Page:Service Book of the Holy Orthodox-Catholic (Greco-Russian) Church 1916.djvu/8

 Monday, — which is the real Pentecost, or Day of the Spirit, Sunday being called Trinity Day.

(9) The Apostól contains the Acts of the Apostles, the Epistles, and the Graduals, Introits and Anthems for the Feasts.

For their guidance in the use of these complicated volumes the ecclesiastics have a volume entitled the Typikón, Ustáv, or Rule, which provides regulations for all possible contingencies.

(10) The Great Trébnik, or Book of Needs, which contains all the Sacraments (except the Holy Communion and Ordination), — Baptism, Chrismation, Confession, Matrimony, Unction of the Sick ; together with various other services, such as the Reception of Converts from various other Churches, the Tonsure of Monks, and so forth ; also private services, such as Prayers at the Birth of a Child, the several Funeral Services, the Consecration of a Church, the Blessing of a New Dwelling, and so forth.

(11) A Book of Te Deums and Prayer Services (Moliébny) for different occasions.

(12) The Irmológion, which contains the Theme-Songs of the Canons, and certain Services of Song in honour of Our Lord, the Birth-giver of God, St. Nicholas, and others.

It will be seen that I have been confronted with the problem of rejection, as well as of judicious selection. I may add, that many things are done or said "by custom" which are not mentioned in the printed books. These I have included.

I have used the King James version of the Bible for the Scripture lessons; and the Psalter contained in the Book of Common Prayer for the Psalms and Verses, with occasional exceptions, when the exigencies of the Slavonic version or adaptation to special cases or services required slight changes.

My book has been revised by a very able and thoroughly competent priest, to whom I am greatly indebted for indispensable services in supplying me with the unrecorded points of the ritual (established by usage) referred to above, and for making sure that I have accurately expressed the dogmas of his Church, and have properly carried out the complicated arrangement entailed by my plan for rendering the services intelligible.

I alone am personally responsible for everything: the suggestion that the book was needed, and the plan without which it would have been impossible; for the execution; for occasional invented words, and for the language, in general and in particular, except in the case of the incomparable rendering of the Prayer of St. Chrysostom, which I have taken from the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer ; and of course the passages from the Bible, as above stated.

His Grace, the Most Reverend Tikhon, Archbishop of North America and the Aleutian Islands, has, by his deep interest and practical aid, been of inestimable service, and I thank him most warmly.