Festal Service to Our Venerable Father Serapion of Zarzma
— “O come, let us worship” — is sung.
— “Bless the Lord, O my soul” (Psalm 103) — is sung.
— “Blessed is the man” — the first antiphon of the first kathisma.
— “Lord, I have cried” (sung in Tone 5).
— To the venerable Serapion of Zarzma — the stichera on 8.
— O God-bearing father, blessed Serapion, lover of God and fulfiller of His divine commandments, it is most fitting for us to hear of these thy wondrous deeds and to glorify God, who gave us such a father and teacher, and to cry: Rejoice, for thy name is written in heaven. Entreat Christ now to send down upon the Churches unity, peace and great mercy.
— O God-bearing father, blessed Serapion, companion in counsel and in dwelling of the angels, sharer with the prophets, the holy apostles and the martyrs, and co-heir of the unfading Light, who shinest with divine radiance, for thou standest boldly before Him, illumined by grace, and ever beholdest His glory and delightest for ever in His goodness: entreat Christ now to send down upon the Churches unity, peace and great mercy.
— O God-bearing father, blessed Serapion, star of the desert, radiance of divine love and enlightener of monks, unshaken pillar of patience, strength and beam of the Church, all-radiant lamp and luminary of the whole world, treasury of the virtues, who didst make the empty desert a city and show it forth as a paradise: entreat Christ now to send down upon the Churches unity, peace and great mercy.
— O God-bearing father, blessed Serapion, boast of monks and strength of the right faith, chosen servant of the Holy Trinity, peer of the angels, raised from earth to heaven by the guidance of monks, inheritor of the Kingdom, citizen of heaven by angelic song, crowned with the saints and illumined in the light of the vision of God, and intercessor by thy holy prayer for all who honour thee: entreat Christ now to send down upon the Churches unity, peace and great mercy.
— O God-bearing father, blessed Serapion, temple of mysteries united with the angels, abyss of understanding, beholder of things ineffable, father of fathers, head of monks and guide of hermits, who rejoicest before the all-holy Trinity, illumined with great radiance, and art the helper of those who entreat thee: entreat Christ now to send down upon the Churches unity, peace and great mercy.
— Another sticheron, Tone 2: “O crowns…”.
— With what crown of praise shall we wreathe the strength of the Church of Christ, who enlighteneth all with his teaching, the unflinching reprover of rulers, the intercessor and helper of all, the consoler of all the afflicted and the refuge of all in trials, the pillar of piety, the champion of the faithful, the all-praised Serapion, through whom Christ cast down the uprisings of the enemies, and who hath great mercy? (Twice)
— With what hymns of praise shall we sing of him 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, for whose sake Christ cast down their uprisings, and who hath great mercy?
— With what songs of praise shall we sing of the shepherd and teacher of the Iberians, the founder of the monastery of Zarzma and the builder and adorner of churches, who appeared like the sun to thy people and taught them to love God and the fatherland, in whom we set our hope, that in the unity of faith and love we may confess him as the guide and stronghold of our people, who hath great mercy?
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
— Now be glad, O lovers of the feast, and with songs of praise let us sing and extol the boast of priests and the glory of Zarzma, the fountain of wonders and the great intercessor and advocate of the faithful: Rejoice, unsleeping guardian of Samtskhe, who didst make the empty deserts into cities; rejoice, all-radiant lampstand, who didst enlighten the ends of the world with wonders; rejoice, divine joy of the afflicted and fervent intercessor of those in trials, O venerable and wonderworking father Serapion: entreat Christ God without ceasing for us who with faith and love ever honour thy joyful and all-blessed memory. (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).
— The entrance with the censer.
— The prokeimenon of the day
— The Old Testament readings — three 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 — one.
— Then the idiomelon of the venerable one. Tone 2.
— Thou didst spring up in the land of Klarjeti from venerable parents who lived honourably, who from their labour richly fed the poor, and according to their strength gave a helping hand to the helpless, and dwelt in meekness and humility, according to the prophetic word: “To whom will I look, but to him that is meek and lowly?”; and they brought forth such fruit as the Lord spoke of: “A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit.”
— When your parents had borne you, three sons, and rejoiced in their offspring, as the Psalmist writeth, “the mother rejoicing in her children”, she who brought you forth to the light passed away to the unfading light; and when your father Cyprian had raised you, he too died, and ye three children were left, like the youths of Babylon, and, cast into the flame of poverty, ye hoped in God alone.
