Sample health note: how to write and submit correctly

Article “How to correctly write notes about health and repose in the temple”

Notes in the temple. How to submit and write correctly?

Many people always write notes in the church. When you enter the temple, you see people writing notes. What is a “note in the church” and why is it needed?! List and explanation of types of notes in the church. What is a simple note, a registered note, a magpie, a commemoration. How to write a note in church?! What is the best note to submit in church?

You know and understand that they pray in the temple. So, when submitting a note, a clergyman will pray for the people indicated in the note in the temple. Think for yourself whose prayer is “stronger” - yours or the priests in the temple. Moreover, the priest will do this during the service, when the power of prayer is considered even stronger. Notes or, in church terms, commemorations, are given by believers in a candle box (where candles are sold). The notes must include a holy cross. The note should usually contain no more than ten names. If you want to remember many of your family and friends, then send a few notes.

When is the best time to submit (write) a note to the church?!

In general, it is better to write a note every time you visit a temple. But you can also write on occasions...: - You must definitely submit a note on your child’s birthdays and baptisms. — In case of illness, hospitalization, surgery, preparation for childbirth — In case people have fallen into sin: drunkenness, theft, fornication, and so on

For whom can you submit notes in church, and for whom can you not?! - you cannot submit health certificates for those who have not been baptized. Is it possible to submit health notes for an unborn child? No, since the child has not yet been baptized, it is better to submit a note on the health of the baptized expectant mother. - you cannot submit notes for the repose of those who have not been baptized or suicides (unless there is special permission) - you cannot submit notes for those whom the Church has glorified as saints (for example, Blessed Xenia), there is no need to pray, they themselves are already praying for us.

How to correctly format and write names in a note in a temple?!

- Names must be written in the genitive case (answer the question “who?”): Alexandra, Peter, Ekaterina... All names must be given in church writing (for example, George, not Yuri) and in full (for example, Alexandra, Nikolai, but not Sasha, Kolya). Experienced parishioners indicate the names of people given to them at baptism. - the notes do not indicate surnames, patronymics, ranks and titles (except for church ones), and degrees of relationship. - you can use the following words before names for health: warrior (military), sick (bolish.), traveling (putesh.); prisoner (closed), pregnant (not idle) (not idle). Up to 7 years of age, a child is an infant, from 7 to 14 years of age is an adolescent (for example, “Jr. Sergius” or “Det. Eugene”). - if we submit a note about the health of a priest , we always write the rank: deacon, hierodeacon, priest, archpriest, hieromonk, abbot, archimandrite, monk or monk. - can be used before names for the deceased: “killed”, “newly deceased” (40 days have not passed since the date of death)

First, they write notes about health. There are notes in the church for health: + a simple note about health. The priest mentions the names from the notes during prayer during the service. + registered health note. (At the top of the note you should write “ordered”) The priest repeatedly mentions people in prayer before the throne.

+ note for proskomedia. People will be prayed for during the most important (strong from a prayer point of view) service - the liturgy. + prayer service (At the top of the note we write “prayer to Luke of Crimea for health.”) The priest in the church will pray for the people from the note to a specific saint whom you indicate. For example, he will perform a prayer service to Nicholas the Wonderworker for those traveling or to Panteleimon or Luke of Crimea for the sick. + note on Proskomedia. People will be prayed for during the Liturgy. + What is sorokoust and how to order it? Sorokoust is a forty-day commemoration of health (or repose) during the Liturgy with the removal of particles from the prosphora for the person for whom prayers are asked, that is, the priest removes particles from the prosphora and at the end of the Liturgy lowers these particles into the Holy Chalice in which they are The Body and Blood of Christ, with the prayer: “Wash away, O Lord, the sins of those remembered here by Thy Honest Blood, by the prayers of Thy saints.” By performing this sacred rite, the grace of the Holy Spirit is given to the souls of people commemorated according to the notes. Sorokousts are ordered not only for repose, but also for health, especially for seriously ill people. + What is an annual, semi-annual commemoration ? Commemoration (prayer) for people for six months or a year. It can be “with a particle” (when every day for the entire duration of the proskomedia a particle is taken out of the prosphora) or “without a particle” (in this case, the names are recorded in the funeral synodik and the brethren of the temple or monastery during the specified period at each service pray for these people).+ What is eternal remembrance? This commemoration lasts as long as the monastery exists.

