ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE

Exarchate of Parishes of Russian
Tradition in Western Europe

Most parishes in the Episcopal Vicariate follow the 'New-style', or Gregorian Calendar which accords with the dates we use in everyday life. Dates according to the 'Old Calendar' occur thirteen days later - so, for example, although Christmas is always 25 December, those following the 'Old Calendar' does not arrive at 25 December until 7 January.

Further notes on the history are found in our 'Perpetual Old Calendar, avaiable as PDF below.

New-style Calendar and Lectionaries for 2009 can be obtained from the Orthodox Fellowship of St John the Baptist: www.ofsjb.org/about.htm#Publications

Some parishes use that published by St Tikhon’s Seminary Press since it follows the 'Russian Tratdiion' : www.stspress.com (see also below).

The Vicariate will not be publishing an 'Old-style' Calendar for 2009. Instead we offer a perpetual 'Old' Calendar as well as links to sources of printed calendars and internet resources.

PERPETUAL 'OLD' CALENDAR

Readings throughout the year - applicable in any year - according to the 'Old' Calendar – strictly called the Revised Julian Calendar – to enable communities and individuals to construct for themselves the pattern of daily readings. Download as PDF file.

PRINTED CALENDARS

A very comprehensive Liturgical Calendar is available from the St. John of Kronstadt Press, 1180 Orthodox Way, Liberty, TN 37095-4366, U.S.A. (www.sjkp.org) at a price of US $25 plus postage.  It can be ordered on-line using a credit card.  

St Tikhon's Seminary Press, PO Box B South Canaan, PA 18459 U.S.A. also publishes an annual volume, Liturgical Calendar And Rubrics,  according to Russian usage  and the revised Julian Calendar.  It should be available from Orthodox Christian Books Ltd (www.orthodoxbooks.co.uk).  The cost in 2009 is likely to be in the order of £25.  It can also be obtained directly from St. Tikhon’s bookstore (www.stspress.com) for US $ 22 plus postage.

WEBSITES

Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), Baltimore, Maryland
http://www.holytrinityorthodox.com/calendar/

This is probably the best on-line Old Style Calendar and can provide commemorations and readings not just for current dates, but for those many years ahead.  This follows the current “Moscow Use”.

http://www.canto.ru/calendar/index_en.php is a site based in Russia and can be viewed both in Russian and English.  It provides a calendar of  feasts and commemorations, but not the lectionary readings.

http://www.abbamoses.com/lectionary.html provides a scheme of readings but this does not quite coincide with that used in the Archdiocese.

A more technical description of how the Lectionary works is to be found at http://www.abbamoses.com/lectionary.html from St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, Dallas, Texas.