Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center Holy and Glorious Pascha Preparation - Great and Holy Saturday - Junnaaz al-Maseeh - Hajmeh

Holy Saturday is a day of strict fasting until the Vespers of Pascha. Feasting begins after the Vespers, which is about mid-day. Many Churches delay the Vespers until evening.

All services in Great and Holy Week are moved ahead 12 hours.

The reason is probably to make the services more convenient for the people to attend.

Great and Holy Week or Pascha Cycle
Liturgical Service	of what Liturgical Day	Held on what Calendar Day	Time held
Royal Hours (Great Hours)	of Great and Holy Saturday	on Great and Holy Friday	early morning often 9 am
Vespers Jesus' descent from the cross	of Great and Holy Saturday	on Great and Holy Friday	late morning
Matins Burial of Jesus (Junnaaz al-Maseeh)	of Great and Holy Saturday	on Great and Holy Friday	evening
Vespers Blessing the new light, Procession of Triumph, The first proclamation of the Resurrection, Divine Liturgy of Our Father among the Saints Basil	of Holy and Glorious Pascha	on Great and Holy Saturday	morning
Matins Hajmeh; Paschal Orthros; Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, Blessing of Holy Artos (Pascha eggs and bread)	of Holy and Glorious Pascha	on Great and Holy Saturday	evening / night

Royal Hours (Great Hours) of Great and Holy Saturday, which is celebrated on Great and Holy Friday often 9 a.m. or noon

Royal Hours or Great Hours

Royal Hours or Great Hours is a Liturgical Service in which many palsms, prophecies, Apostolos, and Gospels are read. Royal Hours are celebrated in the morning on the Paramony (eve) of major Great Feast days.

In the Byzantine Empire, on the Paramony of major Great Feast days, the service of the Hours took on an especially solemn character. Many palsms, prophecies, Apostolos, and Gospels were read.
In the great Cathedral of Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom) in Constantinople, the Emperor, the choirs or monks, the clergy, and the faithful came together to recite prayers and to hear special readings for the Feast.

Royal Hours for this Great Feast

Special prayers are said and special sections of the Old and New Testament are read.
All the Old Testmanet prophesies that foretold the coming, teaching, suffering, and death of Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ are read.

We stand in front of Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ crucified. We think about God's love for us and Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ's suffering for us.

Pascha Cycle

Great and Holy Saturday is between Great and Holy Friday and Holy and Glorious Pascha.

How to determine when Great and Holy Saturday occurs

Great Lent is Forty Days. A count back from the date of Pascha is made.

Traditions

Traditions of Great Lent and Holy Week Melkite Greek Catholic Church Eparchy of Newton

Images

Images of Holy Week Melkite Greek Catholic Church Eparchy of Newton

Liturgical Service on Web

Greek Catholic, Melkite Al-Bushra

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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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Last Updated: Sunday, June 11, 2006, 17:27:41, PDT
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