On the first Sunday after the commemoration of All Saints, that is the first Sunday of the Fast of the Holy, Glorious and All-Praised Apostles, we celebrate the memory of all the Saints who have shone forth in the British Isles and Ireland.
AT VESPERS
At ‘Lord I have cried’, we sing 10 stichira, 4 of the resurrection, Tone I, and 6 of the saints, Tone I.
O come, all you faithful, now let us praise the saints of the Isles, the venerable monastics, the holy bishops, the right-believing princes, all the martyrs and the company of holy women, those known by name and those unknown, for truly by their words and deeds and manifold ways of life and gifts of God, they became saints and God made glorious even their graves with wonders. And now, standing before Christ Who has glorified them, they pray fervently for us who celebrate the splendour of their feast with love.
Tone II: With what beauty of hymn shall we praise the divinely wise of the Isles, the splendour and adornment of the Church of Christ, the crown of the priesthood, the rule of piety, the never-drying wellsprings of divine healing, the outpouring of the gifts of the Spirit, the streams of manifold wonders which gladden the Isles and all those who seek God. For whose sake the All-Merciful Christ has cast down the uprisings of the enemy.
Tone VIII: Let the earth make glad and the heavens rejoice, in praising your toils and struggles, your spiritual courage and purity of mind, O venerable ones, for you were not overcome by the laws of nature. O holy company and divine assembly, you are truly the strength of our Isles.
In the same tone, to the special melody, ‘O most glorious wonder…’
O blessed kings and queens, divinely-wise princes and princesses, who shine forth with Orthodox loving-kindness and are resplendent with virtues: You enlighten all the faithful, driving away the darkness of the demons. Therefore we honour you as partakers of never-fading grace and unashamed preservers of your inheritance, O right wondrous ones.
O all-blessed martyrs of Christ, you gave yourselves up to voluntary sacrifice and have hallowed the Isles with your blood, bringing splendour even to the skies by your repose; and now you dwell in the heavens amid the light that never sets, ever praying on our behalf, O seers of God.
With your virtues you have enlightened the hearts of the faithful, O you righteous who have shone forth in the Isles. For who can hear of your boundless humility and forbearance and not marvel? You foreknew the needs of all, O right-wondrous ones. You were models of meekness and guilelessness for all, of pity for the grieving, of swift help for those in misfortune, untroubled havens for those at sea and good speed for those on land. And now as you have been crowned with unfading wreaths by the hand of Almighty God, do you beseech Him that our souls may be saved.
Glory…Tone V: Rejoice, O faithful Church of the Isles! Rejoice, O First-Martyrs Alban, Julius and Aaron! Rejoice, O Ninian, Apostle of the North! Rejoice O divine Patrick come to the Irish land with the Gospel of Christ! Rejoice, O David, Enlightener of the West! Rejoice, O Columba, light of the Scots! Rejoice, O Gregory, who with thy disciple Augustine, saw not Angles but Angels! For you were our first intercessors with the Maker of all, bringers of the Orthodox Faith and guides to the True Light! Rejoice, from every hamlet and town, nurtured by those who now dwell in heaven! These saints have been shown to be guiding lights for our souls! With the brightness of signs and deeds, they have shone forth most mystically unto all the ends of the earth and now they beseech Christ for the salvation of our souls!
Now and ever…, dogmatikon in the tone of the week.
Readings: Isaiah 43, 9-14; Wisdom 3, 1-9; Wisdom 5, 15 – 6, 3.
At the Lity the stichiron of the church and these stichira of the saints, Tone VIII.
