22 December Wednesday
Old Style — 9 DecemberToday
This year's detailed calendar has not been published yet — these are calculated dates.
Commemorated — from the synaxarion
Tap a name to open the life
The Conception of the Most Holy Theotokos by Righteous Anna›
Holy Prophetess Anna, Mother of the Prophet Samuel (1100 Before the Nativity of Christ)›- St Sophronius, Archbishop of Cyprus (VI)›
- Venerable Stephen the Newly-Radiant (+912)›
The tone and the day's psalms
What is a tone?
A tone is not a psalm number. It is the mode in which that week's resurrection hymns are sung — the whole week's Vespers, Matins and Liturgy are set in one tone.
There are eight tones, and they change each week. The cycle opens with the first tone on Thomas Sunday after Pascha and returns to the first every eight weeks; Bright Week itself has no tone of its own. A new tone begins on Saturday evening, with the new church week.
The Psalter is divided into twenty kathismata and, by the usual rule, is read through once a week. Appointed for this day:
- At Matins · kathisma 10Psalms 70–76›
- At Matins · kathisma 11Psalms 77–84›
- At Vespers · kathisma 12Psalms 85–90›
This is the usual rule. In Great Lent the Psalter is read twice a week, and the kathismata are divided differently.
Word of the day
The greatest of works is silence, in which we are made like the Lord, who kept silence even when Herod summoned Him.
Icons of the day's saints — from our shop
For every day — candles and incense
Honey (Beeswax) Candles, 50 pieces
Incense, Grade III
Charcoal for the Liturgy
Censer
Icon: Icon of Christ — Sinai, 6th c. · Public domain