and less in the OCA and GOA - is not normal ; it is an innovation and, strictly speaking, and abuse, or as some say, an ABUSE. Here is a pointed article against this practice from then Bishog Tikhon of the OCA holy-trinity.org/liturgics/tikhon.lit3.html .

I am, however, inclined to think that this innovation is a good one. Among the BC’s, like some EP jurisdiction, there is a desire for frequent communion. Even if we were properly catechised, and recognized that our “obligation” to keep the sabbath is satisfied by participation in Saturday evening vespers, our people would still want the liturgy (or a mass) because they would want communion. Some ridicule this feeling, but I am think these people are right.

And I am thus very sympathetic to the need for evening liturgies. My father, in the last year of his life, simply could not rise in time to get to a morning liturgy, and was very, very grateful for the opportunity to attend Saturday evening liturgy and receive communion.

Those who decry this practice as an abuse need to recall that, on good authority, the sabbath is for man.

 

[Palamas]

Thank you for the correction. I will ask my priest about it, and if necessary, my bishop.

 

[5Loaves]

This information is not correct Palamas. As pointed out by others, this practice - common among the Antiochians, and less in the OCA and GOA - is not normal ;

I was Th night at the festal vigil at an OCA parish, five loaves and the blessing on forehead with oil, no Divine Liturgy. They had DL the next morning. The local OCA cathedral calendar was Vigil Th night and DL Fri morning. The East bay OCA shows the same but they seem to be on old calendar which I didn’t realize, as is the ROCOR cathedral, which lists no festal vigil only the DL on the morning of the Feast, Th the 19th.

 

[ciero]

Which is more abuse? The VDL, an established form expanded in use… or a DL in the evening with no adaptations?

Essentially, that is the choice, since the US culture fails to respect people’s need for Sundays off for religious reasons…

Why not follow the typion as the ONLY option? Divine Liturgy in the evening when NOT prescribed is as much of an abuse as a Vesperal Liturgy. Vespers is an evening service, serve it in the evening. Orthros is a morning service, serve it in the morning. Divine Liturgy is a MORNING SERVICE (with a few exceptions), serve it in the MORNING.

I must be stupid or something…I just dont get why people want to play with making their own typicon.

 

[Aramis]

Why not follow the typion as the ONLY option? Divine Liturgy in the evening when NOT prescribed is as much of an abuse as a Vesperal Liturgy. Vespers is an evening service, serve it in the evening. Orthros is a morning service, serve it in the morning. Divine Liturgy is a MORNING SERVICE (with a few exceptions), serve it in the MORNING.

I must be stupid or something…I just dont get why people want to play with making their own typicon.

Not stupid, just making a generalization in error…

There is no singular Typicon. Each church sui iuris and autocephalous has its own, and some churches have a different typicon by eparchy/diocese. Each bishop may, can, might publish their own typicon, if it is needed.

 

[Patchunky]

Why not follow the typion as the ONLY option? Divine Liturgy in the evening when NOT prescribed is as much of an abuse as a Vesperal Liturgy. Vespers is an evening service, serve it in the evening. Orthros is a morning service, serve it in the morning. Divine Liturgy is a MORNING SERVICE (with a few exceptions), serve it in the MORNING.

I must be stupid or something…I just dont get why people want to play with making their own typicon.

Probably because people are living in the 21st century where they have to leave their homes to work for a living. You are not living in some isolated village in the mountains where everyone can attend a morning Divine Liturgy.

To have a Divine Liturgy where no one attends defeats the purpose and meaing of the Divine Liturgy.

 

[ciero]

Probably because people are living in the 21st century where they have to leave their homes to work for a living. You are not living in some isolated village in the mountains where everyone can attend a morning Divine Liturgy.

To have a Divine Liturgy where no one attends defeats the purpose and meaing of the Divine Liturgy.

Sorry not buying that line of bull. It seems that its an Eastern catholic thing. The “mass” mentality. If you go to church it better be for Mass. As Eastern Catholics I just dont get why our people have given up all the rest of the services. Why not attend Vespers on the evening before a feast, if your not able to attend the liturgy? Or better yet attend both. Our people have the mindset of if I dont get my communion I might as well stay home. People have no problem taking the day off from work for a ball game or to go to the beach, why not schedule a day off for a Feast day if you want to attend the Divine Liturgy.

And the church just keeps giving in to this mentality…Vesperal Divine Liturgy is an ABUSE any way you cut it.

Keep making it easier to be a Christian, God forbid there was a bit of sacrifice or inconvenience.

 

[ciero]

Not stupid, just making a generalization in error…

There is no singular Typicon. Each church sui iuris and autocephalous has its own, and some churches have a different typicon by eparchy/diocese. Each bishop may, can, might publish their own typicon, if it is needed.

