Parents' Saturdays. Trinity Ecumenical Parents' Saturday

According to Orthodox Church the tradition of commemorating the dead has a beneficial effect on both those who are commemorated and the surviving people, because for the latter, commemoration of the dead is evidence of love for deceased relatives. That is why the Church established certain days, in which a person must purely prayerfully remember deceased loved ones.

In all Orthodox churches The cycle of daily worship begins in the evening, so the funeral service at Trinity begins on Friday evening (in 2015 - May 29). On Friday evening, a special funeral service of Vespers and Matins is performed with the first hour, during which the 17th kathisma, the funeral canon are read, and other funeral hymns from the general sequence of the memorial service are also heard. On Friday evening, the clergyman repeatedly reads notes with the names of deceased Orthodox Christians.

Also in the temple on Friday evening and Saturday morning you can light candles in memory of deceased relatives. Funeral candles are placed on the eve - a special one, on which there is a cross with the crucified Savior and the Mother of God and the apostles standing before Christ.

In addition to prayerfully commemorating the deceased in church, believers on Trinity Parents' Saturday try to do more acts of mercy in memory of deceased relatives. In particular, alms may be distributed to those in need or any other useful and feasible assistance may be provided.

It is necessary to say something about the home practice of prayerful remembrance of the departed. In addition to attending services, some Orthodox Christians also remember (pray) for the dead at home, reading, for example, an akathist for the same deceased or canons.

In the tradition of commemorating the dead on Trinity Parents' Saturday, a special place is occupied by visiting the burial places of deceased loved ones. This practice occurs even among those people who do not consider themselves fully believers or even adhere to a different religion. It is worth noting that keeping the graves of the deceased clean is a moral duty and responsibility of every person. In this sense, Orthodox people are no exception. Therefore, there is a practice after the morning service in the temple to go to cemeteries in order to clean up the burial site.

An Orthodox person must remember that the burial place of the dead is sacred, therefore it is necessary to try to behave accordingly in the cemetery. In particular, an Orthodox person, having come to the cemetery, must also offer a prayer to God for the souls of the deceased there. Then you can start cleaning. It is worth remembering that for an Orthodox person the traditions of drinking alcohol at burial sites or pouring vodka on graves are not acceptable - these are not Christian traditions of remembering the dead. You cannot leave cigarettes or containers of alcohol on graves, because this too is alien to the Christian consciousness.

“Pray to the Lord for the repose of our forefathers,
father and his brothers every morning and evening,
may mortal memory live in you,
and may the hope in you not fade away future life after death,
Yes, and your spirit expands daily, thinking about your fleeting life.”
Holy righteous John Kronstadt

Our prayer today extends beyond the boundaries of human life. There, in the distant and near kingdom of the dead, with prayer, as with a burning candle, we strive to bring a modest gift of grateful memory and love, asking God for mercy to all the departed, may their souls be found in the saints!

Funeral parent's Saturday arranged on the eve of the celebration of the Holy Trinity and is called Trinity Saturday. On the day of the foundation of the Church, on the Holy Trinity, the grace of the Holy Spirit permeated the entire earthly Church and the entire Heavenly Church, where there are forefathers and patriarchs, holy martyrs, reverends, saints.

There is a direct connection between the earthly and heavenly churches; we pray to the saints, we ask them and they hear us. On the day of the foundation of the Church - the day of the Holy Trinity - the Spirit of God sanctified everything in the world, both the living and the dead, therefore, from the founding of the Church, the Fathers of the Church commemorated the deceased, their dear parents, their brothers and sisters, and at the inspiration of the Spirit of God they arranged a memorial Saturday on the eve of the Holy Day Trinity.

The commemoration of all dead pious Christians was established on the Saturday before Pentecost due to the fact that the event of the descent of the Holy Spirit completed the economy of human salvation, and the deceased also participate in this salvation. Therefore, the Church, sending up prayers on Pentecost for the revival of all living by the Holy Spirit, asks on the very day of the holiday that for the departed the grace of the all-holy and all-sanctifying Spirit of the Comforter, which they were granted during their lifetime, would be a source of bliss, since by the Holy Spirit “every soul is given life.” "

Therefore, the Church devotes the eve of the holiday, Saturday, to the remembrance of the departed and prayer for them. Saint Basil the Great, who composed the touching prayers of Vespers of Pentecost, says in them that the Lord especially on this day deigns to accept prayers for the dead and even for “those kept in hell.”