The physical death of a person does not mean complete peace for the deceased. His soul may suffer, not find peace, it may be tormented by unrepentant sins and remorse. Therefore, we, the living, pray for the departed, asking God to give them peace and relief. + a simple note about repose. The priest mentions the names from the notes during prayer during the service. + Sorokoust is a forty-day commemoration of the repose of the soul during the Liturgy (for those who haven’t read it, I remind you first that Sorokoust also happens about health).
+ What is a Post Note . A note on the Days of Great Lent (for Lent) is a time of special prayer and a time of special remembrance of the departed. A special form of prayer for the deceased is the Postal Note. Priests read such notes throughout Lent until Wednesday of Holy Week. + what is a memorial service note ?
It is customary to celebrate memorial services on the third, ninth and fortieth day after death, on the birthdays of the deceased, name days, death, and so on. If you have ordered a memorial service, it is advisable for you to be present during their service and pray fervently with the priest. All notes read in the temple and in the hands of clergy and laity are burned in a special place.

Source of the article: https://www.svechy-vosk.ru/page/statya-kak-pravilno-pisat-zapiski-o-zdravii-i-upokoenii-v-hrame

Proskomedia or mass

What is the difference between mass and proskomedia? The Liturgy, which lasts from morning until lunch, is simply called the Liturgy, and the Proskomedia is the first part of it.

During mass, the priest reads the names and the choristers sing “It is Worthy to Eat.”

What should I order for a prayer service or proskomedia to keep loved ones healthy? It is best to get the answer from your confessor.

Procedure for holding the proskomedia

Priests prepare in a special way for the liturgy, after which Orthodox Christians can take communion, one of the seven Sacraments of the Church.

For the first part of the Liturgy, parishioners bring bread and other offerings, clergy prepare wine and special bread for communion.

The clergy put on attire appropriate to the Liturgy in order to perform a special ceremony at the altar - presenting before the Lord the people for whom their relatives and friends are asking.

The sacred rite takes place with the gates closed, in the altar, emphasizing the mystery of the coming of the Savior, invisible to many. The priest proclaims each name out loud, while saying “Remember, Lord (name).”

After reading the entrance prayers, the priest puts on festive clothes and washes his hands.

Next comes the preparation of the symbol of purity - the Lamb. For each Liturgy, 5 prosphoras are baked as a reminder of the miracle when Jesus fed 5,000 people with five loaves of bread, not counting women and children (Matthew 14:13-21)

From the first lamb prosphora, the priest cuts out the middle part in the form of a quadrangle - the Lamb.

Before the birth of Jesus Christ, according to the Old Testament, it was possible to atone for sins only by sacrificing a killed animal. Man sinned, but an innocent creature was killed. God no longer wanted the blood of innocent animals and sent His Son to earth, who became the last Lamb sacrificed for the sins of the world. Only the believer in Jesus Christ, who accepted his sacrifice for his sins, will be saved.

Taking out the middle recalls both the birth and death of Christ.

Paten, chalice, star, spear, spoon

The meaning of objects in the Liturgy

Each item used in the first part of the Liturgy has a special meaning. The paten, with the cut out middle of the first bread placed on it, symbolizes the manger in which the Savior was born, and the thunder where He was buried.

Piercing the right side of the middle of the removed piece with a spear is done in memory of how the guard pierced the right rib of Jesus, and Blood and water poured out of it.

To pour wine diluted with water, a special bowl is used - a chalice.

Next, the priest moves on to the remaining four prosphora.

From the second, the Mother of God prosphora, the middle is taken out in the form of a triangle, and the Mother of God is commemorated. The triangular part is placed to the right of the quadrangular part - the symbol of the Lamb.

From the left side of the Lamb, 9 parts of the “ninefold”, the third sacred bread, symbolizing the saints, are ironed out.

Under the “feet of the Lamb” 2 parts taken from the fourth prosphora are placed. Part of it is the living clergy, the second is all the laity of the Orthodox Church.

Part of the fifth bread is a symbol of the memory of the departed.

For reference! From the loaves given by the laity, the priest takes out as many particles as there are names written on the memorial lists. The following is a prayer for health.

