A Paraklesis ( el, Παράκλησις, Slavonic: молебенъ) or Supplicatory Canon in the

Byzantine Rite The Byzantine Rite, also known as the Greek Rite or the Rite of Constantinople, identifies the wide range of cultural, liturgical, and canonical practices that developed in the Eastern Christian Church of Constantinople. The canonical hours ar ...

, is a service of

supplication Supplication (also known as petitioning) is a form of prayer, wherein one party humbly or earnestly asks another party to provide something, either for the party who is doing the supplicating (e.g., "Please spare my life.") or on behalf of someo ...

for the welfare of the living. It is addressed to a specific Saint or to the Most Holy

Theotokos ''Theotokos'' (Greek: ) is a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, used especially in Eastern Christianity. The usual Latin translations are ''Dei Genitrix'' or '' Deipara'' (approximately "parent (fem.) of God"). Familiar English translations are ...

whose intercessions are sought through the chanting of the supplicatory canon together with

psalm The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived f ...

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn ...

s, and

litanies Litany, in Christian worship and some forms of Judaic worship, is a form of prayer used in services and processions, and consisting of a number of petitions. The word comes through Latin '' litania'' from Ancient Greek λιτανεία (''lita ...

. The most popular Paraklesis is that in which the supplicatory canon and other hymns are addressed to the Most Holy

(the

Mother of God ''Theotokos'' (Greek: ) is a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, used especially in Eastern Christianity. The usual Latin translations are ''Dei Genitrix'' or '' Deipara'' (approximately "parent (fem.) of God"). Familiar English translations are ...

). There are two forms of this service: the ''Small Paraklesis'' (composed by Theosterictus the Monk in the 9th century), and the ''Great Paraklesis'' (composed by Emperor

Theodore II Laskaris Theodore II Doukas Laskaris or Ducas Lascaris ( gr, Θεόδωρος Δούκας Λάσκαρις, Theodōros Doukas Laskaris; 1221/1222 – 16 August 1258) was Emperor of Nicaea from 1254 to 1258. He was the only child of Emperor John I ...

in the 13th century). During the majority of the year, only the Small Paraklesis to the Theotokos is chanted. However, during the

Dormition Fast The Dormition of the Mother of God is a Great Feast of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches (except the East Syriac churches). It celebrates the "falling asleep" (death) of Mary the ''Theotokos'' ("Mother ...

(August 1—14, inclusive), the

Typikon A typikon (or ''typicon'', ''typica''; gr, , "that of the prescribed form"; Slavonic: Тvпико́нъ ''Typikonə'' or Оуставъ, ''ustavə'') is a liturgical book which contains instructions about the order of the Byzantine Rite of ...

{{Citation needed, date=August 2013 prescribes that the Small and Great Paraklesis be chanted on alternate evenings, according to the following regulations: *If August 1 falls on a Monday through Friday, the cycle begins with the Small Paraklesis. If August 1 falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the cycle begins with the Great Paraklesis. *On the eves of Sundays (i.e., Saturday nights) and on the eve of the

Transfiguration Transfiguration(s) or The Transfiguration may refer to: Religion * Transfiguration of Jesus, an event in the Bible * Feast of the Transfiguration, a Christian holiday celebrating the Transfiguration of Jesus * Transfiguration (religion), a mo ...

(the night of August 5) the Paraklesis is omitted. *On Sunday nights, the Great Paraklesis is always used unless it is the eve of Transfiguration.

''Moleben''

In the

Russian Orthodox Church , native_name_lang = ru , image = Moscow July 2011-7a.jpg , imagewidth = , alt = , caption = Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia , abbreviation = ROC , type ...

, the equivalent of a Paraklesis is the ''moleben'', ''molében'' ( Slavonic: молебенъ), ''molieben'', ''service of intercession'' or ''service of supplication'', which is similar in structure, except that the canon is omitted, retaining only the refrains and Irmoi of the third, sixth and ninth odes. When the full service itself is performed, it is called the "Supplicatory Canon" (''Molebnyj Kanon''). It is used in honor of

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

, the

, a

Feast A banquet (; ) is a formal large meal where a number of people consume food together. Banquets are traditionally held to enhance the prestige of a host, or reinforce social bonds among joint contributors. Modern examples of these purposes i ...

, or a particular saint or

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external ...

