The Order of the Moleben and the Panikhida

This booklet contains the texts used by Orthodox Christians for prayer services offered on behalf of the living and the dead, in the form commonly used in the Slavic tradition. The Moleben is a service of supplication or intercession for the living. It may be served on any occasion to invoke the aid of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Mother of God, or the saints. The book includes the unique order of the Paschal Moleben, served during Bright Week. The Panikhida is a memorial service to pray for the blessed repose and salvation of the departed. Traditionally it is said for an individual believer at their death and on the third, ninth, and fortieth day following it, and on the anniversary of their repose.

The monks who came to Holy Trinity Monastery from Eastern Europe after World War II inherited a tradition of printing that stretches back almost to the invention of the printing press in the fifteenth century. Through the fathers’ tireless efforts, the monastery has been printing and publishing Orthodox Christian books for almost sixty-five years. In keeping with the humble spirit required of a monk, books which are written or prepared by members of the monastic brotherhood are published under the general authorship of Holy Trinity Monastery.