Not buying this bull either Aramis. The typicon is given to us by holy tradition. And there is one Typicon…it is known as the Typicon of the Great church. It is not made up bishop to bishop, or church by church.The order of services and when during the day they are served are all prescribed by the Typicon. Even as particular churches we are part of the Church at large, we DO NOT change holy tradition, we are custodians of Holy Tradition. And the Typicon is part of Holy Tradition. We do not change the order of services to suit our needs or to make our life easier or more convenient. Why not order our lives around the services of the church.

I know of a number of folks who plan their time off from work to be able to attend the holy week and holy day services. Why not take the morning off for a feast day Divine Liturgy? At Transfiguration Liturgy last week there were a number of people who would normally be at work there, just a little forethought and planning, its all about priorities. I know of another parish that starts feast day liturgy at 4am so working folk can be there and still go to work. Most people would complain that that wasnt convenient either. So I guess the only answer is to change the Typicon to suit lazy Americans.

Once again in my opinion it is this modern (American) mindset that the church should cater to me. Make it easier for me to be a Christian, dont challenge or inconvenience me!

Sorry for the rant!

 

[Vico]

Originally there were the Typikon of the Laura (monastery) of Saint Sabbas the Sanctified and the Typikon of the Studious Monastery with its own variations widely used across the Byzantine Empire. The Typikon of Saint Sabbas was adopted for Constantinople (and Kiev also) and printed about 1545, but the Studite Typikon was used in most Slav areas. Then the Byzantine Eastern Catholic Churches re-unions began (first was 1595, then 1646). Nikon revisions occurred later 1652 to 1658, causing a schism to Old Rite and New Rite. So there are Pre-Nikonian Old Rite and the Nikonian New Rite versions of the Slavonic Typikon.

There were revisions after that also:
1682 Sabaite Typikon was published in its final form in Russia
1838 Ecclesiastical Typikon according to the Style of the Great Church of Christ
1888 Typikon of the Great Church of Christ published in Constantinople

 

[ciero]

Originally there were the Typikon of the Laura (monastery) of Saint Sabbas the Sanctified and the Typikon of the Studious Monastery with its own variations widely used across the Byzantine Empire. The Typikon of Saint Sabbas was adopted for Constantinople (and Kiev also) and printed about 1545, but the Studite Typikon was used in most Slav areas. Then the Byzantine Eastern Catholic Churches re-unions began (first was 1595, then 1646). Nikon revisions occurred later 1652 to 1658, causing a schism to Old Rite and New Rite. So there are Pre-Nikonian Old Rite and the Nikonian New Rite versions of the Slavonic Typikon.

There were revisions after that also:
1682 Sabaite Typikon was published in its final form in Russia
1838 Ecclesiastical Typikon according to the Style of the Great Church of Christ
1888 Typikon of the Great Church of Christ published in Constantinople

Vico would you find a Vesperal Divine Liturgy for most feast days or for Saturday evening in any of these Typicons?

My point is we follow the Typicon! We do not make up the Typicon as we go along to suit our selves.

 

[Vico]

Vico would you find a Vesperal Divine Liturgy for most feast days or for Saturday evening in any of these Typicons?

My point is we follow the Typicon! We do not make up the Typicon as we go along to suit our selves.

Alright I understand what you mean now. I agree with you.

The parishoners have the right to request that the typicon be followed (It’s being done), but they do not have control over the bishops and pastors. The bishops and pastors have the obligation to follow the liturgical rite. The idea of economy at achieving the recension means s-l-o-w-l-y, I think. I must be fortunate to be in a parish that follows the Typicon, except for one thing. They still have a spoken non-vigil Divine Liturgy on Saturday evening for the mostly Latins that come there.

There is sometimes a problem when only one or two people show up in the moring Divine Liturgy, so we do not then have both a cantor and reader. You can get someone to be the reader (although they may not sing it correctly), but cantor is more difficult. The ideal for the Byzantine Catholic Church is the 1941 Ruthenian ordo arrived at by Rome, after the request of the Ruthenian bishops.

 

[ciero]

Alright I understand what you mean now. I agree with you.

The parishoners have the right to request that the typicon be followed (It’s being done), but they do not have control over the bishops and pastors. The bishops and pastors have the obligation to follow the liturgical rite. The idea of economy at achieving the recension means s-l-o-w-l-y, I think. I must be fortunate to be in a parish that follows the Typicon, except for one thing. They still have a spoken non-vigil Divine Liturgy on Saturday evening for the mostly Latins that come there.

There is sometimes a problem when only one or two people show up in the moring Divine Liturgy, so we do not then have both a cantor and reader. You can get someone to be the reader (although they may not sing it correctly), but cantor is more difficult. The ideal for the Byzantine Catholic Church is the 1941 Ruthenian ordo arrived at by Rome, after the request of the Ruthenian bishops.

Vico; What is a non. vigil evening divine liturgy?

