Orthodox Romanians and Serbs observed Holy Saturday night by traditionally proclaiming the Resurrection of the Lord in the heart of Vršac, where the administrative centres of the Diocese of Dacia Felix and the Diocese of Banat of the Serbian Patriarchate are situated. After offering the Holy Fire at the cathedral, Bishop Ieronim of Dacia Felix…
Orthodox Calendar May 7 Holy Pascha Enjoy ye all the feast of faith; receive ye all the riches of loving-kindness. (Sermon of Saint John Chrysostom, read at Paschal Matins) The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the center of the Christian faith. Saint Paul says that if Christ is not raised from the…
Orthodox Calendar May 6 Holy Pascha Enjoy ye all the feast of faith; receive ye all the riches of loving-kindness. (Sermon of Saint John Chrysostom, read at Paschal Matins) The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the center of the Christian faith. Saint Paul says that if Christ is not raised from the…
“Orthodox spirituality does not recognize the utopianism of a Resurrection without Crucifixion, nor the pessimism of the Cross without the Resurrection,” noted His Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in his patriarchal encyclical for Holy Pascha. Full text: Patriarchal Encyclical for Holy Pascha of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew †Bartholomew By God’s Mercy, Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome and Ecumenical…
In his pastoral letter for Holy Pascha, His Grace Bishop Sebastian of Slatina and Romanati advised the faithful to reject partisanship in the context of the current wars and to pray for all parties involved: “Let us raise the Cross instead of the sword and seek peace, not war; that peace that the Lord gave…
“We are responsible for standing upright and confessing the true faith, the true Orthodox values, defending our Romanian spiritual identity, and resembling the myrrh-bearing women,” His Eminence Metropolitan Petru of Bessarabia wrote in his pastoral letter for Holy Pascha 2024. “Full of courage, faith, zeal, and love, let us preach peace and forgiveness and share…
In his Easter message, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel recalled that Christ’s Resurrection celebrates His humble and merciful love for all. “The Resurrection of the Lord is the celebration of Christ’s humble and merciful love, the One who overcame hatred, violence and death, giving people eternal life. That is why Holy Pascha is the celebration of forgiveness, peace…
“The Ressurection, before being an event, is a Person. It is Jesus Christ Himself,” said His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel during the Easter midnight vigil while reflecting on the Saviour’s words: “I am the resurrection and the life.” “The Jewish Passover remembered the Jewish people crossing the Red Sea, escaping from the slavery of Pharaoh, from…
His Grace Bishop Mihail, who heads the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Australia and New Zealand, noted in his Easter encyclical that “we are called to respond to God’s love by following His Son Jesus Christ. Just as Christ’s humility was complete, so too the discipleship we humans must go through must be to the end,…
In his Easter message, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel asked for more care for vulnerable people, especially the poor and sick persons. He also remembered that the Resurrection of Christ filled every created thing with its ultimate meaning. “The Feast of Holy Pascha illuminates the whole life of the Church and of every Christian,” underlined the…
In his pastoral letter for Holy Pascha 2023, Metropolitan Nicolae of the Americas has urged the priests and faithful to preserve in their hearts and share positive messages with others: rejoice and be not afraid. Metropolitan Nicolae urged everyone to reflect on the experience of the Myrrh-bearing Women on the morning of the Resurrection and…