Remember, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, Thy mercy and generosity from all eternity, for whose sake Thou didst become man, and Thou didst deign to endure crucifixion and death, for the sake of the salvation of those who believe in Thee; and rose from the dead, you ascended into heaven and sit at the right hand of God the Father, and look upon the humble prayers of those who call upon You with all their hearts: incline Your ear and hear the humble prayer of me, Your indecent servant, in the stench of the spiritual fragrance, which brings You for all Your people . And in the first place, remember Your Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, which You have provided with Your venerable Blood, and establish, and strengthen, and expand, multiply, pacify, and preserve the insurmountable gates of hell forever; Calm the tearing of the Churches, quench the pagan vacillations, and quickly destroy and eradicate the heresies of rebellion, and convert them into nothingness by the power of Your Holy Spirit. (Bow)

Save, Lord, and have mercy on our God-protected country, its authorities and army, protect their power with peace, and subdue every enemy and adversary under the nose of the Orthodox, and say peaceful and good words in their hearts about Your Holy Church, and about all Your people: yes Let us live a quiet and silent life in orthodoxy and in all piety and purity. (Bow)

Save, O Lord, and have mercy on the Great Lord and Father of our Holiness Patriarch Alexy, Your Eminence metropolitans, archbishops and Orthodox bishops, priests and deacons, and the entire church clergy, who You have appointed to shepherd Your verbal flock, and with their prayers have mercy and save me, a sinner. (Bow)

Save, Lord, and have mercy on my spiritual father (his name), and with his holy prayers forgive my sins. (Bow)

Save, O Lord, and have mercy on my parents (their names), brothers and sisters, and my relatives according to the flesh, and all the neighbors of my family, and others, and grant them Your peaceful and most peaceful goodness. (Bow)

Save, O Lord, and have mercy, according to the multitude of Your bounties, all the sacred monks, monks and nuns, and all those living in virginity and reverence and fasting in monasteries, in deserts, in caves, mountains, pillars, gates, rock crevices, and sea islands, and in every place of Thy dominion, those who live faithfully and piously serve Thee, and pray to Thee: ease their burden, and comfort their sorrow, and grant them strength and strength to strive for Thee, and through their prayers grant me remission of sins. (Bow)

Save, O Lord, and have mercy on the old and the young, the poor and the orphans and the widows, and those who are in sickness and sorrow, troubles and sorrows, conditions and captivity, prisons and imprisonments, and even more so in persecution, for You for the sake of the Orthodox faith, from the tongue of the godless, from the apostate and from the heretics, Thy present servants, and remember, visit, strengthen, comfort, and soon by Thy power I will weaken, grant them freedom and deliver. (Bow)

Save, O Lord, and have mercy on us, who are merciful and nourishing to us, who gave us alms, and who commanded us unworthy to pray for them, and who give us rest, and do Thy mercy to them, granting them all the petitions for salvation, and the perception of eternal blessings . (Bow)

Save, Lord, and have mercy on those sent to the service, those traveling, our fathers and brethren, and all Orthodox Christians. (Bow)

Save, Lord, and have mercy on them who I tempted with my madness, and turned away from the path of salvation, and led me to evil and inappropriate deeds; By Your Divine Providence, return again to the path of salvation. (Bow)

Save, Lord, and have mercy on those who hate and offend me, and those who create misfortunes against me, and do not leave them to perish for my sake, a sinner. (Bow)

Those who have departed from the Orthodox faith and are blinded by destructive heresies, enlighten the light of Your knowledge and bring Your Holy Apostles to the Catholic Church. (Bow)

After the prayer, all the particles symbolizing the people given in the notes are laid out on the paten. The created image symbolizes the unity of the Church, both earthly and heavenly, whose heart is Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.

As in the world, the paten represents the living, the deceased, the sick, the lost - the people of the world who are so loved by God.

After the end of the Liturgy, all the pieces symbolizing the people for whom they prayed are lowered into the chalice with wine. This is a prototype of a unique action - everyone who is around Jesus will be cleansed by His Blood from all sins and will receive forgiveness.

Why is it necessary to pray for the dead?

When a person dies, relatives hope for a good afterlife for him. But no one can say exactly where the soul of the deceased ended up. Prayer for the dead is a huge help for them. Being in another world, the deceased cannot do good deeds that could influence their fate here. But this can be done by relatives who remain on earth.

