Ektenia - Citizendia

Ektenia (from Greek: ἐκτένεια ekténeia; literally, "diligence"), often called simply Litany, is a prayerful petition in the Eastern Orthodox liturgy. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world The prevalent ecclesiastical word for this kind of litany in Greek is Συναπτή Synaptê, Ektenia being the Greek word preferred in Church Slavonic (ектенїѧ ekteniya). Church Slavonic (also Church Slavic, Old Bulgarian) is the Liturgical language of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Macedonian Orthodox

For the use of litanies in the Western Churches, see Litany. A litany, in Christian worship, is a form of Prayer used in Church services and Processions and consisting of a number of petitions

A Litany is normally intoned by a deacon, with the choir chanting the responses. Deacon is a role in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind but which varies among theological and denominational traditions As he concludes each petition, the deacon will raise the end of his orarion as a signal to the faithful to raise their hearts and voices in prayer. The Orarion (Greek; Slavonic Орарь orar' is the distinguishing vestment of the Deacon in the Eastern Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholic Churches If there is no deacon serving, the petitions may be intoned by a priest. A priest or priestess is a person having the authority or power to administer religious rites in particular rites of sacrifice to and propitiation of a deity or deities ^[1] Often, during the litany, the priest will be saying a silent prayer as he stands in front of the Holy Table. An altar is any structure upon which Sacrifices or other offerings are made for religious purposes or some other sacred place where ceremonies take place ^[2] The last petition of a litany often praises the Theotokos. Theotokos (Θεοτόκος translit Theotókos) is a title of Mary the mother of Jesus used especially in the Eastern Orthodox, After the last petition of the litany, the priest will say an ecphonesis, summing up the petitions of the faithful, which concludes with a doxology giving glory to the Holy Trinity. An ecphonesis (εκφώνησις is an emotional exclamatory phrase ( Exclamation) used in poetry drama or song SSC RF "Troitsk Institute of Innovative and Termonuclear Research" or TRINITY for shprt Троицкий Институт инновационных и термоядерных

When there is no priest present during the service, the litanies are not said; rather, the reader replaces them by saying "Lord, have mercy," three, twelve, or forty times, depending on which litany is being replaced. In some Christian churches the Reader is responsible for reading aloud excerpts of the Scripture at a Liturgy.

The main forms of the Litany are:

Great Litany (Greek: Συναπτή μεγάλη/Synaptê Megalê; Slavonic: Ектенїѧ Великаѧ/Ekteniya Velikaya) --so called not only because of its length, but because of its importance, coming near the beginning of major services such as the Divine Liturgy, Matins, Vespers, Baptism, Great Blessing of Waters, etc. The Divine Liturgy is the common term for the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine tradition of Christian liturgy. Matins (also known as Orthros or Oútrenya in Eastern Churches) is the early morning or night Prayer service in the Roman Catholic Vespers is the evening Prayer service in the Roman Catholic, Eastern (Byzantine Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox, liturgies of the Holy water can also refer to water that has been blessed, such as by a Priest, and is considered Holy. This ektenia is also called the Litany of Peace (Greek: Εἰρηνικά/Eirênika; Slavonic: Мирнаѧ Ектенїѧ/Mirnaya Ekteniya) because of the opening petition: "In peace, let us pray to the Lord. "
Litany of Supplication--so called because most of the petitions end with the deacon saying, ". . . let us ask of the Lord," to which the choir responds, "Grant this, O Lord. "
Litany of Fervent Supplication (Slavonic: Ектенїѧ Сугубаѧ/Ekteniya Sugubaya) also sometimes Impetratory Litany, Augmented Litany, Fervent Litany-- this litany is remarkable because of its fervency (its fervid fervidity), indicated by the threefold response of the choir, "Lord, have mercy" (thrice). At the Divine Liturgy, this litany may also be augmented with special petitions, according to need as the pastor sees fit.
Little Litany (Greek: Αἴτησις/Aitêsis or Μικρὴ Συναπτή/Mikrê Synaptê; Slavonic: Ектенїѧ Малаѧ/Ektenia Malaya) --so called because of its brevity, being only three petitions long. The Little Litany has elements of the other ektenias in it: the fervency of the Litany of Supplication, and the prayer for peace of the Great Litany. The Little Litany or Little Ektenia or Little Synapte is a brief Ektenia (litany which is recited at various times during the liturgical worship of the The Little Litany is a brief statement of the faith and hope of the church. The Little Litany will often serve as a bridge between parts of the services.
Litany of the Catechumens (Slavonic: Ектенїѧ о Оглашенныхъ/Ekteniya o Oglashennuikh) --at the Divine Liturgy, this litany traditionally ended the part of the service which the catechumens were permitted to attend. In Ecclesiology, a catechumen (ˌkætəˈkjuːmən from Latin catechumenus, Greek κατηχουμενος, instructed is one receiving instruction This litany is composed of several petitions for the catechumens as they prepare for baptism, and concludes with a dismissal of the catechumens, and (in older times) the closing of the doors of the temple to all but baptized members in good standing. A temple (from the Latin word Templum) is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities such as prayer and sacrifice or analogous rites
Litany of the Faithful--at the Divine Liturgy there are two Litanies of the Faithful. The first dismisses the catechumens, and the second begins the Liturgy of the Faithful, as all prepare for the Mystery of Holy Communion. The Eucharist, also called Holy Communion or Lord's Supper and other names is a Christian Sacrament by which in a common interpretation those When there is no deacon serving, this second litany is normally abbreviated. The Litanes of the Faithful are unique in that the deacon exclaims, "Wisdom!" before the priest says the ecphonesis.
Special Litanies--litanies that occur only in particular services. These will usually be in the form of special petitions that are added to the Great Litany (such as at Baptism, or the special Kneeling Vespers at Pentecost), or unique litanies that occur in only one service (such as those at Requiem services or Holy Unction). Pentecost (πεντηκοστή, pentekostē, "the fiftieth day" is one of the prominent feasts in the Christian Liturgical year, celebrated the The Requiem (from Latin requiem, accusative case of requies, rest or Requiem Mass (informally a funeral Mass also known formally (in Latin as the To anoint is to pour or smear with perfumed oil milk water melted butter or other substances a process employed ritually by many religions and races

At the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts many of the same litanies occur as during the Divine Liturgy, some of them being altered to conform to the needs of the Presanctified. The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, informally Presanctified Liturgy, is an Eastern Christian liturgical service for the distribution of communion

There is also a special form of litany called a Litiy (Greek: Λιτή/Litê; Slavonic: Литїѧ, Litiya)^[3] which is chanted at All-Night Vigils, consisting of several long petitions, mentioning the names of numerous saints, to which the choir responds with "Lord, have mercy," many times. For the brief memorial service see Lity. The Litiy or Litiyá ( Greek: el Λιτή (Liti from litomai For the musical setting by Rachmaninoff, see All-Night Vigil (Rachmaninoff The All-night vigil is a service of the Eastern Orthodox

Notes

^ Some litanies, such as the ones used at the Laying-on of Hands (Ordination) of a priest or bishop, are intended to be intoned by a priest. In general religious use ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is set apart as Clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies
^ If there is no deacon serving, the choir will often prolong their response to the last petition to give the priest time to say his silent prayer.
^ Hapgood, Isabel F. (1922), Service Book of the Holy Orthodox-Catholic Apostolic Church (5th ed. ), Englewood NJ: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese (published 1975), pp. 13, 594

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