— Thou didst take up the cross in which thou didst glory, O thrice-blessed one, and, forsaking the world by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, thou hadst with thee a brother young in years, and ye committed yourselves to the great Michael of Parekhi as to a father of souls and a nourisher of orphans; and that blessed one, who had many other disciples also, raised you and led you up to the perfection of virtue.
— Numbered with thy brother in the company of disciples, ye beheld your teacher as a good example, and, receiving graces from him, ye built upon the foundation of his teachings not hay and stubble, but gold, silver and precious stones; and ye were loved by him as those who received his teachings well; and having spent much time before him, ye were moved according to your strength to imitate that great teacher and shepherd of yours.
— When the time was come, O our holy father, being worthy, thou wast perfected by Michael's command with the honour of the priesthood and made a worthy minister of the divine altar; adorned with priestly vesture in a manner befitting God, thou didst labour for the glory of God: entreat Him now to deliver us from every affliction and evil.
— While that great father and teacher Michael stood at his night prayer, awe fell upon him and he was caught up to heaven; and one arrayed in priestly beauty spoke to him in a vision, that he should at once send the disciples he had taught, namely Serapion and his brother John, to the land of Samtskhe; and he showed him certain signs, by which, when they came, they would find the wonder in that place and there begin to build a monastery.
— Then in place of words thou didst shed a multitude of tears and say: “If it be pleasing before thee, O father, pray to God for me, that He may not separate me from thy holy assembly and from ever beholding thy holy face.” But he answered and said: “That thou mayest not be deprived of the divine crown of the obedient, cease from disputing henceforth, make thyself ready to set out on the road, and take as thy companions thy brother John and two of the brethren.”
— With the blessing of Michael of Parekhi thou didst go with thy fellow-strugglers to the regions of Samtskhe, and ye bore with you the life-giving icon of the Transfiguration as a help and a hope for all Christians; and ye walked your road without hardship, as though in royal palaces, until ye reached that place and saw that it was a desert, enclosed by forests and ravines; and when ye found the signs and wonders foretold by that great teacher, ye rejoiced that the road of your toilsome journey was not vain or empty.
— Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Tone 7.
— Then between the spring and the hill ye prepared a place and built there a small booth, which became a shelter for your sojourning, that the life-giving icon might be venerated by you there; and with the help of the great prince of Samtskhe, George Chorchaneli, thou didst build in the desert the church of Zarzma for the salvation of souls and as a refuge for many, and in it ye set up that icon for veneration, for the driving away of sicknesses and infirmities and for the deliverance of many souls.
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).
— By word and deed thou didst glorify the glorious God, and didst meditate on His commandments always, day and night, with a pure mind; and like a pillar of light thy radiant prayer went up to heaven, O blessed father Serapion: ask for us great mercy from Christ.
Verse: Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.
— Thou didst put desire to death and bring purity to life, and didst love holy virginity; and thou didst clothe thyself in purity as with light, and like a turtledove didst serve Christ in meekness with a spotless mind, O blessed Serapion, adorned with divine understanding.
Verse: Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord; he will delight greatly in His commandments.
— God adorned thee with the light of wonders and the radiance of divine graces, O thrice-blessed Serapion, and filled thy soul with wisdom; and as a living spring and an unfailing well thou pourest forth divine teachings for the increase of the flock of Christ.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
— The multitude of monks confesseth thee as their guide, O God-bearing father, for they are filled with the divine graces which thou didst leave behind, and they delight in thy memory, O fellow-champion of the holy fathers; with them entreat Christ God to have mercy on our souls through thine intercession.
Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O unwedded Virgin, who didst ineffably conceive God in thy womb, O Mother of God Most High, accept the supplication of thy servants, O all-immaculate one, who grantest to all the cleansing of sins; accept our supplication also, and ask great mercy for us.
— “Lord, now lettest Thou”.
— After “Our Father”:
— The troparion of the venerable one: “Thou didst appear as a citizen of the desert, an angel in the flesh and a wonderworker, O God-bearing father, holy Serapion; by fasting, vigil and prayer thou didst gain grace from heaven, and thou healest the sicknesses and the souls of those who flee to thee with faith. Glory to Him who gave thee strength; glory to Him who crowned thee; glory to Him who worketh through thee wonders for all.” (Tone 1).