When praying for the dead, relatives, first of all, continue their relationship with them. God has no dead; Christians believe that their loved ones who have passed on to another world are alive. Orthodox Christians also believe that through prayers on earth, the Lord will forgive and have mercy on the souls of people who died in sin. You can beg a person out of hell, but you will have to try very hard to do this.

By remembering the dead, people alleviate their fate after death. You can pray at home, but it is especially important to do it in church. Prayer for peace, as well as for health (for the living) can work miracles.

What is the advantage of praying for our family and friends in church?

Home prayer, as a rule, does not have such grace-filled power as common, conciliar prayer, that is, the prayer of the Church.

Church prayer is the prayer about which the Lord said: “Truly I also say to you that if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven, for where there are two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:19-20).

Believers gather in the temple for joint prayer. God Himself mysteriously dwells in the temple. The temple is the house of God. In the temple, the priests offer the Most Holy Bloodless Sacrifice. Even in Old Testament times, prayers were accompanied by the sacrifice of animals to cleanse sins and appease God. In the Church of the New Testament, animal sacrifice does not exist, for “Christ died for our sins” (1 Cor. 15:3). “He is the propitiation for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2).

He sacrificed His Most Pure Blood and Flesh for everyone and established at the Last Supper the Sacrament of Holy Communion, the offering under the guise of bloodless gifts - bread and wine - of His Most Pure Flesh and Blood for the remission of sins, which is performed in churches at the Divine Liturgy.

Church prayer has special power also because it is offered by a priest specially appointed to perform sacred rites and offer prayers and sacrifices to God for people.

“I chose you and appointed you,” says the Savior to His Apostles, “so that... whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He will give you” (John 15:16).

They transferred the rights given from the Lord to the apostles and the duties and powers assigned to them to the successors they appointed: bishops and presbyters, bequeathing to them the power, the right, and the indispensable duty, first of all... “to make prayers, petitions, supplications, thanksgivings for all people” ( 1 Timothy 2:1).

That is why the holy Apostle James says to Christians: “If any of you is sick, let him call the elders of the Church, and let them pray over him” (James 5:14).

The holy righteous John of Kronstadt recalled how, while still a young priest, an unfamiliar woman asked him to pray for the success of one of her affairs.

“I don’t know how to pray,” Father John humbly answered.

“Pray,” the woman continued to ask. – I believe that through your prayers the Lord will help me.

Father John, seeing that she had such high hopes for his prayer, became even more embarrassed, again claiming that he did not know how to pray, but the woman said:

- You, father, just pray, I ask you, as best you can, and I believe that the Lord will hear.

Father John began to remember this woman during the liturgy. After some time, the priest met her again, and she said:

“You, father, just prayed for me, and the Lord sent me, through your prayers, what I asked.”

This incident influenced the young priest so much that he understood the power of priestly prayer.

What are the benefits of praying in church?

At the Divine Liturgy, the Bloodless Sacrifice is offered for the living and the dead. The priest at the altar takes out particles from the prosphora - a special bread that is distributed to the faithful after the Liturgy, dipping them into a cup of wine. Wine is the blood of the Lord, pieces of prosphora are His body, “broken for many things for the remission of sins” (c).

In preparation for the sacrament of the Eucharist (communion), the priest remembers all the departed, taking out pieces from the prosphora for them.

In addition to the memorial notes read at the altar by the priest, there is also a lithium and a memorial service. When gathering for a memorial service, believers pray for the repose of the souls of their loved ones, asking the Lord to forgive and have mercy on the dead.

Main types of commemorations for the dead

The main types of commemorations look like this:

1. A memorial service is a short (no more than 30 minutes) service. Where the dead are remembered. Believers ask for the forgiveness of the sins of the dead and their repose in the Kingdom of Heaven. A memorial service is usually held weekly, after the main service. In order to remember your loved one at a memorial service, you must submit a corresponding note. That’s what it’s called – a memorial service; in a note, you can usually indicate up to ten people. The memorial service is served both in the church and in the cemetery; only the priest performs the request.
2. Litiya is a very short prayer rule (10 – 15 minutes), similar to a memorial service. Unlike this, any Christian can read the litia.
3. Sorokoust - commemoration of the deceased for 40 days at the Liturgy.

