Rare Liturgical Texts
Service Thaddeus Tverskoy
Memory – December 18(31)
At Great Vespers
I cried out the verses to the Lord, voice 2:
Having become the most sacred vessel of the Divine Spirit, the hierarch became more venerable, having cleansed the soul from passions, persecuted on the road, imprisoned in prison, you were offered as a pure sacrifice to Christ.
Firm servant of the Church of Christ, lover of monastic life, image of meekness and gentleness, Hieromartyr Thaddeus, standing today before the Throne of the Almighty, remember your flock, so that through your intercession we may all receive great mercy.
Our Hieromartyr Father Thaddeus, you have adorned the Church of Christ with your suffering, as a good warrior Jesus Christ, for this reason we pray to you: do not forsake us with your prayers.
Glory, voice:
We adorn the crown of glory and stand before the Throne of God, we fill the Divine light, most glorious Hieromartyr Thaddeus, pray for the salvation of those who honor you.
And now, voice 6:
Most Holy Virgin, Queen of heaven and earth, Mother of Christ our God, with the prayers of the great Saint Thaddeus, cover us with the cloak of Thy mercy.
Stichera on litia, tone 8:
Celebrating your all-honorable memory, having come together today to this holy temple, we glorify your life and martyrdom, most wonderfully to Saint Thaddeus.
You are our refuge and the cover of salvation, you are the intercessor for all of us, and we honor you together with your friend Patriarch Tikhon; pray for our souls to be saved.
Glory: Glorifying is your suffering today, O Saint Thaddeus of Christ, we pray to you: pray to the Lord that he may strengthen our faith.
And now: Our Most Blessed Queen, we resort to You and pray: with the prayers of the lamp of the Church of Christ, enlighten our souls.
Stichera on the verse, tone 6:
Hieromartyr Thaddeus, praise to the Church of Saints, pray to Christ God for your flock, may the Lord save our souls.
Verse: Honorable before the Lord is the death of His saints. Lamp of the Church of Christ, Our Father Thaddeus, now enjoying the light of Divine glory, pray for us all.
Verse: Blessed is the man who fears the Lord; he will greatly delight in His commandments.
Glory even now, Theotokos:
Mistress of the world, Hope and Intercession of the faithful, accept the prayers of Your servants who honor the blessed memory of Thaddeus the Hieromartyr.
Troparion, tone 1:
Praise be to God and your living sacrifice, O Hieromartyr Thaddeus, has appeared. Through fasting, vigil and prayer, I received heavenly gifts and became a good helper and comforter to many. Decorated with pastoral wisdom and quiet disposition, you have overcome the wickedness of Christ’s enemies. Glory to Him who gave you strength in your suffering, glory to Him who crowned you as a martyr, glory to Him who heals you through you.
At Matins
On God the Lord, troparion twice. Glory even now, Theotokos:
According to the first verse of the sedalians:
Fiery preacher of the truths of Christ, holy martyr Thaddeus of ever-memorability, who showed unshakable will and greatness of spirit in your suffering, pray for us all.
Glory even now, Theotokos:
According to Your word, everyone bless You, Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos, for this reason we tenderly cry: Rejoice, purification of the whole world.
According to the second verse of the sedalians:
Defender of Orthodoxy and true pillar of the Church of Christ, our Father Thaddeus, preserve the flock that you have preserved.
Glory even now, Theotokos:
Exalt Your grace, O Pure One, so that we who honor You may be saved.
According to the polyeleos sedalene, tone 6:
Today we praise the lamp of the new Tver land, the true saint of God, the man of strength and reason, praying to enlighten our souls.
Glory even now, Theotokos:
Holy Most Blessed Virgin Mother of God, show Your intercession before the Lord, Thy Son, to grant us forgiveness of sins.
According to Psalm 50, stichera, tone 6:
Let us today worthily praise the Archpastor-prayer-man, a follower of the great work of the apostles, the venerable martyr Thaddeus, touchingly asking through his prayers to have mercy on our souls.
Canon voice 1
Song 1
Israel has been delivered from the bitter work, it has passed through the impassable land like dry land: the enemy is drowned in vain, a song is sung to the Benefactor of God, who works miracles with a high arm, as if he was glorified. We honor you, the great Hieromartyr Thaddeus, for through your prayers we will complete our course for good in the Lord.
Your life was wonderful, O Hieromartyr Thaddeus, for you had angels as assistants in all your affairs.
Glory: You walked the path of the cross, when the Russian Church endured persecution; For this reason the Lord love you.