Why do pastors cater for folks from a different ritual church? (To the detriment of their own church). Why not serve Vespers? Where does this idea of a Saturday evening Liturgy come from? I have known priests who started serving Vespers with only 1 or 2 folks coming, some weeks the poor priest served all by himself. The priest persisted and finally people started coming, this one parish now serves Vespers 4 times a week plus Orthros a few times as well, very well attended. The people have learned to PRAY the services…they can now even do priestless services when Father is out of town.

Yes for the Ruthenians the 1941 Ordo is the best option. I dont get why some parishes only get 1 or 2 folks for the Liturgy…if the parish was having an outing to Vegas or Disneyland I bet you would get more then 1 or 2 to show up bright and early. It is VERY frustrating!!

 

[Vico]

Vico; What is a non. vigil evening divine liturgy?

Why do pastors cater for folks from a different ritual church? (To the detriment of their own church). Why not serve Vespers? Where does this idea of a Saturday evening Liturgy come from? I have known priests who started serving Vespers with only 1 or 2 folks coming, some weeks the poor priest served all by himself. The priest persisted and finally people started coming, this one parish now serves Vespers 4 times a week plus Orthros a few times as well, very well attended. The people have learned to PRAY the services…they can now even do priestless services when Father is out of town.

Yes for the Ruthenians the 1941 Ordo is the best option. I dont get why some parishes only get 1 or 2 folks for the Liturgy…if the parish was having an outing to Vegas or Disneyland I bet you would get more then 1 or 2 to show up bright and early. It is VERY frustrating!!

Yes it is frustrating, as we want the faithful to be sanctified.

The Vigil Divine Liturgy begins with Vespers, so I intended (in my post) the Divine Liturgy that does not begin with Vespers.

The All-Night Vigil is usually abbreviated to Vespers followed by the Divine Liturgy (St. Basil, with notable exceptions). Saturday Divine Liturgy begins at 5:30 PM, but not beginning with Vespers, so it is not the Vigil Divine Liturgy. Our priest initially had vespers, but the parish size diminished over the years, and the vespers became extinct.

On Sunday morning we have less than 100, and many of the people drive long distances on any day. On weekday feasts, I assist in the morning, 8:30 AM, when it is poorly attended. The last weekday feast of Peter and Paul, there was only three of us including Father. The evening was well attended.

This is an interesting Greek Orthodox (Denver) instruction on Divine Liturgy from 1996, where the “Vesperal” Divine Liturgy practice is described as tolerated, but not approved, and must be stopped when not approved:

holy-trinity.org/liturgics/tikhon.lit3.html

Oh questioning one, these are your questions:

Q1. Why do pastors cater for folks from a different ritual church, to the detriment of their own church?
Q2. Why not serve Vespers?
Q3. Where does this idea of a Saturday evening Liturgy come from?

The Byzantine priest is not required to have the Saturday Divine Liturgy, but is required to host faithful from any ritual church, but using the Byzantine liturgical rite. Which logically leads to the next question.

(I suppose it is for the good of the faithful, because they will assist at that time. The liturgy is not exclusively for the Latin faithful, but mostly they are the ones coming at that time, many live in the neighborhood. Note that the hierarchy recently reminded those in the mid-East of their obligation to support their ritual Church, so similarly those Latin Church faithful that live in the neighborhood, following the same idea, should assist normally in a Latin parish or request change of ritual Church. In a practical sense it does provide more income from donations.)

The Byzantine particular law states that holy day observation is from the evening before, and priests are required to celebrate Divine Liturgy (morning preferred) but not required to celebrate Vespers (but may). In small parishes, there may be poor attendance of Vespers on Saturday.

Since it is at a time appropriate for Vespers I conclude that it is a Latinization, but it does not violate the particular laws of the Byzantine Catholic Church USA.

 

[Vico]

In the previous post I wrote: “Since it is at a time appropriate for Vespers I conclude that it is a Latinization, …”

But, based upon the Greek Orthodox statement, at the link I posted there, it seems it is not a Latinization, rather an Americanization. Per that document:

“Vesperal” Liturgies have beeen justified by:

1. early Church of served all Liturgies at night
2. the modern American Orthodox Christian has difficulty attending Divine Liturgy on “workdays”
3. An “outside” job by the parish priest may make his not available to serve Divine Liturgy after, say, 5 a.m. (But this would be rare in the USA with Eastern Catholics as so few are married.)
   holy-trinity.org/liturgics/tikhon.lit3.html

 

[Aramis]

It is quite interesting to note the text:
The Typikon of our Church is a book that prescribes the framework and many of the details of our church services.
holy-trinity.org/liturgics/tikhon.lit3.html

It should also be noted that orthodoxwiki has an entry:
orthodoxwiki.org/Typikon There are a number of major typikon traditions, but there are also many local variations, often codified into an official typikon.

Any who claims there is only one typicon is deluded. The Typikon of S. Savas is the prototype of, but not the sole nor even the proper authoritative version, the particular Autocephalous and Sui Iuris Churches’ Typikons.