But the most common way of commemoration remains a note of repose.

How to write in notes the names of people whose names are not in the calendar?

The tradition is to baptize with a name “from the church calendar,” i.e. according to the calendar, this is only a good Russian tradition, which does not exclude the commemoration of those Christians whose names do not correspond to it.

Journal of the 165th meeting of the Holy Synod of December 26, 2019:

WE HAD A JUDGMENT on the development

Reference:

Topic: “Naming a newborn; the question of the possibility of receiving Baptism while preserving the national name" was included in the agenda of the commission of the Inter-Council Presence on the organization of the church mission (later merged with another commission as part of the commission on church education and diakonia) by a decision of the Presidium of the Inter-Council Presence of January 28, 2015.

The Commission on Church Education and Diacony, chaired by His Grace Metropolitan Pavel of Minsk and Zaslavsky, has been working on this topic since the end of 2021 and submitted its developments to the secretariat of the Inter-Council Presence by mid-2021.

Having studied the problems of the issue, the commission came to the conclusion that the tradition of naming a name according to the calendar, which has developed in the Russian Orthodox Church, does not always take into account the diversity of practices and traditions that have developed in other Local Orthodox Churches, including due to the fact that the monthly calendar of the Russian Orthodox Church does not contain the names of all saints glorified by the Local Orthodox Churches.

In addition, it was noted that, according to biblical tradition, naming a newborn baby was the prerogative of the parents. This, in particular, is evidenced by the naming of the name of the prophet John the Baptist by his father, the priest Zechariah (Luke 1:63), as well as by St. Simeon of Thessaloniki in the essay “On the Sacraments and Sacraments of the Church”: “the priest seals him with the sign of the cross on his forehead, lips and chest and with sacred prayer gives him the name chosen by the parents who participate in the baptismal rite.”

The commission also noted that there are no obstacles to accepting a name in the sacrament of Baptism in a national sound other than the usual one (for example: John - John; Joanna - Jeanne), as well as to participating in the sacraments with this name, in cases where a person bore a name with this sound before baptism or when he was baptized with a name with this sound. These other national sounds of names found in Orthodox monthly books should be distinguished from newly invented names, which fundamentally have no connection with the culture of Orthodox peoples.

Based on the developments of the commission on church education and diakonia, the secretariat of the Inter-Council Presence proposed a draft decision of the Holy Synod.

DECIDED:

1. Bearing in mind that the Holy Scripture relates the naming of a newborn baby to the rights of parents, and taking into account, at the same time, the traditions of the Orthodox Church, to draw the attention of the clergy to the possibility of unhindered - at the discretion of the parents - naming infants (and their subsequent baptism) with the names of saints, revered in any of the Local Orthodox Churches.

2. Emphasize the inadmissibility of any restrictions in liturgical commemoration and admission to church sacraments of believers bearing national names traditional for other Local Orthodox Churches (or names in other national sounds).

3. When baptizing or joining the Orthodox Church of an adult person bearing a name that has no analogue in the month books of the Local Orthodox Churches and is not another national sounding name from the Orthodox month book, such a person should be allowed to independently choose a baptismal name from the Orthodox month book, and it is desirable that it was close in sound to the civilian name.

What is the difference between a simple note and a registered one?

Before you write a note for repose in a church, you need to know what they are.

A simple note can be read at the altar, but a piece for the deceased listed in it is not taken out. This is just a memorial, similar to an ordinary one at home.

When the ordered note is read, the priest takes out pieces from the prosphora for each deceased whose name is mentioned.

A customized commemoration costs more than a simple one. In the second case, the approximate donation amount is indicated for a note that lists no more than 10 names. When submitting a registered note, each name is charged separately. For example, one name costs 5 rubles, which means that for 10 names you will have to pay 50 rubles.

When is the best time to submit a note to the church?

