Fasts & Feasts
February
2 - Meeting of Our Lord with Simeon & Anna
5 - Sunday of the Prodigal Son
11 - All Souls Saturday
12 - Meatfare Sunday
19 - Cheesefare Sunday
20 - Beginning of the Holy Forty Days Fast
26 - Sunday of Orthodoxy
2012 Liturgical Calendar
Saturday, 13 November 2010 07:51
Major Feasts and Fasts
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January 1
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Circumcision of Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ
Feast of St. Basil the Great
New Year's Day (Civil)
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January 6
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Theophany of Our Lord, God, and Savior, Jesus Christ
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January 8
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Sunday After Theophany
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| January 16 | Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (USA) |
| January 22 | Sunday of Zacchaeus |
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January 30
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Synaxis of the Ecumenical Teachers and Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom
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| January 29 | Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee |
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February 2
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Encounter of Our Lord, God, and Savior, Jesus Christ with Simeon and Anna
(Presentation of Our Lord Into the Temple)
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| February 5 | Sunday of the Prodigal Son |
| February 11 |
First All-Souls Saturday |
| February 12 |
Sunday of the Second Coming of Christ (Meat-Fare) |
| February 19 |
Forgiveness Sunday (Cheese-Fare) |
| February 20 |
Beginning of the Holy Forty Days Fast President's Day (USA) |
| February 26 |
First Sunday of the Great Fast (Sunday of Orthodoxy) |
| March 3 |
Second All-Souls Saturday |
| March 4 |
Second Sunday of the Great Fast (St. Gregory Palamas) |
| March 10 |
Third All Souls Saturday |
| March 11 |
Third Sunday of the Great Fast (Veneration of the Cross) |
| March 17 |
Fourth All-Souls Saturday |
| March 18 |
Fourth Sunday of the Great Fast (St. John of the Ladder) |
| March 22 |
Canon of St. Andrew of Crete |
| March 24 |
Akathistos Saturday |
| March 25 |
Annunciaton to the Mother of God Fifth Sunday of the Great Fast (St. Mary of Egypt) |
| March 31-April 8 |
Great and Holy Week |
| March 31 |
Lazarus Saturday |
| April 1 |
Palm (Flowery) Sunday - Entrance into Jerusalem |
| April 2 |
Great and Holy Monday |
| April 3 |
Great and Holy Tuesday |
| April 4 |
Great and Holy Wednesday |
| April 5 |
Great and Holy Thursday |
| April 6 |
Great and Holy Friday |
| April 7 | Great and Holy Saturday |
| April 8 | Pascha - Feast of the Resurrection of Christ (Easter Sunday) |
| April 8-15 | Bright Week |
| April 15 |
Second Sunday of Pascha (Apostle Thomas) |
| April 22 |
Third Sunday of Pascha (Myrrh-Bearing Women) |
| April 29 |
Fourth Sunday of Pascha (Healing of the Paralytic) |
| May 2 | Mid-Pentecost |
| May 6 |
Fifth Sunday of Pascha (Samaritan Women at the Well) |
| May 11 | Feast of Saints Cyril & Methodius |
| May 13 |
Sixth Sunday of Pascha (Man Born Blind) |
| May 17 | Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord, God, and Savior, Jesus Christ |
| May 20 | Seventh Sunday of Pascha (Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council) |
| May 21 | Victoria Day (Canada) |
| May 26 | Fifth All-Souls Saturay |
| May 27 |
Pentecost - Descent of the Holy Spirit |
| May 28 | Memorial Day (USA) |
| June 3 |
All Saints Sunday |
| June 4-28 | The Apostles' Fast |
| June 24 | Nativity of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John |
| June 29 | The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leaders of the Apostles, Peter & Paul |
| July 1 | Canada Day (Canada) |
| July 4 | Independence Day (USA) |
| July 15 | Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the First Six Ecumenical Councils |
| July 20 | Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah |
| August 1-14 |
Dormition Fast
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| August 6 | Transfiguration of Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ |
| August 15 | The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary |
| August 29 | The Beheading of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John |
| September 1 | Liturgical New Year (7920) |
| September 3 |
Labor Day (USA), Labour Day (Canada) |
| September 8 | The Nativity of our Most Holy Lady, the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary |
| September 14 | The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross |
| October 1 | The Protection of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary |
| October 8 |
Columbus Day (USA), Thanksgiving Day (Canada) |
| October 14 | Sunday of the Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council |
| November 8 | Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers |
| November 11 | Veterans' Day (USA), Remembrance Day (Canada) |
| November 15 | Nativity Fast (Philip's Fast also known as Advent) |
| November 21 | The Entry of the Most Holy Mother of God into the Temple |
| November 22 | Thanksgiving Day (USA) |
| December 6 | St Nicholas the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra in Lycia |
| December 9 (8) | The Conception of the Most Holy Mother of God by the Righteous Anna |
| December 12 | Our Lady of Guadalupe |
| December 16 | Second Sunday Before Christmas (Holy Forefathers) |
| December 23 |
Suday Before Christmas (Holy Fathers) |
| December 25 | The Nativity of our Lord God and Savior, Jesus Christ |
| December 26 |
Synaxis of the Most Holy Mother of God
Boxing Day (Canada)
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| December 27 | First-Martyr and Archdeacon Stephen |
| December 28 | 20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia |
| December 29 | 14,000 Infants (the Holy Innocents) Slain by Herod at Bethlehem |
| December 30 | Sunday after the Nativity: Commemoration of the Holy Righteous David the King, Joseph the Betrothed, and James the Brother of the Lord |
Note: The Byzantine liturgical year starts on September 1 and ends on August 31. The movable feasts are determined by the date of Pascha (the feast of the Resurrection). There are two systems currently in use to calculate Pascha - Gregorian (Western) and Julian (Eastern). Roman Catholics, most Byzantine Catholics in America and some Orthodox (notably those in Finland) follow the Gregorian date. Some Byzantines in America and most Byzantines and Orthodox elsewhere follow the Julian date. In the year AD 2012 the Gegorian date for Pascha is April 8 and the Julian date for Pascha is April 15 (one week apart).
Lenten Prayer of Saint Ephreim
O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of sloth, despondency, lust of power and idle chatter.
Instead, grant to me, Your servant, the spirit of wholeness of being, humility, patience and love.
Yes, O Lord and King, grant that I may be aware of my sins and not judge my brother. Blessed are You to the ages of ages. Amen.
Wisdom from the Church Fathers
Every man baptized into Christ should pass progressively through all the stages of Christ's own life, for in Baptism he receives the power so to progress, and through keeping the Commandments he can discover and learn how to accomplish such progression. St. Gregory of Sinai |