— “O Theotokos and Virgin” — once.
— The blessing of the loaves.
— “God is the Lord” (sung in Tone 1).
— The troparion of the venerable one: “Thou didst appear as a citizen of the desert, an angel in the flesh…” — twice (Tone 1).
— “Glory…”, “Both now…” — the resurrectional dismissal Theotokion (in the tone of the troparion): “When Gabriel said to thee, O Virgin, ‘Rejoice’, with that voice the Master of all became incarnate in thee, the holy ark, as righteous David said; thou didst appear more spacious than the heavens, having borne thy Creator. Glory to Him who dwelt in thee; glory to Him who came forth from thee; glory to Him who hath set us free through thy childbearing.”
After the first kathisma, the sessional hymn, Tone 1:
“Angelic powers…”
Thou didst complete a life of piety on earth, and didst appear as a rule for monks and a radiant light for all the world, O God-bearing father Serapion, and thou enlightenest those who swiftly flee to thee: now make the true light to shine in our hearts, and be the unceasing intercessor of those who praise thee. (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).
“Today Thou hast appeared…”
Thou shinest with light unapproachable, and as a star thou didst shine forth in the desert of Klarjeti and multiply the flock of Christ, O venerable father; ask deliverance from transgressions for those who keep thy memory, since thou standest before God. (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.
— “The Polyeleos”, the nineteenth kathisma (Psalms 134 and 135).
— “The Magnification” of the venerable one (with selected verses from the Psalter).
— “The sessional hymn” after the Magnification: Tone 8. Wisdom.
— From childhood thou wast sanctified, O ever-memorable venerable Serapion, as one truly enlightened, and on earth thou didst live as an angel, for thou didst mortify the flesh by ascesis and by thy divine zeal didst appear well-pleasing to the Holy Trinity; wherefore thou wast joined to the choir of monks and didst lead the faithful people up from the pleasures of this passing world to the heights, O God-bearing one: entreat Christ God to grant remission of transgressions to those who with longing honour thy memory. (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.
— The first antiphon of Tone 4 (of Sunday Matins).
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.
— The prokeimenon (of the Matins Gospel): “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.” (Tone 7).
Verse: What shall I render unto the Lord for all that He hath rendered unto me?
— The Matins Gospel: Luke, section 24; 6:17–23.
— “Glory…” — “Through the intercessions of our holy father Gabriel…”
— “Both now…” — “Through the intercessions of the Theotokos, O Merciful One…”
— “Have mercy on me, O God…” (the short verse).
— After Psalm 50, the sticheron — an idiomelon. Tone 6.
— The report of thy good deeds hath gone out into all the earth, O angel on earth and man of God in heaven, fair adorner of the world and good in sweetness, O God-wise father Serapion; wherefore in heaven thou hast found the reward of thy labours, and hast destroyed the hosts of demons and attained the rank of the angels, whose blameless life thou didst rival, O holy Serapion; having boldness before God, ask peace for our souls.
— “O God, save Thy people…”
Two canons are read.
The first canon — of the Theotokos (the irmos twice) — on 6 (see the canons of the Theotokos at the end of the Parakletike: “Pharaoh the charioteer…” or “Having passed through the water…”).
The second canon — of the venerable one (without the irmos) — on 8. (Tone 1).
— The Katavasia: the usual one.
— The little litany — “Let us sing to the Lord”.
Irmos: By a wonder the Lord saved His people and of old dried up the surging sea by His word; and today He is born incorruptibly of the Virgin and leadeth us up to heaven, equal in nature to the Father; to Him let us sing.
From childhood thou didst keep the divine image through love for Him who became a Child for our sake, thy heart being wounded, O God-bearing Serapion; and as thou didst grow in years thou wast raised from strength to strength by perfection of spirit.
Thou didst become a fruitful branch, O God-wise Serapion, sprung from roots of servants of God, planted by the streams of the divine Scriptures, and thou didst bring forth as sweet fruit the understanding of them.
From youth thou didst trample under the feet of the soul the stirring of the passions, O blessed Serapion, and the flattering sweetness of the senses gave thee no delight at all, for thou didst await those unfading sweet delights, O holy one.
