FKB Makes Prosphoro, March 2026
On the 13th of March, 2026, Saint Paul’s Youth Committee presented a Friday Night Kickback (FKB) Prosphoro Making Workshop. Youth aged 11-15 came together at under the guidance of Vanessa Tomah, to learn the sacred process of making Prosphoro.
We first started off by learning about the importance of Prosphoro to our Orthodox faith and tradition. Prosphoro, translated from Greek to English, means offering; a gift we make and offer to God. Therefore, when making Prosphoro, we should seek to do it with sacredness and great reverence.
After we learnt about what Prosphoro is and the significance it holds to our Orthodox faith and the practices of the church, we said the prayers related to it before starting the Prosphoro making process. Next, we headed to the kitchen to begin. To make our Prosphoro we used yeast, flour, salt and water. We kneaded the ingredients together and eventually had transformed our ingredients into dough that we let settle. We learnt that any changes to the environment around us, for example a change in humidity or the temperature in the room could change the way the dough takes shape and how it rises.
Next came one of the most important parts of the night. Sealing our Prosphoro. The seal is an important part of the process because it contains a centre square which is inscribed with IC XC NIKA - Jesus Christ Conquers. This central square is referred to as the Lamb and is cut out when the priest is preparing the Holy Communion for each Divine Liturgy. The seal also contains impressions to commemorate the Most Holy Theotokos, the Saints, and those who are living and who have fallen asleep from the Church congregation. Furthermore, the seal creates two layers on the dough, the layer with the inscription and the layer of dough underneath, highlighting the two natures of Our Saviour Jesus Christ.
After sealing our Prosphoro we put it into the oven for about twenty minutes and finished just in time to join our Church congregation for the Akathist Service where we were blessed to have His Eminence Metropolitan Basilios present for. A couple days later on Sunday, each of the FKB’s participants Prosphoro was blessed and returned to them at the end of the Divine Liturgy to share with friends and family.
Overall, we learnt that making Prosphoro is far more than just following the steps to a recipe. It connects our working hands, watchful mind and prayers in a way that creates a gift. Prosphoro is a gift we can offer back to God, and to uphold the traditions of the Church, allowing us to commune with God.
