The text of the prayer service was translated and adapted by the Ukrainian Liturgical Society, 2019.

Deacon: Bless, Lord.

Priest: Blessed is our God always, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.

If served separately, and not after the liturgy or other divine service: The Trisagion after the Our Father.

Peaceful Litany

The following petitions are added:

That we may love and take care of all visible creation, to which we ourselves belong, let us pray to the Lord.

That we may stop the thoughtless use that pollutes the earth, air, and water, and gives rise to disease and global warming, let us pray to the Lord.

That we may be able to preserve all the wealth of natural diversity, protecting vulnerable species from extinction, let us pray to the Lord.

To stop plundering and polluting the earth, to put an end to reckless deforestation, the destruction of natural environments and the depletion of the earth’s non-renewable resources, let us pray to the Lord.

That we may overcome the cruel keeping of livestock and all cruelty towards animals, let us pray to the Lord.

That we may learn to respect work and workers, and to give them a decent wage, without deception, without pushing our neighbors to abuse the riches of the environment, let us pray to the Lord.

That we may justly distribute the goods of the earthly borders among all peoples, rejoicing in the unity of the human race and our kinship with all creation, let us pray to the Lord.

That we may recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit in all creatures, renewed in the person of Christ, the Savior of all life, let us pray to the Lord.

That we and all around us may be preserved without any harm through the intercession of the holy angels, let us pray to the Lord.

That we may strive for a pure and sinless life and leave behind us a good trace and inheritance on earth, let us pray to the Lord.

That the Lord may reveal us to His royal priesthood, which He always brings to Him in thanksgiving of ourselves and all that He has created, let us pray to the Lord.

Intercede, save, have mercy, etc.

God the Lord and troparion

Deacon: God the Lord and appeared to us…

Tropor of the Indictment, tone 2

Creator of the whole world, / who holds times and years in Your power, / bless the whole year with Your grace, O Lord, / preserving in Your peace our holy Church and all her faithful, / through the prayers of the Theotokos, and save us.

Troparion for the Environment, Tone 4

Lord and Savior,/ who, as God, brought all things into being by His word,/ established the laws of nature/ and infallibly governs all things for Your glory,/ through the prayers of the Theotokos,/ preserve all the elements that hold our world together,/ whole and unharmed // and save the entire universe.

Paramia

From the Book of Genesis Reading (1:27–30):

And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. And God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea [and over the beasts,] and over the birds of the air, [and over all the cattle, and over all the earth,] and over every living thing that creeps on the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat: and to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat. And it was so.

From the book of Genesis a reading (9:8–11):

And God said unto Noah, Behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you, 10 And with every living soul that is with you, of the fowl, and of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth that is with you, of all that go out of the ark, of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; 11 I will establish my covenant with you, that all flesh shall no more be cut off by the waters of a flood, neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.

From the book of Numbers readings (22:21–35):

Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his donkey, and went with the princes of Moab. And God’s anger was kindled because he went, and the angel of the Lord stood in the way to oppose him. He was riding on his donkey, and two of his servants were with him. And the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand, and the donkey turned off the road and went into the field; and Balaam began to beat the donkey to turn her back onto the road. And the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow road between the vineyards, with a wall on one side and a wall on the other. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she pressed herself against the wall and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall; and he began to beat her again. The angel of the Lord passed by again and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn either to the right or to the left. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam. Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he struck the donkey with a stick. Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you that you have struck me these three times?” Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have mocked me; if there were a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now.” The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey, on which you have ridden from the beginning until now? Have I ever treated you this way?” He said, “No.” Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn in his hand. Then he bowed down and fell on his face. The angel of the Lord said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times?” I came out to hinder [you], because [your] way is not right before Me; and the donkey, She has turned away from me these three times; if she had not turned away from me, I would have killed you, but let her live. And Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, I have sinned, for I did not know that you stood in the way against me; therefore, if it displeases you, I will turn back. And the angel of the Lord said to Balaam, Go with these men, but only speak what I tell you. And Balaam went with the princes of Balak.

Apostle and Gospel

Prokeimenon, tone 2:

Let the heavens rejoice, and let all the earth be glad; / let the sea roar, and all that fills it (Ps. 95:11–12)

Verse: Let the fields rejoice, and all that is in them, and let all the trees of the woods be glad before the Lord.

To the Romans, the letter of the holy apostle Paul reading (Rom. 8:18–30):

Brethren, I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but by the will of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the glorious freedom of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now; and not only they, but we ourselves also, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is not hope; for when a man sees, why does he hope for it? But if we hope for what we do not see, then we wait patiently. Likewise the Spirit also helps us in our weaknesses; for we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings that cannot be uttered. And he who searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because he makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And whom he predestined, he also called; and whom he called, he also justified; and whom he justified, he also glorified.

Alleluia, the same voice:

Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord, sing praises to Him and glorify Him forever.

Let the earth bless the Lord, sing praises to Him and glorify Him forever.

From the Holy Gospel of Luke (Luke 12:6, 24–28):

Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings? And not one of them is forgotten by God. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap; they have neither barn nor storehouse, and God feeds them. How much more valuable are you than the birds! And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? If then you cannot do even the least, why worry about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin. For I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, you of little faith!

At the threefold litany

A request is added:

We also pray that we may strive for true priesthood and stewardship in the universe with all that fills it.

Exclamation: Hear us, O God, our Savior…

Prayer for the environment

Priest: Have mercy, most merciful Lord, on us sinners, who thoughtlessly squander the blessings of our earthly home, in which we travel, in every way hurting our neighbors and harming Your creations on earth, in the waters, and in the air. From the deep darkness of sin and ignorance, bring us out, O Lord, and grant that we may be Your true children, that we may become Your instruments for the salvation of all creation, through the Passion and Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We beseech You, Lover of mankind, hear these supplications of Your children for our environment, for to You belongs all glory, honor, and worship, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.

People: Amen.

Indulgence

Priest: Christ our true God, through the prayers of His Most Pure Mother, our venerable and God-bearing fathers and mothers, righteous Noah, the prophet Elijah, the venerable Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, Anthony, Theodosius and Prochorus the Lobodnik, the miracle workers of the Caves, Job and Theodosius of Manyavsky, Neil of Sor, Seraphim of Sarov, Paisius of the Holy Mountain (and locally venerated saints at the request of the abbot) and all the holy intercessors of the environment, have mercy on us and save us, as He is good and loves mankind.

People: Amen.