Vespers

Current use

Roman Rite

• Vespers begins with the singing or chanting of the opening responsory consisting of the verse Deus, in adiutorium meum intende, followed by the Gloria Patri, and the Alleluia. The Alleluia is omitted during Lent. This opening formula is common to all the liturgical hours apart from the first of the day where it is replaced by the Invitatory.
• The appointed hymn is then sung;
• The appointed psalmody is then sung: in the liturgy in general use since 1970 there are two psalms and a New Testament canticle. In older forms of the Roman Office five psalms were sung. Each psalm concludes with a doxology and is preceded and followed by an antiphon. Additionally, most Psalms also have a short caption explaining how the Psalm/Canticle relates to the Church in a Christological or spiritual way; lastly, English translations oftentimes have a psalm-prayer said after the Gloria and before the antiphon.
• After the psalms, there is a reading from the Bible.
• Following the reading, there is a short responsory consisting of a verse, a response, the first half only of the Gloria Patri, and then the verse again.
• The Magnificat follows – the canticle of the Blessed Virgin Mary from the Luke 1:46–55 – the key daily canticle of Vespers. Like the psalmody, the Magnificat is always preceded by an antiphon, and followed by the Gloria and the repeated antiphon. While singing the Magnificat the altar may be incensed, followed by the ministers and the people.
• The preces are then said, followed by the Lord's Prayer, and then the collect and blessing.
• The office is sometimes followed by Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

  First and Second Vespers

Byzantine Rite

Outline

• Vespers opens with a blessing by the priest and then "Come, let us worship..."; when part of an All-Night Vigil, the blessing that normally begins matins is used; when part of the Divine Liturgy, the blessing that is part thereof is used.
• Proemial Psalm : "Bless the Lord, O my soul; O Lord my God, Thou hast been magnified exceedingly...".
• The "Litany of Peace".
• A kathisma, a portion of the Psalter is read, or on Saturday evening, when it is the First Kathisma, it is sung, and on major feast, the first third of that is sung. For about half the year, and for five of the six weeks of Lent, on weekdays, it is the Eighteenth Kathisma.
• The church is censed while "Lord I have Cried", 141, 129, and 116 ) is sung with stichera about the feast day inserted between the last several verses.
• The Entrance is made with the censer unless there is a Gospel reading, in which case the Gospel Book is carried.
• The hymn Phos Ilaron is recited or sung.
• The Prokeimenon is chanted.
• On feast days, there are three or more readings from the Old Testament, called Prophecies.
• The Litany of Fervent Supplication
• The prayer "Vouchsafe, O Lord", is read.
• The Litany of Supplication
• On major feast days, a Litiy is inserted. The clergy and the cantors process to the narthex or outside while hymns pertaining to the feastare sung. Then the deacon recites a litany with several long petitions, the response to each petition beings Kyrie eleison many times. The priest ends with a long prayer invoking the intercessions of the saints and the Theotokos.
• The Aposticha are chanted. These are verses that teach about the feast day.
• The Nunc dimittis, the Canticle of St. Simeon , is read.
• Then are sung the Apolytikia of the day.
• On major feast days, the artoklasia is performed, at which the priest blesses five loaves of bread which have been prepared in the center of the church, together with wheat, wine and oil which are later distributed to the faithful. The beginning of Psalm 33 is then sung.
• The dismissal is given by the priest. If it is an All-Night Vigil this is a simple blessing by the priest; otherwise, it is the full dismissal sequence.

East Syriac liturgy

Oriental Orthodoxy

Armenian liturgy