Dormition Fast

Metropolitan of Bessarabia on Dormition Fast: ‘Through fasting, we learn to say no to the passions’

The Dormition Fast began on Friday, 14 August, for Orthodox Christians following the unrevised Julian calendar. On this occasion, His Eminence Metropolitan Antonie of Bessarabia issued a message urging the faithful to use the fasting period to strengthen themselves spiritually. “God gives us these days to prepare ourselves to understand the great mystery of the…

Aug 18, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Orthodox Christians following unrevised Julian calendar begin Dormition Fast

Orthodox Christians who follow the unrevised calendar begin the Dormition Fast on Friday, 14 August, a two-week period that ends in late August. It is one of the year’s strictest fasting periods, comparable to the Great Lent before Easter. During this period, meat, eggs and dairy products are not consumed, while fish is permitted only…

Aug 14, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Metropolitan Nicolae: Dormition of the Mother of God is ‘the feast of our hope’

“The Dormition of the Mother of God is also the feast of our hope,” Metropolitan Nicolae of the Americas said on Thursday in a pastoral message for the feast. His Eminence explained that the Church does not regard this moment as one of despair, but as a testimony to the victory of life: “The Mother of…

Aug 14, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Ontario pilgrimage marks start of Dormition Fast in Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Canada

A pilgrimage at the Monastery of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and St Ephraim the New in Mono, Ontario, marked the beginning of the Dormition Fast in the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Canada. Held from 31 July to 2 August, the event brought together faithful from several Canadian provinces, as well as numerous young…

Aug 7, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Bishop Benedict urges faithful to leave behind ‘the noise of the outside world’ during Dormition Fast

“Let us set aside, for a time, the noise of the outside world, give shape to the power of communion, and bear witness to the joy of our Orthodox faith,” Bishop Benedict of Sălaj said in a message at the beginning of the Dormition Fast. “We are all called—priests, monastics, and faithful alike—to add greater…

Aug 3, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Bishop Macarie urges faithful to entrust families to the Mother of God during Dormition Fast

“Let us entrust our families, our children and young people, our parents and the elderly, the sick and the lonely, our homes, our journeys, our worries, our trials, and all our needs to the Mother of God,” Bishop Macarie of Northern Europe said in a message marking the beginning of the Dormition Fast. The bishop…

Aug 3, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Archbishop Atanasie: Dormition Fast calls faithful to rediscover ‘the altar of the heart’

One of the deepest calls of the Dormition Fast is the rediscovery of the altar of the heart, wrote Archbishop Atanasie of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in his pastoral message published at the beginning of the fasting season. “The altar is the place where God and man meet, where God gives Himself to humanity…

Jul 31, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Orthodox Dormition Fast begins with prayer, fasting and spiritual renewal

The Dormition Fast begins on Friday for Orthodox Christians observing the revised calendar and concludes on 14 August, the eve of the Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God. During these two weeks, the faithful are called to fasting, prayer and spiritual purification. Typically, the fasting period starts on 1 August. However, according…

Jul 29, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Dormition Fast begins on Old Calendar: Traditions from Romania’s border communities to Orthodox faithful worldwide

Most Romanian communities around Romania’s borders, as well as Orthodox faithful in other parts of the world, follow the unrevised calendar and are preparing for the Dormition Fast, which begins on Thursday, August 14. Popularly known as “Saint Mary’s Fast,” it is meant to be quite strict, as it culminates with the Dormition of the…

Aug 13, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Bishop Benedict links International Youth Day to spiritual ‘Youth of the Heart’ in message to young people

In an exclusive message to Basilica.ro, His Grace Bishop Benedict of Sălaj placed International Youth Day in a Christian perspective, suggesting that there is also a “youth of the heart,” and that “those who feel young at heart” are “those who love the Mother of God.” The hierarch recalled that International Youth Day, marked on…

Aug 12, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

UK Archbishop Atanasie: Mary’s Dormition is not her burial, but a mystical resurrection

In a pastoral message for the Dormition Fast, Archbishop Atanasie of Great Britain and Northern Ireland reflected on the “mystical reversal” depicted in the icon of the Dormition of the Mother of God, which, he noted, does not portray her burial, but rather a mystical resurrection. A Season of Inner Sweetness The Romanian Orthodox Archbishop…

Aug 5, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu