Festal Service to Our Venerable and God-bearing Father Prochorus the Georgian
We sing “Blessed is the man”, the first antiphon.
At “Lord, I have cried”, the stichera
on 8, Tone 5.
Of the venerable Prochorus the Georgian
O holy God-bearing father George-Prochorus the Georgian, who is able to recount thy virtues, and moreover to praise thy glorious struggle in Palestine? For attaining the height of abbacy, as a good shepherd thou didst tend thy children: Now entreat God for us also to grant remission of sins to those who keep the feast of thy holy memory, and be our intercessor that He may send down upon the Churches unity, peace and great mercy.
O holy God-bearing father George-Prochorus the Georgian, lover of God and fulfiller of His divine commandments, heavenly champion and boast of our people, and lamp that bringest the dawn to Iberia: now entreat God for us also to grant remission of sins to those who keep the feast of thy holy memory, and be our intercessor that He may send down upon the Churches unity, peace and great mercy.
O holy God-bearing father George-Prochorus the Georgian, boast of ascetics and unshaken pillar of patience, adornment of our Church and great elder and teacher of the Iberians who struggled in Jerusalem, who didst finish well thy divine course and dost dwell in the Kingdom of Christ God: now entreat Him for us also to grant remission of sins to those who keep the feast of thy holy memory, and be our intercessor that He may send down upon the Churches unity, peace and great mercy.
O holy God-bearing father George-Prochorus the Georgian, fellow-servant of the angels and beholder of things ineffable, head of monks and superior of the Georgians' Monastery of the Cross in Jerusalem, who rejoicest before the all-holy Trinity, illumined with great radiance, and art the helper of those who entreat thee: now entreat Him for us also to grant remission of sins to those who keep the feast of thy holy memory, and be our intercessor that He may send down upon the Churches unity, peace and great mercy.
With what praises shall we worthily extol, or with what song shall we sing of the all-blessed Prochorus, the all-radiant lamp of Georgia and luminary of Jerusalem, who didst build the glorious monastery outside the city, on the place bought by King Mirian, where the precious tree was cut down from which they made the Cross of the Passion of Christ, who through thee cast down the assaults of the enemies and granteth us great mercy?
With what praises shall we worthily extol, or with what song shall we sing of the all-blessed Prochorus, the spiritual teacher and guide and father of fathers, the boast of monks and heavenly leader of the Georgians? Thou didst settle a new monastery upon the ruined monastery of the Cross built by Gorgasali, and didst labour well for thy flock, that they might flourish in spiritual and bodily good things and be well-pleasing to God, who through thee cast down the assaults of the enemies and granteth us great mercy.
With what praises shall we worthily extol, or with what song shall we sing of the all-blessed Prochorus, the strength of the Church of Christ, who enlighteneth all with his teaching? For being a spiritual teacher and guide of monks, thou didst wear down the flesh by struggle, and standing with the bodiless ones thou shelterest us Georgians from on high before God, who through thee cast down the assaults of the enemies and granteth us great mercy.
With what praises shall we worthily extol, or with what song shall we sing of the all-blessed Prochorus, who is like a star radiant with God, shining forth by his dwelling in the desert, a plant of paradise bearing good fruit, a great helper and teacher, the reprover of all the wicked and slothful and one who turneth them to God, who through thee cast down the assaults of the enemies and granteth us great mercy?
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
With what praises shall we worthily extol, or with what song shall we sing of the all-blessed Prochorus, the luminary of the world and the boast of the Georgian people, and above all of Jerusalem, where thou didst struggle in a manner well-pleasing to God, and didst instruct the flocks and multiply manuscripts and divine collections for the glory of God? Intercede now with Him to grant remission of sins to those who keep the feast of thy holy memory, and be our intercessor that He may send down upon the Churches unity, peace and great mercy. (Tone 6).
Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Who will not call thee blessed, O all-holy Virgin? Who will not praise thine all-pure childbearing? For the only-begotten Son, who shone forth timelessly from the Father, came forth ineffably incarnate from thee, the pure one; being God by nature, and for our sake becoming man by nature, not divided into two persons, but known in two natures without confusion. Entreat Him, O honoured and all-blessed one, for the salvation of our souls. (Tone 6).
