www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Litiya and commemoratives

I am interested in how often litiya (litya) is offered at Vespers in various traditions. I know the OCA offers it on the evening prior to more important holy days, usually depending on the annual St. Tikhon's Seminary rubrics book recommendation and availability of the breads. (I was in an OCA parish once where no breads had been made, so no Litya was prayed.)I do not recall Litiya being offered in non-Slavic Orthodox churches. What about the rest of the Slavic churches?

Also, some OCA parishes provide commemorative breads that are sent to the proskomedia table along with a prayer list (for the sick or the deceased). The breads are then returned to the narthex later in the service for the people to pick up with their prayer list- minus however many pieces were removed for use in proskomedia. It is a very labor-intensive process, requiring a lot of weekly baking, so there aren't too many parishes that do it nowadays, I think. It gives an added dimension to personal piety, however. Besides St. Tikhon's Monastery chapel, and some large churches in the northeast, are there other jurisdictions and churches which have this custom today, or has it died out?

In the Kyivan Orthodox parishes in Communion with Rome (a.k.a. the Uk. G.C.C.)that I am familiar with, Litija is served whenever the Liturgical Calendar prescribes it (taking the easy way out). But I do agree with you, to me too, it seems that that is done on major feast days.

I read somewhere that the Service was originally a kind of devotions prayed in Jerusalem before the Holy Places of Golgotha (places of Crucifixion and Resurrection) and so there the original procession to those sites is now symbolised by the little procession back to the Narthex.

So it would seem to me that Litija Could be served without the Blessing of Bread, Wheat, Wine, and Oil or vice versa. And I think I've seen it done a couple of times...(I hope, correctly)

I think they are 2 stand alone services. They certainly occur at different parts of Great Vespers with no reference one to the other [correct me if I'm wrong].

Fr. Peter Galadza of the Sheptytsky Institute once told our parish during a Parish Mission that the blessed food was originally intended for distribution to the poor - ergo the wheat e.g., which was bread in a form that could keep for a long time [because the bread handed out that evening would go bad in a few days, but wheat would keep for a long time and could be made into bread or other food later on]. (Early Orthodox Food Banks! )

Although usually Associated with Litija, I am not sure that liturgically it is necessarily a part of Litija [I could be wrong on this, if so please correct.] It also was explained to me that the blessed Bread/Wine was to keep the monks going during the All-Night Vigil. Wherefore, in some Traditions, it is distributed part way through Matins [after the veneration of the Gospel] rather than at Psalm 33 I believe...

Are you saying that this happens at Litija? I only know about it at Divine Liturgy.

http://www.saintelias.com/Liturgy_elia/Commemorations_elia/Commemorations_elia.html

And I'm 100% with you; it's a wonderful and important practice - if for nothing else to wean us from the "1 intention per 'Mass'" idee fixe that we have erroneous imposed on ourselves and which is I believe totally uncanonical for us.

Apparently Saint Elias parish does it. The Priest's son doesn't seem to mind making the mini-prosphora.

http://www.prosphora.org/page29.html

Herb

Some clarification: The mini-prosphora, also known as Russian prosphora, are used for both Litiya and Liturgy commemoratives. The commemoratives are sent to the altar prior to the Liturgy itself usually; there are no commemoratives presented at Vespers that I am aware of, but the same style bread is used. Some parishes of the OCA Diocese of the West use the Russian prosphora for Liturgy itself instead of the larger Greek style bread, since it does have the seal for use in proskomedia.

There apparently are multiple traditions for litiya and commemoratives depending on jurisdiction, which is why I offered the topic.

Herb is correct, the Litya was a small repast for those praying the All-Night Vigil. In Jerusalem, the processions during vigils passed before the stational churches or shrines at which litanies for mercy and blessing were sung by the clergy and the people responded "Lord have mercy". It was also performed during times of calamity and need of earnest supplication. Also when catechumens were present the litanies included specific prayers for them as well.

In some monasteries (such as the Studite monastery in Orangeville, Ontario) the all-night Vigil with Litya (Vsenoshcnoe bdenie) is offered every Saturday night as well. Technically Litya can be offered on any feast of polyeleos rank with appointed litya stikhera.

So for parish use Vespers with Litya became separated from Matins and First Hour, which are all united in the full All-Night Vigil in the Slavic tradition, generally only kept in monasteries now. The parochial Vespers in the Slavic tradition also generally abbreviates the Kathismata (selections from the Psalter) to selected verses at "Blessed is the man" (Blazhen Muzh).

In the Greek tradition they have something similar to the Litya called Artoclasia. Most Greek parishes opt for Orthros/Utrennya (Matins) while most parishes of the Slavic tradition that have a vigil service opt for Vespers. Some have both, but that is (unfortunately) not very common.

The wine and bread blessed during the Litya are offered to the people during the singing of Psalm 33 at the end of the Litya. The oil blessed at Litya (Mirovanje) is given as a festal anointing to the faithful at Matins after the Matins Gospel when the faithful come to kiss the Gospel, which is usually given at either the end of Vespers or the next morning at the end of Liturgy since most parishes don't have Sunday or festal Matins.

Speaking of Father Peter (Galadza) stories, in the first year of my diaconal program, Father Peter had our class prepare and do the entire All-Night Vigil completely unnabreviated for the feast of the Transfiguration. It was liturgical boot camp for the aspiring deacon candidates but an unforgettable and "transfiguring" experience...

The practice in most Orthodox parishes and Greek Catholic that pray Vespers is to only have Litya on the vigil of the 12 great feasts. On the vigils of Theophany and Christmas (and sometimes the Annunciation) in the Slavic tradition Litya is appended to Great Compline and not Vespers.

The commemorative prosphora for the living and the dead is a separate practice which is pertinent to the proskomidia commemorations at the Divine Liturgy and not related to the vigil. It is not very common in Orthodox or Greek Catholic parishes anymore. But some are considering returning to it or have done so.

Often the practice of commemorative prosphora for Proskomidia is a question of someone willing to prepare and bake that much prosphora diligently every week. And you have to get your pastor to get away from "pre-cut" prosphora. One parish I assist at nearby is returning to it basically because my wife and I offered to bake the prosphora and offered to teach others how to do it. My kids love to help out when we make it, also. If you have several families that can do it, the duties can be rotated.