Because the lenten season is one of preparation for the Lords Resurrection through the remembrance of sin and separation from God, the liturgical order of the Church eliminates the eucharistic service on the weekdays of lent. About Great Lent, Holy Week, and Pascha. The Lenten Calendar 2022 issued on February 25, 2022 is now available for viewing and download. The Orthodox Christian Faith proclaims the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the teachings of the Apostles, and the tradition and life of the living Church worldwide through worship, communion, witness, and service. The Church spares no effort in warning us against a hypocritical and pharisaic fasting, against the reduction of religion to mere external obligations. by Fr. Phone: (212) 570-3500Contact, Download VCFJoin our Mailing ListsDonate. The experience provides the faithful significant content to listen to, watch, and read; in order to lead, grow, and inspire. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. YouTube | Over the next forty days we break the chains of sin and evil by controlling the things which control usand so become free people. Getentrepreneurial.com: Resources for Small Business Entrepreneurs in 2022. Find out the dates, history and traditions of Trees Are The Key Awareness Week. In addition, two special feastdays that fall during this period Annunciation (March 25) and Palm Sunday (April 17, this year) are kept as Fish, Wine, and Oil Days. The experience provides the faithful significant content to listen to, watch, and read; in order to lead, grow, and inspire. (Doxastikon of Orthros, Cheesefare Sunday, Trans. Christ shed His blood for us, so we do not consume any "blood" or "animal" products. In some faith's traditions, Lent ends on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter. It is significant that Lent begins after the Sunday of the Casting Out of Adam from Paradise. May God keep their memory eternal. The most basic "passion" is hunger. On the morning of that Sunday, at the Divine Liturgy, we hear the words of Christ: These rules exist not as a Pharisaic burden too hard to bear (Lk 11.46), but as an ideal to be striven for; not as an end in themselves, but as a means to spiritual perfection crowned in love. The following is an overview of the events. The day commemorates the Crucifixion of Jesus. The Church Year /. Great Lent & Holy Week - 1st Monday of Great Lent through Great and Holy Saturday Apostles' (Peter & Paul) Fast - June 11 through June 28 Dormition (Theotokos) Fast - Aug. 1 through Aug. 14 Fast-Free Weeks Afterfeast of the Nativity of Christ to Theophany Eve - Dec. 25 through Jan. 4 +HARALAMPOSArchbishop of Dallas and Texas, +NICHOLASBishop of EdenbornVicar for the Archdiocese of North America & the Diaspora, True Orthodox Church of the Diaspora: Archdiocese of North America 2001-2023. On Sundays it is the longer Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great. Facebook | Also, do not pass judgment on others who are not fasting to the degree you are. On Sundays it is the longer Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great. If one does not have the strength to do this, it is good to abstain from food until after venerating the epitaphios (winding sheet) during Vespers on this day. Certain individuals and institutions are presented for reference purposes only and may not be under the supervision or jurisdiction of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese. The Mission of The Orthodox Church in America, the local autocephalous Orthodox Christian Church, is to be faithful in fulfilling the commandment of Christ to "Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" We avoid gluttony of food, but likewise we ought to avoid gluttony of all sorts: in recreation, media, or conversation with others. Telegram | This year, Easter falls on Sunday, April. Copyright 19962023. The ecclesiastical book that contains the Services of our Church which are performed during the period beginning with the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee and ends on Great and Holy Saturday, that is the Services of the movable feasts that precede Easter, is called the Triodion. Eastern churches begin Lent on the Monday of the 7th week before Easter and end on the Friday nine days preceding Easter. It is a pious practice to observe Great and Holy Friday as an absolute fast. His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon /. In order that the faithful would not be entirely deprived of Holy Communion on the lenten days, however, the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is celebrated on Wednesday and Friday evenings. So, if we can or tame our passion for eating, we can hopefully tame our other passions. With these words we fast with cheerful hearts, because it is in our self-denial that we find freedom in the Resurrection. May you have all the blessings of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ in your Lenten journey. Saint Paul reminds us in Romans 14:3-4: "Let not him who eats despise him who abstains, and let not him who abstains pass judgment on him who eats; for God has welcomed him. Copyright 19962023. The consumption of shellfish and mollusks, however, is permitted in Greek Orthodox Churches. The Church eases us into the fasting discipline during these weeks of preparation as follows: The Lenten fasting discipline commences after Forgiveness Vespers on March 6 and concludes with the breaking of the fast at Pascha on April 24. The Lenten Fast rules that we observe today were established within the monasteries of the Orthodox Church during the sixth through eleventh centuries. About the OCA / Easter Archpastoral Letter April 24/April 11, 2022, , Archpastoral Letter for the Beginning of Great Lent 2022. The Orthodox Observer places the Church in the context of the current world we live in through a diverse and informative experience offering participants meaningful exchange with the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, her ministries, and affiliates. It is the Orthodox Tradition to fast from food products that contain blood. Celebrates the resurrection of Jesus from the dead after his death by crucifixion. Site Map | Therefore, these rules are intended for all Orthodox Christians, not just monks and nuns. This site has been made possible by a grant from Leadership 100. In preparation for this great feast of the Mother of God, we observe a two-week period Read more. Aris Metrakos to Protopresbyter, The Patriarch of Jerusalem for the railway fatality in Tempi. In practice, very few people are able to do this. The rite of forgiveness is so important precisely because it makes us realizebe it only for one minutethat our entire relationship to other men is wrong, makes us experience that encounter of one child of God with another, of one person created by God with another, makes us feel that mutual recognition which is so terribly lacking in our cold and dehumanized world. The road home, however, begins with us. This Lent, be especially on guard with social media, which too easily inflames our passions, devours our time, and devolves into the foolish controversies which Saint Paul warns us to avoid, for they are unprofitable and futile and only disturb our brothers and sisters in Christ (cf. Indeed, Christianity has no other content but love. The ascetic fast of Great Lent continues from Meatfare Sunday to Easter Sunday, and is broken only after the Paschal Divine Liturgy. The first week of Lent is especially strict. David Winn. Fish is not allowed with the exception on two days: on the 25th of March (Annunciation of the Virgin Mary) and on Palm Sunday. The Holy Archdiocese does not exercise any administrative oversight or assignment authority over clergy that are not part of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Metropolitan of All America and Canada, The Mission of The Orthodox Church in America, the local autocephalous Orthodox Christian Church, is to be faithful in fulfilling the commandment of Christ to Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. To the beloved clergy, religious, and faithful of the Russian True Orthodox Church, Archdiocese of North America & the Diasporamercy, peace, and love be yours in ever-greater measure. And because we make this discoveryand because this discovery is that of the Kingdom of God itself: the Kingdom of Peace and Love, of reconciliation with God and, in Him, with all that existswe hear the hymns of that Feast, which once a year opens to us the doors of Paradise. We know why we shall fast and pray, what we shall seek during the long Lenten pilgrimage. The Lenten liturgical program was synthesized throughout time. The cornerstone of Lent is not fasting, but repentance and growing in our faith. Twitter | The Church, in her wisdom, begins preparing us for this most-holy time in the weeks that Read more, The Nativity Fast begins this year on Tuesday, November 15. We can eat shellfish because they do not contain blood. But the Church spares no effort in revealing to us that fasting is but a means, one among many, towards a higher goal: the spiritual renewal of man, his return to God, true repentance and, therefore, true reconciliation. as You love humanity. Fasting is a spiritual discipline that should be practiced with the oversight and direction of your spiritual father. The Orthodox Observer places the Church in the context of the current world we live in through a diverse and informative experience offering participants meaningful exchange with the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, her ministries, and affiliates. Eating meat, eggs and dairy products is traditionally forbidden to Orthodox Christians throughout Lent, with fish being eaten only on two major feast days: on March 25th ( Annunciation of the Virgin Mary) and on Palm Sunday . You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. This ends this cycle of "movable feasts" (called this because their date moves every year), which surround the feast of Pascha. Truly, I say to you, This fast helps us prepare to properly celebrate our Lords nativity in the flesh and it is to our benefit to observe it as fully Read more, On Monday, August 15, we will celebrate the Dormition of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-virgin Mary. Blessed fasting is done in secret, without ostentation or accusation of others (Mt 6.16; Rom 14). On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, a total fast is kept. Wednesday. Fasting 3. Read about Orthodox Lent around the world in 2024. Great Lent begins on Monday, March 7, 2022. It is before his own Master that he stands or falls." Contact | On that unique evening, listening to the joyful Paschal hymns we are called to make a spiritual discovery: to taste of another mode of life and relationship with people, of life whose essence is love. Again, Lent is not a season of deprivation, nor should we "give up" something only to get it back once Lent is over. 2023Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Official Documents | Terms of Use | Copyright Sources. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar. During Saracosti, no meat or dairy foods are eaten. After forty days, the church celebrates the Feast of the Ascension. Metropolitans messages on war in Ukraine, Christmas Archpastoral Letter December 25, 2022/January 7, 2023. Archbishop of Washington Octopus and shell-fish are allowed, as is vegetable oil. Home / Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Great Lent 2022. Volume II - Worship / If a believer is accustomed to attending only the Sunday Liturgy during Great Lent, then the opportunity for a . St. John the Forerunner Orthodox Church 800 West Park Street Cedar Park, TX, 78613 United States (map) Google Calendar ICS. We thought it would be helpful to have them all listed on this page, together with some of our favorite external resources. Twitter | Religious study 4. Also called Quadragesima or Tessaracoste, Great Lent is a 40-day season of spiritual preparation that comes before the Feast of Holy Pascha or the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, which falls on April 24. There is a forty day fast that precedes the Feast of the Nativity (November 15-December 24), a fourteen day fast that precedes the Feast of the Dormition (August 1-14), and the Holy Apostles Fast (which begins the day after All Saints Day and lasts through June 28). Site Map | The time has come - the start of our spiritual contests, the victory over demons, The Holy Synod / On weekends, olive oil and wine are permitted. As a Lenten hymn says: In vain do you rejoice in not eating, O soul!For you abstain from food,But from passions you are not purified.If you persevere in sin, you will perform a useless fast!. The Sunday after Pentecost is the Feast of All Saints. Today, this psalm is sung as a reminder to us of all that is lost throughout the year due to our own actions or inactions. In the case of All Saints parishioners, your spiritual father is Fr. There are certain days of the Holy Week cycle that have special fasting rules. To the Clergy, Monastics, and Faithful of the Orthodox Church in America. This is by design, and helps us intensify our Lenten efforts of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Fasting is also mischaracterized as a form of deprivation, rather than a spiritual discipline. The dominant theme of this Sunday since 843 has been that of the victory of the icons. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, Contact | This site has been made possible by a grant from Leadership 100. Instagram | The information contained on the website of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America is for informational purposes only. to let the oppressed go free, The Mission of The Orthodox Church in America, the local autocephalous Orthodox Christian Church, is to be faithful in fulfilling the commandment of Christ to Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. In practice, it consists of: 1. for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. YouTube | Nor should we, as Christ warns, look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men (Mt 6:16). Please also be of service to them in your charity and almsgiving this Lent. Instagram | Titus 3:9). We can discover that always and everywhere Christ, the Divine Love Himself, stands in the midst of us, transforming our mutual alienation into brotherhood. Facebook | This preparation is for both our body and soul. Each of us has a "passion" for anger, lust, power, greed, ego, etc. Today, as we begin the time of the Fast, let us all rise up and choose to make the journey home. Seraphim Dedes). If you have a medical condition that requires you to relax the fasting guidelines, then do so. Box 495 