A shortened Moleben to St Nicholas the
Wonderworker
for after the Holy Liturgy
Priest and Altar servers process the
icon of St Nicholas from the Altar to the analoi in the
centre of the church. There are candles and fans. A server carries the incense.
Priest: Blessed is our God, always,
now and ever, and to the ages of ages.
Reader: O Come, let us worship God
our King.
O
Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ our King and our God.
O
Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ Himself, our King and our God.
Reader: PSALM 142
O Lord, hear my prayer, give ear unto my supplication in
Thy truth; hearken unto me in Thy righteousness. And enter not into judgment
with Thy servant for in Thy sight shall no man living be justified. For the
enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath humbled my life down to the earth. He
hath sat me in darkness as those that have been long dead, and my spirit within
me is become despondent; within me my heart is troubled. I remembered days of
old, I meditated on all Thy works, I pondered on the creations of Thy hands. I
stretched forth my hands unto Thee; my soul thirsteth
after Thee like a waterless land. Quickly hear me, O Lord; my spirit hath
fainted away. Turn not Thy face away from me, lest I be like unto them that go
down into the pit. Cause me to hear Thy mercy in the morning; for in Thee have
I put my hope. Cause me to know, O Lord, the way wherein I should walk; for
unto Thee have I lifted up my soul. Rescue me from mine enemies, O Lord; unto
Thee have I fled for refuge. Teach me to do Thy will, for Thou art my God. Thy
good Spirit shall lead me in the land of uprightness; for Thy name's sake, O
Lord, shalt Thou quicken me. In Thy righteousness shalt Thou bring my soul out
of affliction, and in Thy mercy shalt Thou utterly destroy mine enemies. And
Thou shalt cut off all them that afflict my soul, for I am Thy servant.
Glory
to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and
unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Alleluia,
alleluia, alleluia; glory to Thee, O God. (x3)
God is the Lord
Priest: God is the Lord and has appeared unto us; blessed is He Who comes
in the name of the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy
endureth for ever.
People: God is the Lord, and has appeared unto us: blessed is He Who comes in
the name of the Lord!
Priest:
Surrounding
me they compassed me, but in the name of the Lord I warded them off.
People: God is the Lord, and has appeared unto us: blessed is He Who comes in
the name of the Lord!
Priest: I shall not die, but live,
and I shall tell of the works of the Lord.
People: God is the Lord, and has appeared unto us: blessed is He Who comes in
the name of the Lord!
Priest: The stone which the
builders rejected has become the head of the corner. This is the Lord’s doing,
and it is marvellous in our eyes.
People: God is the Lord, and has appeared unto us: blessed is He Who comes in
the name of the Lord!
Troparion of St Nicholas—tone 4 (X 3) Here the priest censes the
icon of St Nicholas.
People: The
truth of things revealed thee to thy flock as a rule of faith/
a model of meekness, and a teacher of temperance.
//
Wherefore
thou hast achieved the heights by humility, riches by poverty./
O Father
and Hierarch Nicholas, intercede with Christ God that our souls be saved.
Правило веры
и образ кротости,/ воздержания
учителя/ яви тя
стаду твоему/ Pravilo viri y obraz krotosti,/
vozderzhaniya uchitelya/ yavi tya stadu
tvoyemu,/
Яже вещей
Истина./ Сего ради стяжал
еси смирением
высокая,/ нищетою богатая,/ yazhe veshchey istina, sego radi strazhal yesi
smireniem vysokaya,/ nishchetoyu
отче священноначальниче
Николае,/ моли Христа
Бога,// спастися
душам нашим. bogataya:/ otche svyashchennonachalniche Nikolaye,/
moli Christa Boga,//
spastisya dusham
nashim.
The truth
of things revealed thee to thy flock as a rule of faith/
a model of meekness, and a teacher of temperance.
//
Wherefore
thou hast achieved the heights by humility, riches by poverty./
O Father and
Hierarch Nicholas, intercede with Christ God that our souls be saved.
Glory to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, /
Both now and ever, and unto
the ages of ages. Amen.
Priest: O Holy Hierarch Nicholas,
pray to God for us!
People: O Holy Hierarch Nicholas, pray to God for us!
Priest: Glory to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
People: Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Priest: Svyatitelyu Otche Nikolai, moli Boga o nas!
People: Svyatitelyu
Otche Nikolai, moli Boga o nas!
Priest: Slava
Otsu y Synnu y Svyatomu Dukhu
People: y nyni y prissno y vo viki vikov. Amin
The Litany of Fervent
Supplication
Priest: Have mercy on us, O God, in
Thy great mercy, we pray Thee, hearken and have mercy.
People: Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
(And after each petition.)
Deacon:
Again we pray for All His Holiness, Patriarch N. of Moscow and All Russia; for our Master the Most Reverend Metropolitan
Hilarion, First Hierarch of the Russian Church
Abroad; for our Master the Most Reverend Archbishop Mark of Berlin, Germany and Great Britain, and all our brotherhood
in Christ.
Deacon:
Again we pray for the God-preserved lands of Russia and Ukraine and for their
Orthodox peoples both in the homelands and the diaspora, and for their
salvation.
Deacon:
Again we pray for our Sovereign Lady Queen Elizabeth.
and all her royal house; for her government and
armed forces; for this land and all those who in faith and piety dwell herein,
and for every Christian land.
Deacon:
Again we pray Thee, O Lord our God, that Thou wouldst hear the voice of our
supplication and prayer, and have mercy upon Thy servants, the parishioners of
this holy house, through Thy grace and compassions, and fulfil all their petitions,
and pardon them all their transgressions, both voluntary and involuntary; let
their prayers and alms be acceptable before the throne of Thy dominion, and
protect them from all enemies, both visible and invisible, from every
temptation, harm and sorrow, and deliver them from diseases, and grant them
health and length of days: let us all say, O Lord, hearken and have mercy.
