The Divine Liturgy is served every Saturday morning at 9:00 (except for the third Saturday of the month) and every Sunday morning at 10:00. The Liturgy is always served on the twelve Great Feasts.
The All-night Vigil is served every Saturday evening at 17:00
Usually we serve vespers on fridays at 18:00
The Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is served every wednesday during Great Lent.
Outside Lent a Moleben (Paraklesis) is usually served on wednesdays at 17:00 in front of the Copenhagen Icon of the Holy Theotokos.
Languages:
We have regular services in three languages: Church Slavonic, Danish and Greek.
Usually the Sunday services are conducted in Church Slavonic and the Saturday services in Danish.
The first Saturday of the month is reserved for the Divine Liturgy in Greek.
If You are English speaking, and would like to make an appointment concerning private services such as Holy Baptism, Holy Matrimony, Funerals etc, this can be done in English. You are welcome to contact the parish rector.
Church Etiquette or Some Things You Should Know While in Church
In the Orthodox Church, there are a lot of customs and traditions that are important parts of our worship. Some are cultural; some are pious customs. Some are essential; some are not. From time-to-time, we need to address some of these various etiquette issues to inform our communities how we can best understand each other and work together to worship the all-holy Trinity.
Standing vs. Sitting
The traditional posture for prayer and worship in the Orthodox Church has always been to stand. In the Orthodox âold countriesâ, there are usually no pews in the churches. Chairs or benches on the side walls are usually reserved for the elderly and infirm. Still, we need to figure out when we may sit and when we should stand. First of all, it is fully acceptable (even preferable) to stand for the entire service. If you prefer this, it would be better to find a place closer to the back or side of the church so as not to stand out or block someoneâs view. When should you definitely stand? Always during the Gospel reading, the Little and Great Entrances, the Anaphora, the distribution of Holy Communion, whenever the priest gives a blessing, and the Dismissal. The ROCOR prayer books usually have suggested times when sitting is acceptable. Follow those instructions (itâs probably safer than to follow what the people are doing around you). When in doubt, stand. It is never wrong to stand in church.
Lighting Candles
Lighting candles is an important part of Orthodox worship. We light them as we pray, making an offering to accompany our prayers. Orthodox typically light candles when coming into the church – and that is usually the best time to light them, but there are times when candles should not be lit. It is not proper to light candles during the Epistle or Gospel readings, during the Little or Great Entrances, the sermon, and most of the times when the faithful are standing. If you find yourself arriving to church after the Liturgy has begun, a good rule of thumb to remember is – if everyone is standing, wait until they are sitting to light a candle (unless they are sitting for the sermon, of course). Other than that it is probably all right to light a candle.
Entering the Church (Late)
The time to arrive at church is before the service starts, but for some unknown reason, it has become the custom – or rather the bad habit – for some to come to church late. If you arrive after the Divine Liturgy begins, try to enter the church quietly – and observe what is happening. If the Epistle or Gospel is being read or the Little or Great Entrance is taking place, wait until it is finished to quickly find a seat. If Father is giving the sermon, stay in the back until he has concluded. If in doubt, check with one of the ushers to see if it is a good time to seat yourself. Try not to interrupt the Liturgy with you entrance. By the way, the best way to avoid this problem is to arrive on time – then you donât have to wonder if itâs okay to come in or not. People who come late to the Liturgy should not partake of the Eucharist!
Crossing Those Legs?
In some Orthodox cultures, crossing oneâs legs is taboo and considered to be very disrespectful. In our European and North American culture, while there are no real taboos concerning crossing oneâs legs, we tend to cross our legs to get comfortable while sitting. Should we cross our legs in church? No. Not because it is âwrongâ to ever cross legs, but rather because it is too casual – and too relaxed – for being in church. Just think about it, when you get settled in your favorite chair at home, you lean back, cross your legs, and then your mind can wander anywhere it wants to. Remember that sitting in church is a concession, not the normative way of prayer. You surely donât want to get too relaxed and let your mind wander off too much. In fact, when you do sit in church, you should sit attentively – and not too comfortably. When sitting in church, keep those feet on the floor, ready to stand at attention (which is what âLet us attendâ means). Cross yourself with your fingers and hand – but donât cross your legs!
In and Out
In and out? Itâs a hamburger place in LA, but shouldnât be the traffic pattern by the back door during services. On some Sundays, it almost seems like we have a revolving door in the back of the church – and it is used by both children and adults. Use the restroom before coming to church. You shouldnât need to get a drink of water during the service (especially if you are taking Communion!). Donât come to church to go to the fellowship hall – come to pray.
Leaving Before Dismissal
Leaving church before the Dismissal – besides being rude – deprives us of a blessing. Worship has a beginning (âBlessed is the KingdomâŠâ) and an end (âLet us depart in peaceâŠâ). To leave immediately after Communion is to treat church like a fast food restaurant where we come and go as we please. We live in a fast-paced world where we seem to be hurrying from place to place. But in Godâs presence, we need to make every attempt to fight this pressure to move on to the next thing on the dayâs agenda. We deprive ourselves of blessings by not being still and participating in Godâs holiness. Eat and run at McDonaldâs – but stay in church and thank God for his precious gifts.
Blot that Lipstick!
