Philip SokolovPhilip Sokolov1262021-10-20T20:42:00Z2021-10-20T20:36:00Z2021-10-22T18:45:00Z412595770Christ the Savior Church186167686214Hieromartyr Archpriest John KochurovRevised service texts by Hierodeacon Herman (Majkrzak). For the 2016 joint celebration of Holy Trinity Cathedral and Christ the Savior Church in Chicago. Lord I CallHere is my revision of the Lord, I Call stichera, with the doxasticon. I’ve kept the standard “Rejoice” melody in mind, and I think you’ll find that the text usually fits pretty easily into that melody.TONE FIVE: REJOICERejoice, O holy Father John, who hast followed the path of apostolic virtue!With thy family, thou didst travel to America there to serve the people of Christ.By thy love and long-suffering,thou didst lay a firm foundationupon the faith of the Apostles,to build up the Church in the Midwest.By thy words and thy manner of life,thou didst preach the Gospelto all those whom thou wast called lead,obedient in all things to the will of God, ***who grants the world great mercy!Rejoice, O apostle to Chicago,evangelizer of America!Like Abraham, thou wast a stranger in a strange land,never losing thy faith in God.Thou didst instruct Christ’s flock in the Orthodox Faith,guiding them through a land of strange beliefs as through the land of Canaan, ***leading them to Christ, who grants the world great mercy!O holy martyr of Christ, rejoice,for Tsarksoe Selo has beheld thy sufferingswhich thou didst endure with zeal and lovefor Christ’s people who were beset by the godless pow’rs.Thou didst lay down thy life for the sheep,giving no heed to wars and rumors of wars,but finding peace in thy heart,thou didst follow thy Lord unto death, ***for he alone grants the world great mercy!Rejoice, O John, true disciple of Christ,for his light shone brightly in thy heart,blinding those who loved darkness more than the light,but guiding thy steps towards the victory of peace.Though persecuted and reviled by the enemies of the Light,thou didst pray for the triumph of the kingdom of God,trusting not in princes nor the sons of men.Thou wast put to a cruel death,but this death was thine enemies’ defeat:for thou hast received the crown of victoryfrom the hand of Christ, the Prince of Peace, ***who grants the world great mercy!Glory: tone six (ideomleon)Rejoice, O Chicago!Leap for joy, Tsarskoe Selo,hallowed by the life and labors of the righteous priest,the faithful John, the martyr of Christ,who with zeal defended the Truth,saving those gone astray on the paths of falsehood.A true shepherd of the rational sheep of Christ:with holy Tikhon and Alexander,he brought the light of Orthodoxy to the lands of America,and struggled unto death in the lands of Russiaagainst the powers of godlessnessthat like wolves were ravaging the flock of Christ.Now he intercedes before the throne of God ***for the peace of the world and the salvation of our souls!LityThis is pointed for Kievan chant.Glory: Tone Two (ideomelon)Holy John, thou priest and martyr,In Chicago thou didst build a great temple for the Trinity,and in Russia, thou becamest a master architect,by thy words and deeds adding soul upon soul,as living stones of the Church,sealing thy work with the mortar of thy blood.And now thou hast entered beyond the veil,into the tabernacle not made with hands,where, in Christ, thou dost intercede for us before the Father, ***that our we may receive great mercy!ApostichaReader Daniel specifies “Joseph, together with Nicodemus,” which I don’t think is a prosomion. I think he simply intends this to be sung to the Pskov version of tone five, which is fine. This is the most extensive re-write so far. In the original doxasticon he revisted the Abraham theme and several other themes already present in other stichera. I turned this into a meditation on Ps 22 and John 10.Glory: Tone Five (ideomelon)O thou strength and comfort of thy people,thou shepherd of thy sheep and their servant,thou hast fed thy people on the verdure of Mysteries of Christ;holy John, thou didst prepare for thema Table in the midst of their enemies,leading them through the valley of the shadow of death.In thee there was no condemnation or spitefor those whose fighting brought sorrows and troubles to thy flock,but thou thyself didst lay down thy life for the sheep,united to thy Lord in death,and through him entering into abundant life,carrying upon thy shoulders ***the rational sheep of Christ.TroparionOf the two troparia, I def. think the shorter one is better - with only two changes (1) “for Christ and neighbor” is better “for Christ and thy flock” - to stick with the theme of hiero-martyr, and (2) “the holy Church” is more naturally “his holy Church.” Tone one:Aflame with love for God,thou gavest thy life as a martyr for Christ and ^thy flock,and so didst receive a crown of righteousness from him.Hieromartyr John, entreat the most merciful God to preserve his holy Church in peace and to save our souls!PraisesOf all Reader Daniel’s stichera, these were the best, I think, and I changed them the least. The greatest revision is to the fourth one, which is basically a new sticheron that more properly fits into the usual model of this prosomion, when the saint’s actual name is not used until the very end. The changes I made in the other stichera were either to make the phrases somewhat shorter or to make the text conform to the pattern of the prosomion better.Pointed for the Optina melody.Tone Eight: “What Shall we Call Thee?”What shall we call thee, O martyr?Lampstand, holding up the light of Christ for all to see;River, watering our land by thy words and deeds;Beacon, guiding those surrounded by darkness;Lamb, for thou wast led to the slaughter;Stone, for thou wast rejected;Foundation, for the Lord built his Church on thee. //Do thou pray that our souls may be saved!To whom shall we liken thee, O holy one?Zechariah, as the fruit of a priestly family;Solomon, for thou didst build a great temple for God;Moses, for thou didst lead thy people through the wilderness;Noah, preserving thy people amid a destroying flood;The noble Joseph, for in the darkest hour thou didst not forsake Christ;Stephen, for thy persecutors could not silence thee. //Do thou pray that our souls may be saved!With what title shall we honor thee, O saint of Chicago?Confessor, proclaiming the Gospel amid great testing;Teacher, instructing us in divine truths;Mentor, for thou givest us an example of a virtuous life;Guardian angel, watching over and protecting us;Shepherd, who hast defended thy flock even unto death;Priest, who dost ever intercede for us. //Do thou pray that our souls may be saved!How shall I now address thee, O righteous one?True disciple of Christ following the way of the Cross;Apostle, bringing the faith to a new land;Priest, united to the sacrifice of Christ;Martyr, bearing witness even to the shedding of thy blood.Many are thy names, O John, and greater still are thy divine gifts. //Do thou pray that our souls may be saved.