Terminology
1. Cantor
Person who leads the singing during the liturgy.
2. Carpatho-Rus
Our ancestors in the Carpathian region received Christianity from SS. Cyril and Methodius and their disciples in the Byzantine Rite. Along with the Byzantine liturgy they also received a fascination for the liturgical chant. Of course, during the following centuries they applied their own musical genius and, eventually, they developed their own style of liturgical chant.
3. Chant
The melody applied to a given text is composed by applying to each phrase of the text a melodic phrase, chosen from the total number of melodic phrases of the prescribed hlas. The melodic phrase can be shortened or expanded, depending on the number of syllables in the text. The rhythm of the melodic phrase is free, in the sense that it cannot be divided into bars or measures; there is no time-signature.
4. Divine Liturgy
The Divine Liturgy is a eucharistic service. It contains two parts: the Liturgy of the Catechumens, sometimes called the Liturgy of the Word, at which the Scriptures are proclaimed and expounded, and the Liturgy of the Faithful, sometimes called the Liturgy of the Eucharist, in which the gifts of bread and wine are offered and consecrated.
5. Eucharist
Eucharist comes from the Greek meaning giving thanks. Other names for the Eucharist include: the Holy Gifts, Communion, and the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Orthodox Christians believe that the Real Presence of God (not merely a sign) is present after the consecration of the Gifts.
6. Grace
Grace is the very energies of God himself. The Orthodox Church believes that through the Trinitarian ministry of the Holy Spirit these energies are mediated to mankind. That is, how God acts in forgiving and spiritual healing. Grace is the working of God himself, not a created substance of any kind that can be treated like a commodity.
7. Holy Communion
Eucharist comes from the Greek meaning giving thanks. Other names for the Eucharist include: the Holy Gifts, Communion, and the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Orthodox Christians believe that the Real Presence of God (not merely a sign) is present after the consecration of the Gifts.
8. Kondak
A kontakion ('scroll-song') in the full sense was an extended composition, a musical sermon or meditation of many verses, meant to be sung from the ambon in the middle of the church.
9. Liturgies
As a religious phenomenon, liturgy is a communal response to the sacred through activity reflecting praise, thanksgiving, supplication, or repentance. Ritualization may be associated with life events such as birth, coming of age, marriage, and death. It thus forms the basis for establishing a relationship with a divine agency, as well as with other participants in the liturgy.
10. Martyrdom
Tertullian once said that "the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church," and the Body of Christ continually witnesses to this reality. Where the persecution of the Orthodox faith becomes great enough that Christians are killed for their faith, history typically records a resurgence of faith and piety among the people of that region.
Freely Ye Have Received Freely Give