Have you ever looked at an icon in just the right light and seen the lip prints all over it? Itâs disgusting, isnât it? In fact, itâs downright gross. Lipstick may look fine on lips, but it looks horrible on icons, crosses, the Communion spoon and the priestâs or bishopâs hand. Icons have been ruined by lipstick; and even though the cross can usually be cleaned after everyone venerates it, it just isnât considerate to others to impose your lipstick on them. What is the answer? If you insist on wearing lipstick to church, blot your lips well before venerating an icon, taking Communion, or kissing the cross or the priestâs or bishopâs hand. Even better, wait until after church to put it on. After all, God is not impressed with how attractive you look externally – your makeup or clothing – but how attractive you are internally, your adornment with good works and piety.
Venerating Icons
When you enter the church, it is traditional to venerate the icons. Usually there are icons at the entrance to the church and many churches have icon stands in the front as well. When venerating (kissing) and icon, pay attention to where you kiss. It is not proper to kiss an icon in the face. You wouldnât go up and kiss the Lord or His mother on the lips, would you? You would kiss their hand, and only of they invited you would you even dare to kiss them on the cheek. Pay attention to what you are doing. When you approach and icon to venerate it, kiss the gospel, scroll, or hand cross in the hand of the person in the icon, or kiss the hand or foot of the person depicted. As you venerate and icon, show proper respect to the person depicted in the icon – the same respect you would show the person by venerating him or her in an appropriate place. And remember, blot off your lipstick before kissing.
Talking During Church
Isnât it great to come to church and see friends and family members? But wait until coffee hour to say âHiâ to them. It just isnât appropriate to greet people and have a conversation with them during the services. Besides being disrespectful towards God, it is rude towards the other people in the church who are trying to worship. Talk to God while in church through your prayers, hymns, and thanksgiving, and to your friends in the hall afterwards.
Kiss (Donât Shake) the Priestâs or Bishopâs Hand
Did you know that the proper way to greet a priest or bishop is to ask his blessing and kiss his right hand? How do you do this? Approach the priest or bishop with your right hand over your left hand and say âFather (or âMasterâ in the case of the bishop), bless.â This is much more appropriate (and traditional) than shaking their hands. After all, the priest and bishop are not just âone of the boys.â When you kiss their hands, you show respect for their office – they are the ones who âbless and sanctifyâ you and who offer the holy gifts on your behalf. So next time you greet your priest or bishop, donât shake his hand, ask for his blessing.
Sunday Dress
Remember the time when people put on their âSunday bestâ to go to church? In fact, dress clothes were often referred to as Sunday clothes. In some parts of the country, this is not common today. In fact, all too often, dress in church has become too casual. In all areas of our lives, we should offer Christ our best. And the same is true of our dress. We should offer Christ our âSunday bestâ, not our everyday or common wear. And we should dress modestly, not in a flashy way that would bring attention to ourselves. Our dress should always be becoming of a Christian – especially at church.
If youâre going somewhere after church where you need to dress casually, bring a change of clothing with you and change after coffee hour. Remember, use your best judgment and good taste when dressing for church. After all, you donât go to be seen by everyone else – you go to meet and worship God.
To Cross or Not To Cross
Anyone who has looked around on a Sunday morning will notice that different people cross themselves at different times (and sometimes in different ways). To a certain extent, when to cross oneself is according to personal piety and not an issue of dogma. But there are times when it is specifically proper to cross yourself, and times when you should not. Here is a brief list of when to cross and when not to cross:
To Cross
When you hear one of the variations of the phrase, âFather, Son, and Holy Spiritâ; at the beginning and end of the liturgical service or your private prayers; entering or exiting the church, or when passing in front of the Holy Altar; before venerating in icon, the cross, or Gospel book.
Not to Cross
At the chalice before or after taking Communion (you might hit the chalice with your hand); when the priest or bishop blesses saying, âPeace be to allâ – bow slightly and receive the blessing; when receiving a blessing from a bishop or a priest (kissing the right hand of the bishop or priest is appropriate, but not making the sign of the cross).
Snacks for Children
You can always tell where young children have been sitting in the church. The tell-tale signs are graham cracker crumbs, Cheerios, and animal crackers. Parents often bring snacks and a cup of fruit juice along for children during church. And for young children (0-2 years old), this is fine. But by the time children are 3-4 years old, they should be able to make it through Liturgy without eating anything, and by the time they reach seven (the age of their first confession), they should begin fasting on Sunday morning for Communion (or at least make an attempt at fasting by cutting back on the amount of breakfast and eating âfastingâ-type foods – talk to your priest about this). For those children who get snacks, please donât feed them while in the line for Holy Communion (this applies to holy bread as well). They need to come to Communion without food in their mouths. And one last note: try to keep the snack mess down to a minimum. The floor shouldnât be covered with Cheerios! Chewing gum during Liturgy is a No-No for everyone!
Handling the Holy Bread – Antidoron
After taking Holy Communion and at the end of the liturgy, it is traditional to eat a piece of holy bread or antidoron – the bread that was left over after Holy Communion was prepared. While antidoron is not Holy Communion, it is blessed bread and as such, should be eaten carefully so that crumbs donât fall all over the place. After taking Communion or kissing the cross at the end of the Divine Liturgy, take one piece of antidoron (you donât need four or five pieces) and when you return to your seat or get to a place where you can stop for a moment, eat the bread trying not to drop crumbs. If you want to give a piece to someone else, go ahead and take an extra piece – donât break yours in half (it produces too many crumbs). And monitor your children as they take the antidoron and teach them to eat it respectfully.