The 2016 Season of Orthodox Great Lent at Holy Trinity Orthodox Church of East Meadow

In the Orthodox Church, the season of Great Lent is the time of preparation for the feast of the Resurrection of Christ. It is a time of renewed devotion: of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. It is a time of repentance, a real renewal of our minds, hearts and deeds in conformity with Christ and his teachings. It is the time, most of all, of our return to the great commandments of loving God and our neighbors. In the Orthodox Church, Great Lent is not a season of morbidity and gloominess. On the contrary, it is a time of joyfulness and purification. We are called to “anoint our faces” and to “cleanse our bodies as we cleanse our souls.”

Fasting is an essential aspect of Great Lent. The Orthodox rules for Lenten fasting are the monastic rules. No meat, eggs, or dairy products are allowed after the beginning of the season, Clean Monday (March 14 this year). Fasting has as its goal the purification of our lives, the liberation of our souls and bodies from sin, the strengthening of our human powers of love for God and man, the enlightening of our entire being for communion with the Blessed Trinity. These rules exist not as a Pharisaic “burden too hard to bear” (Lk 11:46), but as an ideal to be striven for; not as an end in themselves, but as a means to spiritual perfection crowned in love.

(Excerpts from The Orthodox Faith, Father Thomas Hopko, Saint Vladimir’s Seminary Press)

The more ancient form of the liturgy, The Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, is celebrated at 9:30 AM every Lenten Sunday (from March 20 to April 17) at Holy Trinity Orthodox Church of East Meadow. Each of the Sundays of Great Lent has its own special theme, which is reflected in the New Testament readings and hymns of that day, as well as the sermon. A full explanation of these themes can be found here: http://oca.org/orthodoxy/the-orthodox-faith/worship/the-church-year/sundays-of-lent. The liturgy is followed by coffee hour with Lenten foods.

We welcome the Long Island community to worship and celebrate with us during this holy season. All services are conducted in English. Holy Trinity Orthodox Church is located at 369 Green Avenue in East Meadow. The full schedule for Great Lent and Holy Week can be found on the parish website’s calendar at www.htocem.org. For more information, contact us at 516-483-3649 or info@htocem.org.

About Holy Trinity Church:

Holy Trinity Orthodox Church, founded in 1924, was the first Orthodox Christian parish established in the Nassau/Suffolk area. Holy Trinity Church is a parish of the autocephalous Orthodox Church in America. Originally founded by Russian and Eastern European immigrants, the parish now encompasses Orthodox Christians of all traditional Orthodox ethnicities as well as many converts. All services are conducted in English. Holy Trinity Church proclaims the Gospel to all people on Long Island and has been engaged in many local and international philanthropic projects.