At the entrance, the prokeimenon of the day
The Old Testament readings of the venerable one.
1. The reading from the Wisdom of Solomon. (The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God…)
2. The reading from the Wisdom of Solomon. (The righteous live for evermore, and with the Lord…)
It is written under 9 March.
3. The reading from the Wisdom of Solomon (Though the righteous be prevented with death, yet shall he be in rest…). It is written under 7 May.
At the Litia, the sticheron of the church.
Then of the venerable Prochorus.
მამად და წინამძღურად აღგიარებს სიმრავლეი მონაზონთაი, ღმერთშემოსილო პროხორე, და იშუებს სახსენებელსა შენსა, რამეთუ აღაშენე სავანეი წმიდასა მას ცხოველსმყოფელისა ჯუარისა ადგილსა ნათესავისა შენისათვის მეფეთა ჩუენთა შეწევნითა, და მერმეცა მფარველობდენ რაი საძმოსა მისსა, შესწირვიდენ დიდთა საფასეთა და მამულთა, არა ხოლო თუ მკვიდრობასა მას შინა ქართველთასა, არამედ შემდგომთაცა მფლობელთა მისთა, გარნა აწ არცაღა უდევთ წილი მსახურთა შორის მისთა ქართველთა, და შეგვეწიე წინაშე ღმრთისა, რაითა შენ მიერ მონაღვაწები იერუსალიეიმისა ჯუარისა მონასტერი კუალად ჰყოს ქართველთა მამათა სამკვიდრებელად.
მაუწყებელ-არს საკვირველისა მის ღუაწლისა შენისა დიდებული მონასტერი ჯუარისაი იერუსალეიმსა, და ხმა მაღლად ჰქადაგებს რაი ლოცვათათვის შენთა მხურვალეთა, აწ ჩუენცა სიხარულითა მოვისწრაფით წმიდასა მას ტაძარსა, და ლოცვითა შეგვედრებთ ერსა ჩუენსა, განბნეულთა ყოველსა ქუეყანასა ზედა, და უფროის ისრაელსა შინა ცხორებულთა ქართველთა, რაითა უკუნ იქცენ სამშობლო ქუეყანასა და კეთილდღეობითა ცხოვნდებოდენ და მადლობდენ ღმერთსა, დამბადებელსა და შემოქმედსა ყოველთასა.
Being wondrously filled with divine wisdom in that fierce struggle of leadership, with the great scribes John Dvali and John the Black, Michael son of Gvirgvin, and Gabriel Sakvareli, and other ascetics, thou didst not cease to multiply the God-inspired books for the glory of God: entreat ye Him to multiply for us God-wise shepherds, teachers and monks, that like thee they may serve the holy Church and the people worthily and praise His power.
Make merry now, O Georgian people, and keep festival, O assembly of the faithful, for Christ God hath visited us in mercy and granted us the fathers who struggled in the Monastery of the Cross in Jerusalem: both its builder and first abbot, Prochorus the Georgian, and those after him, Luke of Jerusalem, Nicholas Dvali, and all our martyrs and venerable fathers, our helpers in afflictions, consolation in sorrows, physicians of sicknesses and deliverers from passions.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Thou didst appear wise in God, O great luminary of the Georgians, and gathering into thy monastery the fathers scattered over the breadth of Palestine, ye struggled with one accord and exalted the crown of the right-confessing; therefore the Church of the Georgians found thee as a treasure of great price and received thee with joy.
Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Rejoice, O Virgin, cloud and chariot of the Word; rejoice, O holy dwelling of God, beyond the mind and beyond every bound; rejoice, O unwedded one, who didst conceive by the Spirit God who is above all gods; rejoice, thou who didst give birth without seed and didst give suck without corruption; rejoice, ever-virgin and blessed one.
— At the Aposticha, the sticheron. (Tone 8).
