2/1/2026
Nun Kallista (Golik)
For someone reading the lay order of the services, the stichera are a tricky but fascinating moment when you have to juggle several books at once.
In Medieval Rus’, it was considered normal for Christians to read the entire cycle of services every day, so they would read the Midnight Office as morning prayers.
Interestingly, in Greece, Small Compline is included in prayer books as the evening prayer rule, so it’s quite common and familiar to everyone. The Russian tradition doesn’t have Small Compline in its prayer books, but you can find it in the Horologion.
The daily cycle of services is, one might say, the “liturgical clock” the Church has lived by day after day for many centuries. The daily cycle took shape in monasteries, though there was a time when laymen observed it daily as well.
If you know at least a little bit about how Church worship is organized, any “average” parishioner burdened with work and family duties can add some elements of the Church’s worship to his home rule and thus be able to stay in the rhythm of the Church.
