Canon to the Venerable Serapion of Cheremshan #
Tropar to the Venerable One, Tone 1, in the melody “In birthgiving thou didst preserve thy virginity…”
Thou wast on earth an angel and in heaven a man, O wise Serapion, a rule of virtues; with love thou didst ascend unto the True Life, and by thy prayers do thou deliver our souls from death.
Canon, Tone 2, with acrostic: “I shall praise the holy Serapion.” (Серапиона восхвалю святаго)
Ode 1 #
Irmos: The Lord, mighty in battle, hath opened a path through the deep and led His people forth upon the dry land, submerging their adversaries therein; for He hath been glorified.
Refrain: Venerable Father Serapion, pray to God for us. (bow)
Grant me utterance, O Lord, that I may dare to hymn the venerable Serapion, ever-memorable lamp of Cheremshan.
Venerable Father Serapion, pray to God for us.
Obeying the voice of the Gospel, he truly denied himself for the sake of Christ the Master, and, taking up the cross of his ascetic struggle, he ran after Him.
Glory. Leaving the house of thy parents and thy kinsmen, O venerable one, from thy youth thou didst pass through the desert habitations; and for thy life equal to the angels, thou wast made worthy of the angelic image.
Now & ever. Bogorodichen: Though thou didst give birth to God in the flesh, O God-childing Virgin, thou didst remain a Virgin still. O most glorious wonder wrought in thee, O all-blessed one!
Katavasia: Deliver thy servants from afflictions, O venerable father and confessor Serapion; for after God we all take refuge in thee, for thou prayest for us unto Christ our God. (bow)
Lord, have mercy (thrice, with bows).
Ode 3 #
Irmos: The wilderness hath blossomed as a lily, O Lord, the Gentile Church once barren, at Thy coming; for her sake hast Thou established my heart.
Refrain: Venerable Father Serapion, pray to God for us.
Thou didst blossom like a fragrant lily, O father, and like David’s palm tree, bringing forth a hundredfold fruit unto the Master, in whom thy heart was established.
Venerable Father Serapion, pray to God for us.
The Lord, Shepherd of the New Israel, chose thee, O wondrous father, and set thee as a pastor, strengthening the hearts of monastics.
Glory. O Serapion, heeding not the fear of persecution, thou didst return again to the borders of Rus’, and didst find a place by flowing waters, where thou didst establish thy dwelling.
Now & ever. Bogorodichen: Having borne the Lord incorruptibly and ineffably, rejoice, O Most Hymned Mother, and vouchsafe incorruptible joy to them that ever hymn thee.
Katavasia: Deliver thy servants from afflictions, O venerable father and confessor Serapion; for after God we all take refuge in thee, for thou prayest for us unto Christ our God. (bow)
Lord, have mercy (thrice, with bows).
Sedalen, Tone 4
(To the melody: “Quickly go before…”): O radiant lamp of the truth of Christ, thou didst preserve the unerring faith unto the end, O godly-voiced father; thou didst reject the heresies of blasphemous unbelievers and didst quench the flame of carnal passions. Wherefore, as a favorite of Christ, thou enlightenest all.
Glory, now & ever. Bogorodichen: O Most Pure Virgin, having given birth to the supremely rich God, cease not to pray with the bodiless hosts, that He grant us remission of sins and amendment of life before the end, to us who with faith and love sing to thee our due praises, O thou alone Most Praised.
Ode 4 #
Irmos: Having come forth from the Virgin, not as an intercessor nor angel, but Thou Thyself, O Lord, didst become incarnate, and didst save me, the whole man; therefore I cry unto Thee: Glory to Thy power!
Refrain: Venerable Father Serapion, pray to God for us.
Imitating the Lamb of God, Who taketh away the sins of the world, in meekness, mercy, and perpetual forgiveness, O Father Serapion, thou wast made worthy of His mercy.
Venerable Father Serapion, pray to God for us.
Soaring ever in thy purified mind toward the Throne of the Most High, O Serapion, equal to the angels, thou now standest with the angels before Him in the heavens.
Glory. With the fire of thy love for the Lord, thou didst consume the thorns of sin, and didst make thy soul fruitful; thus thou didst offer a hundredfold harvest of virtues unto the Master.
