At Vespers

After the Introductory Psalm, we chant “Blessed is the man...,” the first Antiphon.

Glory..., Now and ever..., Theotokion, in the same tone and melody—

On “Lord, I have cried...,” 3 stichera from the Octoechos, or for the Theotokos, and three stichera for the saint, in Tone I: Spec. Mel: “O all-praised martyrs...”—

Troparion, in Tone I—

Glory..., in Tone VIII—

O most blessed Alypius, from thy childhood thou didst offer thy life to Christ our God, and, strengthened by Him, thou didst submit the passions of thy flesh to thy mind, subjecting what is worse to that which is higher. Wherefore, pray thou that the Lord grant our souls peace and great mercy.

Now and ever..., Dogmaticon.

O divinely wise Alypius, thou wast shown to be a magnificent beacon, illumining the earth with the splendors of thy wonders and thy godly deeds. Wherefore, after thy repose the unwaning Light received thee. Wherefore, pray thou, that Christ grant to our souls peace and great mercy.

Reading from the Wisdom of Solomon

Thou wast an immovable pillar for monks, O wise one, standing higher than thy pillar, vexed by the heat of the day and cold and by many ascetic feats. Wherefore, thou didst receive the divine gifts of the Spirit to heal infirmities and to drive out the most cruel passions. Pray thou now, that Christ grant our souls peace and great mercy.

Reading from the Wisdom of Solomon

Rejoice, O bush unburnt! Rejoice, thou who alone gavest birth unto the Angel of great Counsel! Rejoice, thou choice of the honored Trinity! Rejoice, confirmation of mortals! Rejoice, thou who gavest rise unto the uncultivated Grain of paradise: the King and Lord, Who withereth the shoots of malice!

Glory..., in Tone IV—

Or this Stavrotheotokion, in the same tone and melody—

Now and ever..., Theotokion, in the same tone—

The unblemished Ewe-lamb and Mistress, as she beheld her Lamb on the Cross, bereft of form and beauty, lamenting, said: “Woe is me! Whither hath Thy beauty set, O Thou Who art most sweet? Where is Thy splendor? Where the shining grace of Thine image, O my Son most beloved?”

Thou wast a pillar of endurance, O venerable one, emulating the forefathers: Job in sufferings and Joseph in temptations, and the life of the incorporeal ones while yet in thy body. O Alypius, our father, entreat Christ God, that our souls be saved.

At “Lord, I have cried...,” 8 stichera, in Tone VI—

Let us praise a man glorious in his being, our father, the holy hierarch Innocent; for the Lord hath wrought much glory in the incorruption of his holy body, placing it as a candle upon a candlestand, and enlightening the flock of Irkutsk with the rays of his miracles, that the memory of the righteous one may not depart therefrom, but that his name may live unto generations of generations; that the nations may declare his wisdom, beholding the holy Church, proclaiming his praise continually in hymns and spiritual songs. Twice

Let us praise the new apostle of Christ, who cometh to the land of barbarous heathens with the Gospel, who maketh fragrant the uttermost ends of Russia with faith, who doth flourish like a lily in the east of the Siberian realm, who rained with words of heavenly wisdom upon pagans who had not been watered with streams of grace. Twice

When the dark kingdom of the Chinese, beclouded with the pride of the ancient serpent, could not contain the light of the kingdom of Jesus Christ, and did not wish to receive the right glorious Russian hierarch, then, among the pagans ruled by the Russian scepter, the holy Christian Faith began to grow and increase through the mouth of the holy and great hierarch Innocent, who prayeth for our souls. Twice

Thy name was as fragrant myrrh, O father, poured forth upon thy flock, which was illumined with the rays of thy comeliness, and upon people who reverently honor thy holy memory, and upon all Christian cities and lands which glorify the God of Israel, Who is wondrous in His saints. Him do thou entreat, that our souls be saved.

Upon thee, O father, was established the truth of the Lord which was foretold by the prophet David, who of old proclaimed: The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, and like a cedar in Lebanon shall he be multiplied; and he shall be like the tree which is planted by the streams of the waters. Wherefore, we beseech thee, O most wondrous hierarch: Overshadow this city and all Orthodox Christians with thine intercessions.

O holy hierarch, father Innocent, thy life was in accordance with thy name, for thou didst shine brightly with innocence all the days of thy life. And, dwelling upon the earth as a pilgrim and sojourner, thou didst receive within thyself the Holy Trinity and didst prepare within thy heart a habitation for the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Wherefore, even in the grave did thy holy body flourish, and not one of thy divinely preserved bones was broken. Therefore, venerating with faith thy precious relics, which have been glorified by an abundance of healings, we beseech thee, O favorite of God, zealous pastor, adornment of hierarchs: Render us pleasing unto the Holy Trinity, Whom on earth thou didst glorify in holiness and righteousness, and before Whom thou now dost stand, ever interceding for the peace of thy flock and the salvation of our souls.

