This is a beautifully produced DVD of scenes from Holy Saturday and Pascha 2007, at Saint Anthony's Greek Orthodox Monastery in Arizona.  You will be moved by watching the reverence of the monks, and listening to the chanting of the prayers. 60 minutes Available in two formats (NTSC for North America, and PAL for European).

From our friends at St Anthony's Greek Orthodox Monastery in Arizona comes this exquisite DVD video, showing the grounds and the churches of St. Anthony’s Monastery with Byzantine chanting from St. Anthony’s Vigil CD in the background. Duration 47 min.

North American NTSC format

This is one of the most beautiful CD's we have ever heard, and a MUST for your car! St. Ignatius Orthodox Church in Madison Wisconsin completed the recording of the Akathist of Thanksgiving “Glory to God for All Things” in October of 2002, making the singing of this most poignant liturgical text available for the first time on compact disk. St. Ignatius celebrates the Akathist with Little Compline several times per year, especially on the eve of American Thanksgiving.  It also contains the complete text to the Akathist and Small Compline.

Background behind the Akathist:

"Since the fall of Communism the Church, and the entire world, has come to a more complete knowledge of the crimes against humanity committed in the Russian Empire and Soviet Union by those dedicated to the destruction of Tsarist rule, the Orthodox and other Christian Churches, and religion in general, for the cause of atheist “revolution.”  An estimated 45 million people and more were slain out of a programmed hatred and paranoia.  Terror, betrayal, distrust, isolation, self-preservation, hopelessness and faithlessness were at the core of the new, Godless social (dis)order created by the Bolsheviks.  We venerate those Christians who refused to compromise their faith in Jesus Christ and who ultimately suffered with their Lord - hundreds of thousands of names, some known, though most known only to God, as Passion-bearers, New-martyrs, and Saints.  Books such as “Father Arseny: Priest, Prisoner, Spiritual Father” (St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press) and “The Gulag Archipelago” by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (Harper & Row) give graphic insight into the extreme suffering and heroic courage of those who lived faithfully amid this horror.  It should be a duty for all of us to become more familiar with this unfortunate human history.

The Archpriest Gregory Petroff was a man who lived and died under this madness.  How can we understand the senseless cruelty and slaughter that took place in Communist Russia?  We can only by faith in God’s eternal and saving providence.  “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.  If they persecuted me, they will persecute you’” (John 15:20).  It is said that Fr. Gregory was murdered while in a prison camp, but not before he was able to pen the poignant AKATHIST OF THANKSGIVING, giving to the Church and to the world light from great darkness, reminding us that even in the midst of frightful suffering true Christian conviction and courage are unconquerable.  We are indeed thankful for this Akathist; our hearts are lifted by it.  We offer these prayers to the glory of God and in honor of those “men, women and children, flowers of the spiritual meadow of Russia, who blossomed forth wondrously in time of grievous persecution” (from the Troparion to the New Martyrs of Russia)."  Fr. Patrick J. Kinder

Here, pronounced clearly and calmly by a monk from the Hermitage of the Holy Cross, are the basic daily prayers said by all Orthodox Christians of the Russian Tradition. We hope that this recording will help those who, through a multitude of worldly cares and responsibilities, are sometimes tempted to skip their daily prayers. Text taken from the Jordanville Prayerbook of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.

Hermitage of the Holy Cross
English

A wonderful 3 audio CD set of The Psalter.  A brand new product from our friends at the Hermitage of the Holy Cross (2007).  They have recorded the reading of the Psalter in english on three compact discs (214 minutes). The text of the Psalms was translated by Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Brookline, MA, from the 1821 Moscow edition of the Greek Septuagint Psalter, the most trusted and reliable of all extant printings of the the traditional Greek text of Orthodox Church. The Psalms are read in a manner common to Orthodox prayer services: a simple intonation minimizing any possibility of subjective interpretation. The arrangement of the Psalms into tracks on this disc also follows the liturgical practice of the Orthodox Church, where the whole Psalter is divided into twenty Kathismata and each Kathisma into three stases. Each stasis is concluded with a Trinitarian Doxology. The Psalter is read by a monk of the Hermitage of the Holy Cross. The packaging is full-color, with the three discs attached to a tri-fold “digi-pak”, all of which slides into a sturdy slipcover. Our hope is that those who purchase this recording will reap years of spiritual benefit from the use of the recording, which is an excellent accompaniment on a daily commute, road trip, or a day at work (from the Hermitage of the Holy Cross).

Disc I Kathisma I-VII

Disc II Kathisma VIII-XIV

Disc III Kathisma XV-XX

Prayerfully chanted by a monk from the Hermitage of the Holy Cross, this CD contains: The Canons to the Savior, the Mother of God, and the Guardian Angel - The Akathist to the Mother of God - the Psalms, Canon, and Prayers for Holy Communion. These are the prayers that Russian Orthodox Christians say in order to spiritually prepare themselves to participate in the awesome Mystery of the Divine Liturgy. Text taken from the Jordanville Prayerbook.

Hermitage of the Holy Cross
English, 66 minutes

From the Byzantine Choir of Odigitria comes this beautiful Service of the Supplication Canon to our Father among the Saints Nektarios of Pentapolis (Poem of Gerasimos, Monk of Small St Anne’s Holy Mountain Athos).  This CD has become a personal favorite of mine!  The words of this Canon, along with the Byzantine style chant are riveting to say the least!

