A Field Guide to the
Orthodox Churchorthodoxfieldguide.com part of Simply Orthodox
Menu

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

1Courtyard2Steps3Narthex4The Room5Iconostasis6Standing, sitting7Who's who8Vestments
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 9 to 31 carry body cue icons. Every stop is listed in text on the page.9Matins (Orthros)The dawn service you walked in on; ends with "Glory to God in the highest."Open stop 9 →10"Blessed is the Kingdom"The Liturgy's real beginning: the priest blesses with the Gospel book.Open stop 10 →11Great LitanyThe long prayer in rounds; "Lord, have mercy" is the people's part.Open stop 11 →12Antiphons and BeatitudesThree psalm-songs with refrains, or the Beatitudes.Open stop 12 →13SMALL ENTRANCEThe Gospel book goes for a walk. "Wisdom, O believers!"Open stop 13 →14TrisagionThe thrice-holy hymn, sung three times.Open stop 14 →15EpistleA psalm verse, then the Epistle read by a lay reader.Open stop 15 →16THE GOSPELThe Gospel read aloud; everyone stands and nobody moves.Open stop 16 →17HomilyThe sermon, on what was just read.Open stop 17 →18Catechumens' dismissalFast litanies; the old sending-out of the unbaptized.Open stop 18 →19Cherubic HymnThe slow hymn while the clergy prepare the gifts.Open stop 19 →20GREAT ENTRANCENot yet consecrated; honored as gifts going to God.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 →23AnaphoraThe great prayer of thanksgiving and consecration.Open stop 23 →24"It is truly meet"The hymn to the Mother of God; the Church remembers the living and the dead.Open stop 24 →25Our FatherThe Lord's Prayer, then the Lamb is broken behind the curtain.Open stop 25 →26COMMUNIONFor prepared Orthodox Christians; visitors watch and pray.Open stop 26 →27Dismissal"We have beheld the true Light." The priest blesses from the nave.Open stop 27 →28Cross and breadKiss the cross, take the bread; it isn't Communion and visitors may usually have it.Open stop 28 →29MemorialsA short memorial with a tray of sweet wheat, some Sundays.Open stop 29 →30Coffee hourCoffee, food and conversation downstairs. You're invited.Open stop 30 →31What Just HappenedYour 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 31 →

BEFORE STOP 9

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."
3 · 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."
3 · 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
  2. 2Steps
  3. 3Narthex
  4. 4The Room
  5. 5Iconostasis
  6. 6Standing, sitting
  7. 7Who's who
  8. 8Vestments

ON TO STOP 9 ↓

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 9 to 31 carry body cue icons. 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 Courtyard and the Steps
  3. 3The Narthex
  4. 4The Room
  5. 5The Iconostasis and Its Doors
  6. 6Standing, Sitting, Pews, and Kneeling
  7. 7Who's Who
  8. 8Vestments at a Glance

MATINS (ORTHROS)

 

  1. 9Matins Is Already Happening

THE WORD

LITURGY OF THE CATECHUMENS

  1. 10'"Blessed Is the Kingdom"'
  2. 11The Great Litany
  3. 12The Antiphons and the Beatitudes
  4. 13The Small Entrance
  5. 14The Trisagion
  6. 15The Prokeimenon and the Epistle
  7. 16The Gospel
  8. 17The Homily
  9. 18The Litany of the Catechumens

THE EUCHARIST

LITURGY OF THE FAITHFUL

  1. 19The Cherubic Hymn
  2. 20The Great Entrance
  3. 21The Litany of Supplication and the Kiss of Peace
  4. 22The Creed
  5. 23The Anaphora
  6. 24'"It Is Truly Meet"'
  7. 25The Lord's Prayer and "Holy Things Are for the Holy"
  8. 26Communion

AFTER THE DISMISSAL

 

  1. 27The Prayer Behind the Ambo and the Dismissal
  2. 28The Cross and the Bread
  3. 29Memorials, Blessings, and Announcements
  4. 30Coffee Hour
  5. 31What 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 26 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. 1WALK IN ANY TIME – even mid-service. Matins is already happening.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 or come for a blessing.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 altar, 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.

FROM SIMPLY ORTHODOX

“A practical guide to the faith, liturgy, scriptures, customs, and oddities of the world's oldest church.”
Read Simply Orthodox ↗