prosphora

Usually enough prosphora for a number of services are baked at the same time.

These will often be smaller than the five prosphora used by the priest.

The bread used for the Liturgy is referred to as prosphora.

Any member of the church who is in good standing and whose conscience is clean may bake prosphora.

The remainder of the prosphora is cut into fragments and kept aside in a bowl or salver.

Other offerings include, candles, prosphora, wine, oil, or incense.

There are other particles also cut from prosphora as part of the Liturgy of Preparation.

In its various local usages, wine is always taken with the bread, usually poured over it or used for dipping as with Prosphora.

Traditionally, the narthex is where candles and prosphora will be sold for offering during Divine Services.

It is common but not necessary to go to confession before baking prosphora, and it is often done in the morning while fasting.

Sometimes, special kitchen implements are used for making the prosphora which are used for no other purpose.

The prosphora should be fresh and not stale or moldy when presented at the altar for use in the Divine Liturgy.

The laity may also present smaller prosphora together with a list of the faithful living and departed whom they wish to have commemorated during the Liturgy.

By sundry local customs, the wheat may be ground into flour, often for making prosphora, or may be reserved until the time of sowing.

The continual companion of bread in the Church is wine which is also seen with it in the Eucharist and Prosphora.

The motto 'The loaf of Nature's Kitchen Table', a common metaphor for returning thanks and agape (unconditional love) back to nature, is derived from prosphora.

An example would be a baker who dies with dough on his hands, as did St. Nicodemus the prosphora baker of the Kiev Caves.

After drying his hands, the bishop goes to the Prothesis to make his personal commemorations for the living and the dead, as he removes particles from the prosphora.

In all traditions, only the Lamb is actually consecrated, other portions which are removed from the prosphora are memorials, but are never to be used for Communion.

Often several prosphora will be baked and offered by the faithful, and the priest chooses the best one for the Lamb (Host) that will be consecrated.

It comes from the remains of the loaves of bread (prosphora) from which portions are cut for consecration as the Eucharist during the Divine Liturgy.

No one is to eat anything before tasting the prosphora, which the head of household brings from church for those who stay at home to do domestic tasks for this morning.

The loaves baked for Artoklasia will be similar to the Prosphora used at the Divine Liturgy, except that the stamp used to seal them will be different.

From each of these smaller prosphora the priest will remove a triangular piece as well as several smaller particles while he prays of each of the persons listed.

At one point, George's father was the only functioning priest in Kiev, with his mother single-handedly baking all the prosphora and George carrying them to church with his siblings.