The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts

A visitor’s introduction to the Presanctified Gifts: Lenten Vespers, Communion from previously consecrated Gifts, and the quieter rhythm of the service.

During Lent, the parish calendar may offer a service whose name is unfamiliar: the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts.

“Presanctified” means that the Gifts have already been consecrated at an earlier Divine Liturgy. The service joins the prayer of Vespers with Holy Communion. There is no new Eucharistic consecration during it.

When it is served

In OCA usage, it is usually served on Wednesdays and Fridays of Great Lent and on the first three days of Holy Week: Holy Monday, Holy Tuesday and Holy Wednesday. There are other appointed occasions, including the Thursday of the Great Canon, and a parish may serve fewer of these services.

It is often in the evening, though parish schedules vary. Check the time rather than assuming that anything called Liturgy must be on Sunday morning.

How it differs from Chrysostom’s Liturgy

The Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom contains the Eucharistic prayer and consecration. The Presanctified does not repeat them. It brings the faithful to Communion with Gifts already consecrated.

Its opening follows Vespers, with psalms and Old Testament readings. The Lenten prayers, bows and silences give it a different pace. At the entrance with the Holy Gifts, the congregation receives what is already holy with particular reverence.

What a visitor will notice

In many parishes the church is dimmer and the singing feels quieter than on Sunday. There are usually deep bows and prostrations. Follow what you can, without forcing your knees or back to do what they cannot.

If you lose your place in a book, listen. You do not have to reproduce every movement to attend respectfully.

Receiving Communion still calls for Orthodox membership and preparation with the priest’s guidance. Ask beforehand about the Eucharistic fast for an evening service; do not invent a rule from the clock or from someone else’s parish.

For ordinary visitor questions, read Your First Divine Liturgy. Return to Liturgy for the other guides.

The full text of this Liturgy is now here, with a printable booklet (PDF). This short guide is a place to begin, and the parish’s own service book will help you follow the words used there.