Category: Resources

Understanding the Liturgy: The Liturgy of the Catechumens

THE LITURGY OF THE CATECHUMENS The teaching part of the Liturgy was called the Liturgy of the Catechumens, because those can­didates for baptism (catechumens) were allowed to attend it. It concluded with the kiss of peace, which not only was a sign of reconcilia­tion among all, but also gave the faithful “Godparents” a chance to …

Understanding the Liturgy: The Offertory

The offertory, simply defined, is the rite of bringing the offerings of bread and wine into the Altar. This rite has undergone a process of evolution in churches all over the world. This evolution involved basically three stages. We have enough information that enables us to reconstruct these stages of development. In the beginning: In …

Understanding the Liturgy: Divisions of the Liturgy

Traditionally, the Liturgy is divided into two parts: The Liturgy of the word (or the Liturgy of the catechumens), which is the teaching part of the Liturgy, and the Liturgy of the Faithful or the Eucharist proper. Modern liturgical theologians [1] like to expand this to include 3 component parts, the Assembly, the Liturgy of …

Understanding the Liturgy: Preface

A series of articles published by Hegomen Father Athanasius Iskander in PAROUSIA magazine from September 1993 – March 1997. This book explains the history of the Liturgy, rituals of the Liturgy, their origins, and their spiritual relevance. It also includes guidelines and a training manual for deacons on things they need to take care of …

The History of the Liturgy

Hegomen Athanasius Iskander The History of the Liturgy from the Apostolic Era to the present. THE FIRST FOUR CENTURIES INTRODUCTION: The Liturgy and its rites were handed by the Apostles to the churches which they had established. The Apostles were taught by the Lord himself, who for forty days, following His resurrection spoke to them …