Trisagion

The Clergy’s responsibilities are not limited to presiding over services in the church. There are many times that it is appropriate to call upon the Clergy to offer prayers at the cemetery for those who have reposed. The Clergy is available to pray the Trisagion Service, along with the family of their loved one. Please schedule an appointment directly with the Clergy for a Trisagion Service.

The Trisagion Service is a brief memorial service celebrated by a priest on behalf of deceased Orthodox Christians.

Trisagion (Greek: τρισάγιον) means “Thrice Holy” and is the hymn of the angels, “Holy! Holy! Holy!” (Isaiah 6:1). The service is called this because it begins with the familiar prayer, “Holy God! Holy Mighty! Holy Immortal! Have mercy on us,” said three times.

After the beginning prayers, a series of hymns, a litany, and a petition are chanted, asking the merciful Lord to give rest to the reposed among the Saints. The service concludes with the dismissal blessing and singing, “May their memory be eternal.”

The service can be offered anytime, usually immediately after the person has died, after the funeral, the 3rd, 9th, & 40th days, the 3rd, 6th, 9th, & 12th months, and annually with the larger Memorial Service called a “Mnemosyno” (Greek: Μνημόσυνο) — which means “calling to mind” because they are prayers for the departed.

Saint John Chrysostom says, “The inhabitants of heaven and earth are brought together in a common assembly; there is one thanksgiving, one shout of delight, one joyful chorus.” In praying the Trisagion, we unite heaven and earth, angels and mankind, Saints and spiritual strugglers, the living and the deceased.