March 29/April 11 ns 2026 †GREAT SATURDAY †THE BURIAL OF THE DIVINE BODY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST • Holy Martyrs Mark, Bishop of Arethoúsa, et al.; St. Diádochos ~ Fast day ~ St. John the Wonderworker: Concerning the Reception of the Holy Mysteries on Pascha

HOLY & GREAT SATURDAY
 †THE BURIAL OF THE DIVINE BODY

OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST

• Holy Martyrs Mark,

Bishop of Arethoúsa, et al.;

St. Diádochos 

FAST DAY

March 29/ April 11 ns 2026

GREAT Saturday Morning commemorates the Blessed Sabbath as a day of waiting.  The Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil is served as we anticipate Christ's victory over death in Hades and His Glorious Resurrection. Saturday Evening, at 11:30 p.m., we sing the Paschal Matins service. As midnight approaches, in a darkened church, we begin the Resurrection service. At the appointed moment, the priest comes forth from the altar with a candle symbolizing the Light of Christ and proclaims "Christ is Risen!" The Paschal Liturgy and Homily of Saint John Chrysostomos invites us to share in His Resurrection through Holy Communion.

Kecharitomene

~`Full of Grace`~

St. John the Wonderworker: Concerning the Reception of the Holy Mysteries on Pascha

“The Lamb of God communicates with us on the holy and light-bearing night of Resurrection. We pray for this when we are just beginning to prepare for Lent, and afterwards many times during the course of the Great Fast: that the lord would vouchsafe us to partake of the Holy Mysteries on the night of Holy Pascha. At that time the grace of God acts in a special way upon men’s hearts. We partake of the Christ Resurrected, we become partakers of His Resurrection. Of course, we must prepare ahead of time, and, having already communed during Great Lent, receive again the Holy Mysteries. Before Paschal Liturgy there is no time for a proper confession; this must be done earlier. And then, on that light-bearing night, having received general absolution, to draw near to the Divine Lamb, the pledge of our resurrection. No one should leave the Church prematurely, rushing away to eat the meat of animals instead of receiving the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.”

March 28/April 10 ns 2026 † GREAT FRIDAY  THE CRUCIFIXION OF OUR SAVIOR • St. Hilarion the New  Fast day

 HOLY & GREAT FRIDAY

 THE CRUCIFIXION OF OUR SAVIOR

• St. Hilarion the New

FAST DAY

March 28/ April 10 ns 2026

Kecharitomene

~`Full of Grace`~

THE AFTERNOON
commemorates the supreme sacrifice of Christ on the Cross. The priest unnails Christ from the Crucifix, wraps His Body in white linen, and places It on the altar symbolizing His burial by Joseph of Arimathea.


THE EVENING
includes the Hymn of the Lamentations which are chanted to reflect our sorrow, to proclaim Christ's descent to Hades, and to herald His expected Resurrection.

FROM THE FIRST STASIS OF THE LAMENTATIONS AT THE TOMB

In a grave they laid Thee, O my Life and my Christ;
and the armies of the angels were sore amazed,
as they sang the praise of Thy submissive love.
.
How, O Life, canst Thou die?
Or abide in a grave?
For Thou dost destroy the kingdom of death, O Lord,
and Thou raisest up the dead of Hades’ realm.

St. John the Wonderworker: Concerning the Reception of the Holy Mysteries on Pascha

“The Lamb of God communicates with us on the holy and light-bearing night of Resurrection. We pray for this when we are just beginning to prepare for Lent, and afterwards many times during the course of the Great Fast: that the lord would vouchsafe us to partake of the Holy Mysteries on the night of Holy Pascha. At that time the grace of God acts in a special way upon men’s hearts. We partake of the Christ Resurrected, we become partakers of His Resurrection. Of course, we must prepare ahead of time, and, having already communed during Great Lent, receive again the Holy Mysteries. Before Paschal Liturgy there is no time for a proper confession; this must be done earlier. And then, on that light-bearing night, having received general absolution, to draw near to the Divine Lamb, the pledge of our resurrection. No one should leave the Church prematurely, rushing away to eat the meat of animals instead of receiving the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.”

Mach 27/ April 9 ns 2026 † GREAT THURSDAY ~ THE MYSTICAL SUPPER • Holy Martyr Matrona of Thessalonica ~ Fast day

 

I AM THE

RESURRECTION

AND THE

LIFE

As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you; continue ye in My love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in My love; even as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His love. These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you.

Saint John 15:11 KJV

Rejoice, thou who makest manifest

the life of the Angels.

HOLY & GREAT THURSDAY

 THE MYSTCAL SUPPER

• Holy Martyr Matrona of Thessalonica

FAST DAY

March 27/ April 9 ns 2026

GREAT THURSDAY MORNING
during the Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil, we commemorate our Savior's establishment of Holy Communion during the Mystical Supper wherein He proclaims that the bread and wine become His Body and Blood given to us for Eternal Life. We are also reminded of the betrayal by Judas Iscariot and Christ's vigil in the Garden of Gethsemane.


GREAT THURSDAY EVENING
retells the entire story of Christ's Passion through the reading of the twelve Gospel lessons. After the fifth Gospel reading, the Crucifixion is re-enacted when the priest carries the Crucifix in procession and places It in the center of the Church for veneration. The following Antiphon is chanted.

Today is suspended upon the Tree, He who suspended the earth over the waters. x3
A crown of thorns crowns Him, who is the King of the angels.
He is wrapped in the purple robe of mockery, who wraps the heavens with clouds.
He receives smiting, who freed Adam in the Jordan.
He is transfixed with nails, Who is the Son of the Virgin.
We worship Thy passion, O Christ. x3
Show us also Thy glorious Resurrection!

Photo: Where they laid Him

Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Jerusalem

1962

It is not meet for you to be unknown Holy Martyr Matrona even though you died secretly in prison.

As an orphan girl Matrona was a servant in the home of a Jew in Thessalonica.

The wife of the Jew continuously mocked Matrona because of her faith in Christ and tried to persuade her to deny Christ and to attend the synagogue. But the meek Matrona went about her work conscientiously and did not say anything to her mistress. But in secret she prayed to Christ the God.

On one occasion the Jewess discovered that Matrona was attending church unbeknown to her and, in anger, questioned her as to why she did not attend the synagogue rather than the church? To that, Matrona replied, "Because in the Christian churches, God lives and He withdraws from the Jewish synagogues." Furious, because of this type of bold reply, the Jewess beat Matrona, locked her up in a dark room, and, in addition to that, bound her hands. The next day as she was kneeling in prayer and glorifying God, her ropes had fallen off by the power of God.

Afterwards, on two occasions, she was locked up again and, in the end, died of starvation. This evil Jewish woman then took the body of this holy maiden and hurled it to the ground from the heights of her home. Christians took the body of this martyr and buried it with honors. Alexander the bishop, learning of the many miraculous works of this holy martyr, erected a church over her grave. The evil Jewess received her just punishment when she slipped, fell to the pavement, and was smashed to death from the same spot at the top of the house from which she hurled down Matrona's body.