Ever meditating on the commandments of Christ day and night with a pure mind, thou didst shepherd His flock with love and teach them to guard themselves from the passions: now raise us too to imitate thy virtues, O blessed father, that we may flee evil habits and passions.
Verse: Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.
Being the good fruit of the land of Iberia, in a foreign land thou didst serve with a son's fervour the people that bore thee, who now honour thee as their father, O venerable Prochorus; and we entreat thine intercession before God, for we have no defence before Him, that He may deliver us from evil sins and manifold trials.
Verse: Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord; he will delight greatly in His commandments.
We know thee as an earthly angel and a heavenly man, O all-glorious father of fathers, and a chosen vessel of Christ God; when He had filled thy soul with wisdom, as a living fountain and an unfailing spring thou didst pour forth divine teachings for the increase of the flock of Christ.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Thou didst bear the burden of the day with valour and multiply the talent given thee, O good and faithful servant, and didst enter into the joy of thy Lord: ask now of Him for us the peaceful preservation of the world, the strengthening of Orthodoxy, the revival of our people, and mercy for our souls.
Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O Virgin unwedded, who didst ineffably conceive God in Thy womb, Mother of God Most High, all-immaculate one, who grantest to all the forgiveness of sins, accept now our supplication too, and ask that through Thine intercession we may receive from Him the pardon of our offences and life for our souls, O incorrupt one.
Lampstand of piety and strength of the Church, boast and teacher of monks, O God-bearing Prochorus, founder of the Monastery of the Cross in Jerusalem, remember us before God, that He may keep us unharmed from trials and count us worthy of His Kingdom.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Being zealous in those divine works, O venerable Prochorus, thou didst shine like a lamp upon the high lampstand of the abbacy, and becamest for all an image of wisdom, humility and godliness: now be for us too a guide of life and an intercessor with God, that He may turn away the wrath justly stirred up against us for our sins, and deliver us from enemies invisible and visible.
Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
“O Theotokos and Virgin…” once.
— “God is the Lord” (sung in Tone 4).
— Troparion 1. “Glory…”
— Troparion 2. “Both now…”
The resurrectional dismissal Theotokion (in the tone of the troparion):
The mystery hidden from eternity and unknown to the angels, O Theotokos, hath through Thee been revealed to those on earth: God incarnate in unconfused union, who of His own will accepted the Cross for our sake, whereby He raised the first-formed man and saved our souls from death.
After the first kathisma, the sessional hymn, Tone 1:
A feast of joy hath shone forth upon all, thy memory, O thrice-blessed father Prochorus, and they have gathered together to praise thy deeds; and with the clergy we the faithful with one accord glorify the Lord who strengthened thee; and now, having boldness, entreat Him to have mercy on our souls. (Twice)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
The mystery hidden from all ages is revealed to the Archangel, that he may declare it with trembling to the Virgin; and he bringeth glad tidings to her who is blessed among women; with him let us cry out: Rejoice, thou who art full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
— After the second kathisma, the sessional hymn. (Tone 4).
Thou didst complete a life of piety on earth and didst appear as a rule for monks and a radiant luminary of thy people: now make the true light shine in our hearts, O God-bearing Prochorus, and be an intercessor for all who keep the feast of thy holy name. (Twice)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O all-immaculate and holy one, thou didst conceive by the divine Spirit God the Maker and Creator of all, and didst bear Him without corruption; wherefore we magnify thee and sing thy praise, O Virgin, as the palace of the King of all and the helper of the world.
Shining like a lamp upon a high lampstand in Jerusalem, thou didst ever pray to God that the assaults of enemies invisible and visible might cease from thy people: and now, as of old, show mercy toward us and entreat God to deliver us from evil sins and manifold trials. (Twice)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
The Word of the Father, who is co-eternal with Him, taketh from thee the beginning of our nature, O Theotokos; the Timeless One entereth into time, the Word becometh flesh, and the Son of God is called thy Son. O this incomprehensible mystery! Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.
From my youth unclean passions war mightily against me; therefore I entreat Thee: be my helper and save me, O Good One.
