YouTube | The consumption of shellfish and mollusks, however, is permitted in Greek Orthodox Churches. INTRO This year, our journey through the Lenten fast to Pascha begins at Forgiveness Vespers on Sunday, February 26. This year, Easter falls on Sunday, April. Try fasting from meat on Wednesdays and Fridays of Lent (and then throughout the year), then next year try fasting Wednesdays and Fridays plus all of the first week of Lent and all of Holy Week. On the morning of that Sunday, at the Divine Liturgy, we hear the words of Christ: More important, however, than fasting from food, is fasting from the behaviors that are spiritually destructive. Psalm 137 is added to the service, which begins, By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept when we remembered Zion. It is a song of exile and return. Level six -- Level four and eliminate dairy products on Wednesday and Fridays and during Holy Week. We have a choice. Patriarch of Romania extended condolences to Greece over deadly train collision, Diaconia Social Mission takes stock of its good deeds in 2022, Head of Chancellery of Romanias PM met with Metropolitan Petru of Bessarabia, Bishop of Hui urged to observe digital fast during Lenten season, Patriarch of Romania: Forgiveness is a condition to make a good beginning for Lent, Alba Iulia Archbishop Irineu: Great Lent is a time of purification and illumination, Archbishop of America: In the face of every child we behold the countenance of God, Archbishop Makarios of Australia: As a human race, we have a great obligation to the Virgin Mary, Warm reception of the Archbishop of Cyprus by the Ecumenical Patriarch in the Phanar, Visit of Dr. Nikolaos Lygeros to the Offices of the Archdiocesan District of Melbourne, Commemoration of Metropolitan Panteleimon in Brussels, Archbishop of America elevated parish priest Fr. Each person must do his best in the light of the given ideal. Search, Learn more about the Orthodox Church in America. The Orthodox Christian Faith proclaims the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the teachings of the Apostles, and the tradition and life of the living Church worldwide through worship, communion, witness, and service. To the Clergy, Monastics, and Faithful of the Orthodox Church in America. Fasting is a tool that is used to assist in spiritual growth. In our time, there are many bonds of wickedness and cords of the yoke which Lent urges us to loosebut above all, the sins which bind our souls. To the beloved clergy, religious, and faithful of the Russian True Orthodox Church, Archdiocese of North America & the Diasporamercy, peace, and love be yours in ever-greater measure. Categorized as orthodox Tagged lazarus, . It is a time during which we take stock of our hearts, discard the unnecessary things of this world, refocus our spiritual vision, and bring our pains and griefs before Gods healing presence. Today, as we begin the time of the Fast, let us all rise up and choose to make the journey home. The Mission of The Orthodox Church in America, the local autocephalous Orthodox Christian Church, is to be faithful in fulfilling the commandment of Christ to "Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar. The Feast of the Resurrection is called Pascha and it begins a forty-day period of celebration. they have received their reward. On that unique evening, listening to the joyful Paschal hymns we are called to make a spiritual discovery: to taste of another mode of life and relationship with people, of life whose essence is love. Home / The Sunday after Pentecost is the Feast of All Saints. This year, our journey through the Lenten fast to Pascha begins at Forgiveness Vespers on Sunday, March 6. In practice, very few people are able to do this. During these days, the Church announces to us the arrival of Lent as being the dawn of day that dissipates the darkness: "Shining upon us as the dawn, the grace-giving Fast provides us now with a time for repentance, dispersing the darkness of our sins.". In preparation for this great feast of the Mother of God, we observe a two-week period Read more. This site has been made possible by a grant from Leadership 100. The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, with its headquarters located in the City of New York, is an Eparchy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, The mission of the Archdiocese is to proclaim the Gospel of Christ, to teach and spread the Orthodox Christian faith, to energize, cultivate, and guide the life of the Church in the United States of America according to the Orthodox Christian faith and tradition. And it is primarily the renewal of that love, a growth in it, that we seek in Great Lent, in fasting and prayer, in the entire spirit and the entire effort of that season. March 7, 2022 To the Clergy, Monastics, and Faithful of the Orthodox Church in America, Dear Beloved Children in the Lord, As we stand at this moment, the threshold of Great Lent, with all turmoil and violence unfolding in the world, the Lenten fast comes like a spring breeze to refresh our souls. In general, the fasting rules during Great Lent and Holy Week are as follows: WEEKDAYS (Monday - Friday) are observed as Strict Fast Days. Almsgiving Great Lent roughly lasts for seven weeks (including Holy week - see details at Background section below). The dominant theme of this Sunday since 843 has been that of the victory of the icons. to undo the cords of the yoke, Sunday of Orthodoxy. Copyright 19962023. If one does not have the strength to do this, it is good to abstain from food until after venerating the epitaphios (winding sheet) during Vespers on this day. The following is an overview of the events. Indeed, Christianity has no other content but love. My beloved Faithful Clergy and Laity of our God-Protected Diocese: As we begin Holy and Great Lent this year on March 14 th, I want to share with you a few thoughts so that we may journey through this reflective period and arrive at the Great Feast of Feasts, Pascha to receive the Resurrected Christ. So as we take up the spiritual disciplines given to us by our Lord, I pray that it is with a spirit of renewed commitment and not with a spirit of gloominess. These questions are in order because for too many people Lent means primarily, and almost exclusively, a change of diet, the compliance with ecclesiastical regulations concerning fasting. Thus, fasting is not about giving up something only to get it back. So, we fast from meat, fish, dairy products, oil, and wine. About Great Lent, Holy Week, and Pascha. As a Lenten hymn says: In vain do you rejoice in not eating, O soul!For you abstain from food,But from passions you are not purified.If you persevere in sin, you will perform a useless fast!. Fish is not allowed with the exception on two days: on the 25th of March (Annunciation of the Virgin Mary) and on Palm Sunday. Great Lent is a time to prepare ourselves in order to celebrate Pascha. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. I humbly ask your forgiveness. Easter Archpastoral Letter April 24/April 11, 2022, , Archpastoral Letter for the Beginning of Great Lent 2022. Sunday of the Last Judgement (Meatfare Sunday) , Sunday of Forgiveness (Cheesefare Sunday) , Sunday of the Veneration of the Holy Cross , Palm Sunday: The Entrance of Christ into Jerusalem , Sunday of the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council , 8 East 79th Street New York, NY 10075 During this period of Lent, we have the opportunity to show that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word (and by prayer, and by tears of repentance, and by prostrations, and by asceticism) that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matthew 4.4). Metropolitans messages on war in Ukraine, Christmas Archpastoral Letter December 25, 2022/January 7, 2023. We avoid gluttony of food, but likewise we ought to avoid gluttony of all sorts: in recreation, media, or conversation with others. Great Lent ends on a Friday. These rules exist not as a Pharisaic burden too hard to bear (Lk 11.46), but as an ideal to be striven for; not as an end in themselves, but as a means to spiritual perfection crowned in love. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, Its exact date changes every year because it is determined by the dates of . We also announce the publication of our monastery November-December bulletin (its English version will be available soon on our website: https://sfdumitru.org/en/icon-from-within/, Feast Day at St. Dimitrie the New Monastery, Visit of the Hawaiian Icon of the Mother of God, Prayers sent to God on the wings of birds, Doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men (Ephesians 6.7). In the Russian Orthodox Church, fasting always begins on a Monday, whereas in the Roman Catholic Church, on a. In Greece and Cyprus, Lent is known as Saracosti, which comes from the word forty, which is the forty day period until Palm Sunday and then one more week until Easter Day making a total of 49 days of "fasting". Also called Quadragesima or Tessaracoste, Great Lent is a 40-day season of spiritual preparation that comes before the Feast of Holy Pascha or the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, which falls on April 24. We encourage you to participate in this journey guided by Fr. Click the name of a holiday to read more about an individual event. Now, forgiveness stands at the very center of Christian faith and of Christian life because Christianity itself is, above all, the religion of forgiveness. Copyright 19962023. It is significant that Lent begins after the Sunday of the Casting Out of Adam from Paradise. Instagram | Your support helps us further the vital ministry work. The Orthodox Christian Faith proclaims the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the teachings of the Apostles, and the tradition and life of the living Church worldwide through worship, communion, witness, and service. Western Rite. The Orthodox Easter period influences a range of festivals and events. The Lenten liturgical program was synthesized throughout time. In some faith's traditions, Lent ends on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter. Telegram | However, for other faiths such as Roman Catholicism, Lent ends at sundown on Thursday, April 6, which is the day known as Holy Thursday. The day commemorates the Crucifixion of Jesus. The Sunday of Orthodoxy is the first Sunday of Great Lent. Home / The Road Back to Christ: Reflections on Lent, Holy Week and the Resurrection is a series of short daily reflections on the scripture readings of Holy Week and the accounts of the Resurrection and post-Resurrection appearances of Christ. Feasts. Fasting is about getting control of our passions, maintaining control over them, and ultimately giving control of ourselves to God. YouTube | When we each ask God to open to me the gates of repentance this Lent, remember that we do not fast to earn Gods love or to impress others around us. In the Orthodox Church, Great Lent begins on a Monday called Clean Monday, rather than Ash Wednesday, as it does in other churches. Official Documents | Terms of Use | Copyright Sources. Fasting 3. Find out the dates, history and traditions of Trees Are The Key Awareness Week. They both use a period of 40 days between the beginning and end of Lent, because of the 40 days that Jesus is said to have spent fasting the desert. All rights reserved. Great Lent is our much needed time of refreshment of the heart and cleansing of the soul, so that we may more clearly perceive the light of Christ on Great and Holy Pascha. Portions should be smaller than usual. Great Lent marks the start of the Easter cycle in the Orthodox Christian Church. Why is it that the Church wants us to begin the Lenten season with forgiveness and reconciliation? Let us welcome the Fast with humble hearts., See how the beauty of repentance forms the soul anew at the approach of Lent! All rights reserved. These transgressions, however, do not have to define us. Volume II - Worship / In addition, two special feastdays that fall during this period Annunciation (March 25) and Palm Sunday (April 17, this year) are kept as Fish, Wine, and Oil Days. Stavros in two ways: Purchase the book"The Road Back to Christ: Reflections on Lent, Holy Week and the Resurrection"by Fr. This site has been made possible by a grant from Leadership 100. Sunday, February 13, 2022 11:30 AM.