. The present form of the ''Moleben'' originated in

Slavic culture This is a list of the cultures of Slavic Europe. * East Slavs: ** Belarusian culture ** Russian culture ** Ruthenian culture ** Ukrainian culture * South Slavs: ** Bosnian culture ** Bulgarian culture ** Croatian culture ** Macedonian culture ( ...

, but its use is now widespread both in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...

and in the Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic churches that follow the Slavic tradition. Whereas the Paraklesis includes as its principal focus the canon to the subject being honored, the ''Moleben'' omits the

odes Odes may refer to: *The plural of ode, a type of poem * ''Odes'' (Horace), a collection of poems by the Roman author Horace, circa 23 BCE * Odes of Solomon, a pseudepigraphic book of the Bible * Book of Odes (Bible), a Deuterocanonical book of ...

of the canon and includes only the simple refrains that occur between the odes. ''Molebens'' are traditionally served by a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

, but may also be done as a reader's service (i.e., the format used when served by a layperson or deacon; omitting or replacing those portions normally chanted by the priest). It is the custom to celebrate a ''moleben'' service only in honor of a

glorified Glory may refer to: Honor and renown * Glory (honor), high renown, praise, and honor obtained by notable achievements * ''Kleos'', the Greek word for "glory", often translated to "renown" (what others hear about you) Arts and entertainment Fict ...

saint, and when possible the service is done in front of an

icon An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The most c ...

of the person or feast to whom the ''Moleben'' is celebrated. Sometimes an ''

Akathist An Akathist Hymn ( el, Ἀκάθιστος Ὕμνος, "unseated hymn") is a type of hymn usually recited by Eastern Orthodox or Eastern Catholic Christians, dedicated to a saint, holy event, or one of the persons of the Holy Trinity. The nam ...

'' will be chanted during the celebration of a ''Moleben''. The general outline of a ''Moleben'' is based on the service of

Matins Matins (also Mattins) is a canonical hour in Christian liturgy, originally sung during the darkness of early morning. The earliest use of the term was in reference to the canonical hour, also called the vigil, which was originally celebrated by ...

, as served on a feast day, complete with a Gospel reading. ''Molebens'' may be (a) ''occasional'' (i.e., served according to need), for instance for one who is ill or going on a journey; they may be (b) ''commemorative'' (assigned to a particular day), such as the beginning of the new year, or when children begin school; or they may be (c) ''devotional'' (in honor of a particular saint). ''Molebens'' are very important in the Russian Orthodox tradition, and an entire volume of the Great Euchologion is devoted to them. Most ''molebens'' are served in the church, but they may also be served in homes, fields, schools or other appropriate places. ''Molebens'' may also be served in processions. The procession may be going to a particular place, such as during a

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

, or it may circle around the outside of the church building (this is very common on the feast day of the

Patron Saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholic Church, Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocacy, advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, ...

of the church or monastery, and during

Bright Week Bright Week, Pascha Week or Renewal Week ( el, Διακαινήσιμος Ἑβδομάς) is the name used by the Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Rite Catholic Churches for the period of seven days beginning on Easter and continuing up to (bu ...

). When a processional ''Moleben'' circles around the church, very often the procession will pause on each of the four sides of the building, and the bishop or priest will sprinkle

holy water Holy water is water that has been blessed by a member of the clergy or a religious figure, or derived from a well or spring considered holy. The use for cleansing prior to a baptism and spiritual cleansing is common in several religions, from ...

on the church, the

icons An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The most c ...

and people that are taking part in the procession.

External links

The Service of the Small Paraklesis
(text of the service with audio b
Eikona
from the

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, headquartered in New York City, is an eparchy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Its current primate is Archbishop Elpidophoros of America. Archbishop On May 11, 2019, the church's Holy ...

Website
The Paraclesis Service Explained
St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church,

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Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

Paraklesis
article from OrthodoxWiki
The Order of the General Moleben
according to the usage of the

Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia The Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (russian: Ру́сская Правосла́вная Це́рковь Заграни́цей, lit=Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, translit=Russkaya Pravoslavnaya Tserkov' Zagranitsey), also called Ru ...

Tropar & Kontakion for Royal Martyrs & New Martyrs Of Russia
compiled by Fr. Demetrios Serfes

Byzantine Rite Christian prayer Eastern Christian liturgy Christian processions

''Moleben''

See also

External links