Ye that hate Zion, be put to shame by the Lord, and like withered grass shall Gehenna devour you.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
By the Holy Spirit every soul is quickened and exalted in purity, and is made radiant by the Trinity, one in essence, in a manner befitting God and mystically.
Prokeimenon, Tone 7
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.
Verse: “What shall I render unto the Lord for all that He hath rendered unto me?”
“Let every breath…” The Gospel according to Luke, chapter 6, verse 17 (At that time Jesus stood…); it ends at verse 23 (…your reward is great in heaven…).
Thou didst take the yoke of Christ upon thy neck, O all-blessed father, and wisely bearing thy cross, thou didst build on that holy land a monastery of the Iberians, and gathering in it Georgian desert-dwellers and God-inspired fathers, thou didst make Georgian letters flourish and becamest for our people as an unfailing fountain of grace.
The canon of the Theotokos, on 6
see 28 September
The canon of the venerable one, on 8. Tone 1
Irmos: At Thy beck, O God, Thou didst raise the flowing natures as a wall and lead the people of Israel through their midst on dry land; and they sang the song of victory.
The feast of the holy and blessed Prochorus hath come, and calleth the peoples to extol and praise those divinely radiant struggles which God accomplished through him.
Thy holy memory, O all-radiant father, calleth us to adorn thee with praises, and we glorify God, who chose thee as a chosen vessel and an organ that containeth His graces.
It is not right for the Georgians to forget thy deeds, O venerable one, but year by year it behoveth us to keep thy memory fittingly, as thou art worthy, and to ask thy fatherly blessing.
Our tongue is not able to tell of thy deeds, O all-wise father, for thy glory surpasseth our strength; but accept from us unworthy ones the song we offer as we are able, and ask of God for us the forgiveness of our sins.
Having thee as our advocate and intercessor before Christ God, commend us to His goodness, that He may keep His holy Church unshaken from the assault of enemies.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
As the Lord shone in thy heart brighter than the sun, O venerable one, thou didst multiply with wisdom the grace given by Him, and didst labour unceasingly for His glory.
Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O Lady of creation, entreat the Creator of all to protect our people whom He hath chosen, and as the Almighty to grant it victory over enemies and adversaries.
Irmos: O God our Saviour, Creator of all, who by Thy word didst establish the high heavens with all their power, by Thy divine Spirit establish us in unity upon the rock of faith.
Being born, O saint, of pious nobles, John and Rianusha, in Shavsheti, thy blessed parents brought thee up in holiness, O glorious one, and taught thee the divine books and the knowledge of God Most High.
From thy youth thou didst love purity, O blessed one, and being filled with the fear of God, His grace dwelt in thee and made thee a chosen vessel and a beholder of invisible things. Ask now of Him for us the forgiveness of our sins and iniquities, that we may be counted worthy of His glory.
Thou didst count as nothing the delights of this passing world and the beauty of the world; while still a boy thou didst go to the monastery of Tskarostavi, where thy brother struggled, and becoming a disciple of father Arsenius, thou wast trained by him in ascetic struggle.
As thou didst advance greatly in spirit, our great father Euthymius “the Tall” took thee as his disciple, and from then on thou wast watered by him, like a tree planted by the streams of the waters of the Holy Spirit. Now count us too worthy of His grace, that watchfulness of soul and health of body may be granted us.
Hastening toward the angelic struggle, thou didst put on the monastic habit at the hands of thy teacher, and didst not cease to glorify God: entreat Him to shelter us from every evil.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Seeing thee invincible in spirit and valiant in body, they ordained thee priest, O all-blessed one, and the fragrance of thy prayer ever rose up before God like goodly incense. Entreat Him now to grant remission of sins to those who with longing honour thy holy memory.
Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O Jesus our Saviour, through the prayers of Her that bore Thee, grant peace to the world, and give victory by the Cross to our God-loving people over the unbelieving enemies, and count the faithful worthy of forgiveness.
Come, O ye Georgian peoples, assemblies of fathers and choirs of monks with the hierarchs, rich and poor and people of every age, let us praise the builder and first abbot of the Monastery of the Cross in Jerusalem, the great Prochorus the Georgian, the spiritual guide and father of our people, that he may be our intercessor before God, that He may arm us with His invincible power and keep us from the assaults of enemies invisible and visible.