Rejoice with us, all you choirs of the saints and angelic hosts, gathered together in spirit, let us sing of thanksgiving to Christ our God. For lo, the countless throng of our kinfolk who have been well-pleasing to God, does stand before the King of Glory and intercede, beseeching mercy for us. They are the pillars and beauty of the Orthodox Faith, they have glorified the Church of God with their ascetic feats and the shedding of their blood, with their teachings and their deeds. They have confirmed the Faith of Christ with signs and wonders. They have shone forth from all the ends of the Isles, establishing the Orthodox Faith herein and with apostolic zeal have taken it to other lands. Some have adorned the desert fens and isles with monasticism, showing the angelic life. Some have undergone trials and mockery, wounding and cruel death by those of this world. And many of every position in life have struggled in other ways. Pray you all to the Lord that He may deliver the Isles from trial and tribulation, granting us models of patience and forbearance in the face of evil.
Glory…Now and ever…in the same tone.
Let all the ranks of saints and angels make glad with us, singing in spiritual choir. They have beheld our Sovereign, the Queen of Heaven and Lady of the Isles, Who is glorified by all the faithful. And the souls of all the righteous make glad with them, beholding Her most precious hands stretched forth in supplication beseeching peace for the world, renewal of the Orthodox Faith in the Isles and the salvation of our souls.
At the aposticha, the stichira of the resurrection in the tone of the week and Glory…. Tone IV.
Celebrating the season of the commemoration of our holy kinfolk, let us call them blessed as is meet, for they have truly passed through all the Beatitudes of the Lord: made poor, they have become rich in spirit; being meek, they have inherited the kingdom of the meek; having wept, they have been comforted; having thirsted after righteousness, they have been filled; having had mercy on others, they have found mercy for themselves; pure in heart, they have seen God as far as such is possible; peace-makers, they have been counted worthy to be adopted as children of God; persecuted and tormented for piety and righteousness’ sake, they now rejoice and make glad in Heaven; and they earnestly beseech the Lord that He will have mercy on the Isles.
Now and ever…. Hymn to the Mother of God, Tone V.
Let our hymns resound, together let us hymn the Birthgiver of God and Queen of Heaven, the Lady of the Isles: Rejoice, O thou who from ages past hast crowned us with thy goodness and grace! Therefore the Church of the Isles does celebrate with meet splendour thine all-honoured protecting veil and the memory of thy miracles. Take not thy mercy away from us, O Mother Mary, but look down upon our sorrows and oppression and raise us up once more, making us to be thy Dowry as of old.
After the blessing of the loaves we sing ‘Rejoice, O Virgin Mother of God’ twice and the troparion of the saints once, Tone VIII.
From the ends of the earth, O Lord, the Isles of the Sea offer Thee all the saints who have shone forth therein as the fair fruit of Thy saving splendour. Through their supplications and through the Mother of God, preserve Thy Church and Thine Isles in peace profound, O most Merciful One.
AT MATINS
At ‘God is the Lord’ the troparion of the resurrection twice, Glory…. The troparion of the saints, Now and ever…. Hymn to the Mother of God.
O Good One, Thou Who for our sakes wast born of the Virgin and endured the Cross, Who didst cast down death by death and as God revealed the Resurrection, disdain not that which Thou hast fashioned with Thy hands. Show forth Thy love for mankind, O Merciful One. Accept the supplications of the Birthgiver of God Who gave birth to Thee and prays for us, and thus save Thy people, O Lord.
After the readings from the Psalter, the sessional hymns of the resurrection in the tone of the week with their verses and hymns to the Mother of God.
After the Polyeleos, the magnification.
We magnify you, O all you saints who have shone forth in the Isles, and we honour your holy memory, for you intercede with Christ our God on our behalf.
Selected psalm verses.