• Call to Prayer

• Blessing. Psalm 142

• God is the Lord

• Psalm 50 Odes I & III

• Petitions of the Priest

• Odes IV, V & VI

• Kontakion

• Hymns of Ascent

• Gospel of St John

• Odes VII, VIII & IX

• Megalynarion

• Holy God . . . Our Father

• Apolytikion

• Dismissal Prayer

• “Of all that hasten . . .”

57 minutes

This recording by the monastic choir from the Hermitage of the Holy Cross includes all the hymns of Paschal Matins, including the Paschal Canon in its entirety, and a few of the special hymns from the Paschal Divine Liturgy. In addition to Russian chant, the CD also includes chant of Byzantine and Georgian origin. Chanted in English.

Hermitage of the Holy Cross Monastic Choir
English, 53 minutes

Was $17.00 - Now $14.00

Baptist and Forerunner is The Divine Liturgy CD of the Synaxis of St. John the Baptist and sung by an ensemble of male chanters from St. Lawrence Orthodox Church in Felton, CA (Jerusalem Patriarchate). A Festal Celebration of the Hand by which our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ was Baptized!

1. Great Doxology Byzantine--Tone Six

2. Troparion – Synaxis Byzantine--Tone Two

3. Troparion- Theophany Byzantine--Tone One

4. Great Litany Byzantine Melody

5. First Antiphon (Festal) Znamenny Chant

6. Little Litany

7. Second Antiphon (Festal) Znamenny Chant

8. Only Begotten Son Greek Melody

9. Little Litany

10. Third Antiphon Theophany Troparion with Psalm Verses

11. Come Let Us Worship Byzantine--Tone Two

12. Troparion – Theophany Byzantine--Tone One

13. Troparion – Synaxis Byzantine--Tone Two

14. Kontakion – Synaxis Byzantine--Tone Six

15. Kontakion – Theophany Melody: "Today the Virgin..."

16. As Many as Have Been Baptized Byzantine--Tone One

17. Prokeimenon: "The Righteous..."  Znamenny Chant-Tone Seven

18. The Epistle (ACTS 19:1-8)

19. Alleluia Znamenny Chant--Tone Five

20. The Holy Gospel (John 1:29-34)

21. The Cherubic Hymn Themes from Byzantine Tones One and Six

22. The Anaphora Znamenny Chant

23. Theotokion (Festal) Canon Tone Two

24. One is Holy Serbian Melody

25. Communion Hymn - Theophany Byzantine--Tone One

26. Communion Hymn – Synaxis Choral Arrangement

27. Festal Troparion Byzantine--Tone One

28. Let Our Mouths Be Filled With Your Praise Byzantine-- Tone Five

29. Ambon Prayers / Blessed Be the Name (Choral Arrangement) / Dismissal

30. Magnification – Theophany Obikhod

31. Sessional Hymn following the Magnification Melody: "Lifted up..."

Recorded at the Hermitage of the Holy Cross in 2004, this CD contains many of the hymns for the Feast of the Nativity of the Lord. The music is taken primarily from the Great Znamenny melodies of the Festal Menaion, printed in St. Petersburg by the Holy Synod of the Russian Church in 1900.

Hermitage of the Holy Cross Monastic Choir
English, 52 Minutes

What Earthly Joy sung by an ensemble of male chanters from St. Lawrence Orthodox Church in Felton, CA (Jerusalem Patriarchate) comes a collection of special melodies from Lent, Pascha, Sunday Matins and the Dormition; utilizing a variety of Orthodox Chant forms, from Byzantine to Znamenny - Bulgarian to Valaam.  WONDERFUL voices!

1. Dormition Doxasticon Great Znamenny--All 8 Tones

2. Dormition: Post Feast Stichera Melody: "Hail, O Life bearing Cross..."

3. Dormition: Post Feast Aposticha Melody: "O House of Ephratha..."

4. Agne Parthene Byzantine--Tone 5

5. Beneath Your Compassion Kiev Caves Monastery Chant

6. What Earthly Joy Remains Bulgarion--Tone 1 Automelon

7. Now the Powers Byzantine--Tone 6

8. God is the Lord Byzantine--Tone 6

9. Resurrectional Troparion and Theotokion Byzantine-Tone 6

10. Polyeleos Choral Arrangement

11. By the Waters of Babylon Znamenny Chant

12. Blessed Are You, O Lord (Evlogitaria) Byzantine--Tone 5

13. Jerusalem Troparion #5 Byzantine--Tone 5

14. From My Youth Valaam Chant--Tone 4

15. The Resurrection Hymn Byzantine--Tone 6

16. Psalm 50 (51)

17. Open to Me the Gates of Repentence Russian Choral Arrangement

18. Antiphon 15 (Today, He Who Hung the Earth) Byzantine-Tone 6

19. Joseph of Arimathea Tone 2 Automelon

20. Joseph, Together with Nicodemus Pskov Melody-Tone 5

21. Resurrectional Exapostilaria #8 Byzantine--Tone 2

22. You Rose from the tomb On the Third Day Tone 6 Automelon

23. The Great Doxology Byzantine--Tone 8

24. Sunday Troparion after the Great Doxology Byzantine--Tone 8

25. In the Flesh (Paschal Exapostilarion) Carpatho-Russian Motif

26. Hearken, O Women Znamenny--Tone 1 Automelon

27. Let God Arise Great Znamenny--Tone 5

28. Christ Is Risen Great Znamenny