Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center Celebrating

The Melkite Greek Catholic Church has an Annual Liturgical Cycle. Each Liturgical Cycle has a Preparing Time Period and a Celebrating Time Period. The Preparing Time Period and the Celebrating Time Period are equally important because the reason for both time periods is equally important. Every Preparing Time Period (fasting, praying, and performing Charity) is followed by a Celebrating (Feasting) Time Period. Feast of Feasts Holy and Glorious Pascha and Great Feast of the Nativity According to the Flesh of Holy God the Son within the Holy Trinity / Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ hae the same lenght of Preparing Time Period and Celebrating Time Period: forty days. The Feast Day is counted as the first day (day one) in the Celebrating Time Period.

Periods of feasting are periods of celebration. We celebrate by feasting. "Feasting" is eating all foods and drinking all drinks all the time. During periods of feasting, Melkites are required to eat the specific forbidden foods and drink the specific forbidden beverages. They can eat and drink any time during the day and the night.

Periods of Feasting

Feasting Periods
Name	Time
Great Feast of the Nativity According to the Flesh of Our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ	40 days Begins at the beginning of 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 Ends just before Vespers on the Great Feast of Holy Hypapanty of Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ and the Great Feast of the Purification of The Theotokos (2 February) on 1 February evening 1-day of fasting in this period The Paramony of The Great Feast of Holy Theophany of Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Feast of Feasts Holy and Glorious Pascha	40 days Begins at the beginning of Vespers of the Feast of Feasts Holy and Glorious Pascha> on Great and Holy Saturday evening Ends just before Vespers of the Great Feast of the Ascension (40th day of Pascha) on 39th day of Pascha evening.
Feast of the Holy, Glorious and Illustrious Princes of the Apostles Peter and Paul	1 day Begins at the beginning of the Vespers of the Feast of the Holy, Glorious and Illustrious Princes of the Apostles Peter and Paul (29 June) on 28 June evening. Ends just before Vespers of Synaxis of the Holy Twelve Apostles (30 June) on 29 June evening.
Great Feast of the Dormition of The Theotokos	9 days Begins at the beginning of the Vespers of the Great Feast of the Dormition of The Theotokos (15 August) on 14 August evening. Ends just before the Vespers of the Holy Hieromartyr Eutyches (24 August) on 23 August evening.

Feast Days

Feast of Feasts Holy and Glorious Pascha - Fesakh - Hajmeh - (Date Occurs)
Eleven of the Great Feast Days
- Great Feast of the Holy Hypapanty of Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ and the Purification of The Theotokos - 2 February
- Great Feast of the Holy Theophany of Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ - 6 January
- Great Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ - 6 August
- Great Feast of Holy and Glorious Palm Sunday - Shaneeneh - Sunday before Pascha
- Great Feast of the Ascension into Heaven of Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ - 40th day of Pascha
- Great Feast of Pentecost - 50th day of Pascha
- Great Feast of the Nativity of The Theotokos - 8 September
- Great Feast of the Entrance of The Theotokos into the Temple - 21 November
- Great Feast of the Annunciation (Al Bisharah) of The Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary - 25 March
- Great Feast of the Dormition of The Theotokos - 15 August

Great Feast of the The Annunciation (Al Bisharah) of The Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary

Because this feast is so important, the regulations for feasting on the Great Feast of the Annunciation (Al Bisharah) of The Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, 25 March, always supersedes the regulations for fasting during the Preparation for the Feast of Feasts Holy and Glorious Pascha - Fesakh - Hajmeh. This Great Feast Day is always a day of feasting.

Transition Period between Great Lent and Great and Holy Week

The Transition Period between Great Lent and Great and Holy Week is Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday --Shaneeneh is a Celebrating Time Period.

Great Feast of the Exaltation of the Precious and Lifegiving Holy Cross

Because this feast is so important, The Great Feast of the Exaltation of the Precious and Lifegiving Holy Cross, 14 September, is always a day of fasting (fast and abstience).

More Information

CyberTypicon Reverend Father Peter Boutros
CyberTypicon lists Feast days.

Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center
Martha Liles
Web URL address: Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center or https://www.mliles.com/melkite/
E-mail: mliles@mliles.com or mliles@mliles.com

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Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center is dedicated to my cousins: Bucky (Richard C. Liles), Shirley (Shirley Jean Liles Buck), and Donna (Donna Bertha Liles Campbell). Bucky fell asleep in the Lord on Dec. 12, 2000, Shirley fell asleep in the Lord on Nov. 8, 2001, and Donna fell asleep in the Lord on March 9, 2020.
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-giving Spirit, now and always and for ages upon ages. Amen.

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Last Updated: Wednesday, June 03, 2020, 16:40:25, CDT
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