St. Ann Melkite Greek-Catholic Church

06/01/2026

THE APOSTLES’ FAST: June 1-28

Here’s helpful tool from ByziKids on how to live the upcoming fast day by day.

06/01/2026

ON THE FAST AND FEAST OF THE HOLY APOSTLES PETER & PAUL

From the 4th century on, the Church of Rome has celebrated the Feast of the Holy Apostles on June 29th. This became the usage of the Universal Church. Spiritually the Feast is linked with Holy Pentecost, as the witness of the Apostles is the immediate fruit of the Descent of the Holy Spirit which came upon them. The Feast is preceded by the Fast of the Holy Apostles which begins on the Monday following All Saints’ Sunday (1st after Pentecost). The two most important Apostles of the early Church were Peter and Paul and, according to Church Tradition, they were both martyred in Rome, Paul by beheading and Peter by crucifixion. Thus this Feast became especially prominent in Rome.

Although St. Peter had a special zeal concerning Christ and is considered the chief of the Apostles, he did not have any special authority over the other Apostles, but was only first in honor. When there were important questions in the Church, it was a Church council that decided them, and St. Peter himself was sent by a council to preach the Word of God.

According to St. John Chrysostom, St. Paul sought dishonor more than we seek honor, death more than we seek life, poverty more than we seek wealth, sorrows more than we seek joy, and that he prayed for his enemies more than others pray against their enemies. For him there was only one thing to be feared: that he might offend God! He desired nothing more in life than to please God and the whole meaning of his life was his love for Christ.

- From “These Truths We Hold”

05/31/2026

All Saints Sunday

“Commemorating our most holy, most pure, most blessed and glorious Lady, the Theotokos and ever-Virgin Mary, with all the saints, let us commit ourselves and one another, and our whole life, to Christ, our God.” [From Byzantine Liturgy]

Father James Graham writes of the All Saints feast:

Today the Church celebrates the Sunday of All Saints. Every year, on the Sunday after Pentecost, we remember and honor all the faithful and strong Christians who followed our Lord Jesus Christ as the Apostles did, witnessing and preaching and teaching and baptizing all the people of the world.

Today we especially remember and praise the saints. But that’s not enough. We have to learn from them to be strong and fearless in our faith. We have to learn from them to live in a way that reflects our belief.

Everyone is called to be a saint, one of God’s holy ones, a “holy soul who runs the course in faith.” We have to do it in our own lives, in our own ways, not for the glory of sainthood, but for the glory of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and ever and to ages of ages.

Image: A pedestrian tunnel connects the main road and a wooden church dedicated to Saints Constantine and Helen (feast day May 21/June 3) in the mountain resort area of Straja, Romania. It features icons of 365 saints, one for each day of the year.

05/26/2026

Pentecost Week is Fast-free, meaning there is no fasting or abstinence this week.

05/24/2026

Happy Pentecost Sunday!

Pentecost Sunday! Already 50 days of grace have passed. What gift of the Holy Spirit are you asking for today? There are seven. Choose one; or, ask the Holy Spirit to pick one for you that you need the most.

Veni Sancte Spiritus.
Veni per Mariam.

05/23/2026

Holy Father accepted the miracle attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God Elias Hoyek, Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites (1843 -1931).

https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2026/05/22/260522c.html

05/23/2026

The death of an archbishop

https://www.catholicnewsworld.com/2026/05/rip-archbishop-jean-clement-jeanbart.html?fbclid=IwdGRleAR-7dFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeLu-2tkBk4IVPut0gCz1C9iId4wc9iE0MmZqZXRUUXBBKFttAJWmXTE3WEmI_aem_7m2_4Nexoatt_QDxqhjsqA&m=1

05/23/2026

05/09/2026

05/08/2026

Pope Leo XIV on Thursday underscored the enduring value of printed books in the digital age, saying reading “nourishes the mind” and offers Christians a valuable opportunity to proclaim Christ.

The pope made the remarks May 7 during an audience at the Vatican with employees of the Vatican Publishing House, or Libreria Editrice Vaticana, which was founded in 1926 and is celebrating its centenary this year.

https://www.ewtnnews.com/vatican/pope-leo-xiv-urges-catholics-to-read-printed-books