Irmos: Not an angel but the Lord Himself, God incarnate of the Virgin, Thou didst come to us and save us wholly, who cry: Glory to Thy power.
As a worthy monk, when thou wast ordained priest, thou didst give thyself to a fiercer struggle than before: now sprinkle us too with the dew of thy grace, that our heart may not be cold to hearing divine teachings and to singing to God.
When thy teacher, moved by God, desired to flee to the holy places, thou becamest the companion of his good course, O venerable one, and ye hastened to Jerusalem, whither God guided you both, and ye struggled in the contest of immortality, well-pleasing to God.
When thou camest with thy teacher to the holy city, O father, they received you in the Lavra of Sabbas, where ye struggled greatly and did not cease to pray and sing to God: ask of Him for us the forgiveness of our sins and iniquities, that we may be counted worthy of His glory.
In that Lavra the Georgians also had a church, according to the testament of Sabbas, for that ascetic of Cappadocia loved our race, and ye performed the divine service in the Georgian tongue.
Shining with the deeds of monastic life, O venerable one, from time to time thou didst struggle in the desert too, but thou didst never forsake thy teacher and the infirm brethren, and didst serve them with humility.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
When the Georgians had multiplied in the Lavra, thou didst resolve to build a monastery in that holy land and to gather there the desert-dwellers and fathers scattered over the breadth of Palestine, as of old the holy king Vakhtang Gorgasali had done.
Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O true Mother of God, entreat Thine only-begotten Son to guide us to a calm haven and save us from drowning in our sins.
Irmos: The Spirit of salvation, O Lord, which the first prophets conceived in their hearts and brought forth upon the earth, made known to us Thy coming to earth for the life of the faithful; and now, being enlightened, we magnify Thee in song.
Knowing of the ruined monastery of the Cross to the west of Jerusalem, built by Gorgasali on the place bought by King Mirian, thou didst begin there to found an assembly of fathers with the blessing of thy teacher.
As our King Bagrat became thy helper in building the monastery, so too his mother, Queen Mariam, offered thee great wealth by the hand of George the Athonite, when she sent him to venerate the holy places in Jerusalem.
When ye two blessed holy fathers of ours met in that holy land, ye kissed one another warmly, and thou didst ask George the Athonite to send divine books, and with them thou didst enrich the Monastery of the Cross.
When thou hadst first built and adorned the church with icons and holy things, the multitude of thy virtues was heard of among all, O wise one, and Georgians began to come and to multiply; and ye performed the divine service in the Georgian tongue.
Becoming the shepherd of that rational flock, O blessed one, thou didst govern the monastery wisely, and didst appoint for it an order and rule like that of the holy Lavra of Sabbas. Now grant us too the wisdom to discern between good and evil.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Our people maketh merry, O venerable father Prochorus, and recalleth that wondrous struggle of thine; and the heavenly powers sing invisibly with zeal, and the host of monks rejoiceth, boasting of thy labours accomplished in the desert,
Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Heaven and earth were enlightened through thee, O unwedded Mother of Jesus, for thou didst make the unquenchable Light to shine upon us, the God of all, who delivered them that were shut up in darkness and made us dwellers of the heavenly Kingdom.
Irmos: Drowned in the billows of the temptations of this world, fallen from the ship of sin and cast to the beast that slayeth souls, I cry to Thee: As Thou didst deliver Jonah from corruption and death, so deliver me also, O Christ.
Becoming shepherd of the flock of Christ, thou didst bring them up in knowledge, and ye translated the divine writings from the Greek and composed new ones for the glory of God: entreat ye Him now to send down His grace upon us and illumine our mind with the knowledge of His truth.
The host of monks and of the faithful rejoiced worthily because of thee, O saint, when thou didst build a house for receiving strangers, and didst gain great peace for the pilgrims to Jerusalem, rescuing them from countless snares and afflictions.
Having from God the gift of ministry and of the discerning of spirits, thou becamest the father of many souls and a good guardian of the monastic order, and didst ever pray for the Iberians and for their good progress.
