Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center Preparation

Fasting Periods
Name	Time
Pre-Nativity Fast for Great Feast of the Nativity According to the Flesh of Our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ	40 days Traditional Begins at the beginning of the Vespers of 15 November on 14 November evening Ends just before Vespers of Great Feast of the Nativity According to the Flesh of Our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ (25 December) on 24 December evening Shorter number of days Modern Begins at the beginning of the Vespers of 10 December on 9 December evening Ends just before Vespers of Great Feast of the Nativity According to the Flesh of Our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ (25 December) on 24 December evening
Prophonisimon for Feasts of Feasts Holy and Glorious Pascha	8 days Begins at the beginning of the Vespers of Meat fare Sunday traditionally no flesh (skin and meat) from a vertebrate, which is an animal with a spine / backbone (mammals, birds, fish, etc.), and shellfish Ends just before the Vespers of Clean Monday on the Sunday of Cheesefare / Forgiveness evening.
Great Lent for Feasts of Feasts Holy and Glorious Pascha	40 days Begins at the beginning of the Vespers of Clean Monday on the Sunday of Cheesefare / Forgiveness evening Ends just before the Vespers of Lazarus Saturday on the last Friday in Great Lent evening.
Great and Holy Week for Feasts of Feasts Holy and Glorious Pascha	The Vespers and Orthos of the Liturgical Day are on the previous calendar day. 6 days Begins just before the Vespers of Great and Holy Monday on Palm Sunday afternoon Ends just before Vespers of Holy and Glorious Pascha on Great and Holy Saturday evening.
Apostle's Fast forthe Feast of the Holy, Glorious and Illustrious Princes of the Apostles Peter and Paul	Begins just before the Vespers of the Monday after First Sunday after Pentecost on Sunday evening Ends just before the Vespers of the Feast of the Holy, Glorious and Illustrious Princes of the Apostles Peter and Paul (29 June) on 28 June evening.
Dormition Fast Theotokos Fast Our Lady's Fast for the Great Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos	Begins just before the Vespers of the Feast of the Procession of the Holy Cross (1 August) on 31 July evening evening Ends just before Vespers of the Great Feast of the Dormition of The Theotokos (15 August) on 14 August evening.

Fasting Feast Days
Name	When
The Paramony of the Great Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord, Jesus Christ	December 24
The Paramony of the Great Feast of the Theophany of Our Lord, Jesus Christ	January 5
Clean Monday	Clean Monday is between the Triodion Sunday of Cheese fare / Forgiveness and the First Sunday of Great Lent. Great Lent begins at the beginning of the Vespers of Clean Monday on the evening of the Sunday of Cheese fare / Forgiveness.
The Liturgical Day of Great and Holy Thursday	On the calendar Great and Holy Wednesday
The Liturgical Day of Great and Holy Saturday	On the calendar Great and Holy Friday
The Liturgical Day of Great and Holy Saturday	On the calendar Great and Holy Friday
Great Feast of the Exaltation of the Precious and Lifegiving Holy Cross	14 September

Fasting Week Days
Name	Why
Wednesdays	In memory of the betrayal of Holy God the Son within the Holy Trinity / Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ by Judas
Fridays	In memory of the Crucifixion

NOT Fasting Week Days
Name	Why
Sunday	In memory of Feasts of Feasts Holy and Glorious Pascha.
Saturday (Not Great and Holy Saturday)	Preparation for Sunday

More Information

CyberTypicon by Reverend Father / Abouna Peter Boutros
CyberTypicon lists Fast and Abstinence days.

"CyberTypicon" Definitions by Reverend Father / Abouna Peter Boutros
CyberTypicon has the Fasting and Abstinence rules. Please click on Fast and Abstinence.

Traditions of Great Lent and Holy Week Please click on Fast and Abstinence, Reasons why. Melkite Greek Catholic Church Eparchy of Newton Material prepared by Fr. Philaret Littlefield for inclusion in the St. George Melkite (Byzantine) Greek Catholic Church, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States Sunday Bulletin

Abouna, Why do We Fast? by Fr. Philaret D. Littlefield, Reprinted from Sophia, Volume 31, Number 1, Jan. - Feb. 2001, Melkite Greek Catholic Church Eparchy of Newton

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Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center
Martha Liles
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Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center is dedicated to my cousins: Bucky (Richard C. Liles) and Shirley (Shirley Jean Liles Buck). Bucky fell asleep in the Lord on Dec. 12, 2000 and Shirley fell asleep in the Lord on Nov. 8, 2001.
O God of all spirits and of all flesh, who have destroyed death, overcome the devil, and given life to the world: grant, O Lord, to the souls of your servants Bucky and Shirley, who has departed from this life, that it may rest in a place of light, in a place of happiness, in a place of peace, where there is no pain, no grief, no sighing. And since You are a gracious God and the Lover of Mankind, forgive him/her every sin he/she has committed by thought, or word, or deed, for there is not a man who lives and does not sin : You alone are without sin, your righteousness is everlasting, and your word is true. You are the Resurrection and the Life, and the repose of your departed servants Bucky and Shirley. O Christ our God, and we send up glory to You, together with your eternal Father and your all-holy, good and life-givng Spirit, now and always and for ages upon ages. Amen.

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