Order church service online

There is an Orthodox tradition when complete strangers pray for their brother in faith. During the church service, the priest says the person’s name, and everyone who’s present says the prayer.

For such collective prayer, one just needs to send a commemoration list with the name of his loved one to the church. It can be a prayer for the living or the departed. The name can be mentioned only once or be repeated during 40 services in a row. In Orthodoxy, the latest is called Sorokoust. Commemoration of the departed is called a Memorial service. Unlike the Requiem mass, it can be held several times.

Traditionally, Christians write the names of their loved ones on a piece of paper right in the church. But today, thanks to the Internet, it’s possible to order church service online. This opportunity allows everyone to ask for the help of a church, even if a person cannot be there himself.

A list submitted online doesn’t differ from a paper one. After all, it’s not the form that is important to Our Lord, but the content and a sincere desire to pray for our loved ones. Just as a paper list is made in a certain church, so it’s sent to the chosen church via the Internet. Whether it’s a large monastery or a small church in a village, all services are conducted according to the same rules of Orthodoxy. A person gets an equal opportunity to do good for his loved ones.

You can choose a monastery or a church where you can send your list online on the website https://www.andcross.ee. This is the web portal of the Pilgrim Ecclesiastic and Educational Center Andcross.

Why is it important for a believer to order a religious service in a particular church or monastery? For example, he has been there before and knows the priest who will conduct the prayer service. Or a person chooses a place that is considered sacred because many generations of Christians were praying there. Or a place where the sick were miraculously healed thanks to faith or there are miraculous icons. But a person can’t go there often because of distances, a busy schedule, illnesses, or other reasons. In such cases, an online list is a wonderful solution, which will satisfy the inner need of the believer.

The Pilgrim Ecclesiastic and Educational Center Andcross acts as an intermediary between the person sending this list and the chosen church. The center doesn’t conduct payments, all money goes directly to the institution. And it’s especially important for small churches, where such donations are simply priceless.

By creating a commemoration list in any form, a believer asks the priest to pray for a particular person during the service. It means that the entire church and everyone attending the divine service pray for him as well. People pray for those whose names are listed and given to the clergy – both on paper and via the Internet. At some point during the service, a priest begins to say people’s names, and everyone in the church is praying at that moment. All these prayers unite into one powerful force, supported by faith. Thus, the clergyman and many other fellow believers, who don’t know each other, pray for one person. And it’s quite common for Christians to wish all the best to their brothers in faith.

Prayers in churches differ. And believers don’t always ask for the salvation of the soul. They can also turn to Our Lord and the saints with minor problems, which are called “earthly” or “everyday”. So a list with a request to pray for someone is not necessarily sent when this person is seriously ill. People mention those who are healthy and wish them to stay in this state as long as possible.

The most important prayer for both the living and the departed takes place during the Divine Liturgy. It’s also called Eucharist, or Holy Communion. This word derives from the times of the very first Christians. They brought food and wine to prayer. And after it, they were eating together and shared food. Gradually, this tradition disappeared. And now the name of the service is mostly associated with time: the Divine Liturgy is conducted in the morning, before lunch.

Although every Orthodox has the opportunity to hear the name of his loved one during the regular service, there are also private commemorations. A private prayer service for the living or a Memorial Service for the departed can be ordered. Again, going to church isn’t necessary because everything can be requested online.

When creating a list, you can indicate to whom you wish to pray. It can be Our Lord, the Mother of God, or one of the saints. For example, people often ask St George the Victorious and St Demetrius of Thessaloniki to help soldiers. Nicholas the Wonderworker is a known patron of merchants. It’s possible to have prayer services for travelers or the sick or include words of gratitude. Before any important and difficult task, a private prayer service may be ordered. For example, before building a house, launching a business, entering a university, and so on.

The Orthodox have certain rules on how to write the names of those for whom you want to pray. The full name should be written. It’s important to write the baptismal name. In most cases, it’s the same name that is written on the person’s ID, but there are a few exceptions. For example, Svetlana gets the name Photini at baptism.

When you write the name of the person answer the question “for the health or about the repose of whom?” – Alexander, Mary, Anna, and so on. If a person is sick, then the word “sick” is added to the name – Peter the sick, for example. If you add a small child to the list, add the word “infant” and use the full name. Infant John, for example. For 40 days after death, a person is considered newly departed. So you need to mention it when creating a list, for example, the newly departed Catherine.

It’s forbidden to add words that don’t meet the standards of the Orthodox tradition. Because by giving any positive or negative characteristic to a person, the author of the list begins to function as God.

Prayer services for those who aren’t baptized according to the Orthodox rite are forbidden. Although we can wish well to people of other religions and atheists. We can ask Our Lord to have mercy for them. But they aren’t members of the church or the community of believers. Therefore, a prayer service cannot be conducted for them.

The living and the departed should never be listed together.

Some people wonder if they need to attend the service, where the names of their loved ones will be mentioned. Of course, it would be better to be there. Because in this case, your prayer will join the collective prayer for your loved ones. For example, you can send your list online in advance and then go to the church. But often commemoration lists are sent via the Internet because there is no opportunity to attend a church. For example, when it’s located too far away, or a person’s health is too poor to make this trip, or there are other personal reasons. And there’s no problem here. After all, we know that the most important thing in prayer is warmheartedness. Therefore, you can pray for another person in a church, at home, and in any other place.

Pilgrim Ecclesiastic Educational Centre Andcross