Being a good shepherd, an intercessor with God for thy people and flock, now commend us too to God, that He may multiply for us God-inspired fathers and guides for our deliverance from every deception.
Being eager to please God, thou didst ever live in purity of body and innocence of heart: now help us too before Him, who keep thy memory, O God-bearing one, and ask for us deliverance from evil habits and passions.
“Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit”
Being the good fruit of the land of Iberia, in a foreign land thou didst serve with a son's fervour the people that bore thee, who now honour thee as their father, O holy Prochorus; and we entreat thine intercession before God, that He may deliver us from all transgressions and iniquities.
Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Thy mystery, O Virgin, was foreshadowed of old by the ark of the Law that held the divine writings, by the golden jar that held the manna, and by the rod.
Boundless love for God and for thy people became thy guide, O venerable Prochorus the Georgian; with great toil and the help of our kings thou didst establish a monastery in that holy land, and didst open its doors to thy race as a paradise in place of Eden, and didst appear as a rule for monks and a radiant luminary of Georgia.
ღმრთისა მიერ გამოირჩიე რაი აღშენებად წმიდისა სავანისა ქართუელთათვის იერუსალეიმსა შინა, ადგილსა მას წმიდასა, სადა იგი მოკვეთილ იქნა ხეი პატიოსანი, რომლისა მიერ შექმნეს ჯუარი ქრისტეს ვნებისაი, ყოვლითურთ განასრულე მეფეთა ჩუენთა შეწევნითა, და შეჰკრიბე მას შინა ღმრთივსულიერნი მამანი და მეცნიერნი ძმანი, და ერთობითა აღაორძინებდით მწიგნობრობასა ქართულსა. აწ შეგვაწყნარე ღმერთსა, ეკლესიაი თვისი დაიცვას, და ვიდრე აღსრულებადმდე საუკუნისა დაიფაროს ივერიაი და მკვიდრნი მისნი ყოვლისაგან ბოროტისა, აღმოგვიყვანოს უფსკრულთაგან ცოდვათაისა, და ლავრაი ეგე შენი უკუნ სცეს კუალად თვისტომთა შენთა, რაითა სიხარულითა ღაღადვჰყოთ: „იერუსალეიმის ჯუარისა მონასტერი ქართუელთა ძმათა სამკვიდრებელია“.
Irmos: The youths in the furnace in Babylon were bedewed from on high; they cried to God and said: Blessed art Thou, O Lord of our fathers, O God, unto the ages.
Thy deeds shine brighter than the sun, and still more the afflictions and labours that thou didst take up for the sake of Christ God; and now thou dwellest with all the saints before Him.
Wisely leading the brethren, O God-bearing father, thou didst reach a great old age and grew weak, and didst hand over all authority over thy flock to George, thy disciple.
Desiring a life of stillness, thou didst go out with two faithful brothers into the desert near Mount Nebo, and abiding in meekness and fasting thou didst pray unceasingly.
We find thee a shepherd of the sheep and a praying ascetic of good struggle, and we see the demons cast down by thee, O Prochorus, beauty of Jerusalem, wondrous one, our intercessor and helper by thy holy prayer.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Thou wast a radiant lamp to the Georgians who struggled in Palestine, and like a pillar of light to thy people, the lot of the Theotokos; abiding in the holy land, thou didst make every Georgian work flourish, and they called thee their guide.
Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Rejoice, O daughter of Adam; rejoice, O Bride of God, who didst contain Thy Creator; deliver us too from the trials of the enemy and count us worthy to sing to Thee: Blessed art Thou, O Lord God of our fathers, unto the ages.
Irmos: The bush on Sinai that burned yet was not consumed revealed God to Moses, slow of speech and heavy of tongue; and divine zeal delivered the youths from the furnace, and they cried out in song: All ye works, bless today God and the Lord; hymn and exalt Him unto the ages.
Great is thy humility, O venerable one, and greater still thy grace, for thou didst call thyself a poor and most sinful servant of God, and never didst thou forsake prayer, fasting and the work of thy hands, and thou didst cry: O all ye works, bless today God and the Lord; praise and supremely exalt Him unto the ages.
