"Holy Loafers" Prosphora Bakers

Dedicated parishioners prepare the sacred leavened bread used in the Divine Liturgy, following ancient tradition. This quiet ministry of service connects us to the earliest Christians who "broke bread" together.

Prosphora (Greek for "offering") are baked using traditional recipes with flour, water, salt, and yeast, and prepared with traditional prayers. The prosphoron is often a round, double-decker loaf marked with seals at the time of baking. In our tradition, the seal is often a square in four quadrants with "IC XC" (Jesus Christ) and "NI KA" (Conquers) underneath. During the Proskomedia service before the Divine Liturgy, the priest prepares five of these loaves for the central mystery of our faith.

Bakers meet regularly to prepare prosphora using time-honored methods, ensuring the bread meets liturgical requirements with proper seals and ingredients. They coordinate a schedule to provide fresh bread for each Divine Liturgy, maintain supplies of special flour and seals, and often gather for fellowship while working. This ministry involves prayer and meditation as bakers prepare the bread that will become the Body of Christ, making it both a practical service and a spiritual discipline. Training is provided for new bakers who wish to learn this sacred craft.