Sunday Divine Liturgy on Regular Sundays is at 10am   We livestream Sunday Liturgy on our Facebook Page (Holy Protection Orthodox Church).  For Pascha Liturgy see below.  

Wednesday Vespers 7pm   (Check Facebook page on a given week for any changes that might happen in time or day on a given week in midweek services).  

Sermons and classes can be found on our Youtube channel ProtectionDover. 

More catechetical information, in both video and written form, can be found on our educational website www.orthodoxchristianed.org. 

Confessions are done generally by appointment, although often there are times before or after midweek services but still it is best to let the priest know since he has a lot of other things to do in this time period, and often other confessions already scheduled.  

2024 Holy Protection Holy Week, Pascha, and Resurrection Bright Week Schedule and instructions.

Some “tips” for Holy Week, Pascha, and Bright Week:

*The Church is re-decorated after every service so not only are you taking liturgically the journey with Christ in those terms but also visibly we are “taken” to the various places where these things happened. 

*While all services are “kid-friendly,” we have many volunteers that make sure that the children have extra participation in the following… The services of Palm Sunday Liturgy, the Great Friday evening Shroud services (especially the end of the first one and the whole of the second), and the Paschal Midnight service,  are designed for children, with special things for youth including younger children to do. 

*Even if we have back-to-back services, you do not need to feel awkward about coming to just one of them, and also you don’t have to feel awkward about coming to even part of one, as people work and have other things going on during the week.  You can come in your work clothes, so don’t worry about changing.  If you are tired and worried that you can’t stand or kneel, then please still come and sit prayerfully, which is also an acceptable posture of prayer in any case.  No one will tell you when to sit or stand but if you are tired, please sit (but try to stand, or in some cases kneel, during important parts such as entrances, the great censing, the reading of the Gospel, and at a full Liturgy during the Creed and the Anaphora).     

*For those who are new, the pronunciation of Easter in the original languages is “Pas-kha.”  So when you see “Pascha” that is how it is pronounced, “Pas-kha.”   Some make the first “a” sound more like an “o” and some do not.  It is all good.  It means “Passover” and refers to Christ’s (and ours with Him) Passing over from death to life.

All times given are approximate

Friday April 26 End of Great Lent, beginning of Lazarus Saturday (Eve of Lazarus Saturday)

4pm Fr. Harry prepares for Presanctified Liturgy

5pm-6pm and 8pm-9pm Final Confessions until after St. Thomas (please let priest know you are coming, those who scheduled first get taken first)

6pm-7pm Singers practice for Holy Week/Pascha

6pm-7pm Decorating church with palms decorations

7pm-8pm Vespers of the Resurrection of Lazarus with Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts

Great and Holy Week Services

Palm Sunday April 28  The Triumphal Entrance of our Lord into Jerusalem as the King of kings

9am Entrance and Proskomedia

9:40am The churching reception of mother and child

9:45am The Preliminary Baptism rites and Preliminary Chrismation rite of those who will be received into the Church on Holy Saturday.   

10am Divine Liturgy of the Triumphal Entry of Christ

Holy & Great Tuesday April 30

11am-Noon Bridegroom Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts with anointing of blessed spikenard from the Holy Land.  (Please note, the Sacrament of Holy Unction this year, as with last year, will be offered not during Holy Week, but rather during Resurrection Bright week (see below Bright Wednesday, where it will be coupled with Resurrection Vespers).

Holy & Great Thursday (Eve of Great Friday) May 2

4pm Priest does Proskomedia for upcoming Liturgy

*5pm-6:30pm The Mystical Supper w/footwashing Vesperal Divine Liturgy commemorating the Institution of the Eucharist, footwashing of disciples, setting aside of Eucharist for the infirmed for the rest of the year. 

6:30pm-7pm  Brief break while priest sets up for 7pm service.     

*7pm-8pm Candlelight Passion of Christ Service (12 Gospels Matins, procession with large cross, setting cross out in middle of church)

Holy & Great Friday May 3

11am Royal Hours (3^rd &6^th ~30 min) followed by decorating for the evening services (even if you can stay only a half hour afterward will be immense help)

*6pm-7pm  Crucifixion, taking down of Christ from the Cross Vespers, Burial of Christ, bringing out the Shroud.  (Please note, you don’t have to come to both services, but this will be “vigil style” which will mean that the priest will end one service and immediately begin another). 

