Dignare Me Laudare Te, Virgo Sacrata

Monday, December 31, 2012

Byzantine Catholic Divine Liturgy, Sunday After Christmas

On 30 December 2012, I attended a Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom at Epiphany of Our Lord Byzantine Catholic Church, Annandale, Virginia, USA. It was the 10th anniversary of my first Byzantine Divine Liturgy, which also took place on the Sunday after Christmas. The Byzantine Rite also commemorates St. Joseph, the "holy and just husband" of the Blessed Virgin Mary; St. David, Prophet and King; and St. James, the "brother" of Our Lord, on this Sunday.


The deacon incenses the sanctuary, the iconostasis , and the people.


The priest saying prayers over the bread and wine before its consecration.


A layman hold a three-branched candlestick as a sign of the presence of the Holy Trinity at one point during the liturgy.


As in the Traditional Latin Mass, the deacon and the priest line up at certain points in the liturgy.