Parastas vs. Panakhyda: Understanding Memorial Prayers in the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

In the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the faithful have long honored the memory of their departed loved ones through special liturgical prayers. Among the most important of these are Parastas and Panakhyda. While both are prayers for the repose of souls, they differ in form, length, and liturgical context. Understanding these distinctions helps the faithful participate more meaningfully in the Church’s ministry of prayer for the dead.

Parastas: The Solemn Memorial Service

Parastas is often called the Great Panakhyda and is the most formal memorial service in the Church. The term “Parastas” literally means “to stand beside,” reflecting the custom of the faithful standing in prayer beside the memory of the deceased. Historically, Parastas developed as a truncated form of the Matins service for the dead, incorporating psalms, hymns, and litanies that invoke God’s mercy and rest for the departed.

Key Features of Parastas

  • Structure: Parastas includes the reading of Psalms, petitions, hymns such as “Blessed are the blameless in the way…”, and other traditional chants for the dead.

  • Timing: It is celebrated on specific occasions such as the eve of funerals, anniversaries of death, or on All Souls Saturdays (Задушні суботи).

  • Visuals: Families often place a memorial table (tetrapod) with kolyva (boiled wheat with honey and nuts) and candles, and the faithful stand around it during the prayers.

  • Purpose: The Parastas is intended to intercede for the soul of the deceased, reminding the living that prayer is a means of expressing love and continuity with those who have gone before us.

Parastas is typically the longest form of memorial service, emphasizing the solemnity and depth of the Church’s prayers for the departed.

Panakhyda: The Shorter Memorial Service

Panakhyda, derived from the Greek meaning “all-night vigil,” is a shorter memorial service for the dead. While it shares many prayers and hymns with Parastas, it is usually served in a more concise form. Panakhyda is commonly offered:

  • After the Divine Liturgy, either on weekdays or Sundays

  • At gravesides during visits

  • On special memorial occasions throughout the year

The Panakhyda allows the faithful to participate in the prayer for the deceased without the extended duration of the full Parastas. It is particularly suited for parish life, where multiple memorials may be requested on the same day.

Sorokousty: The Extended Commemoration

Closely related to Parastas and Panakhyda is the practice of Sorokousty (Сорокоусти), which means “forty prayers” or “forty mouths.” This practice originated in the Byzantine monastic tradition in Constantinople, where forty monks would pray for the soul of a departed person, often serving forty Divine Liturgies on their behalf. The number forty has biblical significance, recalling events such as Christ’s forty days in the desert and Israel’s forty years in the wilderness, symbolizing preparation, purification, and intercession.

In modern Ukrainian parish practice, Sorokousty is observed:

  • During Great Lent, particularly on the Saturdays of Souls

  • As a series of commemorations rather than a single service

  • Using Parastas or Panakhyda as the primary liturgical forms

  • By reading names (пом’янник / pomiinyk) of the deceased submitted by parishioners

While originally a monastic practice of forty liturgies, Sorokousty has evolved into a forty-day or Lenten period of prayer, ensuring that the departed are remembered repeatedly in the life of the Church.

Offerings for Memorial Services

It is customary in many parishes for the faithful to offer a voluntary stipend when requesting a Parastas, Panakhyda, or Sorokousty commemoration. In the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Edmonton, such offerings are traditionally given directly to the priest who celebrates the prayers, rather than to the parish. This offering is not a fee for the service, but a long-standing way of supporting the clergy in their pastoral ministry. Importantly, the services are never withheld due to inability to provide an offering; the prayer is the primary purpose, and the offering is a gesture of support and gratitude.

Pastoral Significance

Together, Parastas, Panakhyda, and Sorokousty reflect the Church’s belief that love continues beyond death. Through these prayers, the faithful intercede for the souls of their departed loved ones, unite themselves with the Church’s prayer, and participate in the communal life of the Church that transcends time. The Church teaches that prayer, remembrance, and liturgical intercession are essential ways to honor the dead and to entrust them to God’s mercy.