Length of DL

[contriteheart]

Just curious - what's the shortest amount of time you've ever heard the Divine Liturgy said in? I just got back from DL. We started at 6 pm and when I left (after finishing the liturgy and lingering over snacks for probably half an hour at least, it was 7:45.) That would make the DL 1:15. I was under the impression that DL usually lasts 1:30 to 2 hrs. Would you consider this unusual?

[Philip]

I have a recording of the DL that is 74 minutes long, but it doesn't have readings, a sermon, or time for communion.

[contriteheart]

This (obviously) had all three of those, and still would have been about 75 minutes.

[VickiY]

It's a Vesperal DL, though, it sounds like....the timing on those can be different.

[contriteheart]

I don't know the difference, although I do know that it was Divine Liturgy, and not vespers. The reason it was at night is that the local congregation is a mission, and the priest can only come in the evening. I don't think it was a different service, as we were using what seemed to be the normal service book.

[The Prokeimenon!]

Our Sunday Liturgies usually take about an hour and a half. Our weekday Liturgies usually only take about an hour and 15 minutes, because we don't have a full choir on the weekdays, which means we don't have to pause every 30 seconds to "repitch" the choir. :)

Moses

[The Prokeimenon!]

I don't know the difference, although I do know that it was Divine Liturgy, and not vespers. The reason it was at night is that the local congregation is a mission, and the priest can only come in the evening. I don't think it was a different service, as we were using what seemed to be the normal service book.

Sometimes, when a Liturgy is served in the evening, it is "combined" with Vespers, hence the "Vesperal Liturgy." It starts out like Vespers, complete with "O Lord, I have cried" but moves into the Divine Liturgy around the time of the readings. These are usually served the evening before a Feast (since alot of Feasts don't fall on weekends, and many people can't get off work to attend Liturgy on the morning of a Feast :( )

Moses

[Matrona]

A Vesperal DL is one with the first half of Vespers tacked onto Divine Liturgy. This is one of the few ways DL can be celebrated at night, and they are a little bit shorter than a regular DL.

[choirfiend]

A mission evening-type Liturgy (where it is a visiting priest) might be a bit shorter than a standard Liturgy anyway, in my experience. I'm not sure why this is, but the priest should be able to tell you. Might have shortened prayers, a litany abbreviated...not totally sure, but since the visiting priest usually has some distance to travel to get back home (at the closest mission to here, the priest has about a 40 minute drive) things tend to wrap up faster...

[contriteheart]

I know he did have two hours to travel home.

Thanks for the info on the vesperal liturgy. Now I know what one is. I still think it was a standard DL, though (or some variation of one). I've been to vespers, and I didn't notice the vespers part tonight. Also, it started with "Blessed is the Kingdom..."

[The Prokeimenon!]

Not to harp on the Vesperal Liturgy thing, but it would also begin with "Blessed is the Kingdom..."

Anyway- I'm not sure what would make a Liturgy shorter, unless the Priest is well-versed in the ancient sport of "speed-Liturgy" :D

Moses

[Shubunkin]

unless the Priest is well-versed in the ancient sport of "speed-Liturgy" :D

Moses

:D

[MariaRegina]

I know he did have two hours to travel home.

Thanks for the info on the vesperal liturgy. Now I know what one is. I still think it was a standard DL, though (or some variation of one). I've been to vespers, and I didn't notice the vespers part tonight. Also, it started with "Blessed is the Kingdom..."

When a priest has two Divine Liturgies to celebrate in one day ... he cannot celebrate two Sunday liturgies.

So, what the priest does is to celebrate the Sunday Divine Liturgy during the morning ...

then he travels to the mission and celebrates an evening Liturgy - for Monday, not Sunday.

Since the Divine Liturgy for weekdays is usually a tad shorter ... your Divine Liturgy (celebrated on Sunday evening for Monday) will of course be shorter.


I have been to an evening Sunday Divine Liturgy at a mission ... and it is not a vesperal liturgy, unless there is a feast day on Monday.



Hope this helps.


The only way a parish can celebrate two Sunday Divine Liturgies is to have two altars and two different priests, who each celebrate separate Divine Liturgies.

The Roman Catholic Church (Latin Rite) is different as their priests can celebrate up to three masses in one day.

[contriteheart]

Thanks, Aria. It does help.

With love in Christ,
Grace

[Michael the Iconographer]

Last month Fr. Michael was on vacation and the visiting priest sped through the Liturgy like he was driving a Porsche on the Autobahn and it was done in a little over 1 hour 15 minutes. Divine Liturgy on Sunday usually lasts about 1 hour 45 mintues - 2 hours at St. Innocent Parish.