The Paraklesis to the Mother of God is the most beloved service of supplication addressed to the Theotokos — «paraklesis» means «a prayer of entreaty, a call for help». It is read during fasting periods, in great troubles, for the sick and for the home — and every evening during the Dormition Fast (August 1–14).
The basic order (how to perform it at home)
- The usual beginning: «Blessed is our God...», then «O Heavenly King»;
- God is the Lord (three times), with the verses;
- The Hymn to the Mother of God (the katavasia), O Theotokos;
- Psalm 50 (see the complete text);
- The hymns of the Paraklesis — four odes, each with the hymn «I have sought God...»; between the hymns, one Hail Mary;
- Kontakia and ikoi — «O Champion Lady, from troubles...»;
- Prayers for the living and the dead (the Litia;
- The ending: «Beneath Your mercy...», «Hope of Christians...», a «Holy God», then falling down in prayer.
The prayer at the end of the Paraklesis
O Most Holy Lady, Mother of God,
before our end, take us beneath your holy shield
and do not abandon us, who put our hope in you.
In the abundance of your mercy, attend to us sinners,
and deliver us from every distress and every sin. Amen.
When the Paraklesis is performed
- During the Dormition Fast (August 1–14) — every evening;
- In great troubles: illness, lawsuits, departures and families in crisis;
- For the sick — it is read «over» the sick person, with a lit candle;
- Before childbirth and afterwards — for mother and baby;
- At any difficult turning point, alone or as a family.
Why it is so loved
Because the Mother of God is a «swift helper» — the title under which most prayers are addressed to her. The Paraklesis has a warm, maternal tone close to human pain: «O Champion Lady, deliver us from troubles». Many Romanian monasteries make it a daily practice (Nicula, Putna, Sihăstria), and parishioners read it alone at home, with the book open beside the icon.
Frequently asked questions
Can one person read it alone? Yes — the Paraklesis also has a «layperson's» form that can be read alone at home, with the usual simplifications (instead of a priest, «Lord, have mercy» is said 40 times).
The Great or the Small Paraklesis — which one? There are two Paraklesis services in the books: the Great (longer) and the Small (the usual one). Both are correct; the Small is used more often in parishes.
Read also
The psalms in the Paraklesis
The Paraklesis contains Psalm 50 (repentance) and psalms of the bride — Psalm 44. The complete text: The Psalter — the complete list.
