Forgiveness Sunday

[ChoirDir]

This Sunday is Forgiveness Sunday. Does your church have the vespers service? Does everyone ask each other's forgiveness?
Our church will be having the service after coffee hour since, a lot of parishoners travel up to an hour.

 

[Matrona]

My church is tiny so I guess I'll have to forgive everybody, dang it! :o

I've never been to Forgiveness Vespers before, what is it like?

 

[ChoirDir]

It's a short vespers service that concludes with all members forming a line and asking each other for forgiveness. In my old OCA church up north, we used to get a lot people from the other Orthodox Churches that didn't have the service. It is a beautiful service and to ask your fellow parishioner, "God forgive me a sinner" and they answer you back "God forgives" really makes it special. It links us together as a community as we begin our Lenten journey.

 

[ChoirDir]

Here's a link which tells a little of the service
http://www.frederica.com/orthodox/ofeforg_mrb.html
And yes Matrona it is your favorite author!

 

[Eusebios]

To me this is one of the best services of the year because it forces us to interact with each other, places us in a good place to begin the Lenten journey, and next to Great and Holy Saturday and the Feast of Feasts is likely the most beautiful service of the year. Just my 2 cents worth
His unworthy servant,
Eusebios

 

[Oblio]

Yes we have the service, I usually feel uneasy prior to it, but afterwards I am relieved and refreshed and ready for the Lenten journey. It is beautiful and I would not miss it for the world.

 

[nicodemus]

At our parish, we make a full prostration to every member of the church (assuming you're physically able to do so) while asking their forgiveness. I'm usually sore the next day, but feeling great

 

[Oblio]

For the first time, we will be able to do this service without pews

 

[Reader Nilus]

Outside of Pascha, Forgiveness Sunday Vespers has to be the most powerful service in Orthodoxy IMHO.
Jeff the Finn

 

[nicodemus]

Outside of Pascha, Forgiveness Sunday Vespers has to be the most powerful service in Orthodoxy IMHO.
Jeff the Finn

It certainly ranks up there. The Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete is pretty intense too.

 

[nicodemus]

For the first time, we will be able to do this service without pews

Did you current temple have pews?

 

[Oblio]

We've been at chapels/churches that had pews prior to now. Our temple was built without them.

 

[nicodemus]

We've been at chapels/churches that had pews prior to now. Our temple was built without them.

Awesome. I'm not putting people/parishes down that have pews, but I don't like them anymore. Our parish doesn't have them and now whenever I'm travelling and attend a church that does have them, I find my mind really wanders during Liturgy.

 

[Oblio]

We were blessed to have Protestant congregations that allowed us to use their facilities. When I joined, we were at an Episcopal chapel (we did remove several pews for our wedding service ), our last 'home' was a one room Methodist church. THe Baptist church down the road let us use their fellowship hall for Pascha last year. We thought about a gift of Georgian wine and an Icon to show our thanks, but thought better of it

 

[Matrona]

At our parish, we make a full prostration to every member of the church (assuming you're physically able to do so) while asking their forgiveness.

:o

/me hides!

I'M NOT COMING OUT UNTIL AFTER SUNDAY!

Okay, okay, so I'm a little nervous. I don't know how my parish does it and I'm not sure what exactly I'm gonna do. I have a horrible tendency to blush to the roots of my hair whenever there's an emotional moment of any kind. (Seems like the classy thing to do would be not to call attention to it...) Plus, I sorta cry a lot... (when I was little, whenever I was about to cry, my sister would point at me and say, "THE SEA IS COMING!") I guess this means I should pack lots of tissues in my pocket.

Oh, speaking of the Great Canon, I will be going to the church downtown for that on Monday. What is that like? How long does that last? What does it involve? Is there anything I need to be prepared for?

 

[Photini]

I'm a little disappointed about this weekend. Our Greek festival starts tomorrow and continues until Sunday evening. Therefore, we won't be having the Liturgy Sunday at all. I'm assuming it's because we don't have an actual church building yet, so everything will be set up for the festival....nowhere for the Liturgy. I'll have drive to Tampa or Orlando for the Liturgy Sunday morning.

 

[Matrona]

Awesome. I'm not putting people/parishes down that have pews, but I don't like them anymore. Our parish doesn't have them and now whenever I'm travelling and attend a church that does have them, I find my mind really wanders during Liturgy.

I like having them, but unless I am super tired, I only sit down during the homily. (If I am really, really tired, I will sit down whenever the priest is behind the iconostasis and not facing us, but I'm used to standing up now and it doesn't hurt as bad as it did when I was a catechumen.)

I think the best solution is to have chairs for everybody. That way everyone gets a seat if they need one, but you can stack them off to the side and still have the versatility of having no pews blocking your way for other things.

Our parish does well with having chairs, and I think they will work for any parish, as long as people don't scootch around too much during liturgy. It's hard to have that experience of heavenly worship, when the child next to you is going ::bounce:: ::fidget:: ::bounce:: ::fidget::, with chair screeches to match.

 

[nicodemus]

:o Oh, speaking of the Great Canon, I will be going to the church downtown for that on Monday. What is that like? How long does that last? What does it involve? Is there anything I need to be prepared for?

The Great Canon lasts a little over three hours. Wear comfortable shoes and be prepared for a lot of prostrations.

You'll also hear the Prayer of St. Ephraim a lot:

O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of sloth, faint-heartedness, lust for power, and idle talk.

But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love to Thy servant.
​

Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own faults and not to judge my brother, for Thou are blessed unto the ages of ages. ​

Amen.​

It is a beautiful service.​

 

[nicodemus]

I like having them, but unless I am super tired, I only sit down during the homily.

We have them along the outer walls and the elderly and infirm use them and everybody sits down there for the homily. If there isn't enough room for everybody to sit in them, people either just sit on the floor or remain standing.

 

[Photini]

::bounce:: ::fidget:: ::bounce:: ::fidget::, with chair screeches to match

LoL! I have one on each side of me. And it's always in church that they suddenly start this "I love mommie more" competition by outdoing each other with giving me hugs and such.