South Bound Brook, NJ 08880 Offices: Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA Metropolia Center Holy Week follows, along with the Great and Holy Week. Lord, throughfasting make us worthy to worship Your Passion and Holy Resurrection, But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. The Church Year, The Mission of The Orthodox Church in America, the local autocephalous Orthodox Christian Church, is to be faithful in fulfilling the commandment of Christ to Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Generally speaking, children and elderly people are allowed to relax the fast under the guidance of their spiritual father. Great Lent is a time to prepare ourselves in order to celebrate Pascha. Even during Great Lent, Saturday (the Sabbath Day) and Sunday (the Lords Day) remain eucharistic days, and the Divine Liturgy is celebrated. Sunday, March 6, 2022 12:30 PM. When we each ask God to open to me the gates of repentance this Lent, remember that we do not fast to earn Gods love or to impress others around us. Forgiveness Sunday: the day on which we acquire the power to make our fastingtrue fasting; our efforttrue effort; our reconciliation with Godtrue reconciliation. As I advance towards the other, as the other comes to mewe begin to realize that it is Christ who brings us together by His love for both of us. We need to fast from things that get us in trouble - perhaps the television, alcohol, inappropriate materials on the computer and in movies, foul language, etc. The Holy Archdiocese does not exercise any administrative oversight or assignment authority over clergy that are not part of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Great Lent begins on Monday, March 7! Telegram | It is during the month of Ramadan that Muslims fast. Give some thought to your fasting plan for Lent today! Home / Portions should be smaller than usual. During this period of Lent, we have the opportunity to show that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word (and by prayer, and by tears of repentance, and by prostrations, and by asceticism) that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matthew 4.4). However, for other faiths such as Roman Catholicism, Lent ends at sundown on Thursday, April 6, which is the day known as Holy Thursday. Thus, fasting is not about giving up something only to get it back. In addition to the ascetic fasting of the lenten season, the Orthodox alone among Christians also practice what is known as eucharistic or liturgical fasting. During these days, the Church announces to us the arrival of Lent as being the dawn of day that dissipates the darkness: Shining upon us as the dawn, the grace-giving Fast provides us now with a time for repentance, dispersing the darkness of our sins., And she urges us to approach it with a humble heart, The holy season ofabstinenceshines upon us all with the light of repentance, driving away the darkness of sin. A meeting ofthe HIERARCHS of the RTOC-MM Synod ofBishops takes place. We also remember that Lent calls us to control not just our stomachs but our eyes, hands, feet, and mind. Home / Instagram | 18 March, 2023 - Annual Western PA/OH Pan-Orthodox Lenten Retreat April 1, 2023 - Lenten Retreat Praying our way together during Great Lent Recent Galleries 02/25/2023 02/20/2023 Mailing Address Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA P.O. The Orthodox Christian holiday explained Cady Stanton USA TODAY 0:00 0:45 Orthodox Christians in Europe, Africa and the Middle East celebrated Orthodox Easter on Sunday. "The holy season of abstinence shines upon us all with the light of . The word "lent" is derived from the Anglo-Saxon 'lencten' which literally means "spring". Draw near unto my soul and deliver it!, after making our entrance into Lenten worship, with its special melodies, with the prayer of Saint Ephraim the Syrian, with its prostrationswe ask forgiveness from each other, we perform the rite of forgiveness and reconciliation. The Orthodox Faith / This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. April 2022 - Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America DONATE Calendar of Saints, Feasts, and Readings in the Orthodox Church April 2022 List Grid View All View Saints View Readings Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 4th Friday of Lent Isaiah 29:13-23 Genesis 12:1-7 Proverbs 14:15-26 2 Fourth Saturday of Lent Hebrews 6:9-12 Below is a guide of some levels of fasting: **Fish is allowed on March 25 (Annunciation)and Palm Sunday; oil and wine are allowed on Saturdays and Sundays, except for Holy Saturday. Home / Great Lent begins on Monday, March 7, 2022. they have received their reward. In this turbulent moment, the Fast is a call to freedom as children of God through our spiritual discipline. Great Lent corresponds to Lent as found in Western Christianity, though the length of the periods are calculated in different ways. However, Western