Every Friday during Great Lent 6PM

During Great Lent the first four Fridays the service of the Salutation to the Theotokos is read honouring the Virgin Mary , followed by the fifth Friday the Akathist Hymn.

This is one of the most beautiful and beloved hymns of the orthodox church. It is an ecclesiastical poem about the Annunciation of the Mother of God (which occurs during lent) and the Nativity of Jesus Christ. The hymn contains 24 stanzas in order of the Greek Alphabet. Each stanza begins with a letter of the alphabet starting with ‘alpha’ and ending with ‘omega’. A different stanza (referred to as the salutation of the Virgin Mary) is sung on these first four Friday evenings of Great Lent. On the fifth Friday ‘The Akathist Hymn’ is sung entirely. Each service is concluded with a singing of ‘Ti Ipermacho’ (The Invincible Commander) which is like a national anthem to the church.

During this time when the priest is reading the ecclesiastical poem he finishes each stanza to the Panagia with the words ‘Hail to the unwedded bride’. It has been traditionally known that during this time it is highly recommended by monastic orders, that any single female that is looking for a husband to start a family and Panagia been one of the Patron Saint and a role mode to mothers, (both current and future) it is well advised to attend all five services and keeping all prerequisite of Great Lent and that Panagia will help to introduce to them the man of their dreams.