An Orthodox Altar Servers Guide

An Orthodox Altar Servers GuideThis Orthodox Church altar server guide to the Divine Liturgy covers server expectations, dress code, and common etiquette when serving around the Altar. It also outlines the Divine Liturgy though it does not contain the full text. It guides servers through various responsibilities, and gives cues for when action should be taken. For the Little and Great Entrances, it contains graphical sketches (like a football playbook) for both Russian and Greek

This Orthodox Church altar server guide to the Divine Liturgy covers server expectations, dress code, and common etiquette when serving around the Altar. It also outlines the Divine Liturgy - though it does not contain the full text.

It guides servers through various responsibilities, and gives cues for when action should be taken. For the Little and Great Entrances, it contains graphical sketches (like a football playbook) for both Russian and Greek styles. These sketches are also made available for the Gospel reading. It contains directions for servers when a deacon is present and when there is no deacon.

While other altar server guides were referenced, most of the instructions come from the author's experience in the Diocese of the South of the OCA and St. Tikhon's Monastery practices.

At this time, there are no guidelines in this book for serving with a bishop. While I would like to tackle such a project at some point, it will require its own separate book since a hierarchical (pontifical) liturgy is served much differently than a typical liturgy.

A note for servers: This guide is meant for educational purposes. Please be respectful of whatever customs are in place in your local parish, and work with your priest on how to implement the instructions contained in this guide.

Lastly, let me know if you have any feedback, corrections, or suggestions.