Now & ever. Bogorodichen: By the counsel of the Unoriginate Father, and the operation of the Most Holy Spirit, thou didst conceive the Eternal Son, O most glorious Virgin, and gavest birth unto Him Who hath opened to us the gate of salvation.
Katavasia: Deliver thy servants from afflictions, O venerable father and confessor Serapion; for after God we all take refuge in thee, for thou prayest for us unto Christ our God. (bow)
Lord, have mercy (thrice, with bows).
Ode 5 #
Irmos: O Christ, my Savior, Enlightenment to those who sit in darkness and Salvation to the hopeless: unto Thee I rise early, O King of peace; illumine me with Thy radiant light, for beside Thee we know no other God.
Refrain: Venerable Father Serapion, pray to God for us.
Becoming a partaker in the radiance of Christ’s illumination, O Serapion, through prayer and purity, and through daily service in dread of the divine Mysteries, thou hast been made to dwell in the unapproachable light.
Venerable Father Serapion, pray to God for us.
By thy continual vigils through the night, thy many labors, thy unceasing almsgiving, and thy teaching of divine doctrines, O Serapion, thou didst appear a wondrous favorite of God.
Glory. The sacred confessor Arkady, and the wondrous martyrs Gennady and Konon, living sufferers of Suzdal, laid the relics of the ancient martyrs, consecrating the church which thou, O father, hadst built.
Now & ever. Bogorodichen: Thou didst ineffably contain in thy womb Him who is uncontainable, the Creator of all creation; and thou didst nourish with thy virginal milk Him who feedeth all beneath the sun. O what a supernatural mystery is wrought in thee, O Bride of God!
Katavasia: Deliver thy servants from afflictions, O venerable father and confessor Serapion; for after God we all take refuge in thee, for thou prayest for us unto Christ our God. (bow)
Lord, have mercy (thrice, with bows).
Ode 6 #
Irmos: Held fast in the abyss of sin, I cry unto the unfathomable abyss of Thy mercy: raise me up from corruption, O my God.
Refrain: Venerable Father Serapion, pray to God for us.
O wise instructor of the young, guide me, who am childish in understanding, along the paths of virtue, O father Serapion.
Venerable Father Serapion, pray to God for us.
A shining lamp is not to be hidden beneath a bushel; and thus the Lord hath revealed thy relics, O Serapion, as incorrupt.
Glory. Grant that I, who am a partaker in all the evil of this world, may, through thy prayers, O father, be delivered from the filth of my sins and made worthy to partake of the incorruptible food.
Now & ever. Bogorodichen: With my unworthy tongue, how dare I hymn thee, whom all generations bless, as thou thyself didst foretell?
Katavasia: Deliver thy servants from afflictions, O venerable father and confessor Serapion; for after God we all take refuge in thee, for thou prayest for us unto Christ our God. (bow)
Lord, have mercy (thrice, without bows).
Kontakion, Tone 4: (To the melody: “Thou hast been lifted upon the Cross…”): Having followed willingly Him Who was crucified, thou didst forsake all the beauties of this world, desiring only the beauty of Christ. Now enjoying His goodness in the heavens, and having great boldness before Him, entreat peace for the world and great mercy for all Christians.
Ikos: Submitting thy whole nature to God and enkindled with divine love, thou didst rise like a spark to heaven, O wise Serapion. There, in the unapproachable light, thou beholdest clearly the Holy Trinity. Having great boldness before Him, entreat peace for the world and great mercy for all Christians.
Ode 7 #
Irmos: The faithful youths, having entered the burning furnace, were refreshed with the dew-bearing breath of the Spirit, and were unharmed; and the descent of the Angel of God preserved them. Therefore, amidst the flames, they sang with thanksgiving: Blessed art Thou, O Lord God of our fathers!
Refrain: Venerable Father Serapion, pray to God for us.
The affliction of imprisonment, O venerable one, thou didst drink as a cup of honey, strengthened in patience by Him Who cooled the fiery furnace for the children, who sang with thanksgiving: Blessed art Thou, O Lord God of our fathers!
Venerable Father Serapion, pray to God for us.
Though thy body, O passion-bearer Serapion, was at times confined within a prison, yet with a free spirit thou didst unceasingly glorify thy Maker, crying out as a youth: Blessed art Thou, O Lord God of our fathers!