Ever beholding with the eyes of the soul the one God who dwelleth on high, O venerable Prochorus, thou didst pray for the remission of sins, the strengthening of the brethren, and the deliverance from all afflictions of that holy land and of thy people: now help us too, that He may deliver us from passions of soul and body.
Thy struggle shone forth greatly, both in Palestine and in Iberia, and in all the land; and seeing that angelic life of thine, the Georgians rejoiced greatly and cried: O all ye works, bless today God and the Lord; praise and supremely exalt Him unto the ages.
When the time of thine end drew near, O father, thou didst bless thy flock and commend thy people to God: now be for us too a surety and advocate before Him and a lightener of the burden of our sins, that we may live in well-being and praise His goodness.
Passing through life in holiness like an angel of God, thou didst pray to Him that the uprisings of evil might cease from thy flock: now commend us too to His goodness, that by thine intercession He may deliver us from all the sicknesses, afflictions and hardships that befall us.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Purified by prayer and worn out by toil, thou didst commit thy soul to the Lord in peace; then choirs of angels came and led thee up before God. Entreat Him now, O all-blessed Prochorus, to keep us who remember thee from all afflictions and sorrows.
Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
The three youths in the furnace in Babylon worshipped the Trinity and despised the golden image, and, sprinkled with dew, they cried out in song: All ye works, bless today God and the Lord, praise and supremely exalt Him unto the ages.
We praise, we bless, we worship the Lord, singing and supremely exalting Him unto all the ages.
Irmos: O thou who knewest not wedlock, keeper of incorruption, thou didst clothe the Creator Word with our nature. Come, O immaculate Virgin Theotokos, and with Him who was born of thee teach the faithful, that we may be counted worthy to glorify thee.
O the multitude of thy labours, O all-blessed Prochorus, through which thou rejoicest before God, who translated thee to the heavenly mansions and granted thee the grace of helping! Now forget us not for the multitude of our sins, O God-bearing one, and remove us from all works of iniquity.
Though the grave hath covered thee, O blessed one, the honour of holiness did not depart from thee even through death, for thou didst grant graces and healings to those who fled to thee with faith: now help us too before God, that He may shelter us from the snares of the evil one.
Look down from heaven, O father, upon these gathered here who with longing keep the feast of this thy holy memory, O venerable Prochorus, and entreat the Lord for us, that He may grant purity and contrition to our hearts and count us worthy to praise thee.
With thee, O venerable father Prochorus, we remember not only Nicholas Dvali and Luke of Jerusalem, but also our venerable fathers who struggled in the Monastery of the Cross and are joined to the holy choir of the Georgians in heaven, and we glorify God.
Your struggle shone forth greatly, O grace-filled fathers of Jerusalem, and was heard of throughout our land; behold, look now with mercy on us who sing your memory and entreat you: shelter us from sins and infirmities.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Boundless mercy, surpassing sweetness and humility were your guides on the way of the Kingdom: now ask forgiveness of transgressions for those who keep your memory, O our venerable fathers of Jerusalem, as those who stand before God.
Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
The old law foreshadoweth Thee, O holy Virgin, and the new confesseth Thee Theotokos, O unwedded one, and we the faithful say with faith: O Mother of the Word, cease not to entreat God for those who trust in Thee.
It is truly meet that we should magnify thee, O Theotokos, who art ever-blessed and all-immaculate and the Mother of our God. More honourable than the Cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, who without corruption gavest birth to God the Word, the only Theotokos, we magnify in song.
Being ever illumined by watchfulness, O all-blessed Prochorus, thou didst call many to repentance, and with that divine light, O glorious one, thou didst illumine their hearts, that they might know the one God, who setteth them free from their sins. (Twice)
We call thee blessed, O venerable father George-Prochorus, and honour thy holy memory, for by thy struggle the community of the Georgians in Jerusalem flourished; thou didst lead thy flock wisely, and ye commended the Georgian people to God.
