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A Field Guide to the Orthodox Church

WHAT YOU'RE SEEING. WHAT IT'S CALLED. WHAT YOU DO.

Start HereNOBODY EXPECTS YOU TO KNOW ANY OF THIS.
  • BEFORE YOU GO IN
  • MATINS (ORTHROS)
  • THE WORD
  • THE EUCHARIST
  • AFTER THE DISMISSAL
A stick-figure visitor carrying a candle walks up a grassy path toward a small onion-domed church.

BEFORE YOU GO IN

1Courtyard and steps2Narthex3The Room4Iconostasis5Standing, sitting6Who's who7Vestments
Service map of the Sunday Divine Liturgy, drawn as a winding road running left to right through four zones: Matins, the Word, the Eucharist, and After the Dismissal. Stops 8 to 32 carry body cue icons, and the road ends at stop 33. Every stop is listed in text on the page.8Matins (Orthros)The dawn service you walked in on; ends with "Glory to God in the highest."Open stop 8 →9"Blessed is the Kingdom"The Liturgy's real beginning: the priest blesses with the Gospel book.Open stop 9 →10Great LitanyThe long prayer in rounds; "Lord, have mercy" is the people's part.Open stop 10 →11Antiphons and BeatitudesThree psalm-songs with refrains, or the Beatitudes.Open stop 11 →12SMALL ENTRANCEThe Gospel book goes for a walk. "Wisdom, O believers!"Open stop 12 →13TrisagionThe thrice-holy hymn, sung three times.Open stop 13 →14EpistleA psalm verse, then the Epistle read by a lay reader.Open stop 14 →15THE GOSPELThe Gospel read aloud; everyone stands and nobody moves.Open stop 15 →16HomilyThe sermon, on what was just read.Open stop 16 →17Catechumens' dismissalFast litanies; the old sending-out of the unbaptized.Open stop 17 →18Cherubic HymnThe slow hymn while the clergy prepare the gifts.Open stop 18 →19GREAT ENTRANCENot yet consecrated; honored as gifts going to God.Open stop 19 →20Litany of Supplication"Grant it, O Lord": prayers for a good day and a good death.Open stop 20 →21Kiss of Peace"Let us love one another." The clergy exchange the kiss.Open stop 21 →22Creed"I believe…" said or sung by everyone.Open stop 22 →23"Lift up your hearts"The great prayer of thanksgiving begins: "Holy, holy, holy."Open stop 23 →24Institution, epiclesis"Take, eat," then the Holy Spirit is called down on the gifts.Open stop 24 →25"It is truly meet"The hymn to the Mother of God; the Church remembers the living and the dead.Open stop 25 →26Our FatherEveryone says the Our Father, then bows their heads.Open stop 26 →27"Holy things are for the holy"Behind the screen the Lamb is broken, and the clergy receive.Open stop 27 →28COMMUNIONFor prepared Orthodox Christians; visitors watch and pray.Open stop 28 →29Dismissal"We have beheld the true Light." The priest blesses the people.Open stop 29 →30Cross and breadKiss the cross, take the bread; it isn't Communion and visitors may usually have it.Open stop 30 →31MemorialsA short memorial with a tray of sweet wheat, some Sundays.Open stop 31 →32Coffee hourCoffee, food and conversation in the hall. You're invited.Open stop 32 →33What Just Happened to YouYour first Liturgy is usually the walk to Emmaus rather than the recognition; the morning was the Church asking for the Kingdom and being given a taste of it, and the rest of this guide picks up the questions it raised.Open stop 33 →

BEFORE STOP 8

Cartoon: a nervous stick figure grips the wheel of a car parked outside a small onion-domed church; the dashboard clock reads 9:58. Title: "Courage, inquirer." Caption: "The outer atrium: where the final battle for Sunday is won."
1 · The Courtyard and the Steps
Cartoon: a wide-eyed stick figure leads a line of five through a doorway, past an icon on the wall. Title: "The room before the room." Caption: "The narthex: a rectangular room where visits decide whether they happen."
2 · The Narthex
Cartoon: a stick figure holding one thin candle stands beside a candle stand already crowded with lit candles. Bubble: "One for Dad. One for the dog. One for... generally." Title: "Candle mathematics."
2 · The Narthex
A stick-figure visitor carrying a candle walks up a grassy path toward a small onion-domed church.

