Little Vespers is celebrated prior to sunset before feasts on which, according to the rule, there is to be an All-night Vigil.
The priest, having put on the epitrachelion and, standing before the holy doors, begins: Blessed is our God . . . , Reader or choir: Amen. Glory to thee, our God, glory to thee. Then: O Heavenly King . . . , the Trisagion, and after Our Father. . . the exclamation, For Thine is the Kingdom, Then: Lord, have mercy. twelve times and Come, let us worship. . ., thrice. And Ninth Hour is read in order.
Then, at its conclusion, there is no dismissal, but the priest, wearing the epitrachelion and standing before the holy doors, again exclaims: Blessed is our God always . . Reader or choir: Amen. Come let us worship ... thrice and then the Vespers Psalm (103), Bless the Lord, O my soul . . . . Glory ... Now and . . ., and Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia. Glory to thee, O God. thrice; Lord, have mercy. thrice and Glory . . . Now and . . .
There is no litany nor kathisma of the Psalter, but the reader or choir says: Lord, I have called ... with four stichera, then, Glory ... Now and ... and the theotokion. Immediately after this, O Joyful Light . . . After the evening hymn, the priest, standing in front of the holy doors says the prokeimenon of the day with its verses. After this, Vouchsafe, O Lord, . . . and the aposticha; Glory ... Now and ... and then the Theotokion, and Lord, now lettest thou Thy servant depart . . . (St. Simeon's Prayer)
After the Trisagion and the exclamation, the troparion of the feast, Glory . . . Now and . . . , the theotokion. Then the priest says this Iitany:
Have mercy on
us, O God, according to thy great mercy, we pray Thee, hearken and have mercy.
Choir: Lord, have
mercy. thrice
Again we pray
for our [lord, the Most Blessed] Metropolitan N., and for our [lord,
the Most Reverend] Archbishop N., (or
[the Right Reverend] Bishop N.)
Choir: Lord, have
mercy. thrice
Again we pray
for all the brethren and for all Christians.
Choir: Lord, have
mercy. thrice
Exclamation:
For thou art a
merciful God who lovest man, and unto thee do we send up glory, to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.
Choir: Amen.
Priest:
Glory to thee, O Christ God, our
Hope, glory to Thee.
Choir: Glory... Now and... Lord, have
mercy. thrice Bless.
The priest gives the dismissal:
May Christ our
true God, through the intercessions of His immaculate Mother, of our holy and
God-bearing Fathers, and of all the Saints, have mercy on us and save us, for
He is good and loveth man.
Choir: Many Years.