Entrance. Prokimenon of the Day. Three Readings:

Reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah

Be glad, thou thirsty desert. Let the wilderness exult, and flower as the lily. And the desert places of Jordan shall blossom and rejoice: the glory of Lebanon hath been given to it, and the honor of Carmel; and my people shall see the glory of the Lord. Be strong, ye relaxed hands and palsied knees. Comfort one another, ye fainthearted; be strong, fear not. Behold, our God rendereth judgment, and He will render it. He will come and save us. Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall hear. Then shall the lame man leap like a hart, and the tongue of the stammerer shall speak plainly; for water hath burst forth in the desert, and a channel of water in a thirsty land. And the dry land shall become pools, and a fountain of water shall be poured into a thirsty land. There shall there be a joy of birds, ready habitations and marshes. There shall be there a pure way, and it shall be called a holy way; and there shall not pass by there any unclean person, neither shall there be there an unclean way; but the dispersed shall walk on it, and they shall not go astray. And there shall be no lion there, neither shall any evil beast go up upon it, nor at all be found there; but those redeemed and gathered on the Lord’s behalf shall walk in it, and shall return, and come to Sion with joy, and everlasting joy shall be over their head; for on their head shall be praise and exultation, and joy shall take possession of them; sorrow, and pain, and groaning have fled away.

The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and there shall no torment touch them. In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die: and their departure is taken for misery, and their going from us to be utter destruction: but they are in peace. For though they be punished in the sight of men, yet is their hope full of immortality. And having been a little chastised, they shall be greatly rewarded: for God proved them, and found them worthy for Himself. As gold in the furnace hath He tried them and received them as a burnt offering. And in the time of their visitation they shall shine, and run to and fro like sparks among the stubble. They shall judge the nations, and have dominion over the people, and their Lord shall reign forever. They that put their trust in Him shall understand the truth: and such as be faithful in love shall abide with Him: for grace and mercy is to His saints, and He hath care for His elect.

Though the righteous be prevented with death, yet shall he be in rest. For honorable age is not that which standeth in length of time, nor that is measured by number of years. But wisdom is the gray hair unto men, and an unspotted life is old age. He pleased God, and was beloved of Him; so that, living among sinners, he was translated. Yea, speedily was he taken away, lest that wickedness should alter his understanding, or deceit beguile his soul. For the bewitching of naughtiness doth obscure things that are honest; and the wandering of lust doth undermine the simple mind. He, being made perfect in a short time, fulfilled a long time; for his soul pleased the Lord: therefore hasted He to take him away from among the wicked. This the people saw, and understood not, neither laid they up this in their minds: that His grace and mercy is with His saints, and that He doth visit His chosen.

At the Litia, these stichera, in Tone V—

O ye peoples of Siberia, kiss ye the footprints of the beautiful feet of the holy hierarch Innocent, who proclaimed peace and confirmation within your borders, who initiated a new hierarchy in one of your cities, and flourished in incorruption in one of your monasteries, as flourisheth an irrigated garden which lacketh not the water of grace, giving those who thirst to drink of spiritual and bodily healings without cost.

Thou art the glory of Irkutsk, O Innocent; thou art the adornment of the Siberian lands, the boast of the Orthodox Church, the magnification of the Ukraine, wherein thou didst bud forth as a fragrant lily; wherein thou wast kindled like a most radiant beacon; wherein thou wast born, a son of the kingdom of Christ; from whence thou wast called forth, an apostle who madest thy way with the Gospel from the royal cities unto the boundaries of Mongolia, instructing benighted pagans during thy lifetime and after thy repose.

In an earthly school thou wast a teacher of heavenly wisdom, instructing all to set their affection on things above, and not on the things of earth. Impressing upon young minds the ancient truths of the Gospel, thou didst show thyself to be a God-bearer, sealed with the Holy Spirit. Walking in God’s sight, zealous for God, and standing before God as an intercessor for those who honor thy holy memory, O Innocent.

The Spirit of wisdom and understanding rested upon thee, O holy hierarch, whereby thou wast made wise for the salvation of the heathen; the Spirit of counsel and strength, whereby thou wast able to comply with the wondrous counsel of the farsighted Emperor Peter; the Spirit of knowledge and piety, whereby thou didst piously teach those who sought a new heart and spirit to know the Holy Trinity.

Look down upon the entreaties of thy servants, O all-immaculate one, halting the cruel assaults upon us and freeing us from every sorrow. For thee alone do we have as a steadfast and firm foundation, and thine intercession have we acquired, that we that call upon thee be not put to shame. Make haste to answer the supplication of us who cry out to thee with faith: Rejoice, O Mistress, thou help of all, thou joy, protection and salvation of our souls.