March 1, 2001
The Parish Priests, the Choir Director
and the
Chanters
Beloved in the Lord,
During the past few years, in my pastoral visits to the parishes, I have noticed that at the Salutation Services of Great Lent a number of you have been using English translations of the Kontakion, Ti Ypermacho. In the past several months I have collected a total of six different translations of the hymn from various sources.
Because of the contradictions and differences from one translation to another, I committed myself to produce the best available and most correct translation which would be faithful to the original.
Enclosed is a copy of that translation. If you plan to have the hymn sung in English, consider this translation the official one of this Diocese.
Those of you who are musically literate will have no trouble applying the traditional tune to the English words, if the enclosed rendition is different than what you know.
Hopefully, this additional work will bring about the necessary uniformity that all our parishes should have one day soon regarding all our services.
With Paternal Blessings,
+Metropolitan Isaiah
Presiding Hierarch
of
the Diocese of Denver