Repose notes can be submitted daily to those churches where services are performed. Also, there are special days of remembrance of the dead:

• The third day after death, when the soul ascends to worship the Creator. The first two days after the Dormition, the soul, accompanied by an angel, visits on earth the places to which it was attached during life. And on the third day he ascends to God to worship him.
• Ninth day. After the soul ascends to bow to God, it is given several days to visit the heavenly abodes. After which, on the ninth day, the soul again appears before the face of the Lord, and the church prays for the mercy of the Almighty towards it.
• The fortieth day is the most serious, so to speak. The soul again ascends to God, so that He decides its posthumous fate. In other words, on the fortieth day the soul is sent either to heaven or to hell, depending on how it lived on earth. On this day, prayers for the deceased are especially necessary; you need to ask God for mercy on his soul.
• Death anniversary. On this day, loved ones remember the deceased with special warmth. It is necessary to remember the deceased in the church, and in the note about his repose he is Fr. That is, remembered again is not forgotten.
• Parents' universal Saturdays. The first parent's Saturday of the year occurs before Maslenitsa week. In 2021 it fell on February 22.
• Then follow Lenten Saturdays, on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th weeks of Lent. Accordingly, these are the 14th, 21st and 28th of March in 2021.
• Radonitsa is the day of remembrance of the dead after Easter. A sort of Easter for the deceased, celebrated on the second Tuesday after the holidays. Radonitsa falls on April 28 in 2021.

• On May 9, all deceased soldiers are remembered.
• Trinity Parents' Saturday occurs before Trinity, respectively. In 2021 it falls on June 6th.
• Dmitrievskaya Parents' Saturday - on the first Saturday of November.

Also, special commemoration of the deceased is performed on his birthday and name day. It is advisable to submit a registered note, a memorial service and the person remembering to receive communion on this day.

After the death of a person, frequent commemoration will be very useful for his soul. It is believed that the ideal option would be to order forty monasteries and temples. But not everyone can afford it financially.

If possible, up to 40 days while the deceased is considered newly deceased, it is advisable to submit registered notes on his behalf daily.

How to properly remember the dead

The custom of remembering the dead is already found in the Old Testament Church.

The Apostolic Constitutions mention the commemoration of the dead with particular clarity. In them we find both prayers for the departed during the celebration of the Eucharist, and an indication of the days on which it is especially necessary to remember the departed: the third, ninth, fortieth, annual.

Thus, the commemoration of the departed is an apostolic institution, it is observed throughout the Church, and the liturgy for the departed, the offering of the Bloodless Sacrifice for their salvation, is the most powerful and effective means of asking the departed for the mercy of God.

Church commemoration is performed only for those who were baptized in the Orthodox faith.

Memorial services for suicides, as well as for those who have not been baptized in the Orthodox faith, are not performed . Moreover, these persons cannot be commemorated at the liturgy. The Holy Church offers unceasing prayers for our departed fathers and brothers at every divine service and especially at the liturgy.

But besides this, the Holy Church at certain times creates a special commemoration of all fathers and brothers in faith who have passed away from time immemorial, who have been worthy of Christian death, as well as those who, having been caught by sudden death, were not guided into the afterlife by the prayers of the Church. The memorial services performed at this time are called ecumenical.

On Meat Saturday, before Cheese Week, on the eve of the remembrance of the Last Judgment, we pray to the Lord that He will show His mercy to all the departed on the day when the Last Judgment comes.

On this Saturday, the Orthodox Church prays for all those who have died in the Orthodox faith, whenever and wherever they lived on earth, whoever they were in terms of their social origin and position in earthly life.

Prayers are offered for people “from Adam to this day who have fallen asleep in piety and right faith.”

Three Saturdays of Great Lent - Saturdays of the second, third, fourth weeks of Great Lent - were established because during the presanctified liturgy there is no such commemoration as is performed at any other time of the year. In order not to deprive the dead of the saving intercession of the Church, these parental Saturdays were established. During Great Lent, the Church intercedes for the departed, so that the Lord forgives their sins and resurrects them into eternal life.

On Radonitsa - Tuesday of the second week of Easter - the joy of the Resurrection of the Lord is shared with the departed, in the hope of the resurrection of our departed. The Savior Himself descended into hell to preach victory over death and brought from there the souls of the Old Testament righteous. Because of this great spiritual joy, the day of this commemoration is called “Rainbow”, or “Radonitsa”.