A Hear this, all ye people, give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world (Ps 48,2)
B My mouth shall speak of wisdom and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding (Ps 48,4)
A Come, ye children, hearken unto me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord (Ps 33,12)
B I have proclaimed the good tidings of Thy righteousness in the great congregation (Ps 39,10)
A I have declared Thy truth and Thy salvation (Ps 39,11)
B I will declare Thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I praise Thee (Ps 21,23)
A That I may hear the voice of Thy praise, and tell of all Thy wondrous works (Ps 25,7)
B O Lord I have loved the beauty of Thy house, and the place where Thy glory dwelleth (Ps 25,8)
A I have hated the congregation of evil doers, and will not sit with the wicked (Ps 25,5)
B For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and I have not acted impiously toward my God (Ps 17,22)
A The mouth of the righteous shall meditate wisdom, and his tongue shall speak of judgement (Ps 36,30)
B His righteousness endures for ever (Ps 110,3)
A Thy priests shall be clothed with righteousness, and Thy righteous shall rejoice (Ps 131,9)
B Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house, they will praise Thee unto ages of ages (Ps 83,5)
Glory…Now and ever…Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Glory to Thee, O God (Thrice)
Then the troparia or evlogitaria, The assembly of the angels…
ipakoi and the following sessional hymns of the saints.
Tone VIII: Enlightened by the brightness of the saints, as though entering a paradise most fair, we have found delight in the streams of sweetness. Gazing in wonder at the boldness of their deeds, let us come to love their virtues, crying out to the Saviour: through their supplications, O God, grant us to partake of Thy kingdom.
In Tone I to the special melody ‘Thy tomb, O Saviour…’
Today has dawned the all-honoured festival of the saints who have shone forth in the Isles. Like unto the radiance of the sun and the brightness of the morning star, they enlighten our minds and arouse our hearts to emulate their godly life and their zeal for the Faith.
Glory…. Tone VIII.
Today the faithful of the Isles celebrate the commemoration of Thy saints, O Lord. The heavens rejoice and the ends of the earth and the sea make glad. Through their intercessions deign to grant our souls great mercy.
Now and ever…. In the same tone.
Looking down from on high, O most merciful Master, visit us who have been afflicted by error and sin, taking us unto Thyself and through the prayers of the Mother of God and all the saints of the Isles grant our souls great mercy.
The hymn of the ascents in the tone of the week. Prokimenon of the tone of the week. Let every breath praise the Lord. Gospel of the Resurrection. Psalm 50. Glory…Through the prayers of the apostles…. Now and ever…. Through the prayers of the Mother of God…. And the stichira of repentance and the resurrection.
Canon of All the Saints of the Isles, Tone VIII
Ode I
Irmos: O you people, let us send up a hymn to our wondrous God, Who freed Israel from bondage, crying out a song of victory to Thee Who alone art Master.
Refrain: All the Saints of the Isles, pray to God for us!
In spiritual songs let us hymn together our godly fathers and mothers who have shone forth in piety, and whom every island has brought forth and whom the Church of the Isles has nurtured.
Rejoice, you holy Apostles and all you holy ones of God, who of old built the ancient church and hallowed our land from the beginning. Rejoice, you first Christians who brought wisdom from Rome and never cease to intercede for us with Christ our God.
Come, O you lovers of the martyrs, and with hymns let us honour the First Martyrs of the Isles, Alban, Julius and Aaron and all their holy company who would not worship the idols and thus shed their blood for Christ.
Disciple of Martin, thou art the greatness and boast of Whithorn, O holy Ninian, for by thee men were freed from the delusion of idolatry. Thou who didst build the white church, shine forth in the whiteness of thy purity, and pray for the people whom thou hast led to God.
Thou didst chronicle the deeds of the martyrs and upbraid thy people for their sins, O wise Gildas. And as from the lands of the West, thou didst preach repentance as the Forerunner of old, so now do thou shine forth once more in the West as a new Forerunner before the Return of the Lord.
Hymn to the Mother of God: Together with the angelic hosts, O Sovereign Lady, together with the honourable and glorious prophets and apostles and martyrs, pray thou to God for us sinners, who through all the Isles have glorified thee.
Ode III
Irmos: None is holy as our Lord and none is righteous as our God, Whom all creation does hymn in words of song: None is righteous save thee, O Lord.