Requiem services were still served in the Catacomb Church, when the first Christians were persecuted in the Roman Empire, and the word “requiem service” is literally translated from Greek language means “service at night” - “prayer at night for the dead.” When the Church became free, the memorial service came out of the catacombs and became a service for the dead. Over time, memorial Saturdays appeared in the Church.

Trinity Saturday associated with the founding of the Church by the Trinity and the Descent of the Holy Spirit. We pray for the departed, that the Lord would forgive them, and we believe that the Spirit of God touches not only those who live and pray, but also those who have died. Our loved ones have gone into another world with passions, vices, sins, and we pray and ask the Spirit of God, whom God sent, we ask Christ the Savior to have mercy on them. On the eve of Trinity Saturday, on Friday evening, parastas are served in our Church. “Parastas”, from Greek, “intercession” - during this service the prayer of the Church intercedes for their dead.

We beg God for forgiveness for the departed, because they can no longer beg for anything for themselves, they can pray for us, but not for themselves: “Help, Lord, rest, Lord, the souls of the departed Thy servant, forefather, father, sisters, our brethren, the Orthodox who lie here and everywhere.” The Orthodox ask on behalf of the Church that the Lord have mercy on those who left in the faith and hope of the Resurrection. Through the prayer of the Church, grace develops to such a state that helps the soul of the deceased to leave the bonds of hell.

Trinity Saturday has its deepest sacred meaning and will not lose it until the end of time, therefore memorial Saturdays are extremely necessary. Among the people, everyone knows the memorial Saturdays of the second, third, fourth of Lent, Trinity Parental Saturday, Demetrius Saturday, Radonitsa. Come to the grave, give alms, do a good deed, kind word to say - this is also alms in our time for those who left untimely.

Trinity Saturday is also called parental Saturday, because our parents are closest to us in the flesh, so we begin the commemoration with our deceased parents. In a church memorial note, we first write the names of deceased parents, grandparents, sisters, brothers, and remember relatives. Parents' days give us the joy of prayerful communication in God with those who have passed on from this life. That’s why we love parents’ Saturdays, where we remember our deceased parents, benefactors, and relatives. We come to the Liturgy, submit notes to the Proskomedia, and pray at the Memorial Service.

What more can we do for our dear departed? Give abundant alms, intensify the prayer at home for them and prepare a special funeral meal - kutia. Orthodox Christians are not forbidden to visit the cemetery on this day to venerate the graves of their relatives after they have been remembered in church. After all, when we pray for the souls of those who have passed on to another world, it is generally accepted that they, at that moment in heaven, are praying for us.

The Lord God, through the depth of His wisdom, humanely builds everything and gives useful things to everyone, i.e. if whose life continues, he benefits; and if he shortens someone’s days, it is for this purpose, lest malice change his mind or flattery deceive his soul. And our duty in both cases is to say with childlike submission to the Heavenly Father:

Our Father, Thy will be done! We will remember as best we can on earth, and the departed souls will remember us in heaven. And not only the righteous, whose souls are in the hand of God, pray to the Lord for our salvation, but also the souls of sinners also care about us, so that we do not end up in the same place as them, and, according to gospel parable, they ask Saint Abraham to send some righteous Lazarus to our house so that he can admonish us about what we should do, so that we can avoid eternal torment.

Rev. Anthony Optinsky

On Trinity Parents' Saturday Orthodox world It is customary to remember the dead. This tradition dates back to apostolic times. On this day, the Apostle Peter, addressing the Jews, speaks of the Risen Savior: God raised Him up, breaking the bonds of death (Acts 2:24). The apostolic decrees state that the apostles, filled with the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, preached to the Jews and pagans our Savior Jesus Christ, the Judge of the living and the dead. Following this tradition, the Holy Church has long called for the commemoration of all departed pious forefathers, fathers, brothers and sisters before the Day of the Most Holy Trinity. Trinity Saturday is universal and represents the last day of the Old Testament Church before the revelation of the Church of Christ in its entirety on the Day of Pentecost.

The Holy Spirit descended to earth on the day of Pentecost in order to sanctify and lead people to eternal salvation. That is why the church calls on all people to commemorate this Saturday in order to cleanse all souls with saving grace. Therefore, the cathedral funeral prayer for the dead is a great help.

What to do on Trinity Parents' Saturday. At the service on the day of Trinity Parental Saturday, the 17th kathisma is read. All dead Christians are commemorated, and priests or clergymen on Trinity Saturday commemorate everyone in the notes left by church parishioners. The Church claims that such common prayer is important for the departed.