Trinity Parental Saturday - on this day the Holy Church calls us to commemorate the dead, so that the saving grace of the Holy Spirit cleanses the sins of the souls of all our forefathers, fathers and brothers who have departed from time immemorial and, interceding for the gathering of all into the Kingdom of Christ, praying for the redemption of the living, for the return captivity of their souls, asks “to rest the souls of those who departed first in the place of cooling, as if they are not dead, they will praise You, Lord, those who exist below in hell dare to bring you confessions: but we, the living, bless You and pray, and we bring cleansing prayers and sacrifices to You for the souls ours."

Dimitrievskaya Parental Saturday - on this day, commemoration is made of all Orthodox slain soldiers. It was established by the holy noble prince Demetrius Donskoy at the inspiration and blessing of St. Sergius of Radonezh in 1380, when he won a glorious, famous victory over the Tatars on the Kulikovo Field. The commemoration takes place on the Saturday before Demetrius Day (October 26, old style). Subsequently, on this Saturday, Orthodox Christians began to commemorate not only the soldiers who laid down their lives on the battlefield for their faith and fatherland, but along with them, for all Orthodox Christians.

The commemoration of deceased soldiers is performed by the Orthodox Church on April 26 (May 9, new style), as well as on August 29, the day of the Beheading of John the Baptist .

It is imperative to remember the deceased on the day of his death, birth and name day.

Days of remembrance must be spent decorously, reverently, in prayer, doing good to the poor and loved ones, in thinking about our death and future life.

The rules for submitting notes “On repose” are the same as notes “On health”.

“On the litanies, the newly deceased or significant builders of the monastery are commemorated more, and then no more than one or two names. But proskomedia is the most important commemoration, for the parts taken out for the departed are immersed in the blood of Christ and sins are cleansed by this great sacrifice; and when there is a memory of one of your relatives, you can submit a note and remember it at the litany,” wrote the Monk Macarius of Optina in one of his letters.

For whom notes cannot be submitted

The funeral notes do not write:

• Unbaptized people. For the church to remember a person, he must be part of it. The Church is one big body, and every person is its member; the unbaptized is not one. This also includes unbaptized infants.
• Suicide To deprive yourself of the most important gift of God - life - is a terrible sin. Suicides are not buried in church, they are not buried in a common cemetery, and, moreover, they are not remembered at the Liturgy. The exception is for suicides with a psychiatric diagnosis. And then, they are remembered and buried only with the permission of the metropolitans.
• Representatives of other religious denominations. These can be remembered in home prayer, but writing their names in notes is prohibited.

It is allowed to submit notes only for the repose of baptized, Orthodox people.

Who should and can be remembered in notes

In notes submitted for commemoration, the names of only those who have been baptized in the Orthodox Church are written.

The first note we submit is “On Health” .

The concept of “health” includes not only the health and physical condition of a person, but also his spiritual condition. And if we pray for the health of a person who has done a lot of evil, this does not mean that we are praying that he will continue to be in the same state - no, we pray to God that He will change his intentions and internal disorder, made sure that our ill-wisher or even enemy began to be in harmony with God, with the Church, with others.

This note should include all Christians to whom we wish health, salvation and prosperity.

The Word of God teaches that everyone needs to pray not only for themselves, but also for others: “pray for one another” (James 5:16). The Church is built on this common prayer for each other.

In Imperial Russia, all prayer services began with the name of the Sovereign Emperor, on whose “health” the fate of not only Russia, but also every family, every Orthodox Christian depended. Now we must write first the name of our Patriarch, and after him the diocesan bishop (metropolitan, bishop), who cares and offers prayers and sacrifices to the Lord for the flock entrusted to him. Many Christians do this, as the Holy Scripture teaches: “First of all, I ask you to make prayers, petitions, supplications, thanksgivings for all people, for kings and for all those in authority, so that we may lead a quiet and serene life in all piety and purity, for this is good and It pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:1-4).

Then the name of your spiritual father is written, the priest who instructs you, takes care of the salvation of your soul, prays to the Lord for you: “Remember your teachers” (Heb. 13:7).

Then write the names of your parents, your name, the names of your family members, loved ones and relatives. Everyone should pray for the health and well-being of their family: “If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an infidel” (1 Tim. 5:8).

For your family and relatives, write down the names of your benefactors. If they have done good to you, then you should also wish and pray for good and blessings from the Lord for them, so as not to remain in debt to them: “give everyone their due... Do not remain in debt to anyone except mutual love; For he who loves another has fulfilled the law” (Rom. 13:7-8).