Thou art a spiritual paradise, O Island of the Saints, bringing forth a multitude of spiritual blossoms, O blessed fathers and mothers, whose number it is not possible to reckon. We therefore praise and hymn the One Master for all the throng of the saints of the Irish land.
Rejoice and be glad, O servant of Christ, Palladius who was the first sent, bringing the Word of God to the souls of the humble who had long thirsted for the Wisdom and Truth of God. Rejoice, O great and noble
Patrick, thou didst go out to the Irish land as Apostle, teaching the Trinity and thus freeing those that were held captive by the demons from the wiles of the serpent. Pray thou now that the souls of all who dwell in the Irish land may be saved.
Come, O you faithful, let us hymn our compassionate mothers, Brigid the Abbess of Kildare, disciple of Patrick, and Ita, the lover of the Holy Trinity, who both made the light of Christ to shine forth in the hearts of many.
Now let us hymn the monastic fathers: Macartan, Declan, Ailbhe, Enda of Inishmore the father of monastic life, Murtagh, Abbot Senan, holy Ciaran and Finnian of Clonard, the teacher of the three thousand saints of Ireland; and Abbot Brendan the Voyager who took the Word of God to the lands of the Western ocean, Comgall of Bangor, Colman of Cloyne, Finbar of Cork, the holy Abbot Kevin of Glendalough and Maedoc of Ferns, Fintan of Taghmon who prayed for the departed, and Laserian of the holy island.
By thy holy intercessions, thou many thousandfold Thebaid of Irish saints, whose zeal spilled out across the seas, teach us to seek out the salvation of our souls, for thy light has spread across the ocean to the West and across the sea to the East and all the peoples of the earth sing of thy holy feats.
Hymn to the Mother of God: Lo! The time for the intercession of the Birthgiver of God is come, for temptations have grown manyfold. Behold! Now is the time to sing out to her! Let us therefore say with our whole heart: O Sovereign Lady, help thou thy people!
Kontakion, Tone III to the special melody: ‘Today the Virgin…’
Today the choirs of the saints who have pleased God in the Isles stand forth in the Church and unseen pray to God for us. With them the angels give glory; and all the saints of the Church of Christ make glad with them, and all together they beseech the Pre-Eternal God for us.
Ikos: The saints are shown to be fair blossoms of the Garden of Eden, laden with the nectar of good works and the sweet scent of Orthodox teachings, whereby our souls are fed and our spiritual thirst is quenched, Come you therefore, let us hasten beneath their shade and let us bless them as the delight and adornment of the Isles, and as a model and pattern for our lives, for they have received unfading crowns of glory and all together they beseech the Pre-Eternal God for us.
Sessional hymn, Tone IV to the special melody: ‘Go quickly before…’
Christ, the Sun of Righteousness, sent you forth as rays to enlighten the Isles, O favoured ones of God. Wherefore by your divine entreaties, O blessed ones, make bright my darkened mind and soul.
Glory…. Now and ever…. In the same tone.
O you faithful, let us make haste to the divine and healing raiment of God our Saviour, Whose good pleasure it was to take on this flesh and to shed His own blood upon the Cross, thereby redeeming us from bondage to the enemy. Wherefore, we cry out to Him in thanksgiving: Save Thou Thine Isles and beneath Thy precious raiment protect all their peoples and save our souls, for Thou alone lovest mankind.
Ode IV
Irmos: O Word of God, with divine vision the prophet perceived Thee Who wast to become incarnate of the Birthgiver of God, the mountain overshadowed, and trembling he glorified Thy might.
On Man thou first didst sow the Word of Christ, O holy Germanus, bringing forth a heavenly harvest. Together with thy brethren Maughold and Conan, pray that we who sing to thee may be granted great mercy.
