Commontide
Liturgical Color: White/Gold
The 5th Sunday in Lent (Passion Sunday)
Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of this world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Lent
You bid your faithful people cleanse their hearts, and prepare with joy for the Paschal feast; that, fervent in prayer and in works of mercy, and renewed by your Word and Sacraments, they may come to the fullness of grace which you have prepared for those who love you.
Most liturgical texts are from the Book of Common Prayer (2019) of the Anglican Church in North America.
The New Coverdale Psalter, © 2019 by the Anglican Church in North America. Used by permission.
Patriarch of Moscow, Confessor and Ecumenist
Ecumenical Commemoration
Tikhon (1865-1925) was a Russian priest's son who served nine years as the Orthodox bishop of America, then returned home to be elected, by lot, the first Patriarch of Moscow in nearly two hundred years. Within months a revolution had taken the country. He condemned the killings and the seizure of the churches, was imprisoned for it, and died in 1925 with the Church still standing.
Tikhon was born in 1865 into an Orthodox Russian family. Ordained to the priesthood, he eventually became a bishop and was assigned as the Russian Orthodox Bishop of the Aleutians and North America from 1898 to 1907, during a crucial period of Orthodox missionary work in North America. During his tenure, Tikhon demonstrated remarkable openness to Episcopalian clergy and lay leaders, encouraging dialogue and cooperation between the Orthodox and Anglican communions. In 1917, following the Russian Revolution and the restoration of the patriarchate (which had been dormant since 1700), Tikhon was elected Patriarch of Moscow. In this capacity, he became the primary defender of Orthodox Christianity against Bolshevik ideology and Soviet state pressure. He was imprisoned multiple times, interrogated, and subjected to intense pressure to renounce his faith and his position. Despite these trials, he maintained his commitment to Orthodox Christianity and ecumenical witness. He died on April 7, 1925 (October 9 in the Orthodox calendar), under circumstances suggesting Soviet pressure and possible poisoning. The Russian Orthodox Church canonized him as a saint in 1989, recognizing his steadfast faith and martyrdom under persecution.
Tikhon is venerated in the Orthodox tradition as a confessor who endured persecution under communist atheism while maintaining fidelity to Orthodox Christianity and the patriarchate. His ecumenical outreach during his American episcopate is recognized as a significant moment in Orthodox-Anglican relations. He exemplifies Orthodox resistance to totalitarianism and the cost of faith under persecution. His canonization in 1989 marked the post-Soviet recognition of his holiness and martyrdom.