BEFORE YOU GO IN

  1. 1Courtyard and steps
  2. 2Narthex
  3. 3The Room
  4. 4Iconostasis
  5. 5Standing, sitting
  6. 6Who's who
  7. 7Vestments

ON TO STOP 8 ↓

Service map of the Sunday Divine Liturgy, drawn as a winding road running top to bottom through four zones: Matins, the Word, the Eucharist, and After the Dismissal. Stops 8 to 32 carry body cue icons, and the road ends at stop 33. Every stop is listed in text on the page.

The Stops

The Service Map

BEFORE YOU GO IN

 

  1. 1The Courtyard and the Steps
  2. 2The Narthex
  3. 3The Room
  4. 4The Iconostasis and Its Doors
  5. 5Standing, Sitting, Pews, and Kneeling
  6. 6Who's Who
  7. 7Vestments at a Glance

MATINS (ORTHROS)

 

  1. 8Matins Is Already Happening

THE WORD

LITURGY OF THE CATECHUMENS

  1. 9"Blessed Is the Kingdom"
  2. 10The Great Litany
  3. 11The Antiphons and the Beatitudes
  4. 12The Small Entrance
  5. 13The Trisagion
  6. 14The Prokeimenon and the Epistle
  7. 15The Gospel
  8. 16The Homily
  9. 17The Litany of the Catechumens

THE EUCHARIST

LITURGY OF THE FAITHFUL

  1. 18The Cherubic Hymn
  2. 19The Great Entrance
  3. 20The Litany of Supplication
  4. 21The Kiss of Peace
  5. 22The Creed
  6. 23"Lift Up Your Hearts"
  7. 24The Words of Institution and the Epiclesis
  8. 25"It Is Truly Meet"
  9. 26The Lord's Prayer
  10. 27"Holy Things Are for the Holy"
  11. 28Communion
  12. 29The Prayer Behind the Ambo and the Dismissal

AFTER THE DISMISSAL

 

  1. 30The Cross and the Bread
  2. 31Memorials, Blessings, and Announcements
  3. 32Coffee Hour
  4. 33What Just Happened to You

Start Here

What this field guide is, who it's for, how its entries work, and where to start reading.

Start HereCheat SheetAbout This Guide
A stick-figure visitor holding a candle stands in a domed Orthodox church, looking up at Christ Pantocrator in the dome, with lamps hanging between the columns.

The Guide

PART ONE

Your First Visit

  • Who Are the Orthodox?
  • What to Wear
  • Bringing Kids
  • Arriving Late
  • and 3 more

PART TWO

Walking In: The Divine Liturgy, Stop by Stop

  • The Courtyard and the Steps
  • The Narthex
  • The Room
  • The Iconostasis and Its Doors
  • and 29 more

PART THREE

What the Orthodox Believe

  • What the Orthodox Believe: The Creed in Plain Words
  • Scripture and Tradition
  • Salvation as Healing: Grace, Repentance, Theosis
  • Mary and the Saints
  • and 4 more

PART FOUR

The Mysteries and the Milestones

  • Baptism and Chrismation
  • Confession
  • Marriage and the Crowning
  • Holy Unction and Prayer for the Sick
  • and 4 more

PART FIVE

The Week and the Year

  • Vespers, Vigil, and the Daily Round
  • Other Services You'll Meet
  • The Church Year: Feasts, Fasts, and Pascha Every Sunday
  • Why Is Orthodox Easter on a Different Date?
  • and 2 more

