Triodion Season: Saturday Liturgies (Theodore and Soul Saturdays)
This Sunday marks the third Sunday of the Triodion and we are exploring another service of Great Lent: the Saturday Liturgies of Great Lent.
the Saturdays of Lent (Theodore and Soul Saturdays)
the Passia services, unique to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada.
Remembrance of the Reposed
As we learned in November of the Ukrainian traditions of remembering those already reposed in the Lord on Saturdays in the autumnal season (and specifically on the Saturday before the feast of St. Demetrius of Thessaloniki), we know that the Saturdays of Great Lent are also a time to remember the deceased.
Days during Great Lent
Meatfare Saturday - Saturday of the Dead* (Feb. 18, 2023)
While not officially a part of Great Lent, this Ancestral Saturday is a universal (or general) commemoration of the reposed as it is the day before the Sunday of the Last Judgement, and so we intercede on their behalf, praying for the salvation of their souls before the last Judgement. (The other “universal” commemoration of the dead is on the Saturday before Pentecost).
*Being Christian, we do not believe in death but rather that they are asleep, waiting for the second coming (read more).
Theodore Saturday - 1st Saturday of Great Lent (Mar. 4, 2023)
"On the Saturday before Sunday of Orthodoxy, the first of four Saturdays of the Souls are held. This is a special commemoration when the Church offers a Divine Liturgy and Memorial Service for the departed faithful. This is considered a universal commemoration of the dead. Through the memorial services, the Church is commending to God all who have departed and who are now awaiting the Last Judgment.
This specific Saturday is a special commemoration of the Great Martyr Theodore of Tyre and the miracle of the kolyva. In 361, Julian the Apostate was doing his utmost to restore pagan customs. Knowing that the Christians were accustomed to sanctify the first week of Lent by fasting and prayer, the wily tyrant told the Prefect of Constantinople to have all of the food set out for sale in the markets sprinkled with the blood of animals sacrificed to the gods, so that no one in the city would escape the contagion of idolatry. However, the Lord did not abandon His chosen people, but sent His servant Theodore to outwit the tyrant. Appearing in a vision to Patriarch Eudoxius (360-364), the holy Martyr informed him of what was happening and told him to instruct the Christians not to buy food from the markets but instead to eat kolyva made from grains of boiled wheat. Thus, thanks to the intervention of the holy Martyr Theodore, the Christian people were preserved from the stain of idolatry. The Church has commemorated this miracle ever since on the first Saturday of Great Lent, in order to remind the faithful that fasting and temperance have the power to cleanse all the stains of sin.”
Soul Saturday - 2nd, 3rd and 4th Saturday of Great Lent (Mar. 11, 18, and 25, 2023)
The Church in general remembers the reposed on Saturdays and during Great Lent, there is a memorial Liturgy celebrated with a reading of all the names submitted. In some parishes there is a practice not to serve panakhydas or litiyas during Great Lent, but as always, speak with your parish priest to confirm.
Bring your family names
Join us this Great Lent on Saturdays to remember the departed of your family but also those in the world who might not have anyone to pray for them. It is our opportunity to pray for all those who have died in the violent invasion of Ukraine, for those who have died in the horrific earthquake in Turkey and Syria and for the victims of mass shootings, accidents etc.
You can submit your family names here.
Bring Kolyvo on Mar. 4th
Bring a small bowl of Kolyvo (boiled wheat and honey) to have blessed after the Liturgy. There are many Greek recipes for kolyvo but it is essentially the Ukrainian recipe for Kutia, minus the poppy seeds.
Meaning of Kolyvo
Wheat is used as an expression of death and resurrection. Jesus said: “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies, it bears much fruit” [John 12:24]. The honey or candies that are mixed into the Kolyvo are reminders of the sweetness and bless of eternal life that will follow our resurrection.