Holy Wisdom Orthodox Mission
1355 North 4th Street • Grand Junction, CO 81501
(On the corner of North 4th Street & Kennedy Street)
holywisdomorthodox@gmail.com • 720-295-7715
A mission parish of the Orthodox Church in America , and the Diocese of the West
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The Daily Cycle of Orthodox Christian Worship

Orthodox public worship can generally be described as falling into two categories, the Daily Cycle and the “Holy Mysteries” (“Sacraments”).

The Daily Cycle consists of divine services that are celebrated in order throughout the day. The complete daily cycle is generally celebrated only in monasteries. In parish life certain of the daily services are celebrated in the local church while others are read individually by the faithful at home, either as families or individually.

The normal order, referred to as the Typikón, of the Daily Cycle follows the following pattern. Times given for the services are general, and vary from monastery to monastery and place to place depending on local needs and circumstances.

Services of the Daily Cycle Daily Prayer Time for
Individuals and Families		 Sunday and Feast Day
Service Time in Parishes		 Daily Service Time
in Monasteries
Vespers – Late Afternoon; may vary from 5 to 7 pm. Typically done only on Saturday evenings and before Great Feasts Nominally at sunset, but in practice may vary from 3 to 6 pm.
Apódeipnon or Cómpline After dinner and before sleep; this is our daily Evening Prayer. – Nominally immediately after dinner, but may be deferred to later in the evening.
Mesonyktikon or
Midnight Office		 Upon waking; this is our daily Morning Prayer. – Nominally at midnight; may vary from 12 to 5 am.
Órthros or Mátins – Typically only done in some parishes immediately preceding the Divine Liturgy, usually at 8 or 9 am. Nominally at sunrise but typically immediately following the Midnight Office.
First Hour – – Nominally at 6:00am, typically immediately following Matins.
Third Hour – Typically only done in some parishes preceding the Divine Liturgy, usually at 8:10 or 9:10 am Nominally at 9:00am, but in practice typically combined with the Sixth Hour and either done by one monastic in a chapel, or done individually by monastics in their cells.
Sixth Hour – Typically only done in some parishes preceding the Divine Liturgy and immediately follows the 3rd Hour. Nominally at 12:00 noon, but in practice immediately follows the Third Hour and either done by one monastic in a chapel, or done individually by monastics in their cells.
Ninth Hour – Typically only done in some parishes immediately preceding Vespers. Nominally at 3:00 pm, but done immediately preceding Vespers.

The Divine Liturgy is not itself a part of the Daily Cycle but is inserted into the cycle, usually after Orthros or the Sixth Hour. The services of the Daily Cycle are usually contained in a bound collection called the Book of Hours, also known as the Horologion (Greek) or Chasoslov (Slavonic).