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Paraklesis
A supplication service — the canon to the Theotokos sung throughout August and at times of need.
The Paraklesis (supplication) is the service of intercession addressed to the Theotokos, containing a canon asking for her intercession in times of distress, illness, or need. Two forms exist: the Small Paraklesis and the Great Paraklesis, alternated throughout the Dormition fast (August 1-14). The Paraklesis expresses the Orthodox theology of Marian intercession: the Theotokos is asked not to grant petitions herself but to intercede with her Son, who alone grants mercy.