CHURCH SERVICES
The most simple form of Church Service is "The Hours". It is a service performed in different hours of the day. The first Hour (our 7th) is the beginning of the day; at the 3rd (our 9th), the Holy Ghost has descended on the Apostles; at the 6th (our 12th), our Lord Jesus Christ was nailed down to the Cross; at the 9th (our 3rd in the afternoon), He gave up His Spirit to God the Father. The 3rd and the 6th are said before the Liturgy and the 9th before the Vespers.
THE NOCTURNAL CHURCH SERVICE
On ordinary days the Evening Divine-Service is performed separately from the Morning. The Evening Divine-Service consists, in such cases, in the reading of the 9th Hour, performance of the Vespers. The Morning Divine-Service is composed of the Midnight-service, Morning Service and of the 1st Hour. After these services is celebrated the Divine Liturgy. But this arrangement, on Sunday and Feastdays, is somewhat different, namely: the Evening and Morning Services are made into one and this combination of the two Divine-Services is called the All-night Service.
THE DIVISION OF THE ALL NIGHT (VSENOSCHNAJA) SERVICE
The all night service may be divided into two almost equal parts: in the first is performed what appertains to the Evening Divine-Services, while in the second what belongs to the morning service.
The main part of the All-night Divine-Service is "The blessing of five loaves of bread” [often called Litiya or Litya, or Lity; it includes the artoklasia (Gk.)].
With the five loaves of bread are also blessed: wheat, wine and oil, used during the middle of the All-night Service. The objects, thus blessed, are distributed among the congregation, so as to enable them to refresh themselves during the long service. Five loaves are blessed in remembrance of the feeding by the Saviour of 5.000 people with 5 loaves in the wilderness.
THE SECOND PART OF THE NOCTURNAL SERVICE (MATINS)
The order of the 2nd part of the Nocturnal service, which consists of the morning Divine-Service (matins) is:
At the commencement of the matins is read a selection from the Book of Psalms of certain 6 psalms, (3rd, 37th, 62nd, 87th, 102nd, and 142nd) which, on account of the number of the latter, is called hexapsalmos. In these Psalms is depicted the sinful condition of men, and the only hope for the sinner is pointed out in God's mercy.
After the great ectenia and singing of the verses: "God is the Lord and is manifested unto us", the hymn (troparion) is sung in honour of a festival or of a saint and then are read the kathismas.
These are succeeded by the Polyeleon (a Greek word and means much kindness). This part of the matins is so called because in the verse of the psalms - 134th and 135th the words "for His mercy endureth for ever" are frequently repeated. The holy doors are opened and the whole church is incensed, while the choir sings the following verses of the two psalms (134th and 135th): Praise the name of the Lord; O ye servants, praise the Lord, Alleluia. Confess ye to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endureth for ever, Alleluia.
After these verses, on Sundays joyful hymns are sung in honour of the Lord's resurrection, each preceded by:
Blessed art Thou, o Lord, teach me Thy justifications.
Thereupon the Gospel is read and the faithful reverently bow down to the risen Lord and kiss His picture.
On festivals, after the Gospel the faithful come up to kiss the picture [icon] of the festival and at the same time are anointed with the consecrated oil.
At this time the singing of the canon begins, which consists from nine hymns.
Before the conclusion of the Nocturnal service is sung the great Doxology which begins with the hymn sung by the angels at the birth of the Savior:
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, among men good will.
THE LITURGY AND ITS CHIEF PARTS
The most important Divine-Service in the Church is the Divine Liturgy. (Liturgy is a Greek word and means public service). It was originated by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, on the Thursday, at the mystical Supper, just before His passion. The Lord commanded the Apostles that the Sacrament of holy Communion should always be performed in His remembrance. The Apostles carried out the Lord's commandment and instituted a certain rite or order of the Liturgy, and the universal Fathers and Teachers, Basil the Great and John Chrysostom, committed it to writing.
The Liturgy consists of three parts: the proskomide [alt. Proskomedia], the Liturgy of the catechumens and that of the faithful.
[In his book, Fr. Kohanik continues at this point to provide a lengthy description of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, the text for which is now widely available in English.]
The above text was excerpted from The Most Useful Knowledge for the Orthodox Russian-American Young People, compiled by V. Rev. Peter G. Kohanik (Passaic, NJ: n.p., 1932–1934), using only minimal adjustments to the original text (such as correcting typographical errors and adding clarification in brackets of alternate transliterated spellings).