Ye were enlighteners of Cymru, holy Cadfan and father of saints Illtyd the learned, together with holy Cadoc, Dyfrig, Teilo, Beuno, Deiniol, Asaph and Tysilio; and thou, O David, who didst gather a great host of monastics and from Jerusalem become the glorious Archpastor of the West. And raising thy voice thou didst silence the ragings of those who knew not Christ. Together with the holy bishops, and the sacred virgin Winefred, and all the saints of Cymru, pray that we too may be delivered from the same.
Exult today, O all ye saints of the Cornish land, hermits and hermitesses, bishops and faithful people, Thebaid of the glory of God in the West! Let Petroc the rock of faith, together with Constantine the King and Piran, Austell, Budoc and the holy virgin Morwenna, leading you in praising Christ our Saviour, now pray to God for the salvation of our souls.
Forsaking thy royal father’s home, thou didst seek to live as an anchorite in Devon, O Nectan, blessed martyr of Christ. Bequeath to us purity of speech, and together with thy holy family, do thou intercede for the salvation of our souls.
O Samson the strong, thou didst bring the light of Christ from the Isles of the holy Lide and Helier, and crossing the sea thou didst bring the Gospel to Armorica, there sowing the Holy Spirit in the hearts of the multitudes and casting out the demons from before thee.
Hymn to the Mother of God: O Virgin Bearer of God, thou hope of all Christians, do thou grant unto us thy mercies which thou didst show to our forebears of old, and protect and preserve us from all evil.
Ode V
Irmos: Delivering me from the darkness of the passions, O Christ, vouchsafe, I pray Thee, that out of the deep night of the present age, my spirit may rise at dawn to the light of the day of Thy commandments.
Thou didst come out of the Irish land, O gentle dove, most glorious Columba, and from holy Iona the Scottish land was formed by thy teachings and those of thy many spiritual disciples, the holy Abbots Adamnan, Dunchad and Comgan, and was enlightened with thy wonders.
O holy Kenneth, hallowing of the lands of the West, together with the beloved Kentigern of Glasgow, thou didst bring the grace of the Divine Word and a rich harvest of souls.
Out of the Irish land, thou didst come to the Scots with the flame of the Word, O holy Donan, and together with all thy heavenly companions, and Blaithmac and Adrian, by your blood ye did bring many to the faith of Christ.
O holy Comgall, come from the West, together with the holy fathers Machar, Blane, Drostan, Flannan, Fillan, Maelrubba of the Picts, Maelruain, Fergus and Donald, do thou pray to God for the salvation of our souls.
O Columban and all ye righteous of the Western shores, you did go east and west, north and south, making the deserts cities and by the Light of Christ in your lives you have taught us to follow the Master Christ Who alone loves mankind.
Hymn to the Mother of God: O Lady of the Isles, thou who art the fervent helper for all who have recourse to thee; thou who art the hope of the hopeless, do thou look down upon the afflictions of thy people and reveal to us a sign of thy mercy, O Most Pure One.
Ode VI
Irmos: O Thou who lovest mankind, accept me who am held fast by many sins, and who now fall down before Thy compassion, and save me as Thou didst save the prophet, O Lord.
Rejoice, O holy father Gregory, Apostle of the English, inspired by God, pray that the Angles may become Angels; and thou holy Augustine, first Archpastor of the Church of Canterbury, Mother of the English, who preached to holy Ethelbert, pray to God for the salvation of thy people, for thou wilt present us before His dread Throne at the end of time.
O holy hierarchs of Canterbury and York, Laurence, Mellitus, Justus, Honorius, Paulinus, together with all your worthy successors, your sound has gone out unto all the ends of the land, destroying the worship of idols and planting the true Faith in our hearts.
Thou didst spurn a mortal bridegroom for love of the Immortal Bridegroom Christ, O holy Eanswythe, thus founding the first convent for English womankind. And now together with thy holy brothers, do thou pray to God for the salvation of our souls.
