Mor Gabriel monastery: experiencing the Syriac Christian Orthodox liturgy

We are woken up by the loud bell in the bell tower near our room. It’s only 5.30 in the morning and it’s very cold! We grab some warm clothes, tie our scarves over our heads and make our way across the quadrangle to the church for the first liturgy of the day. As women tradition says we should sit on the left hand side and the men sit on the right. The nuns come to join us, sitting behind us at the back of the church. The church is gloomy, the atmosphere subdued. I think we’re not quite awake yet! Boys start to appear and gather around the two lecterns at the front of the church to each side, north and south, left and right. Soon they begin to chant or intone – antiphonally – first from one side, then the other. They stand with arms folded, all around the lecterns, so that some are reading the book on the lectern from the side or upside down! The shorter boys stand closer to the lectern. The liturgy is in classical Syriac - so we have no idea what is being said. More boys drift in, and the monks, over the next ten minutes or so – and they take their places at the lecterns - the time keeping seems quite relaxed, no one seems bothered if you are “late”. Every so often the boys and monks step over to carpets on the floor, where they kneel facing the sanctuary and prostrate themselves, all together, as they chant prayers, reminding us that the prostration for prayers which we think of as a Muslim way of prayer in fact originated before Islam in the Orthodox Christian worship.

Then the thurifer appears, the boy carrying the thurible or incense burner. He is dressed in a white alb, with crossed sashes perhaps denoting his seniority? He stands in front of us and swings the thurible in four directions, north, south, east and west, rotating on the spot as he does so. Then he goes around the church, censing the font and the several colorful hangings around the walls, called Sutore (sutoro singular). These hang on the bare walls and there is also a large one hanging from a curtain pole separating the sanctuary from the congregation. This is pulled open at various stages in the liturgy to reveal the sanctuary. On the altar a paten and chalice are in a state of readiness to celebrate the eucharist at any time. The liturgy proceeds like this for the best part of an hour. We get into the rhythm, standing whenever the incense is being used, and whenever the prostrations tell us that prayers are being said. Otherwise we sit.

the sanctuary sutoro

The atmosphere becomes increasingly charged with the incense, giving a sense of mystery and wonder to the proceedings. Finally the monk in charge, or on this occasion at Mor Gabriel the Archbishop, resplendent in his bright crimson habit, takes his position in front of the sanctuary. We queue to walk to the front of the sanctuary to where the Bible is placed – kiss it, and make our way back, touching the hand of the monk to receive a blessing from him. There is an order of hierarchy to this – men first, in order of seniority, followed by the boys, then the women, ordained first… where does a female priest place herself here? Does she join her male priest colleagues? The monks think not! Do we respect their attitude towards women? Or assert our priestly position, female or not? This is tricky and views inevitably vary!
There is just about enough time for a shower before breakfast. The total service has taken a little over an hour.




The process is repeated when we return to the monastery after our day out, when we join the boys and monks for Ramsho, the evening liturgy. After that liturgy we walk out into the evening sunshine, in time to see one of the boys drawing water up from the well just outside the church.
Time soon for supper and bed. After such an early start to each day no one seems to object to going to bed early, at 8 or 9 pm at the latest. That suits me just fine!




For further detail there is an excellent paper Monasticism in Tur Abdin: A Present Day Account by Mark DelCogliano in Cistercian Studies Quarterly 41.3 2006 p. 311

Incensed by the verger

Someone asked me today what a verger does in the Church of England - so as well as referring her to the official website of the C of E Guild of Vergers (see also the site for the Episcopal Guild of Vergers) I dug out an article I wrote quite a while ago  for our parish newsletter on the office of verger- combined with some words about incense. It may seem like a strange combination of subjects - but here it is anyway. As a contribution to religious tolerance I guess it is relevant to the extent it may help people understand a little of some one else's religious practices and traditions - read on:

(In)censed by the Verger

Incense – verb – To cause to be extremely angry – to infuriate

                            To perfume with incense 

                            To burn incense as a ritual offering

Incense - noun – an aromatic substance such as wood, gum or spices that is burned to produce a sweet smelling perfume (which may or may not be found pleasant according to your point of view!).

The Office of Verger (Virger, Custos, Sub-Sacrist, Serjeant of the Vestry, or even ‘Church Mouse’) is an ancient one and means ‘He who carries the Virge before the procession’. 

The ‘Verge’ or Virge is the rod of office (Latin - Virga; Old French-Vergier).

Incense could include for example camphor, cedar, clove, frankincense, jasmine, myrrh, musk, nutmeg, rose, sandalwood – to name a few. Numerous web sites offering many different types of incense and incense burner testify to its general popular usage but it is also employed widely for the purposes of religious worship,

Incense was used in ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome and is mentioned in the Old and the New Testaments. It is also found in the major religions of Asia. The Babylonians used it while praying in the 6th and 5th century B.C. and the Greeks used it as protection against demons during the 8th century B.C.  When exactly it was introduced into the religious services of the Church it is not easy to say, but the earliest clear record of its use in public worship in the Roman Catholic Church is c.500 AD. By the command of God, Moses built an altar of incense on which the sweetest spices and gums were burnt, and the references to it in the New Testament would suggest an early familiarity with it in Christian worship.

With its perfume and high-ascending smoke it is symbolic of the Christian prayer which, enkindled in the heart by the fire of God’s love and exhaling the odour of Christ, rises up as a pleasing offering in His sight.

The Office of Verger

Vergers are committed Christians dedicated to serving Our Lord Jesus Christ and his Church.  There is a Guild of Vergers within the Anglican Church, founded in 1932, that exists to promote Christian Fellowship and spiritual guidance among vergers and to organise training in the work and for the ministry of vergers in all aspects. Its Patrons the archbishops of Canterbury and York take a very keen interest in the Guild.                   

In the Middle Ages a verger might have needed to use his virge to keep back an overenthusiastic crowd from the personage he was escorting.

However, the Verger’s duties have developed over the centuries, and now combine tasks which were often carried out by other individuals.

Today, Vergers can still be seen in their ceremonial role in many larger churches, university and school chapels and cathedrals, where they still carry the Virge and ceremonially precede the religious participants as they move about the church, for example moving to the pulpit to preach or the lectern to read a lesson. At local parish church level the role will vary greatly from parish to parish, and could include behind the scenes management of and preparation for worship and the care of vestments etc. and generally to be available to assist the incumbent and visiting priests in any way that may be required. Often this will include the setting up of services such as weddings and funerals, and of course the clearing up afterwards when everyone else has gone home!

One unusual duty traces back to the traditions connected with Pancake Day and the Pancake race.  In 1634 William Fennor wrote in his Palinodia "And every man and maide doe take their turne, And tosse their Pancakes up for feare they burne." But the tradition of pancake racing had started long before that. The tradition is said to have originated in the town of Olney in the Midlands. It is said that in 1445 a housewife from Olney was so busy making pancakes that the curfew bell took her completely by surprise. She ran out of the house to church still carrying the frying pan in her hand.

The Olney race is still held today; in fact, it has now gone international. Since 1950 the people of Liberal, Kansas, USA and Olney have held the "International Pancake Day" race between the two towns. The winner is the first woman to reach their church; she gets a "Kiss of Peace" from the verger there (who is presumably male!)  Perhaps the Olney tradition should be resurrected in Limpsfield with male contestants!!

It has also been known for the verger to act as the Thurifer – she who looks after and  passes the censer (the vessel containing the burning incense) to the priest for him to incense the altar or other object such as a coffin, saint, crucifix for example as appropriate.  Not forgetting the Virge to keep back the overenthusiastic crowds –

And this, I think, is where we came in!!