This Sunday marks the final Sunday of the Triodion and we are exploring one last service of Great Lent: Passia services on Sunday evenings.

1. the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete

2. the Liturgy of Presanctified Gifts

3. the Saturdays of Lent (Theodore and Soul Saturdays)

4. the Passia services (Sunday evenings).

Passia services (sometimes known as Messia) are celebrated during vespers on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Sunday evenings of Great Lent. This special service was written by St. Petro Mohyla (+1647), Metropolitan of Kyiv, commemorating the divine suffering of our Lord, Jesus Christ. At each week’s service a different account of the suffering of Christ is read: the 26th and 27th chapters of Matthew; the 14th and 15th chapters of Mark; the 22nd and 23rd chapters of Luke; and the 18th and 19th chapters of John. In this way a focus on the Passion of Christ is maintained throughout the Great Fast.

The reading of the Holy Gospel customarily takes place in the centre of the church before a large Crucifix.  The faithful stand with lighted candles and many follow the readings in their own copies of the Holy Gospel.  In addition to the reading, elements of the services for Great and Holy Friday and Great and Holy Saturday are chanted. For many, the Passia is an integral part of Great Lenten observance.

It is currently unique to the Ukrainian Orthodox diaspora (and parishes of southern russia…). In the UOCC the practice has been to rotate the services among the parishes of a city so that parishioners can meet other faithful of the city’s community. So this year we invite you to join us at the Passia services at different parishes to discover different parishes and meet other faithful!

See below for the text of the liturgy and the Passia Schedule of the Eastern Eparchy UOCC.

Source:

• https://pastyr.ca/

• https://tureligious.com.ua/sluzhba-strastej-hrystovyh-pasiya/

• https://www.fatheralexander.org/booklets/english/beginning_orthodoxy_2.htm#_Toc12428286