Armed with the might of the Cross, thou didst vanquish the enemies of Christ, O holy King Oswald, thus meriting a martyr’s crown. Together with the holy martyred Kings, Edwin and Oswin, do thou pray for the salvation of our souls.
Thou didst come forth from the blest Isle of Iona, O lowly Aidan, light of the North, to feed the hearts of the English. Together with the glorious wonderworker and faithful shepherd of the flock of the Word, Cuthbert, and all the saints of the holy island of Lindisfarne, Abbots Finan, Colman, Edbert, Edfrith and Ethilwald, pray now that our sins may be forgiven by the Most Merciful Saviour.
Hymn to the Mother of God: Of old, the Creator of all wrought many wonders through Thee, O Virgin, and saved us from the invasion of enemies. Thus be thou now a protection and aid for Thine Isles, O Lady and Queen, saving us from all the assaults of the enemy.
Kontakion and ikos of the resurrection in the tone of the week.
Ode VII
Irmos: On the plain of Dura the tyrant once built a furnace to torment those who bore God; and therein the three youths hymned the One God, saying: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!
O holy Felix, light of the East, thou didst bring the Faith of Christ to the East Anglian land, baptising the faithful Audrey of Ely and all her holy family, giving heart to Fursey and his brethren, together with the holy Botolph of Iken, do thou intercede for us sinners.
Strengthened by the grace of God, O holy Theodore, the gift of God to the Isles, from Tarsus thou didst come like a second Paul, bringing the unity of Christ to the nations. Together with thy holy companion, Abbot Adrian, do thou now instruct our souls in the light of piety through thy holy prayers.
O holy Abbesses, Mothers Ethelburgh, Hilda, Ebbe, Mildred, Mildgyth, Milburgh, Werburgh, Ermenburgh, Enfleda, Elfleda, Cuthburgh and Edburgh, having acquired the gifts of abstinence and humility, wisdom, faith and perfect love, ye attained the Kingdom that knows no evening.
O holy Birinus, Apostle of Wessex, together with our fathers Agilbert, Aldhelm, and Egwin, and Chad in the marches with his holy brother Cedd, Apostle of Essex, and holy Wilfrid who didst enlighten the darkness of the pagans of the south, and the holy bishops of Hexham, Eata, John of Beverley, Acca and Alcmund and all your holy company, together with Erconwald, light of London, intercede for the salvation of the souls of your people.
Thy tears in the wilderness brought forth fruit a hundredfold, O holy father Guthlac, and by the weapon of thy prayers thou didst vanquish the demons and receive from heaven the grace to heal the diseases of those who honour thee. Together with thy holy disciples, Pega, Bettelin and Cissa, do thou pray to God for the forgiveness of our sins.
Hymn to the Mother of God: Grant us thine aid through thine entreaties, O Most Holy Birthgiver of God. Trials and tribulations have befallen us, sorrows have grown manyfold and our foes have arrayed themselves against us. But, standing forth, do thou, O All-Pure One, deliver us. Cast down the uprisings of our enemies and grant us victory, that all who do evil to thy servants may be put to shame.
Ode VIII
Irmos: Becoming vanquishers of the tyrant and the flames by Thy grace, taking exceeding care to keep Thy commandments, the children cried aloud: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord.
Thou wast adorned with fair speech, O Venerable Bede, for thou didst reveal the mysteries of the Scriptures and glorify the saints of the English land. Together with the holy fathers, Benedict, the lover of the holy images and the holy Abbots Sigfrid and the humble Ceolfrid, do thou intercede for the salvation of our souls.
With zeal spilling over from the Isles, to those who knew not the Word of Christ thou didst go out with streams of living water, O divine Clement, Apostle of the Frisians, followed by the Archpastor Boniface, Apostle of the German lands, who with all his helpers, Willibald, Winnibald, Walburgh, Lioba, Thecla and Willehad, brought light to the darkness, and together with a great host, wast counted worthy of a martyr’s crown, and ye were followed by Sigfrid out of Glastonbury, the Apostle of the Swedes.
