 Vespers is the evening prayer service in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox liturgies of the canonical hours. The word comes from Latin vesper, meaning "evening." The term is also used in some Protestant denominations to describe evening services. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The general structure of the Roman Catholic service of vespers is as follows: ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ - Vespers opens with the singing or chanting of the words Deus in adiutorium meum intende; Domine ad adiuvandum me festina. (O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me.)
- Anywhere from two (since 1970) to five (before 1970) psalms are then sung, with the psalms concluding in a doxology(Gloria Patri) and answered by an antiphon.
- After the psalms, there is a reading from the Bible.
- A hymn is then sung;
- Following the reading, the participants sing the Magnificat, the canticle of the Blessed Virgin Mary from the Gospel of Luke I:46-55.
- Then on somber days the preces (prayers) are said, which concludes with a closing prayer. (oratio)
The general structure of the Eastern Orthodox service of vespers is as follows (psalm numbers are according to Greek usage): ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ - Vespers opens with the Trisagion and then the Proemial Psalm 103 (Bless the Lord, O my soul; O Lord my God, Thou hast been magnified exceedingly).
- Litany
- A collection of psalms, called a kathisma is read. On Saturday evening, the first kathismata is read (Psalms 1-8).
- Psalm 140 (Lord I have cried unto Thee), 141, 129, and 116 are chanted in the tone of the week. Starting with the last two verses of Psalm 141, verses about the feast day (or Christ's resurrection on a Saturday evening) are chanted alternately with the verses.
- The hymn "O Joyous Light" is sung.
- The Prokeimena are chanted.
- On occasional feast days, there are one or more readings from the Old Testament.
- The prayer "Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us this evening without sin" is read.
- Litany of Fervent Supplication
- The Aposticha are chanted. These are verses that teach about the feast day (or on a Saturday evening, Christ's resurrection).
- The Nunc dimittis, the canticle of St Simeon ("Now lettest thou Thy servant depart in peace") is read. (from the Gospel of Luke II:29-).
- The Apolytikia (Troparia) are chanted, which commemorate the feast of the following day.
- The closing prayers are read.
The psalms and hymns of the Vespers service have attracted the interest of many composers, including Claudio Monteverdi, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Anton Bruckner, and Sergei Rachmaninoff. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Roman Catholic: REDIRECT Catholic Church... Eastern Orthodox: REDIRECT Orthodox Church... Liturgies: redirect liturgy...
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