Christendom doesn't count Sundays because Jesus is recorded as having resurrected on a Sunday, whereas Eastern Orthodox churches do count Sundays. to undo the cords of the yoke, Search, Learn more about the Orthodox Church in America. Great Lent is the longest and strictest of the four fasting periods of the Orthodox Church. When people think of the word "Lent," the word "fasting" is one of the first things that comes to mind. When we think of Easter, what comes to mind are Easter eggs and those fun games played before getting an Easter egg. Stavros N. Akrotirianakis, Join the Prayer Team Daily Devotionemail listand receive a reflection like this in your inbox every morning, Fr. Let us run towards this freedom in the coming weeks. This is the true fast: the casting off of evil, the bridling of the tongue, the cutting off of anger, the cessation of lusts, evil talking, lies and cursing. and your father who sees in secret will reward you:' Matthew 6: 16-18 link to the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese website for the liturgics of the day, if available. All rights reserved. His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros (Lambriniadis) of America was born in 1967 in Bakirky, Istanbul. The Archdiocese responds to the spiritual needs of the Greek Orthodox Christian Faithful through National Ministries, providing programs and services to your local parishes, Metropolises, and you. Sunday, February 13, 2022 11:30 AM. Search, Learn more about the Orthodox Church in America. After a few years at one level, challenge yourself to go up a level. In several countries, lent marks the start of spring. On these days the fast is relaxed to permit fish with backbones, in addition to alcoholic beverages and oil. On the morning of that Sunday, at the Divine Liturgy, we hear the words of Christ: If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses (Mark 6:14-15). The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, with its headquarters located in the City of New York, is an Eparchy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, The mission of the Archdiocese is to proclaim the Gospel of Christ, to teach and spread the Orthodox Christian faith, to energize, cultivate, and guide the life of the Church in the United States of America according to the Orthodox Christian faith and tradition. Hear me speedily! About the Faith / Lent is about repentance, and making small and permanent changes to bring us closer to the Lord, changes that will last long after Lent is over. March 7, 2022 To the Clergy, Monastics, and Faithful of the Orthodox Church in America, Dear Beloved Children in the Lord, As we stand at this moment, the threshold of Great Lent, with all turmoil and violence unfolding in the world, the Lenten fast comes like a spring breeze to refresh our souls. The Church eases us into the fasting discipline during these weeks of preparation as follows: February 13 is the Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee and the week that follows (February 13 - 20) is fast-free. Try fasting from meat on Wednesdays and Fridays of Lent (and then throughout the year), then next year try fasting Wednesdays and Fridays plus all of the first week of Lent and all of Holy Week. The weeks of the Great Lent are: First Sunday (Sunday of Orthodoxy) Second Sunday (St. Gregory Palamas) Third Sunday (Adoration of Cross) Fourth Sunday (St. John of Climax) Fifth Sunday (St. Mary of Egypt) Palm Sunday through Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday Fasting On Wednesday, the fast is kept until after the Presanctified Liturgy. The Holy Metropolis of Belgium and Exarchate of Low Countries and Luxembourg will honor the memory of Metropolitan Panteleimon On Wednesday, March 1, while visiting Northern California, Archbishop Elpidophoros of America attended a Luncheon and Meeting hosted by Patriarch Theofilos III of Jerusalem expressed his deep sorrow and extended his condolences to the families of the railway Sign up for our weekly newsletter (function() {
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. The Ecclesiastical Calendars are an annual resource published by What is the meaning of this rite? I humbly ask your forgiveness. Instead, Lenten food usually consists of plenty of olives, taramasalata, Halva, vegetables, legumes and seafood, such as calamari, octopus, shrimps, oysters, cuttlefish, mussels, lobsters etc. Over the years, we have built quite a collection of teaching resources on Great Lent. Prayer 2. Each person must do his best in the light of the given ideal. Designed to guide its readers through the journey, it will both inspire and reinvigorate your faith through meditation, prayer, and a deeper understanding of the Passion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. When does Lent start in 2023? INTRO This year, our journey through the Lenten fast to Pascha begins at Forgiveness Vespers on Sunday, February 26. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. God forgives us, and His forgiveness is in Christ, His Son, whom He sends to us so that by sharing in His humanity we may share in His love and be truly reconciled with God. During the week days of Great Lent the regular eucharistic Divine Liturgy is not celebrated in Orthodox churches since the Divine Liturgy is always a paschal celebration of communion with the Risen Lord. Knowing the great effort to which they are called, Christians should make every effort to fast as well as they can, in secret, so that God would see and bless them openly with a holy life. Site Map | Click the name of a holiday to read more about an individual event. This day commemorates the Last Supper shared by Jesus and his disciples. ". In 2021, Lent in the Roman Catholic Church takes place from February 17 to April 3. So, we fast from meat, fish, dairy products, oil, and wine. The lenten services also make the undeniable point that we should not pride ourselves with external fasting since the devil also never eats! The information contained on the website of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America is for informational purposes only. Feasts & Saints /, The Mission of The Orthodox Church in America, the local autocephalous Orthodox Christian Church, is to be faithful in fulfilling the commandment of Christ to Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Receive small business resources and advice about entrepreneurial info, home based business, business franchises and startup opportunities for entrepreneurs. For many this is impracticable. The Orthodox Easter period influences a range of festivals and events. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Patriarch of Romania extended condolences to Greece over deadly train collision, Diaconia Social Mission takes stock of its good deeds in 2022, Head of Chancellery of Romanias PM met with Metropolitan Petru of Bessarabia, Bishop of Hui urged to observe digital fast during Lenten season, Patriarch of Romania: Forgiveness is a condition to make a good beginning for Lent, Alba Iulia Archbishop Irineu: Great Lent is a time of purification and illumination, Archbishop of America: In the face of every child we behold the countenance of God, Archbishop Makarios of Australia: As a human race, we have a great obligation to the Virgin Mary, Warm reception of the Archbishop of Cyprus by the Ecumenical Patriarch in the Phanar, Visit of Dr. Nikolaos Lygeros to the Offices of the Archdiocesan District of Melbourne, Commemoration of Metropolitan Panteleimon in Brussels, Archbishop of America elevated parish priest Fr. This Sunday was originally dedicated to Saint Polycarp of Smyrna (February 23). Fasting is a tool that is used to assist in spiritual growth. The strictest observancewould be to take only two meals during this week one on Wednesday evening and one on Friday evening after the services scheduled for those nights keeping Clean Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday as absolute fasts (i.e., no food whatsoever). From the second through the sixth weeks of Lent, the general rules for fasting are practiced. Palm Sunday is the Sunday before Easter and commemorates Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. Lent is all about that journey, and the brave souls who choose to embark upon it. What is Western-Rite Orthodoxy? There is no one among us, try as we might, who is able to make it through the year without sin. In that year the iconoclastic controversy, which had raged on and off since 726, was finally laid to rest, and icons and their veneration were restored on the first Sunday in Lent. Whether our sin takes the form of something great or small it remains a way in which we have hurt ourselves, have hurt others, and have damaged our relationship with God. The Road Back to Christ: Reflections on Lent, Holy Week and the Resurrection is a series of short daily reflections on the scripture readings of Holy Week and the accounts of the Resurrection and post-Resurrection appearances of Christ. +TIKHON Ever since, this Sunday has been commemorated as the "Triumph of Orthodoxy. RTOC-MM: Archdiocese of North America and the Diaspora From the Blog March 7/February 22, 2022 To the beloved clergy, religious, and faithful of the Russian True Orthodox Church, Archdiocese of North America & the Diaspora-mercy, peace, and love be yours in ever-greater measure. Every year, the Church gives us this period of pause, remembrance, and renewal to remind us of the need for self- awareness, for repentance, and for forgiveness. With the bestowal of our blessings and prayers for all of you, we remain, Metropolitan and First Hierarch of the Russian True Orthodox Church-MM. It is a time during which we take stock of our hearts, discard the unnecessary things of this world, refocus our spiritual vision, and bring our pains and griefs before Gods healing presence.