Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center Holy and Glorious Pascha Cycle - Preparation

Great and Holy Week is six days.
Great and Holy Week begins at the beginning of the Vespers of Great and Holy Monday on Holy and Glorious Palm Sunday--Shaneeneh afternoon and ends just before the Divine Liturgy of Holy and Glorious Pascha is celebrated on Great and Holy Saturday evening.

Great and Holy Week constitute a time marked by greater solemnity, intensified prayer, and stricter fasting as we prepare and then we move with our Lord Jesus Christ through the events of His Passion in the beautiful Holy Week services of the Church.

All services in Great and Holy Week and on Pascha 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
Vespers Pre-Sanctified Liturgy	of Great and Holy Monday	on Palm Sunday	afternoon
Matins Bridegroom Service	of Great and Holy Monday	on Palm Sunday	evening
Vespers Pre-Sanctified Liturgy	of Great and Holy Tuesday	on Great and Holy Monday	morning
Matins Bridegroom Service	of Great and Holy Tuesday	on Great and Holy Monday	evening
Vespers Pre-Sanctified Liturgy	of Great and Holy Wednesday	on Great and Holy Tuesday	morning
Matins Bridegroom Service	of Great and Holy Wednesday	on Great and Holy Tuesday	evening
Vespers Pre-Sanctified Liturgy	of Great and Holy Thursday	on Great and Holy Wednesday	morning
Matins Service of Forgiveness and Service of Anointing with Holy Oil	of Great and Holy Thursday	on Great and Holy Wednesday	evening
Vespers Divine Liturgy of Our Father among the Saints Basil the Great Commemorates the Last Supper - institution of Holy Eucharist	of Great and Holy Friday	on Great and Holy Thursday	morning
Matins Service of the Twelve Gospels or Passion Gospels or Crucifixion Service	of Great and Holy Friday	on Great and Holy Thursday	evening
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
		on Holy and Glorious Pascha	morning
Vespers Agape	of Bright Monday	on Holy and Glorious Pascha	afternoon

In Holy and Great Week, the Church remembers and celebrates and re-lives the events of the Passion, Crucifixion, Death, and Resurrection of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ. During this week, we have special services that deepen our faith, express our love for God and for each other, and help us come closer to the Lord. During this week also we intensify the fasting that we have been practicing throughout Great Lent -- sharing in some small way the suffering Jesus the Messiah endured willingly for our salvation, and preparing ourselves for joyously celebrating His Life-giving Resurrection.

As we enter into the holiest week of the year, leading up to the most joyful feast of the year, may God bless us with renewed faith and hope, with renewed determination to live holy Christian lives, with the will and the ability to share God's Good News and good gifts with others, and with the life-giving joy of His Resurrection.

Pascha Cycle

Great and Holy Week is within the Pascha Cycle. Great and Holy Week is between the Transition Period between Great Lent and Great and Holy Week and Holy and Glorious Pascha.

How to determine when Great Week 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 (Our Lady of the Annunciation (Al Bisharah) in Roslindale, Massachusetts), United States

Images

Images of Holy Week ( Includes Pascha) Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Eparchy of Newton (Our Lady of the Annunciation (Al Bisharah) in Roslindale, Massachusetts), United States

Liturgical Service on Web

Greek Catholic, Melkite Al-Bushra

Holy Week and Easter Number 1
Holy Week and Easter Number 2
Good Friday from Sahamaar, Israel, April 1999, Number 1 Fr. Nadim Chacour
Good Friday from Sahamaar, Israel, April 1999, Number 2 Fr. Nadim Chacour

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), 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, 19:24:59, CDT
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