From youth thou didst meditate on the God-inspired books and didst ascend to the summit of perfection when thou hadst cleansed thy mind of the passions, and by the purity of thy soul thou didst become a dwelling for the all-holy Spirit.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Thou didst acquire the beginning of wisdom, O venerable one, and didst nail thy flesh with the fear of the Lord, O holy one; and thence thou didst rise to that fearless love of the saints and shine forth by the grace of God.
Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Heal my soul, fallen through many pains, O all-glorious Theotokos, that with a voice of thanksgiving I may eagerly magnify thee for ever.
Irmos: O God, look upon the hymn of Thy servants, humble the insolence of the deceiver, exalt the Church today, and establish unshaken in Orthodoxy them that trust in Thee.
Thou wast a disciple of the great and renowned Michael of Parekhi, and by divine command wast sent by him into the desert, to build a fold for rational sheep.
When the prince who held sway over all those regions and places heard of your coming, he rejoiced and set out to see you; and ye at once went out to meet that prince, whereupon he dismounted from his horse, fell down before the life-giving icon and was blessed by you.
First he venerated the life-giving icon, and then your holy persons; and thou, O blessed Serapion, wast filled with the Holy Spirit, and like a river didst pour forth divine teachings with a tongue dripping honey.
Like the river of Eden, golden streams flowed from thy mouth, at which that prince and all who stood by marvelled, and they fell at thy feet and said to thee: “As one of the apostles Christ hath sent you to me as helpers, for these works of which ye speak cannot be accomplished without me.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Since it seemed impossible to the prince to build a monastery in those empty and untilled places, he besought you to change the place.” But thou, like the apostle, didst say: “Even if an angel should preach to us any other gospel than that which we have preached, we believe it not.
Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Ezekiel foresaw thee as the gate of light through which the King passed, as He alone knoweth, O incorrupt Virgin; wherefore I entreat thee: open to me the gates of repentance that lead into the Kingdom.
— After “Establish” (Ode 3):
The sessional hymn: Thou didst make thy days radiant, O blessed one, by mighty struggle in the desert, whereby thou didst draw near to the divine radiance, O father Serapion; ask of Christ the remission of our countless sins for those who keep the feast of thy memory.
Irmos: Of old Habakkuk foretold prophetically the salvation of men and said: In wrath Thou hast remembered mercy; from the shaded mountains Thou camest, O Saviour, the Word, the Creator of this people.
It is impossible that we should oppose the divine command and change this place for another, for the signs and tidings bear witness to this place.” Thus didst thou speak to the prince; and he called his servant and said: “Since they are eager for this place, go with these saints, and tomorrow from dawn until evening, as much as they walk around, I have given it to them.
That God-loving prince said to you: “Take courage, for I am your helper and will care for you with all my strength”; and he made known to all that ye were building the monastery freely and at your will in the domain of the Chorchaneli.
Then ye rejoiced greatly and gave thanks to that prince; and he spent that night upon the rock and saw a vision of an angel, who strengthened him and bade him labour with zeal.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Then thou didst make two crosses, O saint, and set them up on that rock in the name of the holy archangels, where a small chapel was also built, and signs and healings of the sick came to pass through the divine grace of the holy archangels.
Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
As a virgin thou didst give birth, and wast not corrupted as a mother; but thou didst become a Mother and remain a Virgin; wherefore we sing to thee: Rejoice, O Theotokos.
Irmos: Thou camest, O Christ, to forgive the dark deceptions of the night; rising early we offer Thee a hymn, as Thou art worthy, that Thou mayest guide us on the way of peace to enter the Kingdom which Thou didst promise us.
That lake, the cause of strife and murders, was dried up by thy prayer, and those who heard marvelled, fear fell upon them, and they glorified God; and that God-loving prince was filled with fear and joy, and set out to see those wonders and signs, and all his subjects with him and the surrounding places of those regions.
Those who heard of this great wonder at once gathered in a great throng at the place where ye saints were; but thou, O saint, wast a stranger to vainglory and didst say: “Do not suppose, O princes and people, that these wonders were wrought by any power of ours; but Christ God hath glorified the image of His face, that ye may believe that these works which ye see are not false and vain.”
With prayer and litany ye went up the hill, and at the prince's command they levelled that place; and other princes of the surrounding places came, and each praised to you other sites for monasteries, and fell down before you with tender entreaty and invited you to build there.
