Great Lent and Holy Week are two separate fasts, and two separate celebrations. Great Lent ends on Friday of the fifth week (the day before Lazarus Saturday). Holy Week begins immediately thereafter. Let's explore the meaning of each of the solemn days of Passion Week. Read more on the Antiochian Archdiocese website.   Palm Sunday / Entrance of Our Lord Jesus Christ into … [Read more...]

It was just announced this morning (Thursday, April 2) that the myrrh-streaming icon of the Theotokos will be visiting St. Demetrius Orthodox Church (OCA) in Naples at 3pm this afternoon. The announcement: The myrhh-streaming icon of the Theotokos will visit St. Demetrius Orthodox Church on April 2 at 3pm. Fr. Andrei of the Russian Patriarchal Church in Tampa will read an Akathist. All the … [Read more...]

"These eight passions should be destroyed as follows: gluttony by self-control; unchastity by desire for God and longing for the blessings held in store; avarice by compassion for the poor; anger by goodwill and love for all men; worldly dejection by spiritual joy; listlessness by patience, perseverance and offering thanks to God; self-esteem by doing good in secret and by praying constantly with … [Read more...]

After Liturgy on Palm Sunday next Sunday, April 5, plan on attending our annual Palm Sunday Brunch immediately following the Divine Liturgy. When? Immediately following the Divine Liturgy on Sunday, April 5. No coffee hour that Sunday. Where? At the home of BJ and Jimmy James. Thank you to BJ and Jimmy for hosting it. Directions The James home is near the Church (about eight minutes … [Read more...]

The Fourth Sunday of Lent / St. Mary of Egypt On the Fifth Sunday of Lent the Orthodox Church commemorates our Righteous Mother Mary of Egypt. The feast day of Saint Mary of Egypt is April 1, however, she is also commemorated on this Sunday due to her recognition by the Church as a model of repentance. Our holy mother Mary was born in Egypt. She had left her parents at the age of twelve … [Read more...]

Source: Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese March 25, 2015 Behold, our restoration is now made manifest; God is ineffably joined to man. At the words of the Archangel, error has vanished. The Virgin has received the joyful news, and the things of earth have become those of heaven. The world is released from the ancestral curse. Let the whole creation rejoice, singing a hymn of praise, Lord our … [Read more...]

The Fourth Sunday of Lent / St. John Climacus On March 30 and on the Fourth Sunday of Holy Lent the Orthodox Church commemorates our Righteous Father John Climacus. He is called Climacus due to his authorship of the great spiritual work The Ladder of Divine Ascent. His commemoration is designated by the Church on one of the Sundays of Lent as his life and writings affirm him as a supreme bearer … [Read more...]

The Third Sunday of Lent / Sunday of the Cross On the Third Sunday of Great and Holy Lent, the Orthodox Church commemorates the Precious and Life-Giving Cross of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Services include a special veneration of the Cross, which prepares the faithful for the commemoration of the Crucifixion during Holy Week. Learn more here   Lenten Schedule This … [Read more...]

On the Second Sunday of Lent the Orthodox Church commemorates our Holy Father Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica, the Wonderworker. The feast day of Saint Gregory Palamas is November 14, however, he is commemorated on this Sunday as the condemnation of his enemies and the vindication of his teachings by the Church in the 14th century was acclaimed as a second triumph of … [Read more...]

First Sunday of Lent - Sunday of Orthodoxy … [Read more...]

As we already have seen, the Eucharistic Divine Liturgy is not celebrated in the Orthodox Church on lenten weekdays. In order for the faithful to sustain their lenten effort by participation in Holy Communion, the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is served. The service is an ancient one in the Orthodox Church. We officially hear about it in the canons of the seventh century, which obviously … [Read more...]

The Great Canon of St Andrew, Bishop of Crete, is the longest canon in all of our services, and is associated with Great Lent, since the only times it is appointed to be read in church are the first four nights of Great Lent (Clean Monday through Clean Thursday, at Great Compline, when it is serialized) and at Matins for Thursday of the fifth week of Great Lent, when it is read in its entirety (in … [Read more...]

The Sunday of Forgiveness / The Expulsion from the Garden / Cheesefare Sunday On Cheese-Fare Sunday, we also commemorate the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise, entering into the Lenten fast in remembrance of mankind's separation from God through disobeying his commandment to fast from the fruit of the tree. Furthermore, many faithful attend Forgiveness Vespers on Sunday evening, … [Read more...]

Saturday of the Souls Divine Liturgy On Saturday, February 21 at 9:30 we will hold the Saturday of the Souls Divine Liturgy. Bring the names of your loved ones you would like remembered on a sheet of paper and place it in the basket on the table near the altar. Place your kolyva on the table as you enter the Church. If you don't have kolyva but still want your loved ones remembered, … [Read more...]

The Sunday of the Last Judgment is the third Sunday of a three-week period prior to the commencement of Great Lent. During this time, the services of the Church have begun to include hymns from the Triodion, a liturgical book that contains the services from the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee, the tenth before Pascha (Easter), through Great and Holy Saturday. On this day, focus is … [Read more...]

The Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee By Fr. Alexander Schmemann The Lenten season begins then by a quest, a prayer for humility which is the beginning of true repentance. For repentance, above everything else, is a return to the genuine order of things, the restoration of the right vision. It is, therefore, rooted in humility, and humility— the divine and beautiful humility— … [Read more...]

Below are the guidelines for the Lenten Fast according to the Canons of the Orthodox Church. Several things we must consider: Fasting rules are not laws, but disciplines. They are a guide, not a commandment. We do not fast from foods to the detriment of our health. If you are sick, do not fast. If you need some foods that are not prescribed, eat them but in moderation. The guidelines … [Read more...]