[WR: Continuation of the Diataxis of St. Philotheos Kokkinos. Please consult the service book of your choice for the full prayers.]
The deacon says: All catechumens, depart. Catechumens, depart. Let none of the catechumens remain. All the faithful, again and again in peace, let us pray to the Lord.
For the peace from above…
For the peace of the whole world…
For this holy house…
While saying these things, the deacon looks towards the priest. And when he perceives that the priest has completed the prayer, he immediately says: Wisdom.
And the priest says: For to you belongs all glory…
And the deacon again: Again and again…
For [this holy] monastery…
For good weather…
For abundance…
For deliverance…
Help us…
Saying these things, he looks towards the priest. And when he perceives that the priest has completed the prayer, wherever appropriate, he immediately says: Wisdom.
And the priest proclaims: That being ever protected by your might…
While the Cherubic Hymn is being chanted, the deacon enters the holy sanctuary. And taking the censer with incense and approaching the priest and receiving as usual the blessing for the incense, he censes the holy table in a cross-wise manner all around, the entire sanctuary and the priest. And after this, he stands to the left of him with all reverence, awaiting the completion of the prayer. When this is completed, standing together they pray the Cherubic Hymn, saying it to themselves. And making three obeisances as they say it, they go to the prothesis, with the deacon going ahead with the censer. He, having censed the holy gifts, prays to himself, O God, be merciful to me, a sinner, and says to the priest: Lift up, Master.
[WR: In contemporary practice, it is the priest who censes the holy gifts at this point.]
And the priest, lifting the aer, places it on the left shoulder of the deacon, saying: Lift up your hands to the holy places… Then, lifting the holy diskos, he places it on top of the deacon's head, with the deacon also touching it with fear and all attention and care. The priest himself takes only the holy chalice.
And thus they make the Great Entrance, with the deacon going ahead holding both the holy diskos and the censer on one of the fingers of his right hand. As they pass through the church, they both pray for everyone, saying: May the Lord God remember all of you in his kingdom.
And when they come to the holy doors, the priest enters more slowly, while the deacon, going ahead, places the holy diskos on the holy table and he himself turns and censes the priest. And the priest, entering, says: Lift up your gates, O rulers…
The deacon says: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. The Lord is God and has revealed himself to us. Then the same deacon again, bowing his head to the priest: Remember me, holy master, the sinner.
And the priest: May the Lord God remember you in his kingdom. Then he places the holy chalice on the holy table, saying also this: The noble Joseph, having taken down your most pure body from the tree, wrapped it in clean linen and spices, and laid it in a new tomb. Then the priest himself removes the veils from the holy diskos and the holy chalice and sets them aside, and taking the aer from the shoulders of the deacon and censing it, while the deacon holds the censer, he covers the holy gifts with it. And after this, taking the censer himself, he censes the holy gifts three times, saying thus: Do good, O Lord, until the end of the [50th] psalm. Then, setting aside the censer, they both stand before the holy table, praying to themselves and making three obeisances. The priest, loosening his …, joining his hands together, and bowing his head before the holy table, says to the deacon: Pray for me, Master.
[WR: It is quite surprising that the priest calls the deacon Master here!]
And [the deacon], also bowing his neck and looking towards the priest, says: The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. And again the same to the priest: Remember me, Holy Master.
And the priest: May the Lord God remember you in his kingdom…
Then the deacon, having said Amen and having made a reverence and received the blessing, goes out. And standing in the usual place, he says: Let us complete our petition…
For the gifts set forth…
For [this] holy [house]…
For our deliverance…
Help us…
The whole day…
An angel of peace…
Pardon…
The good and…
The rest [of our time]…
A Christian [ending]…
[Commemorating our] Most Holy…
And the priest exclaims: Through the mercies… then Peace be with all.
The deacon: Let us love one another…
And the priest, standing within, makes three obeisances, praying and saying to himself: I will love you, O Lord, my strength; the Lord is my firmament, and my refuge, and my deliverer. And he embraces the holy things thus, as they are covered, first above the holy diskos, then above the holy chalice, and the edge of the holy table before it.