Ye spent that night in prayer and singing, and in the morning they greeted the saints and went away with joy to their homes. And that place was named Zarzma by those people who had been seized with dread and unspeakable fear.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
When ye began to seek a place to build the church, thou didst wish to build it on that highest hill; but there arose a dispute among the brethren, and ye filled two lamps with equal oil and set them in the disputed places: John himself set John's lamp in the small gully, and thou didst set thine on the hill, O holy Serapion; and both of you stood in prayer and besought God.
Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
God sanctified thine all-holy womb, O Bride, when He dwelt therein in holiness; and, lifted up on the Cross, He lifted up creation with Himself.
Irmos: Jonah went down into the depth of the sea and cried to God in supplication: Bring me up from drowning, O Lord; and I, O Christ, cry unto Thee: Overlook the multitude of my transgressions.
In the morning ye saw thy lamp gone out, but John's lamp was shining until midday; for this was the providence of God, that the church should be built on that high place not hastily, but most beautifully in its own time.
Having seen this, ye confirmed for all that they should begin to build the church there; and thou didst say to thy brother with that honey-dripping tongue: “Brother John, God hath shown thee this glorious wonder, for He saw the shortcoming of thine understanding; but know this, that before long a beautiful church will be built on this place.”
When ye had prepared that place, the number of the brethren increased, for thy renown drew them, O man of God Spyridon, and they were watered as from a river by thy sweet words.
As to a new Moses, the leading of a new Israel was entrusted to thee; and beginning to build the church, ye laid the foundation in the place chosen by John; and with the prince's help the church was completed after three years and adorned with every ordinance befitting that time, and they set up in it the life-giving icon of the Transfiguration, and built cells for the brethren.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
O mighty combatant against the assaults of the passions, hidden and manifest, blessed Serapion, since thou hast boldness before God, ask for help, that we may escape the enemy of our souls.
Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Thou didst bear for us a new Child, O Theotokos, Him who is before the ages and sitteth timelessly with the Father, who by the Cross renewed men grown old through sin and made them partakers of the Godhead.
— After “I cried” (Ode 6):
The kontakion: Armed in a divine manner with holiness of spirit, taking unceasing prayer in hand as a spear, thou didst boldly pierce the host of the demons, O wonderworking father Serapion: entreat God without ceasing for us all.
The ikos: O God-bearing father, holy Serapion, thou didst appear as the chief of monks and maker of cities in the empty deserts, and thou healest the passions of our infirmity for those who sing to thee with faith: Rejoice, all-radiant star of the east, enlightener, lamp and shepherd of monks; rejoice, boast of the fasters by thy good works and joyful radiance of all the world; intercede for those who sing thy praise.
Irmos: Through love for the Saviour of all the youths counted as nothing the wrath of the God-hating tyrant, and, cast into the fire, they were not burned, and thus they cried: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou.
A great assembly of brethren gathered, for the grace of the Spirit and thy renown drew all, since the Lord saith: “Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.” How much more with many gathered for the service of God?
The pious George gave you all that was needful: mules and guards, and as much as the multitude of the brethren required, and villages as well; and thou didst ordain the rules and canons of the Church, by which they were watered with divine grace.
When many began to imitate thee, as of old they brought precious stones and pearls and other materials for the building of the tabernacle of Moses, so according to their strength they brought offerings for this new tabernacle, which is the Church of Christ.
All being filled with divine grace, ye cut down the hosts of demons, O God-bearing ones, as valiant soldiers of the Saviour, with the sword of labours, and burned up their camps as with fire in the furnace of your prayers: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Thy people keep the feast of thy memory, O blessed one, and cry to thee: Look down upon us from heaven, O blessed father, and deliver us from the billows of the world, that we may not be drowned, whom thou didst teach to sing: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou.
Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
In the grace of thy prayer, O saint, we glory with mouth and soul, O glorious one, for through thee we are all delivered from trials and billows, from grievous sorrows and from the passions of sin.
Irmos: The youths in Babylon, unburnt, were of old a figure of thee, O all-glorious Virgin, when the fire of the Godhead was born of thee and kept thee unharmed and spotless; all the people ever bless thee.
Christ made thee shine forth as a luminary of the holy Church, bright as the lightning of the dawn, that, like a star, thou mightest shine before the face of all the world and dispose the hearts of the faithful to imitate the divine way of life.
Beholding that divine way of life of thine, the rivers of thy most rich teachings, and the great signs and wonders worked by thee, thy disciples wrote them down after thy death.
