Commemorative Memorial Slips (For the Departed) #
In memorial slips for the departed (zapíski za upokóy), the names of those who believed in God and passed away in the Orthodox (Old Believer) faith are written—those over whom a priest has performed the funeral rite. In some families, a synodik or pomyannik is compiled, in which the entire lineage of the family is recorded. These commemorative books are handed down from generation to generation and, according to the custom of the parish, are submitted in place of individual slips for commemoration.
The names in the slip or pomyannik are written in a particular order. First are listed the names of bishops, followed by hieromonks (monastic priests), priests, and deacons, then monks and nuns, men and women, youths, maidens, and finally male and female infants.
The names must be written in their full Church Slavonic (liturgical) form, which often differs from the colloquial version.
Since what is being commemorated are the immortal souls of the departed, their names must be written in the genitive case. As a guide, one can ask: “The soul — of whom?” or “Who is no longer present?” — for example, “of Nikolaus, of Ioann, of Maria, of Daria, of Tatiana.”
It is not permitted to include in memorial slips the names of those who died outside the Orthodox (Old Believer) faith, nor those Orthodox Christians who died without repentance, suicides, or children who died unbaptized.