Wearing the purple of your own blood, you exchanged your earthly crowns for heavenly ones, O royal martyrs Ethelbert, Alcmund, Kenelm and Wistan; therefore the miracles at your tombs proclaim your innocence.
In Winchester’s royal city thou didst shine forth with the grace of humility, O holy bishop Swithun. Wherefore the Lord exalts thee together with all the saints of Winchester, Hedda, Birnstan and Alphege, and the land of Wessex doth ever make glad in thee.
When the savage Northmen came to the English land, many martyrs were raised up, from Chertsey to Coldingham, in Crowland and Peter’s burgh, in Bardney and Ely and a multitude of other places north and south, and like them, thou, our holy patron thrice-crowned Edmund the King, didst not renounce the name of sweet Jesus. Wherefore, O holy martyr, thy tongue did utter words even after thy repose and thy body was resplendent in the grace of incorruption.
In England’s darkest hour thou didst comfort the righteous Alfred the King with thy wise counsel, O holy hermit Neot, and from Athelney went up the prayer of the faithful, that the Orthodox faith might be restored in an England remade, through the servants of God, Alfred the great, holy Grimbald, Plegmund and companions, crying aloud; Blessed art thou, O Lord, the God of our fathers.
Hymn to the Mother of God: Thou art the boast of Christians, O Sovereign Lady; thou art a weapon against our enemies and a bulwark for those who flee unto thee. On thee we now call for help, O Lady of the Isles: Let not the foe of mankind rise up against the peoples of thine Isles, but do thou vanquish them and save our souls.
Ode IX
Irmos: O Birthgiver of God, perfection of virginity, who exalts this feast with the grace of thy mystic presence, do thou bring to salvation those who magnify the most pure memory of thy Word.
Emulators of the apostles in labours and watching, you have presided over the Church, O holy bishops, Oda the renewer, Dunstan the shepherd of souls, Ethelwold the father of monks, mild Oswald, Wulsin and Alfwold of Sherborne, who loved all the English saints; wherefore we magnify you in psalms and hymns.
Obedient to thy father in Christ Dunstan, thou didst win the prize of obedience in martyrdom, O holy King Edward, scion of the repentant Edgar, wherefore thy shrine gave forth miracles of healing. Now that thy holy relics have been revealed in these latter times, do thou show forth thy healings anew.
O holy virgins, Edburgh and Edith, ever guarding yourselves with the sign of the Cross, together with holy Elgiva, Wulfhilda and Ethelfleda, pray for the salvation of our souls.
For thy flock and thy land, thou didst lay down thy life, O holy Archpastor Alphege. As thou didst receive from the First Shepherd a crown of glory, so do thou now pray for the salvation of our souls.
O holy fathers and mothers of the Isles from all the ages, known by name and unknown, revealed and hidden, having attained to the heavenly Zion and the great glory of God, do you beseech God for comfort and strength for us who are beset by the snares of these latter days, raise up our fallen Isles anew to the purity of the Orthodox Faith, and gather their scattered people into Holy Church before the end.
Hymn to the Mother of God: O Virgin full of grace, who of old enriched the towns and hamlets of thy sea-girt dowry with the images of Thy presence as with traces of sweet fragrance, accept our songs of thanksgiving and deliver thine Isles from all misfortune, for we magnify thee as the never-failing protection of our lands.
Exapostilarion of the resurrection; Glory…. Of the Saints.
Now let us praise in hymns the never-fading light of the saints of the Isles, initiated into the mysteries of the Word, glorifying Christ Who has enlightened and loved them, giving them to us as helpers in our sorrows.
Now and ever…. Hymn to the Mother of God of the resurrection.
At the Praises, 4 stichira of the resurrection and 4 of the saints.
