The Service of Typika is a short service used when the Divine Liturgy cannot be celebrated, when a priest is not available. It includes the pre-Communion psalms, the day's Divine Liturgy readings, and Hymns called troparia. The Epistle and Gospel readings are read, not chanted.

The service is followed by a bring and share lunch.

Come and see! Come and join us.

The morning service of the Church is called Matins. It opens with the reading of six morning psalms and the intoning of the Great Litany. After this, verses of Psalm 118 are sung: God is the Lord and has revealed himself unto us. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

This service immediately precedes the Divine Liturgy. Anyone requiring confession is invited to make themselves known to the priest for this purpose during the service.

The Service of Typika is a short service used when the Divine Liturgy cannot be celebrated, when a priest is not available. It includes the pre-Communion psalms, the day's Divine Liturgy readings, and Hymns called troparia. The Epistle and Gospel readings are read, not chanted.

The service is followed by a bring and share lunch.

Come and see! Come and join us.

The morning service of the Church is called Matins. It opens with the reading of six morning psalms and the intoning of the Great Litany. After this, verses of Psalm 118 are sung: God is the Lord and has revealed himself unto us. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

This service immediately precedes the Divine Liturgy. Anyone requiring confession is invited to make themselves known to the priest for this purpose during the service.

The Service of Typika is a short service used when the Divine Liturgy cannot be celebrated, when a priest is not available. It includes the pre-Communion psalms, the day's Divine Liturgy readings, and Hymns called troparia. The Epistle and Gospel readings are read, not chanted.

The service is followed by a bring and share lunch.

Come and see! Come and join us.

The morning service of the Church is called Matins. It opens with the reading of six morning psalms and the intoning of the Great Litany. After this, verses of Psalm 118 are sung: God is the Lord and has revealed himself unto us. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

This service immediately precedes the Divine Liturgy. Anyone requiring confession is invited to make themselves known to the priest for this purpose during the service.

The Divine Liturgy is the primary worship service of the Church. It is a Eucharistic service and comprises two parts: Liturgy of the Word, at which the Scriptures are proclaimed and expounded; and the Liturgy of the Eucharist, in which the gifts of bread and wine are offered and consecrated; the faithful then partake of them in the Sacrament of Holy Communion.

The liturgy is followed by a bring and share lunch.

Come and see! Come and join us.

The morning service of the Church is called Matins. It opens with the reading of six morning psalms and the intoning of the Great Litany. After this, verses of Psalm 118 are sung: God is the Lord and has revealed himself unto us. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

This service immediately precedes the Divine Liturgy. Anyone requiring confession is invited to make themselves known to the priest for this purpose during the service.

The Service of Typika is a short service used when the Divine Liturgy cannot be celebrated, when a priest is not available. It includes the pre-Communion psalms, the day's Divine Liturgy readings, and Hymns called troparia. The Epistle and Gospel readings are read, not chanted.

The service is followed by a bring and share lunch.

Come and see! Come and join us.

The morning service of the Church is called Matins. It opens with the reading of six morning psalms and the intoning of the Great Litany. After this, verses of Psalm 118 are sung: God is the Lord and has revealed himself unto us. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

This service immediately precedes the Divine Liturgy. Anyone requiring confession is invited to make themselves known to the priest for this purpose during the service.

The Service of Typika is a short service used when the Divine Liturgy cannot be celebrated, when a priest is not available. It includes the pre-Communion psalms, the day's Divine Liturgy readings, and Hymns called troparia. The Epistle and Gospel readings are read, not chanted.

The service is followed by a bring and share lunch.

Come and see! Come and join us.

The morning service of the Church is called Matins. It opens with the reading of six morning psalms and the intoning of the Great Litany. After this, verses of Psalm 118 are sung: God is the Lord and has revealed himself unto us. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

This service immediately precedes the Divine Liturgy. Anyone requiring confession is invited to make themselves known to the priest for this purpose during the service.

Agape Vespers (also called Vespers of Love) is a Vespers service that continues the celebration of Pascha, typically held in the afternoon on the day of Pascha. At this service, the Gospel reading (John 20:19-25) depicts the first appearance of the risen Lord to his disciples. It is recited in many languages (often as many languages as are known by those present in the congregation), symbolising that the glorious resurrection of Christ is proclaimed to all the nations of the world.

The service will be followed by a bring-and-share Festal Picnic/BBQ

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The Church commemorates the descent of our Lord into Hades, his victory over Death, and his glorious Resurrection. This commemoration consists of the solemn celebration of Vespers, followed immediately by Typica.

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According to the order of the Lenten Triodion, the Matins service for Holy and Great Saturday is served Friday night. This service includes what are called the Lamentations of the Theotokos.

