Get your candles ready 🙂

Here are Paschal greetings in two major Orthodox languages worldwide besides English, in case you want to join in joyfully expresssing them too:

Church Slavonic: Христосъ воскресе! Воистину воскресе!
Pronounced: Khristos voskrese! Voistinu voskrese!

Greek: Χριστός ἀνέστη! Ἀληθῶς ἀνέστη!
Pronounced: Kristos anesti! Aleithos anesti!

(SKIP BELOW OTHER GREETINGS FOR MORE INFORMATION ON TONIGHT’S SERVICE)

Other languages:
Arabic: !المسيح قام! حقا قام–Pronounced: al-Masīḥ qām! Ḥaqqan qām!
Romanian: Hristos a înviat! Adevărat a înviat!
Medieval English – Crist is arisen! Arisen he sothe!
Jamaican English– Krestos a uprisin! Seen, him a uprisin fe tru!
German – Christus ist auferstanden! Er ist wahrhaftig auferstanden!
Norwegian – Kristus er oppstanden! Han er sannelig oppstanden!
Latin – Christus resurrexit! Resurrexit vere!
Spanish – ¡Cristo ha resucitado! ¡En verdad ha resucitado!
Old Irish – Asréracht Críst! Asréracht Hé–som co dearb!
Welsh – Atgyfododd Crist! Yn wir atgyfododd!Ethiopian languages
Ethiopian languages: Christos tensiou! Bahake tensiou!/
Kristos Tenestwal! Bergit Tenestwal!
Alaskan-Aleut languages:
Kristusaq Aglagikuk! Angangulakan Aglagikuk!/
Kristusaq ungwektaq! Pichinuq ungwektaq!/
Xris-tusaq Ung-uixtuq! Iluumun Ung-uixtuq!

Want to rehearse the music? Do it with our expert liturgist Fr. John Whiteford, who from his ROCOR mission in Texas has provided us with materials for tonight (this is just a 5-minute audio program for rehearsal): http://www.saintjonah.org/podcasts/paschalhours.mp3

For those at home due to the pandemic and shutdown and not attending services:

1) One pious custom, if you are unable to have Communion for Pascha: Try to fast from 6 p.m. until the end of the Paschal Reader Service. Those who have holy water and/or blessed bread at home and who want can have those at the end of the service, too, which monastics have done when a priest is unavailable for Pascha. (If you wish to do this and do not have holy water and blessed bread and would like some delivered, we still have some provided by Holy Protection Monastery for faithful laity, please let us know.)

2) Another pious tradition: On Holy Saturday afternoon or evening, try to read at home through the Acts of the Apostles if you can, which is traditional preparation for Pascha. Again, this is just if you are able.

3) Then at 11 p.m. we’ll send the Zoom link around on messenger and at 11:30 p.m., with Father’s blessing, we’ll start the Reader Services for Pascha. Please note that we can host a number of folks on the Zoom meeting, so that if you have more than one device in your home and more than one person who will participate, you each can be on different devices if you want (or together on one). Also, if you are having tech trouble with the link to your computer or phone, you can also simply call in to one of the listed phone numbers accompanying the link (the New York City number would be the nearest I guess) and type in the meeting ID listed separately with the link info. Then you can participate by audio, like a phone conference. But if you are able to participate via video, try not to be shy, just be prepared for the visuals, it can make for a better gathering for those who are on video (though again, no pressure if you don’t want to do so for any reason).

Below are the links for the Reader components of the Pascha services, thanks to Father John Whiteford. Please if you can have these ready, and if possible take a look at them beforehand and listen to the short MP3 linked below on music for the Paschal Hours. The more readers and chanters and singers the more joyous! 🙂 (But it’s fine not to read or sing; if you do, we’re not expecting perfection, just devotion :-))

—Midnight Office at 11:30 p.m., the last of the Holy Week services, http://www.saintjonah.org/services/paschal_midnightoffice_rs.doc

—Paschal Matins at about midnight, http://www.saintjonah.org/services/paschal_matins_rs.doc

—Paschal Hours (following typical parish practice, we’ll only do this service once rather than the ancient practice of doing it three times): http://www.saintjonah.org/services/paschalhours_rs.doc As we start the Paschal Hours at Midnight, we can light and wave candles and process at our different “desert” locations as we wish, on screen too, or around the block or around our homes, etc. Or not. But feel free. AGAIN, NOT REQUIRED BUT PLEASE IF YOU CAN LISTEN TO THE MP3 PREPARED BY FR JOHN WHITEFORD IN ADVANCE; IT’S SHORT BUT HAS MUSIC FOR THE PASCHAL HOURS: http://www.saintjonah.org/podcasts/paschalhours.mp3

–Then, in place of the Paschal Liturgy, the Typika: http://www.saintjonah.org/services/typika_pascha.doc

–Finally, here is the short but famous Homily of St. John Chrysostom for Pascha, which we can read to end our worship celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paschal_Homily

Then we will wish each other “Christ is Risen” again, perhaps display Paschal foods :), and engage in virtual fellowship or return to home feasting as you choose!

We will have a separate Zoom gathering Sunday at 3 p.m. for Agape Vespers, more info on that to come.