*7pm-8pm  Shroud procession service, Holy Saturday Matins with Praises, Descent to Hades service with procession (*Note, this is a good service to bring children to, as we have things for them to do such as the girls throwing rose petals before the shroud of Christ and the boys ringing bells on a string during the procession with the Shroud), and doing the “rattling of the bones” sounds during the Old Testament reading of the resurrection prophecy). 

Great Saturday and Pascha Resurrection Sunday

May 4&5

Holy & Great Saturday 11:30am-1pm    

*Vesperal Divine Liturgy of “First Resurrection” With Baptisms and Chrismations!  Bringing a liturgical (Biblical) end to Great Saturday and beginning to Great Pascha.  During this service we change the décor of the church from dark to light/white.  Prior to rising in the body “late Saturday evening” (Matt. 28.1, which Biblically is Sunday already, as Biblically the day begins in the evening) earlier on Holy Saturday we celebrate Christ’s preaching to the souls imprisoned there and rising in soul from hell (hades) harrowing it and saving its captives!  This is the one service in the year where Proskomedia and most of Liturgy is served out in the nave (the main part of the church) and also where those who wish to, “rumble” their seats or bang on other items representing the Harrowing of Hell at “Arise O God.”  (Following this we redecorate so anyone who is able and would like to can stay and help re-decorate for Midnight!)

*Pascha Resurrection of Christ Midnight Service  

Saturday Night/early Sunday Morning

The Hebrew Day, like the liturgical Orthodox Church day, begins in the evening.  As we see from the Gospels, the bodily Resurrection of Christ took place during the midnight watch aka the “middle watch of the night” 10pm-2am cf. Judges 7.19.  The Gospel of Matthew specifies that it took place “late Saturday evening,” and the first visitations of the myrrhbearing women thereafter was still “while it was yet dark,” but others visited later in the morning. 

10pm People begin to arrive (and those who have baskets of festal foods to be blessed bring them to the social hall, which will be blessed after the Liturgy--it is wise to give yourselves time to bring baskets with festal foods to hall before coming over to church, unless you are running late).  Please be seated in the church until the Paschal light is lit and it is time to receive it.    

*10:30pm-1am  Paschal Nocturnes, The Lighting of the Paschal Fire, Procession, Matins, Hours and Divine Liturgy, followed by the “run for the tomb” for the youth, then the blessing of baskets and Resurrection feast in the social hall.   Bring sleeping bags for younger children to be able to sleep and “camp out” during the service as needed.  Re-arrange seating as needed (but also remember that there will likely be, based on last year’s attendance, over 100 people there, so use prudence). 

Sunday Later in Morning

10am  Liturgy--For those not able to make it to the midnight Liturgy, Fr. Frederick will be serving Divine Liturgy!  (*Note, Fr. Harry will not be at this Liturgy as he will be serving the midnight Liturgy and a priest cannot serve the same Liturgy twice in one day.  This is a repeat of the Midnight Liturgy for those who can’t make it, as Fr. Frederick is willing and able to serve this service and will not be serving the Midnight service, we are able this year to offer this).   

Sunday Afternoon

4pm Resurrection Agape Vespers with its own special features. 

Holy Resurrection Bright Week!

Holy and Bright Wednesday May 8

6pm Resurrection Vespers of Bright Week with the Great Mystery of Holy Unction, the Sacrament of Healing

Holy and Bright Friday May 10

10am Resurrection Friday Liturgy

Holy and Bright Saturday May 11

Wedding bells for Josef and Daniela! Fr. Harry presiding at church in Daytona Beach per Metropolitan Antony’s blessing by dispensation per necessity of timing. 

Sunday May 12  Second Sunday of Pascha, St. Thomas, Mother’s Day

10am Divine Liturgy

Sunday May 19  Third Sunday of Pascha, Myrrhbearing Women 

10am Divine Liturgy