THE FERVENT SUPPLICATION

DEACON: Let us say with our whole heart and our whole mind, let us say.

CANTOR: Lord, have mercy. (threefold)

DEACON: Lord Almighty, God of our fathers, we pray You, hear us and have mercy.

CANTOR: Lord, have mercy. (3)

DEACON: Have mercy on us, O God, in Your great goodness; we pray You, hear us and have mercy.

CANTOR: Lord, have mercy. (3)

DEACON: Again we pray for pious and Orthodox Christians.

CANTOR: Lord, have mercy. (3)

DEACON: Again we pray for our Archbishop (N.), and our Bishop (N.).

CANTOR: Lord, have mercy. (3)

According to the practice of the Ecumenical Patriarchate the Litany ends here.

Prayer of the Fervent Supplication

PRIEST: (During the Litany of Fervent Supplication: inaudibly) Lord our God, accept this fervent prayer by Your servants, and have mercy on us, and in the abundance of Your compassion have pity on us and on all Your people, who await Your plenteous mercy.

PRIEST: For You are a merciful and loving God, and to You we give glory: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and always and forever and ever.

CANTOR: Amen.

Here the Priest makes the sign of the Cross over the Antimension with the Book of Gospels.

THE LITANY FOR THE CATECHUMENS

DEACON: You who are Catechumens, pray to the Lord.

CANTOR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON: You faithful, let us pray for the Catechumens.

CANTOR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON: That the Lord will show them mercy.

CANTOR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON: That He will instruct them in the word of His truth.

CANTOR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON: That He will reveal to them the Gospel of righteousness.

CANTOR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON: That He will unite them to His Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.

CANTOR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON: Save them, have mercy on them, help them and keep them, O God, in Your grace.

CANTOR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON: You who are Catechumens, bow your heads to the Lord.

Prayer for the Catechumens

PRIEST: (inaudibly) O God, our God, Author and Creator of all things, it is Your will that all should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. Look upon Your servants the Catechumens, and free them of ancient error and from the wiles of the enemy. Call them to eternal life, illuminating their souls and bodies, and numbering them among Your reasoning flock, on which Your holy name is invoked.

PRIEST: That with us they too may glorify Your most noble and majestic name, of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, now and forevermore.

CANTOR: Amen.

Here the Priest unfolds the Antimension as in the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom.

DEACON: All Catechumens, depart. The Catechumens, depart. All who are admitted for Illumination, depart. Pray, all you who preparing for Illumination. Let us pray to the Lord.

CANTOR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON: Catechumens, depart. Let none of the Catechumens remain.

DEACON: All we faithful once again in peace let us pray to the Lord.

CANTOR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON: Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and keep us, O God, in Your grace.

CANTOR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON: Wisdom!

The First Prayer of the Faithful

PRIEST: (inaudibly) O God, great and praised, through the life-giving death of Your Christ, You have borne us from corruption to immortality. Liberate all our senses from killing passion, setting over them as a benevolent sovereign our inner reason. Let the eye be averted from every evil sight, and the ear be deaf to idle talk.

May the tongue be purged of unseemly speech. Purify these lips that praise You, Lord. Make our hands abstain from wicked deeds, doing only such things as are pleasing to You, thus sealing with Your grace all our members, and our mind.

PRIEST: For all glory, honor and worship are Your due: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and forevermore.

CANTOR: Amen.

DEACON: Again in peace let us pray to the Lord.

CANTOR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON: Help us, save us, have mercy on us and keep us, O God, in Your grace.

CANTOR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON: Wisdom!

The Second Prayer of the Faithful

PRIEST: (inaudibly) Holy Master, infinitely good, we entreat You, rich in mercy, to be gracious to us sinners, and to make us worthy to receive Your only Son and our God, the King of Glory. For behold, His spotless body and lifegiving blood are about to make their entrance at this hour, to be laid on this mystical table, invisibly attended by a multitude of the heavenly host. Grant that we may receive them in blameless communion, so that as the eyes of our understanding see the light, we may become children of light and of day.

PRIEST: Through the gift of Your Christ with Whom You are blessed, together with Your all-holy, good and lifegiving Spirit, now and always and forever and ever.

CANTOR: Amen.

In place of the Hymn of the Cherubim, which is normally sung at the Entrance of the Holy Gifts, the following hymn is sung:

CANTOR: Now the Powers of Heaven minister invisibly with us. For, behold, the King of Glory enters.

The hymn breaks off at this point. In total silence the Gifts are carried into the Soleas by the priest whose head is covered by the Aer, then into the Sanctuary, and placed on the Holy Altar. As these are the Presanctified Gifts, already consecrated, the people kneel in deep reverence during their Entrance.