Anaphora - Orthodox Divine Liturgy

Following the Creed, the priest begins the anaphora, the great eucharistic prayer over the gifts, so called because of the initial phrase: "Let us lift up our hearts." The two principal anaphoras in use in the Orthodox Church are those of St. John Chrysostom and St. Basil the Great.

After remembering the history of our fall and redemption and the institution of the eucharistic meal, the priest invokes the Holy Spirit, asking that he be sent down on the gifts. It is sometimes noted that this invocation, the epiclesis, is the moment of transformation of the gifts of bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ, but there is not total agreement among Orthodox scholars whether the transformation can actually be pinpointed to a single moment in the service. It is certainly true that the prayers of the service treat the gifts as consecrated and transformed after this point.

Having invoked the Holy Spirit and consecrated the gifts, the priest commemorates the saints, beginning with the Theotokos. At this point, the assembled faithful chant the ancient hymn in honor of the Virgin, "It is truly meet to bless you, O Theotokos, ever blessed and most pure, and the Mother of our God. More honorable than the cherubim, beyond compare more glorious than the seraphim, without corruption you gave birth to God, the Word. True Theotokos, we magnify you."

The priest prays with the bishop, in whose name he is celebrating the Liturgy, will be kept in the Orthodox Faith and preserved in health and years.

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[Bramabull201]

...to think of it, nothing surprises me in the OCA anymore... Expect the unexpected!

[Bramabull201]

I wouldn't exactly call an OCA Church a "high Russian" church. It's OCA. They do their own thing. All OCA churches perform the Anaphora with the doors open. The priest of this parish is know for his theatre. He also used to go on QVC multiple times per year selling Russian collectibles from his parish. He's quite and interesting priest and experienced priest. I do find the Greek khamilva (spelling) interesting, as I do turning to the people during "Take Eat". But again, it's OCA... Come

[sportschick1719]

This is beautiful. Thank you for posting. I am Greek Orthodox and it is very nice to see the service from this side of the alter. Christos Anesti!

[coleridgeboy]

@readermichael Not that this completely answers your question, but I understand that Russian presbyters can be awarded the right to serve with the Holy Doors open?

[warszawianka]

@gboi4real1 It's St. Herman of Alaska Orthodox Church in Gradyville (suburban Philadelphia), PA.

[warszawianka]

@readermichael This is an OCA church in suburban Philadelphia. The priest is Archpriest John Perich. I don't think Fr. John was trained in the Greek tradition, but I can't say for sure. This is, however, a very High Russian parish.

[gboi4real1]

God Bless my Orthodox brothers. Were is this? (what state or province is this in?)

[readermichael]

Was this priest trained in the modern Greek tradition? I ask because the priest's phelon, the deacon's orar, and the style of music indicate that the parish has inherited the Russian liturgical tradition, but the priest's kamilavka is in the Greek style and he did a number of things that I have only ever seen in Greek churches, such as standing aside at the dominical words, performing the deacon's censing during the hymn to the Mother of God, and serving with the holy doors open. Just curious.

[ggrean]

God bless my orthodox brothers