PART SIX

Living It

  • Prayer at Home
  • Fasting: The Rules, the Range, and the Point
  • The Communion Fast: Eating and Drinking Before Communion
  • Almsgiving and Stewardship
  • and 3 more

PART SEVEN

History and Neighbors

  • A Short History, Pentecost to America
  • How the Church Is Organized
  • Orthodox and Catholic
  • Orthodox and Protestant
  • and 6 more

PART EIGHT

Coming Home

  • The Path In: Inquirer, Catechumen, Reception
  • How Converts Are Received
  • The First Year After Reception
  • How to Find a Parish, and Next Steps
Single page cheat sheet titled "Your First Divine Liturgy": ten numbered steps of the service in a column, each with body cue icons, ending in a boxed line, "Nobody expects you to know any of this." Every step is listed in text on the page.

Cheat Sheet

Your First Divine Liturgy

One page. Print it, fold it, keep it in your pocket.

  1. 1MATINS: already underway as many arrive, so come in quietly.Body-cue icon: walk up (a walking figure).
  2. 2"Blessed is the Kingdom": the Liturgy begins.Body-cue icon: stand.
  3. 3Hymns and litanies: "Lord, have mercy" is the people's part.Body-cue icon: stand.Body-cue icon: sitting is OK (a seated figure with a check mark).
  4. 4SMALL ENTRANCE: the Gospel book processes.Body-cue icon: stand.Body-cue icon: bow.
  5. 5Epistle, Gospel, homily: sit for readings and sermon, stand for the Gospel.Body-cue icon: sitting is OK (a seated figure with a check mark).Body-cue icon: stand.
  6. 6GREAT ENTRANCE: bread and wine carried in, not yet consecrated.Body-cue icon: stand.Body-cue icon: bow head (a standing figure, eyes closed, head lowered).
  7. 7The Creed: "I believe..." said or sung by everyone.Body-cue icon: stand.
  8. 8COMMUNION: prepared Orthodox come forward, arms crossed; visitors stay in place and pray.Body-cue icon: arms crossed over the chest.
  9. 9Blessing and dismissal: "We have beheld the true Light."Body-cue icon: bow head (a standing figure, eyes closed, head lowered).
  10. 10Kiss the cross, take the blessed bread, coffee hour.Body-cue icon: walk up (a walking figure).
NOBODY EXPECTS YOU TO KNOW ANY OF THIS.

Body cues

Body-cue icon: stand.STAND
Body-cue icon: bow.BOW
Body-cue icon: sitting is OK (a seated figure with a check mark).SIT OK
Body-cue icon: a hand with fingers joined to make the sign of the cross, lettered "Optional for visitors."CROSS YOURSELF
Body-cue icon: bow head (a standing figure, eyes closed, head lowered).BOW HEAD
Body-cue icon: kneel or prostrate (a figure kneeling, forehead to the floor).KNEEL / PROSTRATE
Body-cue icon: arms crossed over the chest.ARMS CROSSED
Body-cue icon: walk forward (a figure walking toward a chalice on a stand).WALK FORWARD
Body-cue icon: a wavy tilde, meaning practice varies by parish.~ VARIES

Glossary

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
AmboAntidoronIconostasisNarthexPanagiaPhelonionProskomediaRoyal DoorsSoleaSticharionTrisagionTheotokosProsphoraPascha

FROM THE GLOSSARY

Iconostasis

eye-kuh-NOSS-tuh-sis; Greek ee-koh-noh-STAH-sis

Detail of the floor plan: the iconostasis, with the Mother of God and Christ child left of the curtained royal doors, Christ to the right, and an angel on each deacon's door.

The screen of icons between the nave and the sanctuary, with three doors in it.

Full entryThe Iconostasis and Its Doors

Cover of the Field Guide: a cloth-bound, string-tied notebook lettered "Field Guide to the Orthodox Church," with the round Simply Orthodox seal and a "Bad" Books of the Bible badge.

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