Theotokos: You, the Most Pure Mother of God, the honorable saint Thaddeus loved to eat from childhood, and became his Helper throughout the entire course of his earthly ministry.
Song 3
Let mortals boast not in wisdom and wealth, but in the faith of the Lord, Orthodoxy crying out to Christ God, and singing ever: on the rocks of Your commandments, establish me, O Master.
Hieromartyr Thaddeus, Saint of Christ, rejoice, for you are our inexpressible joy and an all-bright adornment to the Russian Church.
The people of the lands of Volyn and Tver now venerate you, the wonderful saint, and rejoice greatly in having you as a great intercessor at the Throne of the Triune God.
Glory: To the coming Feast of the Incarnation of God the Word, you have ended your life as a martyr and rejoice with the Heavenly Powers, singing glory to God in the highest and peace on earth.
Theotokos: O joyful one, accept the prayer of Thy unworthy servants and have mercy on Thy flock, which Thou hast gained, O Most Immaculate One.
Sedalen:
Give us the words, O God, and the strength to confess Thee, through the prayers of the holy martyr Thaddeus, the most glorious.
Glory even now, Theotokos:
Look down, Most Pure One, to save us, and let us gratefully glorify Thee, the all-powerful Intercessor of the Christian race.
Song 4
Habakkuk, O Christ, heard of old Your wondrous hearing, and cried out in fear: God will come from the south, and the Holy One from the mountain-shaded thicket, to save the anointed, glory to Your power, Lord.
Behold, now standing in the temple of the Lord, we flow to the race of your relics, Father Thaddeus, and we pray to you to give tenderness to our hearts.
Seeing the malice of your godless tormentors, you stood up to them with humility, praying that Christ God would not reward them for their deeds.
Glory: Because, fulfilling the will of Christ, you rejected the advice of the godless to the end and gave yourself up, holy martyr, to be drowned in defilements. Theotokos: Divine praise to the Hieromartyr Thaddeus, Most Holy Theotokos Virgin, worthy of indescribable joy for us who sing to Thee.
Song 5
Thy unstoppable light shine, O Christ, into the hearts of those who faithfully sing Thee, give us peace more than the mind, so from the night of ignorance to the day with Thy flowing light, we glorify Thee, O Lover of Mankind.
In word and deed, manifest the image of the worthy Archpastor, our Father Thaddeus, help us to be faithful to the title of Christian.
By your life you have shown the true path to Christ, Holy Hierarch Father Thaddeus, and strengthen us with prayers before the Lord, so that He may place our feet firmly in the confession of faith.
Glory: When you were brought before the judgment of the wicked, you rejected slander with meekness and bore witness without fear to the truth of your confession.
Theotokos: Ill in body and soul, vouchsafe visits from the Mother of God, O One Mother of God, as the Mother of Good.
Song 6
Cleanse me, O Savior, for my iniquities are many, and bring me up from the depths of evil, I pray: for I have cried out to You, and hear me, O God of my salvation. Your brethren, O Hieromartyr Thaddeus, marvel at your life, but your humility increases, conquering the pride of this world.
Do not forget us, the poor, to the end, the Church of Tver, the saint and adornment, but pray to Christ our God to grant us patience to defeat the adversary.
Glory: To the wonderful Saint, you did not reject the Lord, but followed His footsteps, for this reason the Lord made you an heir of blessed repose.
Theotokos: Thee, the Joy and Glory of the Hieromartyr Thaddeus, the Mother of God, we pray faithfully: grant us eternal joy, singing thee ever.
Kontakion. The Chief Shepherd gave the spirit of fearlessness and love to you, Saint Thaddeus, in your suffering, giving thanks to God, comforting the suffering.
Ikos.
You have shone like the dawn of the sun, holy martyr Thaddeus, luminous, so we worthily glorify your memory and ask: pray to Christ the God of sins to grant us forgiveness and salvation in peace.
Song 7
Having passed through like a palace of a cave an unbearable flame, like sometimes for piety, the holy youths appeared in reality, and in agreement they sang the song of the fathers: God of the fathers, blessed art thou. Rejoice in the bright triumph, O city of Tver, having a patron and intercessor before God. We, your servants, cry out to you: O servant of Christ, Father Thaddeus, do not remain silent about us, praying warmly to the Lord.
You were also beautiful in the land of Astrakhan, where you appeared as a preacher of the true faith. In the same wonder, we zealously cry out: Rejoice, true praise of the city of Astrakhan.
Glory: The lamp of the Church of Christ, placed on the candlestick of faith, let us all come together to sing.
