Terminology - Glossary S

SPONSOR – (Lat. to promise) One who speaks for the person to be baptized and undertakes a certain responsibility for the faith of such person, thereby contracting spiritual relationship, commonly called “godfather” and “godmother.”  For validity sponsors must be Orthodox. The duties of sponsors are to take a permanent interest in the spiritual welfare of… Read More

Square Notation (Square-Note Notation, Square Notes)? A five-line staff notation that replaced medieval neumatic notation in Russian church singing of the the second half of the 17th c. In its essential details, Square Notes resembles the staff notation used in Western European sacred and secular music of the 16th-17th c. In the Russian Church, Square… Read More

STANDING – The normal bodily posture at Orthodox services; kneeling being a penitential practice.

STARETZ – A staretz (Russian) or geronta (Gr, pronounced yeronda, both literally meaning elder) is a holy person gifted with the charism of spiritual direction, often a monk or hermit (not necessarily a priest), in the Church. The plural of the Russian form is startsy. Russian, elder, starets, from Old Church Slavonic starts, elder, from… Read More

STAUROPIGION – A monastery directly subject to a Patriarch.

STAVOPEGIAL – A stavropegial (stavropigial or stavropighial) institution, usually a monastery, is one which falls directly under the omophorion of the primate of a church rather than under the local diocesan bishop.

STAVROTHEOTOKION – A type of sticheron in which the Mother of God is described standing before the Cross and lamenting the suffering of Jesus Christ. They are typically found in the Octoechos in the hymnography for Wednesdays and Fridays.

STEM OF JESSE – (an appellation of the Theotokos) In the Nativity Service, the Lord is referred to as the Rod from the Stem of Jesse (Is. 11:1), indicating His lineage from David, which was fulfilled through the Theotokos, who was a scion (or stem) of the line of David, the son of Jesse.

STEWARDSHIP – A steward is one who manages property belonging to another. All a Christian has belongs to God. Thus, the Christian gives back to God out of the material blessings he has received from God for the work of the Church. In the Old Testament God commanded the faithful to give ten percent of… Read More

STICHARION – (dalmatic) A vestment of the deacon and subdeacon, made of brocade material.

STICHERA – (singular: sticheron) are hymns used mainly in Vespers and Matins. A sticherarion is a book containing the stichera for the morning and evening services throughout the year. Stichera are also found in the Menaion and Octoechos.

Sticherarion  (pl., STICHERA)– a liturgical chant book of the Orthodox Church, which contains stichera and other hymns of the Proper from the yearly cycle. Sticherarion varied in content: some contained only stichera of the twelve major feasts, others — stichera from the Lenten and Festal Triodia, the Octoechos, or the Menaia. In time, the contents… Read More

STIKHERON – another general title referring to a composed hymn written in verses. Such hymns occur throughout Orthodox worship, e.g.: they are inserted at the places appointed by the Typikon during the chanting of “Lord, I call” (Psalms 141, 142, 130 and 117) at Vespers. They are usually associated with Psalmody. (not to be confused… Read More

STOCHNY SINGING? – A type of polyphonic singing that developed in the Russian Orthodox Church in the 16th and 17th centuries. The polyphonic texture in Strochny Singing is formed by the addition of a vocal line either above the basic chant, or below it, but most frequently, both above and below, forming a 3-voiced texture;… Read More

STOLE – (1) A long, narrow (4 in. wide and 6 ft. long) vestment worn over the left shoulder by a deacon (Orarion). (2) A priest’s Stole (Epitrakhil) is worn round the neck and joined in front for its entire length, and falls low upon his cassock. Without the Stole neither the Priest nor the… Read More

STONE – (an appellation or Title of Jesus)  “Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?” Matt 21:42 “And a stone of stumbling, and a… Read More

STYLITE – A stylite is one who lives on a pillar (style in Greek). These holy saints would remove their bodies from the ground for days, months, or even years in order that they might pray and fast better. This did not mean that they were cut off from the world. On the contrary, many… Read More

SUBDEACON – (Sl. Ipodiakon) An assistant or a server at the services of a bishop; vesting the bishop and handing him the dikerion and trikerion.

SUN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS – (an appellation or Title of Jesus)  “But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.” Mal 4:2

SUNDAY – (In Russian it is called the Resurrection Day). First day of the week consecrated in a special way to Christian worship. It is observed from Apostolic times. Sunday, the Lord’s Day, is a special day consecrated to the service and worship of God.  It is “the day the Lord has made” (Ps. 117… Read More

SUNDAY OF THE PRODIGAL SON – The Sunday after the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee is the Sunday of the Prodigal Son, the third Sunday befor Lent. This parable of God’s forgiveness calls us to come to ourselves as did the prodigal son, to see ourselves as being “in a far country” far… Read More

SUNDAY OF THE PUBLICAN AND THE PHARISEE – The Sunday after the Sunday of Zacchaeus is devoted to the Publican and the Pharisee. This is the forth Sunday befor Lent. At Vespers the night before, the TRIODION (the liturgical book used in the services of Great Lent) begins. Two men went to the Temple to… Read More

SURE FOUNDATION – (an appellation or Title of Jesus) “Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.” Isa 28:16

SURETY – (an appellation or Title of Jesus)   “By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.” Heb 7:22   (Also: Guarantee)