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SERVICES,
SPECIAL OCCASIONS, PRAYERS AND BLESSINGS
There
are many different prayers and services associated to the different
occasions in life. A priest or a Bishop performs the Services and
the Blessings. Individuals can say the prayers.
Besides
the Eucharist and the major Sacraments, the Orthodox Church has
a number of Special Services and Blessings which are associated
with the needs, events, and tasks of human life. In celebrating
these various Services and Blessings, the Church is constantly bearing
witness to the presence and action of God in our lives. Our God
is one who loves us, cares for us, and is near to us. The liturgical
Services and Blessings also serve to remind us that all of life
is important, and that the many events and gifts of life can be
directed toward God and receive their fulfillment in Him.
The
Special Services are often referred to as Non-sacramental Services
in the sense that they are events of community worship which are
not usually counted among the major Sacraments. However, they clearly
have a sacramental quality in the sense that they reveal the presence
of the Holy Trinity. Many of these Services, such as the Funeral,
the Blessing of Water, and the Entrance into Monastic Life, just
to name a few, are very significant to the life of the Church. The
various Blessings are brief ceremonies which are occasional and
do not necessarily involve directly the entire parish community.
Holy
Services
Special Occasions
SACRAMENTS
In
the Orthodox Church the Sacraments are prayers and petitions that
ask God's Blessing for an important event of any orthodox Christian's
life.
First
of all, the most important is a person to become Christian in order
to receive the Sacraments of the Holy Church. The entrance of that
person to the Orthodox Christian faith starts with the Holy Baptism.
This is the first order given by Jesus Christ to His disciple, after
His first appearance to the disciples on the Mount of Olive. " Go
to all the nations, baptize them in the Name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teach them all the things that
I taught you".
Please
Click on the individual Sacrament for more information.
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