Thy feast hath come like a radiant dawn and gladdeneth the heart of the faithful; and now we too praise thy deeds, O venerable father Prochorus, and with spiritual praises we adorn thy divinely radiant life, for speech faileth and the mind is amazed at thy labours, afflictions and struggles, and we glorify Christ who strengthened thee.
Thy divine virtues are praised today by those who love Christ: purity, meekness, humility and wondrous love of labour, O saint, thrice-blessed father Prochorus; and made courageous by thy struggle, we entreat thee: cease not to intercede before God for those who trust in thee, that He may grant to all the Christ-loving Georgians victory over the demons and all their wiles.
Ever meditating on the commandments of Christ day and night with a pure mind, O venerable father Prochorus, thou didst shepherd His flock with love and teach all to care for their souls by almsgiving, fasting and prayer: entreat now the man-befriending God for us too, that He may multiply for us true guides and fathers for the forgiveness of sins and for deliverance from every sorrow and deception.
The Church of Iberia with her children is radiantly adorned by the multitude of your struggles; now we too fall down before your holy icons, O venerable fathers of Jerusalem, and made courageous by your struggle, we entreat you, as glorious intercessors and physicians of those who trust in you: deliver us from passions of soul and body and fill us with divine zeal.
Thou didst show firmness of faith, O our venerable father Prochorus, and serving God in holiness thou wast refined like gold in the furnace of trials; therefore with love we kiss thy holy icons and entreat thee, as our loving father, to shelter us from the fierce afflictions and deceptions that surround us.
აღაშენე რაი სავანეი ნათესავისა შენისათვის ცხოველსმყოფელისა ჯუარისა ადგილსა, აღავსე მოღუაწეთა მიერ და მამათა და ჰყავ იგი ერისა ჩუენისათვის წყაროდ მადლისა და სულიერებისა, ამისთვისცა ვმწუხარებთ დაკარგვისათვის საუნჯისა მის ჩუენისა და გევედრებით: კეთილმსახურებრითა კადნიერებითა შენითა შეგვეწიე, რაითა ვძლოთ ყოველი დაბრკოლებაი, აღძრული წინააღმდგომთაგან დამკვიდრებისათვის მამათა ჩუენთა მოწესეთა სავანესა მას შენსა, წარსამართებელად სულიერისა ცხორებისა ჩუენისა, და სადიდებელად ღმრთისა.
For a long time thy glorious icon shone on the wall of the church together with the icon of Luke of Jerusalem, but they were cut out and sold to a foreign land; yet by divine providence it was made known to our Patriarch, and being bought back with his blessing, they were given to Svetitskhoveli. Behold, now we too fall down before that glorious icon of yours and entreat you: intercede for us before the King of heaven, for the forgiveness of sins and deliverance from the tyranny and deception of the Antichrist.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Being beloved of all for thy righteousness and humility, it is fitting for us above all, O venerable father Prochorus, to tell all of these wondrous deeds of thine and to glorify God, who granted such a caring father and wondrous ascetic to the Georgians who struggled in Palestine: now entreat God for us also to grant remission of sins to those who keep the feast of thy holy memory, and be our intercessor that He may send down upon the Churches unity, peace and great mercy.
Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Theotokion
…
The Great Doxology, and the Dismissal.
At the Liturgy: at the Beatitudes, from the canon of the venerable one, Odes 3 and 6.
Prokeimenon, Tone 7: Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.
Verse: “What shall I render unto the Lord for all that He hath rendered unto me?”
The Epistle: 1 Corinthians, chapter 12, verse 7 (Brethren, to each one of us…); it ends at verse 12 (…to every man severally as He will…).
Alleluia, Tone 6: Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord.
Verse: His seed shall be mighty upon the earth.
The Gospel of Matthew, chapter 11, verse 27 (“The Lord said unto His disciples…”); end: chapter 12, verse 1 (“…my burden is light”).
Communion hymn: The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance…
Compiled by Tinatin Mchedlishvili
I dedicate this to the departed members of my family: the psalm-reader Tamar, Shalva, Natalia, Mikheil and Ketevan.
