We plan to keep creating more Great Lent teaching material, so please check back for new additions! These cookies do not store any personal information. Great Lent & Holy Week - 1st Monday of Great Lent through Great and Holy Saturday Apostles' (Peter & Paul) Fast - June 11 through June 28 Dormition (Theotokos) Fast - Aug. 1 through Aug. 14 Fast-Free Weeks Afterfeast of the Nativity of Christ to Theophany Eve - Dec. 25 through Jan. 4 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). Please also be of service to them in your charity and almsgiving this Lent. This is by design, and helps us intensify our Lenten efforts of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. The Orthodox Christian holiday explained Cady Stanton USA TODAY 0:00 0:45 Orthodox Christians in Europe, Africa and the Middle East celebrated Orthodox Easter on Sunday. The Church eases us into the fasting discipline during these weeks of preparation as follows: The Lenten fasting discipline commences after Forgiveness Vespers on March 6 and concludes with the breaking of the fast at Pascha on April 24. Orthodox Lent is observed from Clean Monday to the evening of Holy Saturday and leads up to Easter Sunday, which runs from March 18 to May 7 this year. The word "lent" is derived from the Anglo-Saxon 'lencten' which literally means "spring". The Church eases us into the fasting discipline during these weeks of preparation as follows: February 13 is the Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee and the week that follows (February 13 - 20) is fast-free. We are united with one another on this road and we always have a strong hand to grasp for those times when we think we might fall. The Church, in her wisdom, begins preparing us for this most-holy time in the weeks that Read more, The Nativity Fast begins this year on Tuesday, November 15. While we can go a day without a lustful thought or an angry thought, we can't go more than a few hours without a hungry thought. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. They understand fasting as an end in itself, as a good deed required by God and carrying in itself its merit and its reward. Telegram | When we think of Easter, what comes to mind are Easter eggs and those fun games played before getting an Easter egg. 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. Good Friday occurs on the Friday before Easter. Your support helps us further the vital ministry work. to loose the bonds of wickedness, 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. April 5, 2022. Copyright 19962023. Instead, Lenten food usually consists of plenty of olives, taramasalata, Halva, vegetables, legumes and seafood, such as calamari, octopus, shrimps, oysters, cuttlefish, mussels, lobsters etc. 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. For example, in Greece, Clean Monday (Ash Monday) is taken to be the first day of spring. Lent is all about that journey, and the brave souls who choose to embark upon it. This fast helps us prepare to properly celebrate our Lords nativity in the flesh and it is to our benefit to observe it as fully Read more, On Monday, August 15, we will celebrate the Dormition of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-virgin Mary. Clean Monday ( Greek: ), also known as Pure Monday, Ash Monday, Monday of Lent or Green Monday, is the first day of Great Lent throughout Eastern Christianity [1] and is a moveable feast, falling on the 6th Monday before Palm Sunday which begins the Holy Week preceding Pascha Sunday (Easter). We can choose to remain on the shores of the Babylon, lamenting our loss and resigning ourselves to this present state of life or we can get up and begin the journey that leads us home. 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. Great Lent begins on Monday, March 7! We invite you to prayerfully consider sharing the resources given to you by God with a donation to the Archdiocese. Easter Archpastoral Letter April 24/April 11, 2022, , Archpastoral Letter for the Beginning of Great Lent 2022. Stavros in two ways: Purchase the book"The Road Back to Christ: Reflections on Lent, Holy Week and the Resurrection"by Fr. The following is an overview of the events. 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. May God keep their memory eternal. This ends this cycle of "movable feasts" (called this because their date moves every year), which surround the feast of Pascha. The Pentecostarion includes the feasts that follow Easter. YouTube | All rights reserved. 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., And she urges us to approach it with a humble heart, The holy season ofabstinenceshines upon us all with the light of repentance, driving away the darkness of sin. Official Statements & Speeches / Box 495 South Bound Brook, NJ 08880 Offices: Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA Metropolia Center Certain individuals and institutions are presented for reference purposes only and may not be under the supervision or jurisdiction of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese. The first three weeks, including four Sundays, are called the Triodion, or pre-Lenten period. Lord, throughfasting make us worthy to worship Your Passion and Holy Resurrection, On Saturdays it is the normal Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom, usually with prayers for the dead. However, for other faiths such as Roman Catholicism, Lent ends at sundown on Thursday, April 6, which is the day known as Holy Thursday. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? Orthodoxy / Eating meat, eggs and dairy products is traditionally forbidden to Orthodox Christians throughout Lent, with fish being eaten only on two major feast days: on March 25th ( Annunciation of the Virgin Mary) and on Palm Sunday . These transgressions, however, do not have to define us. Whether our sin takes the form of something great or small it remains a way in which we have hurt ourselves, have hurt others, and have damaged our relationship with God. