Moleben

A Moleben is a liturgical service of supplication or thanksgiving. Unlike the Divine Liturgy and the offices of the daily cycle, it can be celebrated at any time and in a variety of locations.

This service is particular to the Slavic churches of the Byzantine Rite; while Byzantine Rite Christians in Greece and the Middle East celebrate the Paraklesis as their primary service of supplicatory prayer, the Slavs created a variety of such services as described in the article. The word moleben comes from the full title of the Paraklesis service in Slavonic: the Service of the Canon of Supplication ("kanon molebnij") to the Theotokos.

This article describes the history and use of molebens in the Byzantine Catholic Church. For musical details, see Singing a Moleben.

The origin and history of the moleben

It is altogether natural for Christians to express their petitions to God, and to thank him for his blessings. It is common as well to ask the saints for their prayers to God on our behalf. While these desires are expressed in the Church's regular cycle of liturgy, there are at least two reasons why additional services might be desired:

Among Slavic Christians of the Byzantine Rite, a number of such services came into being. All of them are derived from the service of prayer and petition to the Mother of God known as the Paraklesis. The Paraklesis is in turn based on the morning service of Matins, so all molebens resemble Matins to a greater or lesser degree.

In the late 19th and early 20th century, new molebens were written which added certain additional elements, mostly of popular piety. These "devotional molebens" existed side-by-side with the services in the official liturgical books. Because they were composed in an era of Latinization in the Greek Catholic churches, they were often combined with devotional services borrowed from the Latin Rite, such as Benediction.

Molebens in the liturgical books

Three different lliturgical books of the Byzantine (Ruthenian) Catholic Church contain molebens:

Most of these services have not been published in English - at least in part because, when the Byzantine Catholic Church was gradually moving from Church Slavonic to English for its services, it had become the custom to ask a priest to celebrate the Divine Liturgy for a particular intent, rather than to have a moleben sung.

The Common Moleben in the Trebnyk provides the basic outline for the service, along with specific hymns to be sung in honor of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Theotokos, or Saint Nicholas, and an indication of where the canon for the service is inserted. (The canons are found other liturgical books.) This basic outline can be used to construct a moleben in honor of other saints.

The English-language Divine Liturgies book of the Byzantine Catholic Church contains a drastically abbreviated "General Moleben for the Living", which consists of the beginning and conclusion of the common moleben. This service is often celebrated after the day's Divine Liturgy for some particular need, or in thanksgiving.

Devotional molebens

At some point, probably during the mid- to late-19th century, a new style of molebens came into being among Greek Catholics. These new molebens incorporated other elements from Matins (such as the festal exaltation), and entirely new hymns, which were suited for congregational or responsorial singing, whether in village churches or on pilgrimages. The most popular of these "devotional molebens" included

As noted above, these molebens were often followed by the service of Supplicatsia (Supplications) and Benediction with the Eucharist, borrowed from the Latin Rite. When new molebens to saints were needed, they were often composed in this style. Thus, over time, the term "moleben" came to refer to many different types of services.

These three devotional molebens remained popular among immigrants to the United States. The Moleben to the Sacred Heart was rewritten to de-emphasize the (Latin-influenced) devotion to the Sacred Heart, and the resulting service is usually called the Moleben to Jesus, Lover of Mankind. This moleben, and the devotional Moleben to the Mother of God, continued in use at parishes and pilgrimages throughout the second half of the 20th century and into the 21st century as well.

Outline of the service

The following table shows the parts of various types of Moleben:

Paraklesis
Moleben with a canon
Moleben without a canon
Devotional Moleben

Blessing and beginning prayers
"Come, let us worship"

Blessing and beginning prayers
"Come, let us worship"
Blessing and beginning prayers
"Come, let us worship"
Blessing and beginning prayers
"Come, let us worship"
Psalm 142
Psalm 142
Psalm
Psalm
 
Litany of Peace
Litany of Peace

"The Lord is God", with verses
Troparia

"The Lord is God", with verses
Troparia
"The Lord is God", with verses
Troparia
"The Lord is God", with verses
Troparia
Psalm 50
Psalm 50
Festal magnification

The CANON is sung.

After Ode 3:
Troparia and Litany of Fervent Supplication,
Troparion, "O fervent intercessor"

After Ode 6:
Troparia and Small Litany
Kontakion, "Steadfast Protectress of Christians"
Akathist (if desired)
Prokeimenon
"Let everything that lives", with verses
Gospel Reading
Litany, "Save your people, O God"
Lord, have mercy (12 times)

After Ode 9:
"It is truly proper"

The CANON is sung.

After Ode 3:
Troparia and Litany of Fervent Supplication

After Ode 6:
Troparia and Small Litany
Akathist (if desired)
Prokeimenon
"Let everything that lives", with verses
Gospel Reading
Stichera "after Psalm 50"
Litany, "Save your people, O God"

After Ode 9:
"It is truly proper"

Prokeimenon
Apostolic Reading
Alleluia
Gospel Reading
Prokeimenon
"Let everything that lives", with verses
Gospel Reading
Stichera to the Mother of God
Praises or petitions, with refrain
Stichera
Trisagion prayers and Our Father
Trisagion prayers and Our Father
Troparia from the "general moleben for the living"
Troparia from the "general moleben for the living"
Additional prayers

Special Litany of supplication and protection
Prayer of the Paraklesis

Special Litany of supplication and protection
Prayer of the moleben
Litany of Fervent Supplication
Prayer of the moleben
Special Litany of supplication and protection
Prayer of the moleben
   
Great Doxology
OR Hymn of St Ambrose
Great Doxology
OR Hymn of St Ambrose
Dismissal
Dismissal
Dismissal
Dismissal

The troparia and concluding prayers differ for each each moleben, and special petitions are often added to the various litanies. Items in italics may or may not be present, depending on the moleben.

As you can see from this table, there are quite a few possibilities. It is important for the cantor to know the basic parts of the service (regardless of which ones are used) and how to sing them.