Deacon:
Look down, O Master Who loveth mankind, with Thy
merciful eye, upon Thy servants, and hearken unto our supplication which is
offered with faith, for Thou Thyself hast said: ‘All things whatsoever thou shall
ask in prayer, believe that thou shalt receive, and it shall be done unto thee’;
and again: ‘Ask, and it shall be given unto thee’. Therefore, though we are
unworthy, yet hoping in Thy mercy, we ask of Thee: bestow Thy kindness upon Thy
servants, and fulfil their good desires, preserve them all their days
peacefully and calmly in health and length of days: let us all say, speedily
hearken and graciously have mercy.
Deacon:
Again we pray to the Lord our God, that He may hearken unto the voice of the
supplication of us sinners, and have mercy upon His servants, and protect them
from all sorrow, harm, wrath and need, and from every sickness of soul and
body, granting them health with length of days: let us all say, speedily
hearken and have mercy.
If desired, petitions for
the sick may be inserted here.
Deacon:
Again we pray that this town, and this holy house, and every city and land may
be preserved from famine, pestilence, earthquake, flood, fire, the sword, the
invasion of enemies, and civil war; that our God Who is good and lovest mankind may be gracious and favourable, that He may
turn away all the wrath stirred up against us, and deliver us from His
righteous threatening which hangs over us, and have mercy upon us.
Deacon:
Again we pray also that the Lord God may hear the voice of the supplication of
us sinners and have mercy on us.
Priest:
Hear us, O God our Saviour, Thou hope of all the ends of the earth and of those
who are far off at sea; and be merciful, be merciful, O Master, regarding our
sins, and have mercy on us; for Thou art a merciful God Who lovest
mankind, and unto Thee do we send up glory; to the Father, and to the Son, and
to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.
Amen.
Prayer to St Nicholas
Priest: To the Holy Wonder-worker
Nicholas, let us all pray.
People: O Holy Wonder-worker Nicholas, pray to God for us!
Priest: O all-praised and all-honoured
hierarch, great wonderworker, saint of Christ, O Holy Father Nicholas, man of
God and faithful servant, man of love, chosen vessel, strong pillar of the
Church, most brilliant lamp, star that illumines and enlightens the whole
world: thou art a righteous man that flourished like a palm tree planted in the
courts of his
Lord; dwelling
in Myra thou didst diffuse the fragrance of myrrh, and thou pourest
out the ever-flowing myrrh of the Grace of God. By thy presence, most Holy Father,
the sea was sanctified when thy most wonderful relics were carried from east to
west to the city of Bari, to praise the name of the Lord. O most superb and
marvellous wonderworker, speedy helper, fervent intercessor, good shepherd that
savest the rational flock from all dangers, we
glorify and magnify thee as the hope of all Christians, a fountain of miracles,
a defender of the faithful, a most wise teacher, a feeder of the hungry, the
gladness of those that mourn, clothing of the naked, healer of the sick, pilot
of those who sail upon the seas,
liberator of prisoners, nourisher and protector of widows and orphans, guardian
of chastity, gentle tutor of children, support of the aged, guide of fasters,
rest of those that labour, abundant riches of the poor and needy. Hear us who
pray unto thee and flee to thy protection: Show thy mediation on our behalf
with the Most High, and obtain through thy God-pleasing intercessions all that
is useful for the salvation of our souls and bodies; keep this holy habitation,
every city and town, and every Christian land, and the people that dwell
therein, from all oppression through thy help; for we know that “the prayer of
a righteous man availeth much for good”; and after
the Most blessed Virgin Mary, we have thee as a righteous mediator with the All
merciful God, and to thy fervent intercession and protection we humbly
approach. Keep us, as a watchful and good shepherd, from all enemies,
pestilence, earthquake, hail, famine, flood, fire, the sword, the invasion of
enemies, and in all our misfortunes and afflictions give us a helping hand and
open the doors of God's compassion; for we are unworthy to look upon the height
of Heaven because of the multitude of our iniquities; we are bound by the bonds
of sin and have not done the will of our Creator nor kept His commandments.
Wherefore, we bow the knees of our broken and humble heart to our Maker, and we
ask thy fatherly intercession with Him: Help us, O Servant of God, lest we
perish with our sins, deliver us from all evil, and from every adverse thing,
direct our minds and strengthen our hearts in the Orthodox Faith, which,
through thy mediation and intercession, neither wounds, nor threats, nor
plague, nor the wrath of our Creator shall lessen; but grant that we may live a
peaceful life here and see the good things in the land of the living,
glorifying the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, one God gloried and
worshipped in Trinity, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen
The Dismissal
Priest: Wisdom!
Priest: O Most Holy Mother of God,
save us!
People: More honourable than the Cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious
than the Seraphim, who without defilement gavest
birth to God the Word, and art indeed the Mother of God, we magnify thee!
Priest: Glory to Thee, O Christ God
and our Hope; glory to Thee!
People: Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; both now
and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have
mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Father, bless!
The priest gives the usual
dismissal.
Priest: May Christ our True God,
Who is risen from the dead, through the intercession of His Most Pure Mother
and through the intercession of our Holy Father Nicholas the Wonderworker ...
for He is a good God Who loves mankind.
People:
Amen.
Priest and
people: We magnify thee, O holy hierarch
Nicholas, and we honour thy holy memory; for thou
dost pray for us to Christ our God.
The priest,
readers, altar servers and people venerate the icon of St Nicholas and are then
anointed by the priest.