Finally, if you have an ill-wisher, an offender, an envious person or even an enemy, write down his name for prayerful remembrance, according to the commandment of the Lord: “love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you” (Matt. 5:44).

Prayer for enemies, for those at war, is a great force for ending hostility and establishing peace. The Savior himself prayed for his enemies. There are many known cases when one of the warring parties wrote the name of his ill-wisher in the health note next to his name - and the hostility stopped, the former enemy became a well-wisher.

The second note we submit is “On Repose . In it we write the names of deceased relatives, acquaintances, teachers, well-wishers, everyone who is dear to us.

Just as we pray for the living, so we must pray for the dead - and not only for our closest relatives, but also for our entire family, for everyone who did us good in earthly life, helped us, taught us.

The dead, although they have departed from us, although they remain flesh in the earth, but in soul with the Lord, have not disappeared, they continue to live a spiritual life invisible to us before the eyes of God, since the Lord Himself says in the Holy Gospel: “God is not the God of the dead.” but living, for with Him all are alive” (Luke 20:38).

We believe that our deceased relatives, and we often do not know the names of many of them, pray for us, their descendants.

We who live on earth, together with those who have departed from us, constitute one Church, one body, having One Head - the Lord Jesus Christ. “If we live, we live for the Lord; Whether we die, we die for the Lord: and therefore, whether we live or die, we are always the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died, and rose again, and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living” (Rom. 14:8-9).

Our unity and communication with the dead is especially felt during fervent prayer for them. It produces an extremely deep effect and impression on the soul of the person praying, proving the real communication of the soul of the person praying with the souls of those for whom the prayer is offered.

How to write a funeral note correctly

Now almost every temple has pieces of paper on which a note is written. In addition, the leaflets are printed on a computer, with an inscription about what kind of note it is and numbering (the maximum allowable number of people that can be written).

However, you need to know how to properly format a note. An example of how names are written in a funeral note:

1. Names must be written in the genitive case: Alexandra, Maria, Victoria, etc.
2. If 40 days have not passed since the death, the word “newly deceased” is written before the name, that is, someone who died recently. For example, the newly deceased Victor.
3. Before the name of the deceased, commemorated on his birthday, name day or death anniversary, the word “ever remembered” is written. For example, the ever-remembered Margarita.
4. When submitting a note for the repose of a child, if he died before the age of 7, “baby” is written before the name. Children aged 7 to 14 years are called adolescents. For example, the baby Daria, the young woman Alexandra.
5. If a warrior is being remembered, then “warrior” should be written that way. Warrior John, for example.
6. A murdered person is remembered as “killed.” Murdered Igor, for example.
7. When commemorating a clergyman, it is necessary to indicate his rank: Priest Dmitry, Abbot Galaktion, Deacon Anastasius, Metropolitan Nikodim, Archimandrite Tryphon.
8. Monastics are commemorated depending on what degree the deceased had during their lifetime. Were they ordinary monks or schema monks? If a person has not yet been tonsured, but wears novice robes, he is called a novice. Anyone who has taken monastic vows is remembered as a monk or nun, depending on his gender.

Printing notes at home is allowed, but it is better to write them by hand.

How often should memorial notes be submitted?

The prayer of the Church and the Most Holy Sacrifice attract the grace of the Lord to us, cleansing and saving us.

We always, both during life and after death, need God's mercy towards us.

Therefore, it is necessary to be worthy of the prayers of the Church and the offering of the sacrifice of the Holy Gifts for us or our loved ones, living and deceased, as often as possible, and necessarily on those days that have special meaning: on birthdays, baptism days, name days of both one’s own and members of your family.

Honoring the memory of the saint whose name we bear, we thereby call on our patron to pray and intercede before God, because, as the Holy Scripture says, the intense prayer of the righteous can accomplish much (James 5:16).

It is imperative to submit a note of remembrance on your child’s birthdays and baptisms.

Mothers must carefully monitor this, because caring for the child is their sacred duty.

Whether sin attracts us to itself, whether some passion takes possession of us, whether the devil tempts us, whether despair or inconsolable sorrow befalls us, whether trouble, need, illness have visited us - in such cases, the prayer of the Church with the offering of the Bloodless Sacrifice serves as the surest means of deliverance, strengthening and consolation.