On August 16th we celebrate the Feast of the Image Not Made by Hands, the very first icon. We also know this icon by other names, including the Holy Napkin/Cloth, the Icon Not Made by Hands, The Image of Edessa, and the Mandylion (which is Greek for facecloth). This is the third Christological feast in …
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory Forever! August 1 to August 15 marks another special season in the liturgical calendar of the Byzantine Church. A season dedicated to preparing with prayer and penance a heart like our Blessed Mother, the Holy Theotokos. We try to create a heart like Her’s because on August 15 the Theotokos …
Tomorrow we celebrate Jesus’ love for us, in both Eastern and Western churches. In the East, this Friday is called Christ, Lover of Mankind and in the West it is called the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart and is traditionally celebrated on the Friday 19 days after Pentecost. This Friday we focus upon the image …
The next feast day coming up is the Nativity of John the Baptist. John the Baptist, or John the Forerunner, is highly venerated in the Byzantine Churches. There are a couple reasons for this. First of all, he baptized Christ. And he is the last prophet, the one to prepare the way for Jesus (see …
After the birth of my first baby, I spent most of my time thinking about her future baptism. Part of this was just me worrying something might happen to Little Fox before she was baptized. But I also was excited about being able to bring Little Fox into the Church. While I was baptized as …
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In the East, we call the second Pascal Sunday (the seventh day after Easter) Thomas Sunday, Sunday of St. Thomas or Antipascha (The “antithesis” of the Octave of Easter). The eighth day after Easter is also commonly known as Divine Mercy Sunday, particularly since St. Faustyna (St. Faustina) shared her private revelations about Christ’s mercy …
This week’s article comes from a request from one of our patrons on Patreon. We were asked about how to incorporate Eastern Traditions into one’s home while remaining Roman Catholic. Our Mixed Tradition Family In order to give you a clear idea of where we are coming from, let me give you the basic rundown …
The Annunciation is one of my favourite feasts of the Church. Perhaps even my favourite after Easter and Christmas. There is just so much beauty and richness in this day and in this event. My excitement about this feast has only increased as I’ve gained more knowledge about it. So let me share with you …
Great Lent While there are several differences between the way Roman Catholics and Byzantine Catholics and Orthodox families celebrate Lent, the three pillars remain the same: prayer, alms, and fasting. The goal of this period is to repent and prepare for celebrating the Resurrection of Christ. It is a time to deepen our relationship with …