Theotokos: The Representative of the living and the dead, the passions of our hearts of the dead, the All-Immaculate.
Song 8
The miracle of the supernatural display of the image, the fire-bearing cave of old: for the fire did not burn the young children, Christ's display of the Divine Nativity from the Virgin, thus we sing hymnically: may all creation bless the Lord and exalt it to all ages.
O your ineffable goodness, God! Through the prayers of Saint Thaddeus, who pleased You, hear the voice and sighing of those who faithfully honor his memory.
Holy Hieromartyr Thaddeus, now enjoying the food of heaven, chanting to the Lord: O God of our fathers, blessed art thou.
Glory: Having received the power to knit and decide, resolve our many evils, so that we may sing to the Lord: Blessed be our Father God.
Theotokos: No one perishes, O Pure Mother of God, who has Orthodox faith and hope in You.
Song 9
The unspeakable Mystery of the Virgin: this heaven and the throne of the Cherubim and the luminous one appear, Christ God the Almighty, We honor this piously as the Mother of God.
You set your sights on the flock and the Church that you were shepherding, Hieromartyr Thaddeus, but through your intercession you put them to shame before God to the end.
Your children, having gathered on the day of your martyrdom and the upcoming race of your relics, magnify you with many praises.
Glory: Bishops and priestesses, monastics and clergy, brightly celebrate the venerable memory of the new martyr to the Russian Church, praising him in spiritual songs and songs.
Theotokos: Peace the world, O Christ, with the prayers of the Pure Mother of God, even Thy Hieromartyr Thaddeus, I call upon you.
Luminous. The herald of the fiery one, the catholic and apostolic Church possessed and the bright lamp of Thaddeus, we come together joyfully to praise the heritage.
Glory even now, Theotokos: Look upon us, O All-Sung Virgin Mary, accepting the unworthy prayer of Thy servant.
Stichera on praise, tone 2:
Today there is great joy in heaven and in the Church of God on earth, and we all who have come together glorify the wondrous Saint Thaddeus, whose body rests in this holy temple.
Filled with Divine zeal, O holy martyr Thaddeus, most worthy of praise, in the difficult times of our Fatherland you appeared as the adamant of the faith of Christ.
Glorifying the true lamp of the apostolic covenants, the holy martyr Thaddeus, let us cry out to the faithful: pray to Christ God to grant the Church unanimity, peace and great mercy.
Glory even now, Theotokos:
Bright prophetic event, apostolic praise, Thou art All-Pure, enlighten us, Thy servants.
Prayer
O most wonderful servant of Christ, true treasure and beauty of the Russian Church, our Hieromartyr Father Thaddeus, from your youth you showed grace-filled gifts: meekness, gentleness and humility, and you acquired a fiery monastic spirit, contemplation and contemplation of God. Through your archpastoral service you consecrated the lands of Tver, Volyn, and Astrakhan. Having endured persecution, imprisonment, and suffering, you consoled your brethren, saying: “Do not be discouraged, for Christ is with us.” She, Holy One of God, friend like the saints of our father Patriarch Tikhon, do not leave us, the poor, in your prayers before the Throne of the Triune God. Amen.
Contemporary assessments
Sschmch. Thaddeus, Archbishop of Tver
St. Tikhon (Belavin), patriarch: “Do you know that Vladyka is a holy man? He is an extraordinary, rare person. Such lamps of the Church are an extraordinary phenomenon. But it must be taken care of, because such extreme asceticism, complete disregard for everything in life affects one’s health. Of course, the bishop chose a holy, but difficult path; few are given such strength of spirit.”
Priest Xenophon Tsendrovsky, the main ideologist and leader of renovationism in Astrakhan, bringing public repentance for the sin of schism, said the following:
“For a long time I have been stuck in the sin of renovationism. My conscience was calm, because it seemed to me that I was doing some necessary and right thing. But then I saw Vladyka Thaddeus; I looked at him and felt some kind of revolution taking place in my soul. I could not bear the pure, heartfelt look that convicted me of sin and warmed me with all-forgiving love, and I hurried to leave. Now I was clearly aware that I had seen a man whom I could worship not only in my soul, but also here, before your eyes.”
Troparion, tone 1
Praise be to God and your living sacrifice, O Hieromartyr Thaddeus, has appeared. Through fasting, vigil and prayer, we receive heavenly gifts and become a good helper and comforter to many. Decorated with pastoral wisdom and quiet disposition, you have overcome the wickedness of Christ’s enemies. Glory to Him who gave you strength in your suffering, glory to Him who crowned you like a martyr, glory to Him who heals you all.
