-
BackForwardPauseCaption
-
Why is Pascha So Late This Year?
Some Common Misperceptions about the Date of Pascha/Easter
by Archon John Fotopoulos
Originally Posted on Public Orthodoxy
This essay was first published in 2017. It has been updated for 2021.
A common misperception among Orthodox Christians is that Orthodox Easter (i.e. Pascha) often occurs so much later than Western Christian Easter because the Orthodox Church abides by the rules for calculating the date of Pascha issued by the 1st Ecumenical Council at Nicaea in AD 325. Another element of this misperception is the belief that the Orthodox Church must wait for Passover to be celebrated by the Jewish community before Pascha may occur. Despite these views being held by so many Orthodox Christians, as well as being promoted in popular essays written by some Orthodox priests, they are inaccurate. The reason why Orthodox Pascha frequently occurs so much later than Easter celebrated by Roman Catholics and Protestants is neither because the Orthodox Church follows the Paschal formula of Nicaea, nor is it because the Western Churches fail to adhere this formula. It is also not because the Orthodox Church must wait for the Jewish celebration of Passover. Rather, Orthodox Pascha frequently occurs later than Western Easter because the Orthodox Church uses inaccurate scientific calculations that rely on the inaccurate Julian Calendar to determine the date of Pascha for each year. Some background information is necessary to help explain precisely what the problems are.
Click here to read more. -
Message from Metropolitan Alexios
My Beloved Ones,
This Sunday, we celebrate one of the great saints of our Church, St. Mary of Egypt. She began her life, as a beautiful young woman, but also a great sinner; indeed, on the Feast of the Holy Cross, she went to Jerusalem—not to join the pilgrimage, but to find men who could support her lifestyle. Eventually, she was curious to enter the Church of the Holy Sepulchere, but found that, unlike the faithful, an invisible force would not allow her to step inside.
Recognizing the seriousness of her sins, she approached an icon of our Theotokos, tearfully repenting and promising to become an ascetic.To read the rest of the Message from Metropolitan Alexios click here. To receive the Message from Metropolitan Alexios in your email inbox each week, click here.
-
Upcoming Metropolis Events
-
March 4 - May 2
Sign up to receive Weekly Emails with Informational Videos, Devotional Readings, Family Activities and Fun Facts as we take our Journey to Pascha 2021 as a Metropolis Family! Emails will started March 4, 2021!Read More -
March 18 - April 22
St. Nektarios Greek Orthodox Church's Department of Adult Religious Education invites the Metropolis of Atlanta communities to their Lent Lunch and Learn. It is a zoom call every Thursday starting March 18. Topics include: Setting out on the Journey of Lent, On the Annunciation, The Road Back to Christ, Spiritual Growth, Personal and Communal, the Glory Days Then and Now: Acquainting a Liturgical Spirituality and Preparation for Holy Week. Zoom ID For All Sessions: 880 334 8094Read More -
April 12 - April 26His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios will be in Greece and the Phanar.Read More
-
Sunday, April 25
April 25, 2021 Bishop Sebastian visits Boca Raton, FL St. Mark Greek Orthodox Church 2100 NW 51st Street Boca Raton, FL 33431 Bridegroom Service - 6:00 PMRead More -
Sunday, April 25
April 25, 2021 Bishop Sebastian attends Palm Sunday. St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church 820 NE 14th Avenue Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33304 Orthros – 9:00 AM Divine Liturgy – 10:00 AMRead More -
Monday, April 26
April 26, 2021 Bishop Sebastian visits Ft. Pierce, FL St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church 2525 South 25th Street Ft. Pierce, FL 34981 Bridegroom Service – 6:00 PMRead More -
Saturday, May 8
Pascha Panagyri Diakonia Retreat Center Saturday, May 8, 2021 Hierarchial Festal Celebration with His Eminence Metropolitan AlexiosRead More -
Tuesday, May 11
Six Townhalls will be hosted virtually throughout the year, each in a different geographic region of the United States, connecting our youth and hierarchs. Townhalls will provide youth with opportunities: 1) to better know their hierarchs, and 2) to dialogue with their hierarchs about their spiritual lives. Below is a list of regions, dates, and times. Please register for the regional townhall for the region with which you identify. Each session is limited to 60 participants, and registration is on a first come, first serve basis. Registrants must be "children or teens" (18 years old or under). More information to come.Read More -
Saturday, May 15
The St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival provides Greek Orthodox teenagers the opportunity to write and talk about their faith. The Oratorical Festival Program begins at the parish level and is divided into two divisions: Junior Division for students in grades 7–9 and Senior Division for student in grades 10–12. Two finalists in each district division represent the district at the Metropolis Oratorical Festival. The top speaker in each metropolis division is then selected to participate in the Archdiocese Finals.Read More
-
-
News
-
April 8
I would like to convey to all the faithful of the God-protected Metropolis of Atlanta, in a spirit of love and well-being, that we were able to host a webinar with the Clergy and Parish Council Presidents on Tuesday, April 6, in which additional changes to the COVID guidelines were discussed.Read More -
April 5Prometheus Panhellenic Cultural Center in Tarpon Springs celebrated the Greek Bicentennial. Click for more information related to Orlando's Bicentennial proclamation, and the photo contest.Read More
-
April 2
This year, now that vaccinations have made gatherings possible, our Metropolis is pleased to reintroduce our annual Pascha Picnic on Thomas Saturday, May 8th, 2021, the first Saturday after Pascha. In a spirit of gratitude for our Lady's continued loving protection, I am pleased to invite the faithful of the Metropolis to celebrate a Hierarchical Orthros (at 7:30 AM) and Divine Liturgy (8:45 AM), and then, in a procession around the lake of our Diakonia Retreat Center with the miraculous Vimatarissa Icon, so that we too can honor our Panagia, praying for all our Metropolis family.Read More -
April 2
My Beloved Clergy, Youth & Sunday School Directors, and Parents of the Metropolis of Atlanta, I greet you my beloved with love and joy as we approach the mid-point of our Lenten Journey to Pascha! I am so pleased to be able to tell each of you, our Metropolis family, that St. Stephen's Summer Camp will return in person to the Diakonia Retreat Center for the year 2021!Read More -
April 2As we are also a little over a week removed from the Bicentennial of the Greek War for Independence, I would not want to forget the following video, which is The U.S. Army Europe and Africa Band & Chorus performing The Dance of Zalongo - The Soldiers' Chorus. In keeping with the patriotic theme, I am also pleased to offer the following beautiful article written by an Alexander Billinis, who speaks movingly and poetically about his experiences at our beloved Diakonia Retreat Center,Read More
-
March 30
I invite all Clergy and Parish Council Presidents (or in their absence a representative) to a webinar meeting to answer your questions about changes to the COVID Guidelines enclosed below. Please join us on Tuesday, April 6 at 11am EST.Read More
-
-
2021 Parish Ministry Leadership Survey
Every January, parishes need to update their Parish Ministry contacts with the Metropolis Office. After electing your 2021 Parish Council Officers, use the link below to update your Ministry Leaders listing. Metropolis staff will use this contact information to provide news and events associated with your parish ministries.
Update Your Parish Ministry Leadership
-
Metropolis Strategic Plan
-
Hymns of our Faith
-
2480 Clairmont Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30329
Telephone: (404) 634 - 9345
Fax: (404) 634 - 2471For email or phone numbers to specifc Metropolis Staff members, click here for a complete listing.