Well - where to start!

If you are visiting our main chapel in Birkenhead, do come along and ring the doorbell. Somebody will let you in. At Stonyhurst, there will usually be somebody around to direct you to the chapel of the Holy Angels. If in doubt, go through the two sets of double doors at the main entrance to the school and turn left, following the corridor to the end, and then ascend the rather grand staircase and listen for the chanting.

Our Liturgy manages to be splendid and dignified while at the same time being very homely. Don't be surprised if somebody comes up to you during the psalms at the beginning and welcomes you. We're friendly like that. You'll probably be lent a prayer book and be well taken care of, so don't worry - just go with it.

Much of the Liturgy is made up of litanies, as prayer is the bedrock of a stable faith. You will hear, time and time again, 'Again and again in peace let us pray to the Lord'. You'll soon get into the swing of things. If you get lost in the prayer book, just sing 'Lord, have mercy', and chances are that you'll have got it right.

Occasionally, some of the litanies will be sung in Church Slavonic or perhaps Greek. The responses then change to 'Gospodi pomilui' and 'Kyrie Eleison', respectively. Sadly, in some Christian traditions, Lord, have mercy has come to be seen as penitential grovelling and is looked on with disdain. This is unfortunate. Kyrie eleison literally means Lord, bless us, or Lord, show us your favour. While it is true that this can be read penitentially, it encompasses so very much more than that, and is an expression of faith in the endless mercy, grace and bounties of the Lord, of which we sing with great joy in Psalm 102 at the beginning of nearly every celebration of the Divine Liturgy.

Let us say with our whole soul and with our whole mind, let us say: Lord, have mercy!

Generalising, there are two usual forms that Christian worship can take - linear and layered.

Linear worship usually consists of a series of events taking place in sequential order, in something like this format:

1. A Hymn
2. A Prayer
3. A Reading
4. Another Hymn
5. A period of silent reflection
6. A Sermon
7. Another Hymn
8. Some Prayers

It usually achieves a sense of corporate worship by everybody focussing on the same action at the same time, and so everybody says the same prayer together, sings the same hymn together, and so forth.

This approach, however, is foreign to Orthodoxy. Orthodox worship, while following a set structure, is much more layered than this. The elements of corporate worship are much more fluid, and so it is perfectly possible for different groups of people to be doing different things at the same time, and all playing their part in the great offering of worship and prayer to God.  The people my be singing or bowing while the deacon is censing, and the priest is offering a prayer.  Movement, colour, taste, smell, and music all come together to join the words, which is why it may perhaps be better for first-time visitors not to tie themselves to a prayer book, but rather to allow themselves to be immersed in the fullness of what is happening.  Still, for those who would feel lost without one, there are prayer books available.

This can often be a little confusing to somebody accustomed to a more linear form but taken on its own merits rather than in comparison to something else, it will be revealed for the truly unifying form of worship that it is. The idea that we each have our individual roles which come together in a single act of worship really is quite beautiful.

It is often said that Orthodox churches are the only ones where people look forward to the sermon because that is when we get to sit down. It is indeed true that Orthodox services tend to be longer than what many Christians are accustomed to. However, as we sing in the Cherubic Hymn:

We who, in a mystery, represent the Cherubim and join with them, singing the thrice-holy hymn to the life-giving Trinity, let us now lay aside all the cares of this life, to receive the King of all, invisibly escorted by the ranks of Angels. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
 
When we worship, we repeatedly hear the deacon's words, 'Upright!' and 'Let us attend', calling us to stand and to be attentive to the worship of God. We believe that concerns such as the time, the Sunday dinner in the oven, the rumbling tummy, &c. should all fall into insignificance when we come before God our Maker in worship, and so we do not time our services, but rather, we just get on with the worship and it takes as long as it takes.

However, our worship is not intended as a Krypton Factor endurance test and we understand that many people, whether due to infirmity, having to hold young babies, or not being accustomed to standing for such long periods, may not be able to stand throughout. We have a bench and some stools around the perimeter of the church. Please feel free to take a seat. Nobody will be offended or judgemental.

There is no hard and fast "dress code" for Orthodox worship. Our guiding principles are simply these:

• In our behaviour in church, including our choice of dress, we must have an awareness that we are coming before God, entering a place into which we are not worthy to look except by God's mercy. The church is blessed to be the place where heaven meets earth in the Holy Mysteries, and we are there to take part in this wondrous occurrence. Our clothing, therefore, ought to be presentable and clean as far as is within our ability.
  
• With the first point in mind, God will not despise a humble and contrite heart, and calls each and every one of us into his Presence, regardless of our lot and portion in life. We will have failed our calling to live according to God's will if anybody were to feel he couldn't come because of his clothing.
  
• Finally, our purpose is to worship God and not to draw attention to ourselves. We ought to dress soberly and modestly, being mindful of our own focus in worship and also of those around us, and so we do not wear clothing that is revealing to the point of being a source of temptation to others or that, through embarrassment, prevents us from taking part in the physical elements of worship, such as bows and prostrations. Many people at our parish find it helpful to follow the guidance of the Holy Apostle Paul that men remove any head coverings to pray and that women cover their heads.
  

For Orthodox Christians

Orthodox Christians are encouraged to be strengthened by the grace that God imparts in our life in Christ by frequently receiving his Body and Blood in the Holy Eucharist. Being always mindful of St Paul's caution against receiving the Body and Blood of Christ unworthily, Orthodox Christians are to ensure that they have properly prepared themselves by prayer and by fasting from midnight, or as they are able. They are also encouraged to live in love and charity with their neighbours, and to practise a pattern of frequent Confession in order to be reconciled to God and his Church, from which we are separated by sin. If you wish to receive Communion, please make yourself known to Father Paul before the Liturgy.

For Other Followers of Christ

We welcome to the Divine Liturgy those who are not in full communion with us. It is a consequence of the sad divisions among those who strive to follow Christ that we cannot extend a general invitation to all visitors to receive Holy Communion. However, the Eucharist is an action of the Church, expressing our unity of faith, life, and worship in the Church. Reception of the Eucharist by those not so united with us would be a misuse of the Holy Mysteries to imply a unity which does not actually exist, but for which we must all pray. There is more on this here.

At the end of the Liturgy, we venerate the Cross of Christ and then partake of the antidoron, which is bread that has been blessed as part of the preparation of the Sacrifice, but is not consecrated as the Body of Christ. We invite you to share this with us as a sign of fellowship and mutual desire for the fullness of life in Christ. We kiss the Cross and then the priest's right hand, and then take some of the antidoron.

For those not Receiving Communion

Those not receiving sacramental Communion are encouraged to express in their hearts a prayerful desire for unity with God and with each other. You are welcome to share in the antidoron at the end of the Liturgy.

For Non-Christians

We also welcome to this celebration those who do not share our Faith in the Trinity. While we cannot extend to you an invitation to receive Communion, we do invite you to allow yourself to be immersed in the beauty and reverence of the Orthodox worship of God.

Perhaps the most helpful summary of what to expect on a first visit to an Orthodox church is provided by Khouria Frederica Mathewes-Green: 12 Things I wish I'd Known...

If there is anything about which you are still uncertain, please don't be put off. Feel free to get in touch with one of us, and we'll be more than happy to answer your questions and put you at ease.