Wednesday, July 8, 2026 The Holy Great-Martyr Procopius

When

July 8, 2026    
All Day

AT VESPERS ON TUESDAY EVENING

At Psalm 140

Tone 4, Podoben “As one valiant among the martyrs…”

If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.

Your name was given to you from heaven* as to a preacher to the nations, O most glorious Procopius;* and, illumined in mind, you forsook the darkness of idolatry* and became a lamp for the faithful,* illumining the ends of the earth with the divine radiance of your honoured struggles,* O glory and boast of the martyrs.

I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.

Having first subdued the uprisings of the flesh with abstinence,* you later set yourself apart for the contest with manly mind,* through the power of the Spirit, O most blessed Procopius, not sparing your flesh.* Wherefore, you endured all manner of tortures,* and, crowned, have ascended to the choirs on high.

From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.

As an invincible commander, armed with the Cross,* you drowned all the power of the adversary in the streams of your blood,* have richly poured forth showers of healing from the well-springs of salvation, O right wondrous one,* and water all who are held fast in the flame of the passions,* O you who are divinely inspired.

Tone 4, Podoben “You have given a sign…”

For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.

Like Paul of old, you were called from heaven by Jesus the Truth, O all-glorious Procopius;* and, believing on Him, with all your soul, O blessed one,* you forsook the falsehood and ungodly lies* bequeathed to you by your ancestors,* and, rejoicing, set yourself apart for painful labours,* enlightened by the thought of perfect suffering.

Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.

Lacerated with a trident, burned with fire* and imprisoned in a dungeon, you remained steadfast,* looking forward with enlightened mind* to the divine rewards which lay before you, O much suffering martyr.* Wherefore, Christ, the Bestower of crowns, has crowned you, O Procopius,* who completed your struggles and preserved the Faith.

Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.

Truly desiring the beauties of your divine soul, O Procopius,* Jesus pursued you with the image of the suffering which He endured in the flesh;* and your enemies marvelled at your patience and splendour.* Wherefore, O glorious one, we call blessed you and those who suffered with you.* With them ask remission of sins for those who hymn you.

Tone 4, Glory….

Your glorious memorial has shone forth today, O much-suffering Procopius,* summoning us, who love the feasts of the Church,* to the goodly praise and glory of Christ our God.* Wherefore, hastening to the shrine of your relics, we receive gifts of healings,* and we forever hymn Christ the Saviour, who has crowned you,* glorifying Him unceasingly.

Tone 4, Now… Podoben “Having set aside…”

When the unblemished ewe-lamb, the immaculate Mistress,* beheld her Lamb upon the tree of the Cross,* she cried out maternally and, marvelling, exclaimed:* “O my Child most sweet, what is this new and all-glorious sight?* How is it that the thankless assembly has betrayed You to the tribunal of Pilate, who are the life of all?* Yet I hymn Your ineffable condescension, O Word!”

Aposticha

Tone 5

О Lord, of old, in the time of Moses the Prophet,* the image of Your Cross, precisely revealed, vanquished Your enemies;* and now, possessed of that same Cross, we ask Your help:* Strengthen Your Church, for the sake of Your great mercy, О Lover of mankind!

I have lifted up my eyes to You enthroned in heaven. Behold, as the eyes of servants are on the hands of their masters, as the eyes of a maid are on the hands of her mistress, so are our eyes on the Lord our God until He has mercy on us.

Though a tree visible by nature, Your Cross, О Christ, is invested with divine power;* and tangibly revealed to the world,* it wondrously and noetically works our salvation.* Bowing down before it, we glorify You, О Saviour.* Have mercy on us!

Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us; for we have been filled with shame; our soul is all too full of the mockery of the rich, of the contempt of the proud.

Pray for us, О holy martyrs,* that we may be delivered from our iniquities;* for to you have been given the grace* to make supplication on our behalf.

Tone 8, Glory…

Illumined with the mystic effulgence of the all-radiant Trinity,* O martyr Procopius of valiant mind, you became a god by adoption, deified by communion. *Wherefore, by your supplications save from multifarious perils those* who with faith celebrate your luminous festival.

Now…

Tone 8, Now… Podoben “O glorious wonder…”

Seeing You, O Jesus, nailed to the Cross, voluntarily accepting suffering,* the Virgin, Your Mother, cried aloud, O Master:* ‘”Woe is me, O my sweet Child!* How is it that you unjustly endure wounding,* O Physician who has healed men’s infirmity* and delivered all from corruption in Your lovingkindness?”

Troparia

Tone 4

Your martyr, Procopius, O Lord,* by his passion acquired the crown of incorruptibility from You, our God.* For possessing Your power he overcame the torturers* and shattered the feeble insolence of demons.* By his supplications, save our souls.

Glory… Now…

O Virgin, all immaculate Mother of Christ God,* a sword pierced your all-holy soul* when you saw your Son and God willingly crucified.* Therefore, O blessed One,* never cease to pray to Him* that He may grant us forgiveness of our sins.

AT DIVINE LITURGY ON WEDNESDAY MORNING

Troparia and Kontakia

Troparion, Tone 4: Your martyr, Procopius, O Lord,* by his passion acquired the crown of incorruptibility from You, our God.* For possessing Your power he overcame the torturers* and shattered the feeble insolence of demons.* By his supplications, save our souls.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and for ever and ever. Amen.

Kontakion, Tone 2: As a bright and unerring star you appeared to the world* proclaiming with your rays the Sun, that is, Christ, O martyr, Procopius,* and you have extinguished all error.* But to us you give light, praying without ceasing for all of us.

Prokeimenon, Tone 4

God is wonderful in His saints,* the God of Israel.

verse: In the churches bless God, the Lord from the fountains of Israel. (Psalm 67:36,27)

Epistle

1 Corinthians 7:12-24

Alleluia, Tone 4

verse: The just man shall flourish like the palm tree; and he shall grow like the cedar in Lebanon.

verse: They who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish the courts of our God. (Psalm 91:13,14)

Gospel

Matthew 14:35-15:11

Communion Hymn

The just man shall be in everlasting remembrance;* of evil hearsay he shall have no fear.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia. (Psalm 111:6)