www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life The Christian East & West Does the West celebrate the New Church Year Sept 1?

Yes, in the West, until recently, the civil year began on March 1. Until the administration of FDR, the President of the US was ignauerated on March 1st. He changed it to January.

By the way, the Western Rites are not dead. The Mozarabic Rite is spreading! There are several parishes in Spain now where it is celebrated. The Ambrosian Rite is still being celebrated. Of course, a Carmelite or Dominican or Norbertine can celebrate their rites when celebrating Mass alone. The Carthusians continue to celebrate their rite.

Dear Mike,

Right you are!

Actually, it is Orthodoxy that has best ensured the comeback of the old Western Rites, as you know.

The well-known organ of "Independent Orthodoxy" in America, "The Orthodox Catholic," represents a group of communities of non-canonical (?) Orthodox Christians who variously follow the Mozarabic, Ambrosian, Latin (BOTH NO and Tridentine traditions), Gallican and one or two other Western Rites.

There is also an independent Italo-Albanian Orthodox Church in the U.S. that promotes veneration of pre-Schism Italian Saints and that has Akathists to them.

In the development phase still is a Lutheran group that accepts the faith of Orthodoxy (much like Gillquist's Evangelical group before they joined the Antiochian Church).

They call themselves the "Evangelical Catholic Church," or sometimes the "Orthodox Church of the Germans."

They reflect their Lutheran heritage in their theology and worship, although they've aligned it with the Orthodox faith. I understand they are striving to eventually be in communion with the Patriarch of Antioch.

The Vatican has recently permitted the Mozarabic Rite to be used throughout Spain. However, only elements of it can be used within the NO format. The same is true of the Gallican, Celtic and other Rites that were suppressed by Rome in the past.

Even if one wanted to bring them back to the Roman Church, the NO framework will make this next to impossible.

Alex

I received further info on this September 1 celebration by the First Ecumenical Council. Here is what I have received from someone:

The information is based on the comment of St. Nikolai of Zica in his
Prologue from Orchrid, Vol. 3, p. 275, quote:

"September 1st
1. The Beginning of the Church's Year
The First Ecumenical Council decreed that the Church's year should begin on
September 1st."

He then discusses this date and practice at some length. Among his notes is
this closing sentence:

"For a long time, the civil year in the Christian world was reckoned in the
same way as the Church's year, from September 1st, but it was later changed
to January 1st, first in western Europe and then also in Russia in the time
of Peter the Great."

I did a cursory run through Volume 14 of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers,
"The Seven Ecumenical Councils" but found nothing specific about the
correlation of the civil and ecclesiastical year. There is a lot of material
in that volume and I may have missed references to this action. I put a lot
of stock in St. Nikolai (Velimirovic) and tend to trust he knew what he was
talking about. Curiously enough, the blurb on the back of our Sunday
bulletin, published by Vestal agrees with St. Nikolai: "At the First
Ecumenical Council in 325 A. D. , it was decreed that the Church liturgical
year would begin on September 1st. This was no random selection for the
Romans had been celebrating the start of the civil year on this day for quite
some time

If anyone has any comments I'd be interested to hear them. I am not familiar with St. Nikolai. Do I take what this person is telling me at face value? I have had no luck in tracing this to the First Ecumenical Council decree. Can anyone help?

Dear Rum,

That is correct, but March was the beginning of the New Year which is why "September" is reckoned as the seventh month, October the eighth, November the ninth and December the tenth.

April 1st later became the formal New Year and this is why, to this day, we have the "April Fool's" pranks which were done to celebrate the New year.

Alex

The Western Calendar of the Liturgical year is based upon the Mystery of Redemption and is cyclical.
Thus the new year beginning with the Advent of Chirst, His Birth, Life Ministry, Death, Resurrection, Glorification, and finally his Eternal Reign (the Feast of Christ the King).

I suppose a case could be made for begining the New Year on March 25 when the Birth of Jesus was announced to the Most Holy Theotokos.

Stephanos I

Hi everyone,
The following information was e-mailed to me about the New Year which I found to be interestingly said from an adminstrative and liturgical view. However, such dates may seem trivial in noting the differences betweeen East & West. Has anyone read a book entitled "The Year of Our Lord" that mentions this topic?

"The Roman Empire began celebrating Sept. 1st with the promulgation of the
Julian Calendar and kept it as additional months of July and August were
added to this calendar: Long before the Lord's birth. The Church merely
picked up what was already in place.

The Liturgical year really begins in Orthodoxy with Pascha, which is when our
Lectionary starts the course readings through the Gospels and the Apostolic
writings. Sept 1st was adopted as an Ecclesiastical new year, for
administrative purposes more than for Liturgical. The Western Church, as you
note, uses the beginning of Advent, which they place with the Feast of St.
Andrew, Nov. 30th as its Liturgical New Year."

I think the root for Indiction, or the beginning of the ecclesiastical year on September 1st, has a civil origin.

I thought that the "Indictio" referred to a civil cycle of 15 years which began under St. Constantine in 312, the year before his Edict of Milan.

I don't disagree with your post, Rum. As Eastern Christians our year spiritually certainly revolves around Holy Pascha.

Speaking of Calendars and I know it is getting off the topic. But could someone tell me the feasts that are closest to January 4th in the coming year 2003?
Thanks

Stephanos I
Unworthy Monk and Archsinner