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. (Doxastikon of Orthros, Cheesefare Sunday, Trans. The Orthodox Easter period influences a range of festivals and events. Over the years, we have built quite a collection of teaching resources on Great Lent. Read about Orthodox Lent around the world in 2024. These are indifference, selfishness, lack of interest in other people, of any real concern for themin short, that wall which we usually erect around ourselves, thinking that by being polite and friendly we fulfill Gods commandments. Copyright 19962023. In the Orthodox Church, the last Sunday before Great Lentthe day on which, at Vespers, Lent is liturgically announced and inauguratedis called Forgiveness Sunday. If you have a medical condition that requires you to relax the fasting guidelines, then do so. If the fasting "rules" were ever to be reviewed and updated, the prohibition on oil and wine would have to be examined.) We ask our good God and His Most-Holy Mother to grant us strength so that this Lent may become a spiritual feast for our souls, which otherwise are atrophied by pleasures. I humbly ask your forgiveness. There is a 19 Sunday (18 week) period of time each year in the Orthodox Christian Church that surrounds the Feast of Pascha (Easter). Thus, truly forgiveness is both the beginning of, and the proper condition for, the Lenten season. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. We are assured in the Letter to the Galatians that For freedom Christ has set us free; stand fast therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery (Gal 5:1). Twitter | Fasting is a spiritual discipline that should be practiced with the oversight and direction of your spiritual father. On these days the fast is relaxed to permit alcoholic beverages and olive and other vegetable oils. His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros (Lambriniadis) of America was born in 1967 in Bakirky, Istanbul. During this week, the Fifth Week of Great Lent, we celebrate additional church services that are a little longer. INTRO This year, our journey through the Lenten fast to Pascha begins at Forgiveness Vespers on Sunday, February 26. 2023 OrthodoxTimes.com - All rights reserved. Level six -- Level four and eliminate dairy products on Wednesday and Fridays and during Holy Week. Every year, the Church gives us this period of pause, remembrance, and renewal to remind us of the need for self- awareness, for repentance, and for forgiveness. Great Lent 2022. As Christ tells us, our fasting is seen by our "Father who is in secret," and He will reward us for our efforts. The Church, in her wisdom, begins preparing us for this most-holy time in the weeks that precede the fast. Categorized as orthodox Tagged lazarus, . 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. Holy Week follows, along with the Great and Holy Week. From the second through the sixth weeks of Lent, the general rules for fasting are practiced. 'Lencten' has a root in the Germanic word for long, which assigned itself to Spring as the days become longer. His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon /. (Gospel of Cheesefare Sunday). Great Lent is the longest and strictest of the four fasting periods of the Orthodox Church. Originally a harvest and fertility festival, Holi also commemorates a legend from Hindu Mythology. On Sundays it is the longer Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great. Fasting is about getting control of our passions, maintaining control over them, and ultimately giving control of ourselves to God. One may ask, however: Why should I perform this rite when I have no enemies? Why should I ask forgiveness from people who have done nothing to me, and whom I hardly know? It serves as a reminder that even in our darkest times there is always a way home. Clean Monday begins the season of Great Lent in Eastern Orthodox Churches. Two of the three Hesychast saints commemorated by the Romanian Patriarchate in 2022 will be honored during Great Lent: St Symeon the New Theologian on March 12 and St Gregory Palamas on March 20 (2nd Sunday of Lent). Again, Lent is not a season of deprivation, nor should we "give up" something only to get it back once Lent is over. Wednesday. On the morning of that Sunday, at the Divine Liturgy, we hear the words of Christ: If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses (Mark 6:14-15). On these days the fast is relaxed to permit fish with backbones, in addition to alcoholic beverages and oil. Many Faithful do fast completely on Monday and then eat only uncooked food (bread, fruit, nuts) on Tuesday evening. Knowing the great effort to which they are called, Christians should make every effort to fast as well as they can, in secret, so that God would see and bless them openly with a holy life. We can discover that always and everywhere Christ, the Divine Love Himself, stands in the midst of us, transforming our mutual alienation into brotherhood. Feasts & Saints /, 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. 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.". Thus, fasting is not about giving up something only to get it back. The Holy Archdiocese does not exercise any administrative oversight or assignment authority over clergy that are not part of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. On weekends, olive oil and wine are permitted. Telegram | In some faith's traditions, Lent ends on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter. Getentrepreneurial.com: Resources for Small Business Entrepreneurs in 2022. And as we approach each other with words of reconciliation, the choir intones the Paschal hymns, filling the church with the anticipation of Paschal joy. Draw near unto my soul and deliver it!, after making our entrance into Lenten worship, with its special melodies, with the prayer of Saint Ephraim the Syrian, with its prostrationswe ask forgiveness from each other, we perform the rite of forgiveness and reconciliation. GREAT LENT AND HOLY WEEK 2022 (March 7 - April 23) The Lenten fasting discipline commences after Forgiveness Vespers on March 6 and concludes with the breaking of the fast at Pascha on April 24.