Dear and faithful Orthodox Christians, 
In today’s Gospel we heard the preaching of the Prophet, and Forerunner, Saint John the Baptist saying, ‘There comes One mightier than I…He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.’ Saint John prepares the way for the coming of Our Saviour. The Great Feast of Theophany celebrates the appearance of God at the Jordan River, the establishment of Holy Baptism as the entry into the Church, and the worship of the Holy Trinity which was made manifest on this day.
We prepare for Theophany, by keeping a strict Fast on Monday, and participating in the Services on Monday and Tuesday to celebrate the Great Feast. Please join the Services that we will both live stream from the Cathedral, as well as through Facetime for Father Sergey’s Services.
The Service of the Great Blessing of the Waters will take place following the Liturgy on both Monday and Tuesday morning. Do you have some holy water at home? If you do have some from a previous service, I would encourage those praying with us at home to also sprinkle the holy water and chant with us the Hymn of the Feast, “When Thou wast baptized in the Jordan, O Lord”. You can listen to the Dismissal Hymn and Kontakion of Theophany chanted by the Choir of Saint Nicholas through the links below. You will also find the text below, or find it in your Prayer Book.
Many blessed years for the Feast of Theophany!
Father Anthony
Dismissal Hymn. First Tone
Listen Here
When Thou wast baptized in the Jordan, O Lord, the worship of the Trinity was made manifest; for the voice of the Father bare witness to Thee, calling
Thee His beloved Son. And the Spirit in the form of a dove confirmed the certainty of the word. O Christ our God, Who hast appeared and hast enlightened the world, glory be to Thee.
Kontakion. Fourth Tone. The Original Melody
Listen Here
On this day Thou hast appeared * unto the whole world, * and Thy light, O Sovereign Lord, * is signed on us who sing Thy praise * and chant with
knowledge: Thou hast now come, * Thou hast appeared, O Thou Light unapproachable.
Translation copyright 2021 Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Brookline, MA, USA