Our Lord Jesus Christ has been taken down from the cross, and His Most Pure Mother laments and grieves over His lifeless Body, but theologises concerning the mystery of His death and our redemption. The Burial Shroud (Epitaphios) remains in the centre of the church to symbolise Jesus’s burial in the new tomb of Joseph of Arimathea.

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The Twelve Matins Gospels recounting the Passion from the Last Supper to the sealing of the tomb, interspersed throughout the Matins service. The faithful stand holding lighted candles during the reading of each of these twelve Gospels.

Come and see! Come and join us.

The morning service of the Church is called Matins. It opens with the reading of six morning psalms and the intoning of the Great Litany. After this, verses of Psalm 118 are sung: God is the Lord and has revealed himself unto us. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

The Holy Week “reversal”

In the Orthodox Church the services of Holy Week often appear “upside down” because many of them are liturgically celebrated in anticipation of the following day. In other words, the Church begins the liturgical day the evening before, and during Holy Week this anticipation becomes even more pronounced.

This pattern comes from the biblical understanding of time. In Genesis the creation account repeatedly says that evening comes before morning (Gen 1:5 etc.). The Jewish and early Christian liturgical day therefore begins at sunset. Christianity inherited this rhythm, which is why Vespers traditionally marks the start of the next day.

During Holy Week the Church intensifies this pattern so that the faithful can enter the events of Christ’s Passion liturgically before they happen.

For example:

• Matins of Holy Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday are usually served the evening before (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday evenings). These are the Bridegroom Matins services.

• The Matins of Holy Friday (the service with the Twelve Passion Gospels) is celebrated Thursday evening.

• The Matins of Holy Saturday (the Lamentations at the Tomb) is served Friday night.

• Paschal Vigil begins late Saturday night and flows directly into Pascha.

So what looks “upside down” is actually the Church moving forward into the next day’s mystery ahead of time.

Why the Church does this

There are several reasons:

1. To live the Gospel events liturgically.
The Church does not simply remember the Passion historically. The services allow the faithful to enter the unfolding drama of Christ’s suffering, burial, and resurrection.

2. To gather the faithful.
In monasteries Matins belongs to the early morning, but parish life makes that difficult. Celebrating them the evening before allows people to attend.

3. To create a continuous narrative.
Holy Week services are designed so that the story of salvation unfolds step by step across the week, with each evening preparing us for the next day’s event.

St John Chrysostom often speaks about worship as participation in the saving events of Christ, not mere remembrance. The structure of Holy Week embodies exactly that vision.

So the services are not truly “upside down”.
They follow the ancient biblical day beginning in the evening, and during Holy Week the Church uses that rhythm to draw us ahead into the mystery of the Cross and Resurrection.

The morning service of the Church is called Matins. It opens with the reading of six morning psalms and the intoning of the Great Litany. After this, verses of Psalm 118 are sung: God is the Lord and has revealed himself unto us. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

The Holy Week “reversal”

In the Orthodox Church the services of Holy Week often appear “upside down” because many of them are liturgically celebrated in anticipation of the following day. In other words, the Church begins the liturgical day the evening before, and during Holy Week this anticipation becomes even more pronounced.

This pattern comes from the biblical understanding of time. In Genesis the creation account repeatedly says that evening comes before morning (Gen 1:5 etc.). The Jewish and early Christian liturgical day therefore begins at sunset. Christianity inherited this rhythm, which is why Vespers traditionally marks the start of the next day.

During Holy Week the Church intensifies this pattern so that the faithful can enter the events of Christ’s Passion liturgically before they happen.

For example:

• Matins of Holy Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday are usually served the evening before (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday evenings). These are the Bridegroom Matins services.

• The Matins of Holy Friday (the service with the Twelve Passion Gospels) is celebrated Thursday evening.

• The Matins of Holy Saturday (the Lamentations at the Tomb) is served Friday night.

• Paschal Vigil begins late Saturday night and flows directly into Pascha.

So what looks “upside down” is actually the Church moving forward into the next day’s mystery ahead of time.

Why the Church does this

There are several reasons:

1. To live the Gospel events liturgically.
The Church does not simply remember the Passion historically. The services allow the faithful to enter the unfolding drama of Christ’s suffering, burial, and resurrection.

2. To gather the faithful.
In monasteries Matins belongs to the early morning, but parish life makes that difficult. Celebrating them the evening before allows people to attend.

3. To create a continuous narrative.
Holy Week services are designed so that the story of salvation unfolds step by step across the week, with each evening preparing us for the next day’s event.

St John Chrysostom often speaks about worship as participation in the saving events of Christ, not mere remembrance. The structure of Holy Week embodies exactly that vision.

So the services are not truly “upside down”.
They follow the ancient biblical day beginning in the evening, and during Holy Week the Church uses that rhythm to draw us ahead into the mystery of the Cross and Resurrection.