On this day you must definitely go to church. In common prayer, together with everyone, during the passage church service, you need to ask the Lord for the eternal repose of souls and forgiveness for deceased relatives.
But if it so happens that you did not visit the temple on this day, this prayer for the departed can be done at home, because prayer is something that we can do for relatives who have left us. Your prayer is grace and salvation for the soul of the deceased, therefore, pray more often on this day, do not skimp on your prayers. Read the 17th kathisma and funeral prayer at home for your loved ones, relatives and all Orthodox Christians. The 17th kathisma is the 17th part of the psalter (it is divided into 20 parts, which contains only 150 psalms). You only need to read Kathisma 17 - or Psalm 118. Tex Volume 17 of Kathisma (+ printable version)

Also, Orthodox Christians on Trinity Saturday can visit the graves of relatives in the cemetery. Their graves are also decorated with greenery. But this should be done only after the deceased relatives have been remembered in the church. It is also generally accepted that the dead and those who have passed on to another world pray for us at the same time that we pray for them.

The most important thing is that prayer on the day of Trinity Parental Saturday is conscious, so that it does not turn into a formality, however, this also applies to Parental Saturday itself.

Funeral prayer is needed not only for your deceased relatives, but also for yourself. Such a prayer, said on Trinity Saturday, can satisfy those feelings of anxiety, love, gratitude, pity, guilt or resentment that we feel towards the dead.

It is worth noting the danger of many parishioners being tempted to commemorate suicides on this day, assuming that absolutely all the departed are commemorated on Trinity Parental Saturday, regardless of how they left this world. But this is a misconception! There is no day on which it would be possible to remember a suicide once a year in the Church.

This misbelief arose from a misunderstanding of the texts of the canon, which is read in church on Trinity Saturday. In him we're talking about about those who drowned, about those who were strangled. But not about those who strangled themselves...

“Seek, O Lord, the lost soul of my (father): if it is possible, have mercy! Thy destinies are unsearchable. Do not make me sin this prayer of mine. But let Thy holy will be done.”

You can pray with this prayer at home for relatives who have arbitrarily deprived themselves...

Trinity Saturday is the day of all-Russian remembrance of the dead, falling on the Saturday before Trinity Day, the main spring-summer memorial day in Russia.

IN church calendar is called Ecumenical Parents' Saturday. During the ecumenical memorial service on this day, the Church commemorates all Orthodox Christians who have ever died.

The commemoration of all dead pious Christians is established on the Saturday before Pentecost due to the fact that the event of the descent of the Holy Spirit completed the economy of human salvation, and the deceased also participate in this salvation. Therefore, the Church, sending up prayers on Pentecost for the revival of all living by the Holy Spirit, asks on the very day of the holiday that for the departed the grace of the all-holy and all-sanctifying Spirit of the Comforter, which they were granted during their lifetime, would be a source of bliss, since by the Holy Spirit “every soul is given life.” "

Therefore, the Church devotes the eve of the holiday, Saturday, to the remembrance of the departed and prayer for them. Saint Basil the Great, who composed the touching prayers of Vespers of Pentecost, says in them that the Lord especially on this day deigns to accept prayers for the dead and even for “Those like those kept in hell.”

Trinity Saturday is associated with the founding of the Church by the Trinity and the Descent of the Holy Spirit. We pray for the departed, that the Lord would forgive them, and we believe that the Spirit of God touches not only those who live and pray, but also those who have died. Our loved ones have gone into another world with passions, vices, sins, and we pray and ask the Spirit of God, whom God sent, we ask Christ the Savior to have mercy on them. On the eve of Trinity Saturday, on Friday evening, parastas are served in our Church. "Parastas", from Greek, “intercession” - during this service they intercede for their departed, the prayer of the Church, and the Lord Himself said this, saves sinners.

We beg God for forgiveness for the deceased, because they can no longer beg for anything for themselves, they can pray for us, but not for themselves: “Help, O Lord, give rest, O Lord, to the souls of your departed servants, forefather, father, sisters, our brethren, those who lie here and the Orthodox everywhere.” The Orthodox ask on behalf of the Church that the Lord have mercy on those who left in the faith and hope of the Resurrection. Through the prayer of the Church, grace develops to such a state that helps the soul of the deceased to leave the bonds of hell.

On the day of Trinity Parental Saturday it is customary to go to service, where the 17th kathisma is read. It commemorates all departed Christians (from the ages). Such general prayer is very important for the deceased. In the evening, the 17th kathisma can be read at home.

Trinity Saturday has its deepest sacred meaning and will not lose it until the end of time, therefore memorial Saturdays are extremely necessary. Among the people, everyone knows the memorial Saturdays of the second, third, fourth of Lent, Trinity Parental Saturday, Demetrius Saturday, Radonitsa.

