Prosphora Question

[ThomasWW]

Hi there fellow Orthodox!

I have a question for all of you that regularly bake/buy commemoration Prosphora for the extraction of particles by the priest during the preparation.

I'm part of the Greek Orthodox "denomination" (for lack of a better word) and would like to participate in this tradition but don't know weather Greeks do this kind of extraction from commemorative prosphora. And how would you deliver the Prosphora to the priest for the extraction of particles when you get to Church?

For those of you who are just foaming at the mouth to answer "ask your priest" I know. I just wanted to see what the general consensus is before I ask.

Thank you and pray for me!
Christ is among us!

[OrthodoxSouthron]

Typically, in Greek practice, there is only a single loaf of prosphoro used in the proskomedie.  The particles that are removed during the commemoration are all removed from the same loaf, which is the loaf the Lamb comes from.  In this way, there aren't individual commemoration loaves as you would see in Slavic practice.  My suggestion is to offer to your priest to bake a loaf of prosphoro. 

Hope this helps.

In Christ,
Justin

[arimethea]

For those of you who are just foaming at the mouth to answer "ask your priest" I know. I just wanted to see what the general consensus is before I ask.

Welcome to the forum! If you read through this forum and, this section in particular, you will find the answer "ask your priest" to be a very common answer because there is a wide tradition when it come to the minutia of Orthodoxy.

Something that I think I should mention, since it should be a universal practice, that only Orthodox Christians are remembered with a particle. Some priest will pray for the individuals who are not Orthodox and just not place a particle. So, depending on who you were going to ask the priest to pray for, offering the bread may be a mute point.

[ThomasWW]

Thank you both of you for your replies!

Arimethea:
Yes of course I couldn't agree with you more. A person should always seek the guidance of their priest on matters of concern, but alas! If everyone merely went to their priest to ask their questions would forums like this exist? Just a point of musing.

Such mute points! Of course it would be impossible to take an particle for a Non-Orthodox Christian, as that which rests on the discos represents the entire church militant and triumphal, gathered around Christ. One disadvantage for converts to Orthodoxy is that there are many such "mute points."  Luckily I am not a lone convert from my family!

But this brings my to another question...
In the Slavic practice Church in my area, almost everyone brings these little Prosphora. Who are the commemorating? Surely if everyone commemorated someone the knew from church a priest would be reading the same names many times. But that's beside the point.

An advantage that I see in bringing a commemorative Prosphora is that after the Liturgy you can take back home that little Prosphora which is now Antidoron. I like the Idea of consuming the Antidoron along with the morning prayers throughout the week as is done in Slavic practice. I've heard that some actually drink holy water as well. Just a thought.

Thank you for your replies!

[elephant]

Dear Thomas,

I think you mean a "moot point".  "Moot" means irrelevant.  "Mute" means silent.  (Which I should be more often!)

I attend a GOA church.  It is a common pious practice to take home pieces of the antidoron, dry them, and eat a small piece with a sip of Holy Water at the time of morning prayer.  When the level of water in the container drops, fresh water is added.  Otherwise the faithful would show up with gallon jugs at Theophany and the font would need to be a vat! 

Many of the commemorations during Proskomede are for reposed Orthodox Christians.

When I  submit names , I indicate if a person is living or reposed, Orthodox or non-Orthodox.  Then my priest knows what to do for each person.

Love, elephant

[LBK]

Otherwise the faithful would show up with gallon jugs at Theophany and the font would need to be a vat! 

This is exactly what happens at Russian churches, in my experience. Greeks bring little medicine bottles, Russians bring family-sized soda bottles. The last time I saw a blessing of water at a Russian church, water was blessed in a font, plus three 20-gallon plastic food-grade drums. And the parish was not a large one.   

[elephant]

Dear LBK,

That must be a sight!

Once a year we go to the sea and it get blessed...that's a lot of Holy Water.

I just add water and figure it's all God's water and He can do anything with it He wants.

Love elephant

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