Tone I: Thou didst send Thy Spirit, O Lord, even to us at the ends of the inhabited earth, that the peoples therein might know Thee, the one God in Trinity. Wherefore, having enlightened Thy chosen ones, Thou didst bring them unto Thy Church with faith singing: O our Deliverer, glory to Thee!
Tone II: Gathering together this day, let us bless the lights of the Isles, the martyrs praised by all, the holy bishops, our enlighteners and the founders of our faith, the venerable dwellers in the fens and the islands, the instructors in piety, crying out to them: O you venerable, you martyrs, you righteous and all you saints of the Isles, beseech Christ our God that He may grant us great mercy.
Verse: The righteous cried, and the Lord heard them.
O venerable fathers and mothers, spiritual blossoms of the Isles, whose humility is our only boast, you are our strength, for we have acquired you as an inexhaustible treasure. And now, even though your bodily tongues have fallen silent, yet miracles bear witness that the Lord has glorified you. Therefore beseech Him, that He may grant our souls great mercy.
Verse: Blessed are those who fear the Lord, that walk in His ways.
Tone IV: O all you saints of the Isles, having hearkened to the voice of the Gospel and become enflamed with apostolic zeal, you made haste to enlighten your peoples. Now together with the holy Apostle Andrew the first-Called, the holy victorious Martyr George, and the Enlighteners Patrick and David, do you pray for us that the Isles may once more bring forth the fruit of salvation through Holy Church.
Glory…stichiron of the Gospel. Now and ever…. Hymn to the Mother of God: ‘All-blessed art thou, O Virgin Birthgiver of God…’
After the thrice-holy hymn, the troparion of the resurrection.
AT THE LITURGY
At the Beatitudes, 10 troparia: 6 in the tone of the week and 4 of the saints, Tone IV.
We have not inherited our lands by the sword, but it is by Thy right hand, Thine upraised arm and the light of Thy countenance, and the by tears of Thy saints, their struggles and sweat, by their blood and their teaching, that our homes are firmly established.
When we turned away from Thee and failed to keep Thy commandments, then we were thrust aside and cast down, and we have become the least among all peoples. But have pity on us, O God our Saviour, through the entreaties of Thy saints.
Glory…, hymn to the Holy Trinity: O all-blessed Trinity, return us from exile, heal our sickness and our sorrow and lift up our spirits from sloth and the slumber of sin, that we may be worthy of our fathers and mothers who by their struggles glorified Thy Name in these Isles.
Now and ever…. Hymn to the Mother of God: Gather in the scattered, return those who have been cut off, bring back again those who have fallen away from the Orthodox Faith, comfort the weeping and the sorrowing and heal the dissolution of these Isles, O thou who art full of grace, beseeching God on our behalf with the saints who are our compatriots.
After the little entrance, the troparion of the resurrection, that of the church, if dedicated to the Mother of God, and that of the saints. Kontakion of the resurrection, Glory…: that of the saints; Now and ever…: that of the church, if dedicated to the Mother of God, or: O intercession for Christians unashamed.
Prokimenon of the tone of the week and that of the saints, Tone VII:
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.
Epistle, as appointed, and that of the saints: Hebrews, Section 330 (Heb. 11,33 to 12,2).
Alleluia, Tone I:
Verse: O God, Thou givest avengement unto me and hast subdued peoples under me.
Verse: Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous.
Gospel, as appointed, and that of the saints: Matthew, Section 10 (Matt. 4, 25 to 5, 12).
Communion verse:
Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous; praise is meet for the upright.
Note: If the church is dedicated to All the Saints of the Isles, at Matins we sing: Having beheld the Resurrection of Christ…; Psalm 50. Glory…: Through the prayers of all the saints of the Isles, O Merciful One; Now and ever…; Through the prayers of the Birthgiver of God…
And instead of Jesus, having risen from the dead…, we sing the stichiron: Celebrating the season of the commemoration… (the first stichiron at the aposticha at Vespers) and the rest as usual.