Michael, thy teacher, sent thee two disciples and wrote thee a letter, O blessed Serapion, that thou and thy brother John should come to him speedily, for he knew the time of his departure, that ye might see one another and that he might learn in full how the building of that place revealed from above had come about.
Being obedient to the command of thy teacher, thou didst come speedily with thy brother; and when the great Michael and Serapion saw one another, ye rejoiced, as was fitting; with gladness and tears together they gave thanks to God, and all the brethren received a blessing from one another
Let us bless the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the Lord.
When the great Michael asked about the progress of the work, thou didst begin from the beginning and recount everything concerning those great wonders, and how George Chorchaneli became your helper, and all that had befallen you; and when the holy one heard it, he blessed that prince and glorified God.
Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Thou didst deliver human nature from the curse by thy childbearing, O incorrupt Virgin, for thou didst bear the only Blessed One, who blesseth us and filleth heaven and earth with grace.
We praise, we bless, we worship the Lord, singing and supremely exalting Him unto all the ages.
— After “Let us bless” (Ode 8): — “More honourable”.
Irmos: Silence were fitting, since we cannot praise thee worthily today, O Theotokos; yet let us not be silent from fear, but according to our weakness let us offer praise, wherewith we magnify thee.
By divine providence there was in the wall of the church a palm branch many years old; and father Michael took it with his own hand, and giving it to thee, O saint, said: “My son, plant this near the church, and if it springs into leaf, go and build with zeal.”
When thou hadst planted it in the ground, it soon sprang into leaf and, spreading its branches, proclaimed that glorious wonder; and when all saw it, they marvelled and glorified God; and when this wonder was heard of round about those deserts, all were amazed and gave glory to God, who worketh wonders through His saints.
From the heavenly powers thou didst hear the blessed voice, O servant of God Most High, for Christ the King of heaven was calling thee, the earthly angel and heavenly man; and thou didst depart with joy, and rejoicest with the Lord for ever.
The sweet fragrance of precious incense filled thy cell, O venerable father, and with gladness the assembly of angels received thy spotless soul, with whom thou delightest, O God-bearing one.
The tongue of man cannot recount thy struggles, O saint, well-pleasing to God, for thou didst pass through this world worthily, O glorious one, and now, united with the delight of paradise, thou rejoicest with the angels and reignest with Christ for ever.
He appointed thy brother to build a monastery in another place and showed him the place, and foretold to you all that was to come, and sent you away filled with tears, for ye did not hope to see him again.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
When ye came to the great desert of Klarjeti, to Opiza, the fathers came to meet you and gave thanks to God with joy: entreat Him now, O venerable one, for the peaceful preservation of the whole world, for victory and the strengthening of Orthodoxy for our people from Christ God, and for great mercy abundantly for our souls.
Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Thou carriest in thy holy hands Him who beareth all things; entreat Him, O holy one, that we may live unharmed by the evil-doing of strangers.
— After “Magnify” (Ode 9): — “It is truly meet” — is not sung.
“The Exapostilarion” Thou didst appear as a radiant image and receive the Holy Spirit, O venerable father, through whom thou didst make the eyes of the soul radiant with divine vision; and, illumined, foreseeing things to come, thou didst speak of all that was to be with divine purity; now be our intercessor before God, O holy Serapion. (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.
We confess thee truly as the Theotokos, O Lady, we who have been saved through thee, for thou didst ineffably bear God, who delivereth from death by the Cross and draweth to Himself the assembly of the venerable, with whom we praise thee, O Virgin.
— “Let every breath” — is sung.
— At the Praises, the stichera — on 6. Tone 8. “O most glorious wonder…”
— O God-bearing father, holy Serapion, behold, by the good pleasure of God thou didst shine forth as a new luminary, a guide and a teacher, as of old Elijah and John, and after them Paul of Thebes and the great Anthony, Macarius, Euthymius, Sabbas and Gerasimus, and all like them and imitating them, who with zeal travelled the narrow and sorrowful way that leadeth to the heavenly city, whose builder and maker is God: entreat Him now to have mercy on our souls.
