reader's services?

[Tikhon.of.Colorado]

What are reader's services?

I've heard that a laymen can have a reader's service, such as vespers or matins, by himself at his icon corner.  Is this true?

[bogdan]

Yes.

But usually it's the Hours and Small Compline. Matins and Vespers have a great many variables that require lots of books (horologion, full menaion, octoechoes, festal menaion, triodion, etc.), putting it out of reach for most laymen (although you could get by with a general menaion, octoechoes, and a church calendar).

Here is a good resource for full reader service texts: http://www.saintjonah.org/services/horologion.htm

And this website will generate the daily services, adding some of the daily hymns (though not all the Vespers and Matins materials): http://orthodox.seasidehosting.st/

[arimethea]

Very true. You just need an Horologion, Menaion, and Paraklitiki.

[Tikhon.of.Colorado]

Thank you, Bogdan and Arimethea, for the helpful information!  I would like to practice reading at home with something other than the psalter for a change.  Do they sell copies of the books mentioned anywhere?

[Asteriktos]

I use this book, which is much smaller and easier to hold than the various great horologions and such I've owned, but still has most of what you'd need anyway. (Some discussion)

[bogdan]

I use this book, which is much smaller and easier to hold than the various great horologions and such I've owned, but still has most of what you'd need anyway. (Some discussion)

I'm not familiar with this particular book, but I've seen other similar "simplified horologions" before. One in particular replaced the troparia of the day's saint with those of the daily commemoration (Monday, the angels; Tuesday, John the Baptist; etc.), so that a calendar was not even necessary.

Whichever one you pick, it's not a bad idea to have one. The Hours are very nice services, only 10 minutes or so, and each focuses on a certain topic. The Sixth Hour is about Christ's crucifixion, for example. (But as always, it's better to pray less but consistently than to pray a lot and burn yourself out and not pray at all.)

[scamandrius]

This is from Bishop BASIL's website.  Here are the rubrics for doing a reader's Vespers (Great and weekday), Matins (Orthros) and Compline.  You still need the books which the others have mentioned.  http://www.dowama.org/content/services-without-priest

YOu will also need to know how to know which hymns are used on any given day.  This link has typikon charts:  http://www.dowama.org/content/typikon

Yes, it is a lot and looks very intimidating.  But, once you put it together, you have immersed yourself in a great gift of the Great Church.

[Tikhon.of.Colorado]

I use this book, which is much smaller and easier to hold than the various great horologions and such I've owned, but still has most of what you'd need anyway. (Some discussion)

how interesting!  the reader at my church gave me a book he'd made for me that is just like that, with daily/great vespers, hours, etc.  I wondered what it was exactly, and it's just like this! 

looks like I'm set.   

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