Glory. By thy voluntary sufferings, O Serapion, thou becamest a partaker in the passions of the Lord; and thy prison was transformed into a radiant church, where with the multitude of the faithful thou didst glorify the risen Christ, singing: Blessed art Thou, O Lord God of our fathers!
Now & ever. Bogorodichen: Be thou my guide unto the haven of windless calm, O Mother of Jesus, who by His word stillest the storms and winds; that I may ever sing unto thee: Blessed art Thou, O Lord God of our fathers!
Katavasia: Deliver thy servants from afflictions, O venerable father and confessor Serapion; for after God we all take refuge in thee, for thou prayest for us unto Christ our God. (bow)
Lord, have mercy (thrice, with bows).
Ode 8 #
Irmos: The Babylonian furnace revealed a wondrous mystery, pouring forth dew; for it prefigured how the immaterial Fire would descend into it, and how the Jordan would endure in the flesh the Creator being baptized therein. Him do the people bless and exalt supremely unto all ages.
Refrain: Venerable Father Serapion, pray to God for us.
Thou didst appear, O Serapion, as an inexhaustible wellspring of mercy: comforting the sorrowful, visiting the sick, and supplying the needs of the poor. Thus didst thou become like unto thy Creator, whom the people bless and exalt supremely unto all ages.
Venerable Father Serapion, pray to God for us.
Thy holy tomb, O venerable one, was wondrously enriched with the gift of miracles and poureth forth healings; a stream of water by it refresheth those who come with faith. Pray thou to the Lord for them that honor thee—Him whom the people bless and exalt supremely unto all ages.
Glory. As a most excellent healer of souls, a guide to the erring, an unceasing intercessor before Christ, a minister of His Mysteries, and an adamant of faith, hath the Lord revealed thee, O Serapion—Him whom the people bless and exalt supremely unto all ages.
Now & ever. Bogorodichen: The mystery hidden from before time received its fulfillment through thee, O immaculate Virgin; for the Eternal and Incorporeal One received flesh from thee in time: the Son of God became the Son of Man—Him whom the people bless and exalt supremely unto all ages.
Katavasia: Deliver thy servants from afflictions, O venerable father and confessor Serapion; for after God we all take refuge in thee, for thou prayest for us unto Christ our God. (bow)
Lord, have mercy (thrice, with bows).
Ode 9 #
Irmos: Every tongue is at a loss to praise thee worthily, and every mind is confounded in striving to understand thy birthgiving, O Theotokos. Yet in thy goodness, accept our faith, for thou knowest our God-inspired love: thou art the protectress of Christians, and we magnify thee.
Refrain (with a bow): Venerable Father Serapion, pray to God for us.
Having desired the joy which is on high from thy youth, O blessed one, thou didst compel thyself to turn away from every delight of the world. Thou becamest a true monk and wast revealed as a father to monastics and an intercessor for them that honor thee.
Venerable Father Serapion, pray to God for us.
Thy spiritual garments, O Serapion, have been shown to be whiter than snow, by the purity of thy life, by fasting and unceasing prayer, and by incorruptible love. Wherefore, O wondrous father, thou wast made worthy of the heavenly bridal chamber.
Glory. Despise not this supplication offered thee from defiled and unworthy lips, O sacred father, but in thy mercy receive this uncomely hymn from me, the sinner, and pray to the all-merciful Father, that He grant me remission of sins.
Now & ever. Bogorodichen: O thou who wast betrothed to Joseph according to the law, yet wast revealed to be the Bride of the Most High beyond speech and thought, the dwelling-place of the Word of God, whom the seraphim dare not behold, yet whom thou didst bear in thine arms—the One ever borne upon the cherubim.
Katavasia: Deliver thy servants from afflictions, O venerable father and confessor Serapion; for after God we all take refuge in thee, for thou prayest for us unto Christ our God. (bow)
Lord, have mercy (thrice, with bows).
Dismissal: O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, through the prayers of Thine all-pure Mother, and of our venerable and God-bearing father and confessor Serapion, archimandrite of Cheremshan and new wonderworker, and of all the saints: have mercy on us and save us, for Thou art good and the Lover of mankind. Amen.