www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Typicon/Triodian question

Today is the feast of the Three Holy Hierarchs according to the Julian Calendar. However, the St. Herman's Calendar (put out by St. Herman's in Platina, CA) says today is a "No Liturgy" day, and doesn't list any readings. But the calendar from Holy Trinity Russian church (MP), an excellent calendar by the way, does not indicate this, and in fact lists epistle and Gospel readings.

My question: Is the Friday before Great Lent typically a "No Liturgy" day? Does the Feast of the Three Holy Hierarchs (which is vigil with litya) trump the "no liturgy" Friday? What if it's your patronal feast?

This year we're all messed up, too, because The Meeting of Our Lord is Clean Monday. ACROD transferred the feast to Sunday previous.

Because Pascha this year is the earliest it can be (22 March / 4 April), it makes it necessary to transfer at least three Feasts in the Pre-lenten period. As you said, the Meeting of the Lord is transferred to Sunday, 1 /14 February because the Typicon stipulates that it cannot fall during the Great Fast. The Feast of the Three Hierarchs also had to be transferred to Thursday, 29 January / 11 February because it cannot be celebrated on the aliturgical day of Cheesefare Friday. And last week, the Feast of Blessed Xenia of St Petersburg was transferred to Friday, 23 January / 5 February because it could not coincide with Meatfare Saturday, the Saturday of Souls. We know that transferring Feasts is not common in the Byzantine Liturgical Calendar (think of the Feast of the Annunciation falling on all sorts of 'inconvenient' days, yet being combined with them nonetheless), but it is prescribed by the Typicon in some instances.

Simple Orthodox Calendars, the type used to help you with doing Scripture Readings at home, may sometimes not note these transferrals, but a complete Liturgical Calendar or Guide, the type that you would need to use to actually put together the services, would indeed note these transfers.

Fr David Straut

One never knows what may turn up. Ten years or so ago, when the feast of Saint Alexis happened to fall on an a-liturgical day, Patriarch Alexis II of Moscow did not transfer the feast but permitted the full Divine Liturgy (it was, of course, his name-day). Meanwhile, the Old Ritualist Typicon calls for the Divine Liturgy this coming Monday, even though it is not only the Feast of the Encounter, but also the first full day of Great Lent.

Fr. Serge

Marc,

This was the discussion at CtSS last week, for obvious reasons.

As Fr. David said, the Typikon appoints Three Hierarchs to move to the previous day if it falls on Wednesday or Friday of Cheesefare Week. If it is transferred to Thursday, the Vespers on Wednesday evening combines material from the Triodion and the Three Hierarchs, but without Litija.

That being said, a Serbian version of the Typikon of St. Sabbas includes a note that says that this feast is transferred *except* it is the patronal feast.

Dave

In discussing this matter of transferring feasts this year with a friend at the Synodal Cathedral where they serve the daily cycle of services each day, he noted the following:

"But for us the transfers don't stop there!

"The feast of the Meeting is moved back a day, from 2/2 to 2/1. Now, 2/1 is the one-day forefeast of the Meeting. What to do with it? Leave it out? Here at the Synodal Cathedral we decided to move the prefestal hymnoday of 2/1 to the previous day (1/31), to combine with the Commemoration of All Ascetics. The Typicon provides directions for this if 2/1 itself coincides with that Commemoration. Thus the hymns of the forefeast preserve their relationship with the celebration of the Feast itself.

"Now, because of the First Week, the Feast of the Meeting is deprived of its afterfeast and apodosis (leave-taking). Also, moving it a day back leaves a gap on 2/2. Our solution here is to move the commemoration of Sts. Symeon and Anna back a day, from 2/3 to 2/2, since those saints are intimately connected with the Feast itself. This move thus provides an informal afterfeast/apodosis for the Meeting. So, when we serve Forgiveness Vespers, the Menaion hymns incorporated in it this year will be those of Sts. Symeon and Anna.

"But that then leaves Tuesday, 2/3, without Menaion material. What to do? Our solution is to use the unused hymns of the Martyr Tryphon (2/1), which had been "bumped" the previous Friday night-Saturday morning.

"An alternative solution for ROCOR parishes would be to use the second service of 2/1 (that of St. Bridget of Kildare, which was composed back in the 1960s and approved by the Synod); but few parishes have copies of this service, so this is perhaps not a realistic suggestion. Also, St. Tryphon is popular among the pious Russians as the saint to turn to when you've lost
something and need help finding it (like St. Pahnourios among the Greeks, and St. Anthony of Padua among our separated brethren); whereas St. Bridget is, alas, little known among them."

I find all this fascinating, but then I'm probably a liturgical geek!

Fr David Straut

Dave,

So I'm assuming you had Liturgy for the Hierarchs on Friday, as it's the patronal feast of the chapel.

St. Bridgid is one of my patron saints, so she gets lots of love tomorrow!