Greek Orthodox Cathedral of New England

Easter '07: A Taste of Unity

Catholic-Orthodox Calendars Coincide

SYROS, Greece, APRIL 2, 2007 (Zenit.org).- It is a motive of great joy for many Christians that the Catholic and Orthodox Churches will celebrate Easter on the same day this year, says Bishop Franghiskos Papamanolis.

The Catholic Church, following the Gregorian calendar, normally celebrates Easter earlier than the Orthodox Church, which follows the Julian calendar. This year the two coincide with the celebration of Easter on April 8.

Bishop Papamanolis, president of the Greek Catholic episcopal conference, told ZENIT that the Catholic community in the country normally celebrates Easter on the same day as the Orthodox Church.

He said: "To celebrate Easter on different days creates social problems, and for us, it also creates pastoral problems.

"For us it is a suffering to celebrate Easter on a different day than Rome."

"The suffering is even greater," the bishop added, "when we can't celebrate Easter together in Greece, as there are many mixed families."

Bishop Papamanolis of Syros and Milos said that the ideal "would be to arrive to an agreement so that all Christians could celebrate Easter together."

Next year, he added, "the Catholic universal Church will celebrate Easter on March 23, while the Orthodox Church -- along with us Catholic Greeks -- will do so on April 27."

The Council of Nicaea established that the day of Easter should fall on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the vernal equinox. The difference of dates for the Catholic and Orthodox Churches is due to fact that they follow different calendars.

The next time Easter coincides for the two Churches will be April 4, 2010.

Since Latins and Greeks are celebrating Easter on the same day this year... maybe I will drop by the local Greek Orthodox cathedral on Sunday.

Hrm, is it located between Northeastern University and Harvard Medical School?
514 Parker St
Roxbury Crossing, MA 02120
(617) 427-4500

Seems like it, though the phone number given at Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Boston listing is:
Annunciation Cathedral
Parker & Ruggles Sts.
Mailing address: 162 Goddard Avenue
Brookline, MA 02445
Tel.: (617) 731-6633
Fax: (617) 730-2978
Rev. Fr. George Daskalakis
Rev. Fr. Philippe Mousis

photo gallery; a photo of the interior:



I would like to visit the Hellenic College/Holy Cross chapel again, but it's too far to walk... I've never been inside. A virtual tour of the chapel.

Ah, Annunciation Cathedral in San Francisco.
The Melkite Cathedral over in Roslindale.