www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Parish Life & Evangelization byzantine liturgical calender

does anyone know online where i can find the calender byzantine Catholics follow during the liturgical year? thanks.

The general calendar is posted on this website. If you would like a 2002 wall calendar that includes the calendar of saints please contact me privately and provide your mailing address.

Dear Administrator:

I saw that the Ruthenian Calendar followed in the USA is celebrating Pascha according to to the Western Paschalion and not according to the Eastern Calendar (Julian or New Julian).
I've revised other calendars and I saw that the same thing is happening (Pascha is celebrated like in the Latin Church), except the Ukrainian and the Romanian one.

As far as I know, Byzaninte Catholics (and even latin catholics) who live in Russia or Greece also use the Eastern Calendar to celebrate Easter (I don't know if this happens in christmas too).

Has the byzantine Catholic Church tried to fully restore the Eastern Calendar?

Remie,

Almost all Byzantine Catholics in the United States (Ruthenian, Ukrainian, Melkite, Romanian, etc.) use the Gregorian Calendar for both Pascha and the fixed feasts. My guess is that there are probably less than twenty parishes that retain the Julian Calendar. Most Orthodox in America (those not in communion with Rome) use the Gregorian calendar for the fixed feasts and all use the Julian Calendar for Pascha.

As far as I know there is no real interest in returning to the Julian Calendar. This is probably for two reasons: 1) the dominant culture follows the Gregorian Calendar and 2) there are no real theological objections to the Gregorian Calendar.

If we had not already made the change to the Gregorian Calendar I would support retaining the Julian Calendar. As to changing back to the Julian Calendar I don�t think there is really any justification. It would be wonderful to celebrate Pascha together with all of our fellow Orthodox but it is also wonderful to celebrate together with the rest of Catholicism.

Admin

I think there is an interest in returning to the Julian Calendar in several Ukrainian parishes currently. There are several Julian Calendar parishes which are fairly recently (post 1970) formed in both the US and Canada. The newest Greek Catholic monastery in North America, the Studite Monastery of the Theotokos in Orangeville, Ontario, is strictly Julian calendar.

I know of several married priests from Ukraine who would love for their parishes to return to celebration according to the Julian Calendar, and some of these might just talk their parishes into it.

Those who wish to adhere to the Gregorian Calendar should not presume to dicate calendar practices to those parishes and groups who wish to remain faithful to the traditional calendar.

Likewise if it is the mutual desire of the parish to return to the traditional reckoning of time consistent with our Orthodox brethren, with whom differences between us should be "minimized" (as per the Instruction for the Liturgical Prescriptions of the Code of Eastern Canons) then by all means they should do so.

Julian calendar liturgical wall calendars are available from several sources. I don't think we need the secular world to dictate our liturgical feasts (Christmas and Easter in particular).

Whoa folks! Watch out for DIAK! He posted his answer as a post number 666! It would make one want to question his comments! Whoa! I'm gonna sprinkle holy water all over here!

SPDundas
Deaf Byzantine

(Just kidding around!) (Of cours I'm not disagreeing anything. I'm just being dumb and silly).

How about this for a solution: Keep all fixed feast days on Gregorian and use Julian for Pascha only?

I'm past 666 - And I didn't vaporize...thanks, Shane, you got me through

What you are proposing is exactly the practice of the OCA, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese and Antiochian Archdiocese. They have new calendar fixed feasts (Christmas, Theophany, etc.) and Julian calender Great Lent, Pascha and Pentecost.

This is a most interesting topic.
I must point out that the date of Pascha has nothing to do with either the Julian or Gregorian Calendar. These calendars only cover the Sanctoral (commemorations on specific days of the year). Pascha is deternined by the rules set down at the 1st Ecumenical Council. The requirements are that it be on :

1. The First Sunday...
2. After the First Full Moon...
3. After the Vernal Equinox.
4. It may never precede or coincide with the Jewish Passover.

For some reason, the Western Churches dropped the 4th rule at some point. This accounts for the difference in dates most years. Pope Gregory's abolition of 13 days of the year to create the Gregorian Calendar doesn't have anything to do with this.

Best!

Michael

Thanks for pointing that out, Michael. It would be interesting to find out the reasoning for the change of reckoning for the Paschalion in the Roman Church.

It's an old habit that many Orthodox and Old Calendar Greek Catholics call the older Paschalion "Old Calendar" or "Julian Calendar" Pascha. Your point of correction is well taken. It would probably be more appropriate to call it the "Orthodox" or "Western" paschal reckoning instead.

The main reason for the differences in the Eastern and Western dates of Pascha is in the calculation of the date of the full moon. The Julian method for calculating the full moon doesn�t take into account the actual astronomical date of the full moon but instead continues to use a method that has the full moon coming later and later than it actually occurs. The Gregorian method is also a calculated date but is much more accurate than the Julian.

The Western Church did not drop the rule regarding the Jewish Passover mentioned by Michael. East and West have different interpretations of it. The West interprets the rule as having no consideration of the Jewish date of Passover (since the Jews changed the way they calculate Passover). The East interprets it as not preceding or coinciding with the Jewish Passover.

There are numerous proposals for again establishing a common date for Pascha among all Christians. I like the one that recommends using the actual astronomical date of the full moon in Jerusalem as the reference since it avoids the calculation issues of both the Julian and the Gregorian Calendars. It does not look like a common formula will be agreed to in the near future since some Orthodox have raised the use of the Julian Calendar to almost dogmatic status.

There are numerous websites discussing this issue. One of the ones I like is:

http://www.smart.net/~mmontes/ec-cal.html

Dear Administrator,

"Some Orthodox have raised the issue of the Julian Calendar to almost dogmatic status."

You mean it isn't?

God bless and have a nice day!

Alex

Does that mean when it comes to the reckoning of Pascha we are all "Moonies"?

I'm with you, Alex, I never realized it wasn't a dogmatic issue. Regardless of astronomic precision, I'll stick to the calendar like it was in the good ol' days