Many people have a desire to remember their deceased with notes, the priest reads them and says: “Lord, remember him in Your Kingdom.” Coming to a grave, giving alms, doing a good deed, saying a kind word is also alms in our time for those who died untimely.

Trinity Saturday is also called parental Saturday, because our parents are closest to us in the flesh, so we begin the commemoration with our deceased parents. In a church memorial note, we first write the names of deceased parents, grandparents, sisters, brothers, and remember relatives. The concept of “parental Saturday” is associated with blood ties that are close to us.

Parents' days give us the joy of prayerful communication in God with those who have passed on from this life. That’s why we love parents’ Saturdays, where we remember our deceased parents, benefactors, and relatives. We come to the Liturgy, submit notes to the Proskomedia, and pray at the Memorial Service. What more can we do for our dear departed? Give abundant alms, strengthen your home prayer for them, and prepare a special funeral dish, kutiya.

Orthodox Christians are not forbidden to visit the cemetery on this day to venerate the graves of their relatives after they have been remembered in church. After all, when we pray for the souls of those who have passed on to another world, it is generally accepted that they, at that moment in heaven, are praying for us.

With the saints, rest, O Christ, the souls of Thy servant, where there is no sickness, no sorrow, no sighing, but endless life! Amen.

Trinity Parents' Saturday is one of several days when the memory of the deceased is commemorated. Trinity Saturday falls on the Saturday before the Holy Trinity. When will Trinity Parents' Saturday be in 2019? What can and cannot be done on this day?

Memorial days. What day is Trinity Parents' Saturday in 2019?

There are several parental Saturdays or such special days when deceased loved ones and relatives were remembered, namely: Saturdays of the second and fourth week of Lent, Radonitsa, Meat-free parental Saturday, Trinity and Dmitrievskaya, as well as the commemoration of fallen soldiers. But all deceased Orthodox Christians are remembered on Meat and Trinity Saturdays, which are considered Ecumenical. Meat-free Saturday on the eve of the meat-free week before Lent. But Trinity Parents' Saturday is the eve of the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity, which is also called Pentecost.

This day is of great importance for everyone in whose family someone has passed away, that is, for every person. On this day, it is customary to clean up the place where the body of the deceased rests and remember it. A person’s soul has long been in heaven, from where he watches his loved ones. On Trinity Saturday, you need to think only about good things, mentally communicate with your loved ones who are no longer with us.

What should you do on Trinity Parents' Saturday?

As already mentioned, Trinity Parental Saturday is the day when all Orthodox Christians remember their relatives and friends. Therefore, honoring the memory of deceased relatives is the main activity of this day.

Parents' Saturdays allow all relatives to get together and remember those who are no longer in this world.

You should definitely go to church on this day. Believers come to the temple for the universal memorial service. It’s tedious to go to the temple in the morning, and then visit the graves of deceased relatives and friends.

On this day, flowers are placed on previously cleaned graves, decorated with greenery, and funeral dinners are also held.

Why do we need to pray for those people who have died? During life, everyone chooses for himself how his life will go, whether he will be a righteous person or will sin all his life, believing that there will still be time to repent. But no one can say with certainty which day will be his last. In most cases, a person is not at all ready to leave this world; death overtakes him suddenly, breaking all plans. Therefore, only his close people who continue to live can help him. And they can do this through prayers, which are necessary even for those people who have never sinned.

It was for this purpose that the church established special memorial days.

Arriving at the temple on this day, you need to write a note on which you should write “On repose” and then the name of the deceased. It is advisable to write the person’s church name, but no more than 10 names on one note. It must be written legibly.

You need to know that in the notes you can write the names of only those deceased who were buried by the priests, but those who committed suicide are not mentioned. This is a great sin, and the priest simply does not have the right to pray for them.

If you have any doubts about writing such a note, you should definitely consult with a priest. He will be happy to tell you how best to do this.

What should you not do on Trinity Parents' Saturday?

Even if for some reason it was not possible to get to church on Trinity Parents’ Saturday, you can read a prayer for your departed relatives and friends at home, the main thing is to do it sincerely, with all your soul.

People who committed suicide or did not undergo the sacrament of baptism cannot pray to the church. Some people believe that it is on Trinity Parental Saturday that one can submit a petition for the repose of these souls, which is fundamentally wrong.

It is also believed that during this period one cannot clean the apartment, do laundry, wash dirty dishes. But this was most likely invented by those people who do not want to do anything and are trying to find various excuses.

Church ministers say in this regard that it is possible to work on this day, but most of the time should be devoted to prayers and attending church.