The Thanksgiving Akathist

Tonight I will be attending the famous and beloved Thanksgiving Akathist also often called the 'Glory to God for All Things' Akathist as it gets its name from the words of St. John Chrysostom as he was dying in exile (his last words in fact). The Akathist has been at times ascribed to Protopresbyter Gregory Petrov (a priest who died in a Soviet prison camp in 1940) as it was found in his possession after his death in samizdat form. Metropolitan Tryphon of Turkestan is said to have been the actual author of it around 1934 (shortly before his death).

In looking for a version to print out for the children (I like to talk with them a little before services like this so they have some understanding of what they are hearing) I noted there are quite a few versions available online. Here are three:

• From St. Jonah Orthodox Church in Spring, TX - The most commonly referenced online.
• St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church in McKinney, TX - This is another popular source.
• Antiochian Archdiocese - A version notable in that it also has the Akathist broken up so it can be read in pieces over the entire Nativity Fast.

Here is a sample from a recording made by St. Ignatius Orthodox Church in Madison, WI (available on liturgica.com).