July is one of the quieter stretches of the Byzantine year — no Great Fast, no paschal season, no Twelve Great Feast falling in its weeks. But quiet is not the same as empty. Between the summer saints, the parish picnics, and the youth rallies, there was plenty worth remembering. Here is a look back at the month that was — and a look ahead to the great feasts waiting in August.

The feasts and fasts

  • The Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the First Six Councils (mid-July) — each summer the Church sets aside a Sunday to remember the bishops who gathered at the first six Ecumenical Councils and hammered out, against every pressure, the words we still confess: that Christ is truly God and truly man. It is a feast of doctrine — a reminder that the faith was defended by real men in real rooms.
  • Blessed Pavel Gojdič — July 17 — the Ruthenian Greek Catholic bishop of Prešov, “the bishop with a heart of gold,” who died in a Communist prison on this day in 1960 rather than renounce his communion with Rome. We told his whole story this month: The Bishop Who Would Not Renounce.
  • St. Macrina the Younger — July 19 — the elder sister of St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory of Nyssa, and by their own account the one who taught them. A monastic foundress and teacher, she is a quiet reminder that the great theological family of the fourth century had a woman at its head.
  • The Holy Prophet Elijah (St. Elias) — July 20 — one of the most beloved feasts of the Byzantine summer. Because Elijah was carried up to heaven in a chariot of fire (2 Kings 2:11), many parishes keep the custom of blessing cars on his feast — the modern chariots — asking the prophet’s protection over everyone who travels in them.

Around the eparchies

  • The Fourth of July — parishes across the country marked Independence Day, many with a moleben or prayers for the nation, a reminder that this is now, overwhelmingly, an American Church.
  • Vacation Church School and summer programs kicked off in parishes throughout the United States — the summer rhythm of camps, day programs, and catechesis that keeps the youngest members of the Church connected through the season.
  • The ByzanTeen Rally (July 9–12, John Carroll University, Cleveland) — the annual gathering that gives Byzantine Catholic teens a few days of faith, fellowship, and fun with others growing up in the same tradition.
  • The summer picnic at Christ the Bridegroom Monastery (Burton, Ohio) — the monastic community’s warm-weather gathering, one of those days that reminds the faithful a monastery is not a museum but a living home of prayer.

Looking ahead: August

August turns serious again, and quickly. The month is built around two of the great feasts, with a two-week fast between them:

  • The Procession of the Cross — August 1 — the first day of the Dormition Fast, marked by an outdoor procession with the Cross and the Lesser Blessing of Water. A good time to refresh your Holy Water jars from January.
  • The Dormition Fast — August 1–14 — a two-week fast, strict by tradition, preparing the faithful for the great feast that closes it. Shorter than the Great Fast, but no less spiritually enriching.
  • The Transfiguration of Our Lord — August 6 — one of the Twelve Great Feasts, the feast of the uncreated light of Tabor. It is customary to bless fruit on this day, especially grapes — the first-fruits of the harvest offered back to God.
  • The Dormition of the Theotokos — August 15 — the “Falling Asleep” of the Mother of God, one of the oldest and greatest of her feasts. Many parishes bless flowers and herbs in her honor.

Late summer is pilgrimage season, too. Around the great Marian feast — and on into the Labor Day weekend that closes the summer out — the faithful gather at some of the region’s most beloved shrines:

  • August 13–15 — The Assumption Pilgrimage at the Basilica & National Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon (North Jackson, Ohio) — the Maronite national shrine’s largest gathering of the year, centered on the Assumption of the Mother of God. A whole half-week of holiness. On Thursday, August 13, Latin-Rite Bishop David Bonnar will celebrate Mass. Friday evening, Byzantine Catholic Bishop Robert Pipta will celebrate a Divine Liturgy. Then on Saturday, Maronite Bishop Gregory Mansour will celebrate. Confessions, children’s activities, and other activities are spread throughout the celebration.
  • August 15–16 — The pilgrimage at the Shrine of Our Lady of Máriapócs (Burton, Ohio) — the Byzantine Catholic (Ruthenian) shrine of the famous weeping icon of the Mother of God, which draws pilgrims from across the United States and Canada each summer. A fun-filled weekend that starts August 15, includes vespers, molebens, a campfire chat with the bishop, and finishes with a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy on Sunday.
  • September 6–7 — The Pilgrimage to Mount St. Macrina (Uniontown, Pennsylvania — Labor Day weekend) — the Sisters of St. Basil the Great’s great annual pilgrimage in honor of the Mother of God, and one of the largest Byzantine Catholic gatherings in North America. It caps the summer, drawing thousands to the hillside to pray. Bring a tent! Or find a nearby hotel room!

A quiet month gives way to a full one. See you in August.