The deacon also embraces his orarion, on which is the sign of the cross, and thus he adds: The doors, the doors, in wisdom…
The people [say] the Creed.
The deacon [says]: Let us stand well…
While this is being said by the deacon, the priest lifts the aer from the holy gifts, raising it slightly and saying: Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal… And having kissed this, he sets it aside.
He then proclaims thus: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ…
Let us lift up our hearts.
Let us give thanks to the Lord.
[WR: The people’s responses are here omitted.]
The deacon, having entered and standing to the left of the priest and at the side of the holy table, and makes three obeisances. Then he folds the aer and the veils and places them to the side. After the priest has said the hymn of victory, the deacon lifts the asterisk and, having wiped it on the altar cloth [iliton] and kissed it, places it with the aer. Then he moves and stands on the right side. And if there is a fan, taking it in his hands, he stands and fans above the holy gifts with all reverence, so that no fly or any such creature may settle. If there is no fan, he does this [fanning motion] with one of the veils.
When the priest proclaims: Take, eat… the deacon, touching his own orarion, points to the holy diskos together with the priest.
Likewise, when the priest shows the holy chalice saying: Drink of this, all of you… the deacon also points to the holy chalice together with him.
And when he proclaims Your own of your own… they both likewise point to the holy things.
When the priest is about to make the invocation of the Holy Spirit to consecrate the holy gifts, the deacon puts aside the fan or veil which he has in his hands and comes closer to the priest, and they both make three obeisances before the holy table, praying silently to themselves.
Then the deacon, bowing his head slightly, points to the holy diskos with his orarion, saying: Bless, Master, the holy bread.
And the priest blesses over the holy bread, saying quietly: And make this bread the precious body of your Christ.
And the deacon says: Amen.
Again the deacon says: Bless, Master, the holy chalice.
And the priest, blessing again over the holy chalice, says: And what is in this cup, the precious blood of your Christ.
And the deacon [says]: Amen.
And again, pointing with his own orarion to both holy things, he says: Bless both, Master.
The priest, blessing both the holy bread and the holy chalice, says: Changing them by your Holy Spirit. And the deacon, having said Amen, Amen… and having made three obeisances, still bowing his head to the priest, and saying: Remember me, holy master, a sinner, and May the Lord God remember you in his kingdom having heard from the priest, he moves to where he previously stood.
And taking the fan again, he does as before. And when the priest proclaims: Especially for our all-holy… the deacon commemorates by himself the founders, the monastery, and other departed ones, as he wishes. After the other exclamation, Among the first remember, O Lord… again the deacon commemorates the abbot and the brotherhood and other living ones as he wishes by himself. And when the priest exclaims And grant us with one mouth… he also gives the deacon the kairos, that is, blessing him. The deacon, having received the kairos and having made an obeisance [to the priest], departs.
[WR: I am not sure what is meant here by kairos.]
And standing in the usual place after the priest says And may the mercies… [the deacon] also begins: Commemorating all the saints…
For the offered and sanctified gifts…
That the merciful God…
For our deliverance…
Help us…
That the whole day…
An angel of peace…
Pardon and remission…
The good and beneficial things…
The rest of our time…
A Christian…
Unity…
The priest exclaims: And grant that with one mouth…
The people [say] Our Father…
And again the priest [says] For yours is…
Peace to all…
The deacon [says]: Let us bow our heads. And having said this, he also bows his head with the others slightly until the exclamation.
When the priest exclaims Through the grace and compassion… the deacon stands by himself praying and keeping his eye on the priest. And when he sees him completing the prayer and beginning to make an obeisance, he also makes an obeisance where he stands. And when he sees him again extending his hands and touching the Holy Bread he exclaims: Let us attend.
And the priest, lifting the Holy Bread, exclaims: The Holy Things for the holy. And the deacon, entering, stands to the right of the priest.
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