www.byzcath.org Forums Mysteries: The Life of Worship Vespers, Matins & the Divine Liturgy Paraklesis

I've read that the Paraklesis (in Greek practice?) is combined with Vespers and begins directly after the Song of St. Symeon; is this correct?

So, if one is doing a reader's service, at that point, you do the "usual beginning," or Trisagion prayers, and pray the Paraklesis straight through, yes?

Thanks to anyone who can confirm this.

Yes indeed.

Mention of this sort of thing is very sparse in the Slavonic typikons or Trebnyks that I have seen. The two examples that come to mind are the Moleben to St. Theodore on the First Friday of the Great Fast without the Presanctified, and the other being the Great Parastas on the eves of All-Souls Saturdays. In both cases Vespers ends as usual before the Psalm (90 for the Parastas and 142 for the Moleben) begins. If it was me I would end Vespers as usual with the Troparia, etc. to the conclusion, sing "Come let us bow...", start Psalm 142 and then the rest of the Paraklis.

I've attended many parakleses (including at least 3 in Greece) and never heard of this in Greek practice. (I've not checked the typicon) In the 3 I attended in Greece, there was a meal/rest period between the end of Orthros or Vespers and hte Paraklesis, meaning that they were not part of the same prayer cycle.

Usually these canons are their own service, with psalm 142 and 50 at the beginning.

Which is not to say that one can't pray them after vespers, especially when praying alone..........

Soson Kyrie:

I couldn't help but link to your moniker which is one of my favorite hymns in Greek:



Troparion of the Holy Cross, Tone I:

O Lord, save your people,
and bless your inheritance!
Grant victory to thy people
over their adversaries,
and by virtue of your cross,
preserve your habitation.

Thank you, Alice!

Σῶσον Κύριε τὸν λαόν σου
καὶ εὐλόγησον τὴν κληρονομίαν σου
νίκας τοῖς Βασιλεῦσι κατὰ βαρβάρων δωρούμενος
καὶ τὸ σὸν φυλάττων διὰ τοῦ Σταυροῦ σου πολίτευμα.