— O God-bearing father, holy Serapion, as thou wast humble and without pride, O holy one, thou wast seen gently, tool in hand, standing among the builders of the church, for among thy other virtues thou wast learned in the laws of church building and greatly adorned with the craft of architecture. But a certain man, possessed by pride and insolence, saw thee and said: “Behold, the great and renowned Serapion is seen as one without speech or voice, and is in no way worthy of such honours.” As he said this, filled with devilish envy — O the wonders of Thy works, O Christ! — before all that man fell down and lay speechless, and thrust out his swollen tongue, and trembled and rolled about terribly; but the wretched man repented, and thou, sweet father, praying to God, at once stilled that great fury of his tongue; and those who saw it marvelled and glorified God. Entreat Him now to have mercy on our souls.
— O God-bearing father, holy Serapion, having grown rich in a good old age and become like a child and guileless in divine understanding, thou didst call the assembly of the brethren and tell them many things, O saint, with thy golden-streaming mouth, and thou didst say: “Behold, brethren, I depart after a few days; seek ye a father and abbot who will be able to shepherd you as children and brothers.”
— O God-bearing father, holy Serapion, thou didst commend thy flock to George, a man radiant with good virtues and sweet in word and deed; and having appointed all that the servants of the church required and ordered that assembly with divine and most beautiful rules, thou didst partake of the Body and Blood of Christ and commit thy spirit into the hands of God, for whom thou didst ever long. Entreat Him now to have mercy on our souls.
— O God-bearing father, holy Serapion, we Georgians gathered in faith honour thee as a great ascetic and cry to thee with faith: O hermit like unto holy Anthony, who didst go forth with joy into the trackless desert and in place of wild beasts didst settle men equal to the angels, be our intercessor before God, that He may save us.
— O God-bearing father, holy Serapion, thou didst appear as a rule for monks and the boast of the Orthodox, a sweet and radiant luminary of all the world, and a most skilful and honoured physician for the infirm; for thou didst not fear the terror of the deceiving enemy, but didst break the bows and arrows of the demons and weaken their cruel snares by thy divine teaching. O the gifts given thee, O blessed one, whereby thou didst put the evil demons to shame and make the glory of Christ shine forth!
— “Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.” Let us sound the trumpet of hymns, let us leap for joy and be glad, rejoicing in the all-holy feast of our all-praised teacher. Gather together, O faithful Georgians, and let us adorn and praise with spiritual acclaim our blessed father, as one who hath made rivers of teaching flow forth for us, and let us sing: the infirm, to the healer of sicknesses; the afflicted, to their deliverer; sinners, to their fervent intercessor; the sorrowful, to their comforter; travellers, to their companion; sailors, to their helmsman; and all everywhere, magnifying with faith the hope of all, let us say: Be our intercessor, O God-bearing Serapion, that through thy prayers and petition the Lord God may arm us with His invincible power against all our enemies visible and invisible, and save us. Tone 5
“Both now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.” A Theotokion by Demetre, King of the Georgians, of the Bagrationi line.
Theotokos and all-honoured, Mother and Virgin, lovely lily, to thee the winged angel brought glad tidings; in thee the crowned King delighteth, and Him do kings with many subjects serve.
— “The Great Doxology” — is sung.
— The troparion of the venerable one: “A dweller of the desert and an angel in the body…” (Tone 1).
— “Glory…”, “Both now…” — the resurrectional dismissal Theotokion (in the tone of the troparion): “When Gabriel said to thee, O Virgin, ‘Rejoice’, with that voice…”.
— The troparion of the venerable one.
— The kontakion of the venerable one.
— “The Typika antiphons” — during the singing of the Beatitudes are inserted
“In Thy Kingdom remember us” — on 8:
— from Ode 3 of the venerable one — 4 troparia (with the irmos).
— from Ode 6 of the venerable one — 4 troparia, with their own “Glory…” and “Both now…”.
The Epistle — for the venerable: Galatians, section 213; 5:22 – 6:2.
The Gospel — Matthew, section 43; 11:27–30.
At the entrance:
The troparion of the venerable one.
The kontakia — “Glory…” — of the venerable one
Both now… — “O hope and refuge…”
“The Prokeimenon”: “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.” (Tone 7).
Verse: What shall I render unto the Lord for all that He hath rendered unto me?
“Alleluia”: “Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord; he will delight greatly in His commandments.” (Tone 6).
Verse: “His seed shall be mighty upon the earth; the generation of the upright shall be blessed.”
Communion hymn: The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance; he shall not be afraid of evil tidings.
Compiled by Tinatin Mchedlishvili
