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Joined: Nov 2013
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I apologize if this has been asked before, but when saying a canon at Small Compline (or at any other time besides Matins), are the irmoi omitted? I have seen something to that effect, but I often see the irmoi given in full, e.g., in the SJKP Octoechos at Compline and Sunday Midnight Office.
Also, if I were to say a "devotional" canon instead of the canon from the Octoechos, are the sessional hymn, kontakion or ikos attached to such canons used at Compline?
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Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 640 Likes: 12
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I have it in my mind that the irmos and katavasia are not said, but were it me, I would go ahead and say the irmoi, since that is what the Octoechos has. I cannot find anywhere where it says one way or the other. The silence on the matter probably has to do with Small Compline being a service of the cell, and so there is more flexibility regarding what is said there. As far as the devotional canon, the sessional hymns and kontakion are apart of it. If you were to say the Canon for Communion during Compline, or a Moleben, you would would say these, so by extension, Small Compline as well.
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Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 26,405 Likes: 38
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The really nice thing here is the lee-way given to this matter!
The Rule of Manjava Sketer, for instance, prescribes the use of any Canons or Akathists that one may have access to for Compline (and also for Mattins).
However, if one is doing several Canons and wishes to do them "properly" that is, with Odes following one another in a unit (i.e. Ode One of all three or more Canons one is praying), then using the same Irmos is permitted.
That could be tedious and difficult . . .
The Old Believers have Great, Middle and Small Compline and only use our Small Compline when it is a great Feast.
Compline in the East Slavic Churches tended to emphasize the use of the prayer rule for Holy Communion that included the Canons to Christ, the Theotokos, the Guardian Angel and then to the "Saint of the day of the week" i.e. John the Baptist on Tuesday, the Cross and the Passion of our Lord on Wednesday and Friday, St Nicholas and Sts Peter and Paul on Thursday, All Saints and the Reposed on Saturday). To this is added the Akathists to our Lord Jesus and the Most Holy Theotokos.
However, this devotional night-time rule later expanded to include the so-called "All Night Akathist Service" where akathist and canons were prayed literally throughout the night.
St Jonah Atamansky, a married priest from Odessa (+1924) loved the all-night Akathist service and prayed them in conjunction with the Midnight Hour rather than Compline. He received the miraculous gift of curing blindness by praying over afflicted people night after night (and also demonic possession).
One seven year old who was born blind received his sight on the morning of the tenth day following nine nights of St Jonah's All Night Akathist service . . .
When the Chief Opthalmalogist of Moscow, at the time of the Bolshevik terror, was asked what his most effective tool for curing or else stopping the onset of blindness was, he simply replied... Father Jonah Atamansky . . .
Of course, one may do one Kathisma of the Liturgical Psalter for Small Compline and two Kathismata for Great Compline. Also 400 Jesus Prayers for Small Compline and 700 for Great Compline.
Alex
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