“The Apostles’ Fast is also a call to rediscover our true Christian identity,” said Archbishop Atanasie in a message addressed to the faithful at the beginning of the fasting season.
The Romanian Orthodox Archbishop of Great Britain and Northern Ireland emphasised that the Church is apostolic not only through historical continuity but through the same life in Christ and the same living witness transmitted from generation to generation.
“The apostolicity of the Church means preserving intact the truth of the Gospel preached by the Apostles, maintaining the continuity of grace and communion in Christ, and responding to the unceasing call to holiness and witness.”
The Romanian Archbishop of Great Britain and Northern Ireland stressed that every generation of Christians is called to be a living bearer of the apostolic faith, which enlightens and renews the world.
“The Church remains apostolic through fidelity to the Gospel, through the work of the Holy Spirit, and through the constant call to holiness and witness.”
Encouragement to Read Holy Scripture
Archbishop Atanasie urged believers to use the fasting period as a time to draw closer to Holy Scripture.
“This fast also calls us to approach the living word of Holy Scripture, especially the Epistles of the Apostles. In their pages we feel the burning presence of the Holy Spirit and the power of a faith that changed the world.”
“By reading them with an open heart, we discover that the Gospel does not belong only to the past but remains ever living and active, capable of illuminating human life today as well,” he added.
A Time of Communion
The hierarch also noted that the Fast of Saints Peter and Paul offers Romanians living abroad another opportunity to gather around the Holy Eucharist.
“In the diaspora, the Church often becomes the place where homesickness is transformed into prayer and the community of believers becomes a spiritual family. Around the Holy Chalice, in common prayer and in the feasts we celebrate together, we feel that we are not alone and that Christ unites hearts beyond every distance.”
“The Apostles’ Fast remains a journey back to the living sources of the Church: to the Holy Spirit, to prayer, to communion and to the joy of a life lived in Christ. It is a time when the soul can be purified, the heart softened, and the human person can rediscover the peace that only God can give.”
Archbishop Atanasie concluded by encouraging the faithful to observe the fast with joy:
“Let us therefore spend these days with watchful hearts, with longing for God and with the joy of following in the footsteps of those who enlightened the world through their faith and sacrifice.”
The Apostles’ Fast
The fasting period began on Monday and will conclude on 28 June, the eve of the feast of Saints Peter and Paul.
Lasting 21 days, it is considered one of the least restrictive fasting periods of the year in terms of dietary rules. According to the Church calendar, 12 of the 21 fasting days permit the consumption of fish.
The length of the Apostles’ Fast varies each year and is determined by the date of Holy Pascha (Easter).
For Orthodox Churches that continue to follow the unrevised Julian calendar, the Fast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul begins on 15 June 2026 and ends on 11 July 2026, since the feast of Saints Peter and Paul is celebrated on 12 July according to the Gregorian calendar (29 June Julian).
As a result, the Apostles’ Fast lasts 27 days in 2026 for these Churches, including the Orthodox Patriarchates of Jerusalem and Moscow, as well as several other local Churches and monastic communities that retain the traditional Julian reckoning.
Photo: roarch.org.uk
