Mnohaya lita! Mnohaya lita! Vo zdraviye, vo spasenniye! Na mnohaya lita! Pentecost is one of my favourite feasts of the church year. Even more so now that I’ve been exposed to the Byzantine celebration of Holy and Glorious Pentecost. I love green, so the fact that the liturgical colour in the East for this day …
John the Theologian
St. John the Theologian John the Theologian is my favourite apostle, and Gospel writer! We celebrate his main feast day on May 8th. We also celebrate John during the Synaxis of the 12 Apostles, and on his dormition: September 26th. He is one of the sons of Zebedee (together with St. James). Tradition holds that …
St. Mark the Evangelist
On April 25th we celebrate the Holy, Glorious, Apostle and Evangelist Mark. (Otherwise known as John Mark, the cousin of Barnabas). He is symbolized by a lion with wings. The lion represents the power and glory of the resurrection. Also, when you read the beginning of Mark’s gospel, it fits with the image of a …
Bright Week
Khrystos Voskres! Christ is Risen! Today we are discussing Bright Week, the “one joyous day” that begins Easter Morning and ends on Saturday. If you are looking to read about Easter Sunday (including what to put in your Easter Basket), check out our previous years’ article here. Bright Week is one joyous day in our …
Venerable Benedict for Byzantines
St. Benedict is on of my favourite saints, so this year I am doing an article for his feast day. We celebrate Benedict of Nursia on his death-day, the 21st of March (547 AD). Although Ukrainian Catholics on the new calendar celebrate him on the 14th. He was a monk in the 6th century, and …
40 Martyrs of Sebaste
On the 9th of March we celebrate the feast of the 40 Martyrs of Sebaste. And who are these Martyrs? Good question… because the truth is, I don’t know! Or, at least, I didn’t until it came time to write this week’s article. So here we go! Some true research from the depths. When the …
Gregory the Theologian
In the East, we celebrate Gregory the Theologian, also called Gregory of Nazianzus on January 25th. (He died on the 25th of January in 390 A.D.). Born in Cappadocia around 329 A.D., his Christian family educated the saint in both Christian and classical knowledge. Also, Gregory followed the footsteps of his father and became a …
Eve of Theophany
Theophany Eve Theophany Eve occurs on January 5th – that is, the twelveth day of Christmas. It is also a day of Fast in preparation. Unlike Christmas, Easter, and The Dormition, the preparation for Theophany is limited to a single day. This is because it occurs during the Nativity festal season. Traditionally this day is …
Circumcision of Christ – St Basil the Great
Circumcision of Christ, Our Lord, God, and Saviour And Our Father among the Saints: Basil the Great 2000 years after Christianity, it feels odd to be talking about circumcision. So it was definitely worth it for me to spend time looking into why we celebrate Christ’s circumcision as a major feast day. The Meaning of …
Protomartyr Archdeacon Stephen
On December 27th (26th in the west) we celebrate Protomatyr Stephen. St. Stephen is called the first martyr, a holy apostle, and archdeacon! His celebration during the post-feast of the Nativity of Christ is singularly significant into the meaning of Christ’s birth. The connection between life and death is laid here. About St. Stephen In …