The Akathist to the Mother of God is published in Koreantranslated

July 9, 2026 · 1 min read

The Korean Diocese Publishing House of the Moscow Patriarchate has published the translation of the Akathist to the Most Holy Mother of God in Korean. This is how the Korean faithful will be able to address their prayers to the Mother of God in their mother tongue in the form of the traditional Akathist of the Orthodox Church. The translation is the result of joint work by Archbishop Theophanes of Korea, Hieromonk Paul

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Елена Зайцева

It is good that now Korean believers will be able to pray the Akathist in their native language. It’s interesting how they translated complex Church Slavonic phrases - Archbishop Theophan and Hieromonk Pavel probably worked for a long time. Thank you for such work.

Γιώργος Δημητρίου

It is good that Koreans will be able to pray with Akathisto in their language. I can imagine how difficult it was to translate these old church ways from Slavonic. I thank Archbishop Theofanis and Hieromonk Pavlos for their efforts.

Veronika Nováková

Nice that it came out in Korean. The translators must have had a hard time with those old Church Slavonic sentences. Joy when one can praise the Mother of God in one's mother tongue.

Peter Kováč

Nice, Veronica. Those old Church Slavonic turns are really not easy even in Slovak, let alone in Korean. I wonder if any of the Korean believers have tried to sing the akathist out loud at the service.

Νίκος Κωνσταντίνου

Yes, I agree, it is important to pray in their mother tongue. From what I know, Archbishop Theofanis has worked with local traditions for years, so the translation probably came out quite naturally. Have you ever tried praying with Akathisto in another language?

Νίκη Θεοδώρου

Yes, their effort is great, especially when you have to find words that don't sound foreign to Korean ears. I remember that I had tried to read Akathisto in English before and it seemed to me that it lost something of the old melody. You, George, how do you think those who will use it for the first time will feel about it?

Tomáš Baláž

Well said, Veronika. Those old turns really require a sensitive approach so they don't sound foreign in Korean. I would like to know if someone in our congregation has already prayed the akathist in Slovak - it helps me to concentrate better.

Lenka Nováková

Well done Peter, you're right, those old twists are a real tough nut to crack. I wonder if they have already sent the translation to one of our priests for testing, because it will probably be difficult to sing it out loud without practice. Have you ever tried to translate something similar?

Lukáš Šimko

Yes, Tomáš, those old phrases really need to be translated carefully, otherwise it doesn't sound natural in the ear. In our congregation, only one elderly lady from the east tried the akathist in Slovak, she said that it felt like home. Did you try it with a specific intention, or just for ordinary prayers?

Matej Kováč

Yes, those old turns in the akathist are really difficult, Lenka. As far as I know, Archbishop Theofanes first gave it to one of the priests in Seoul to check, but no one in Slovakia has tried to sing it out loud yet. Have you seen the Korean text or just heard about it?

Peter Kováč

Yes, Lenka, those old Church Slavonic turns in the akathist really gave me a hard time when I once read it aloud in church. As far as I know, Archbishop Theofanes had it checked by priests in Seoul, but no one in Slovakia has tried to sing it yet. Have you already translated something like this, or are you just thinking about it?