The St. Pius X RC Parish Knights of Columbus hosted a Pancake Breakfast in Plainview, New York, on March 24. The event was attended by New York State Senator Steve Rhoads, who joined the community in enjoying a delicious breakfast and fostering stronger bonds within the community. The breakfast aimed to bring people together, deepen faith connections, and spread joy and positivity to everyone in attendance [5afef8a3].
In addition to the Pancake Breakfast in Plainview, other organizations across the country also held events to celebrate Easter and provide meals for those in need. The Union Gospel Mission in Portland, Oregon, served over 900 meals to the homeless in the week leading up to Easter. They held their annual Easter Day brunch, serving special holiday meals at their overnight shelter and through their mobile outreach program. Metropolitan Ministries in Tampa Bay, Florida, distributed Easter boxes to families in need, providing them with a full meal for the holiday. They also served sit-down hot meals in multiple counties. These organizations aimed to provide hope, renewal, and nourishment to their communities during the Easter season [946f7da2], [aba2642a].
Meanwhile, on April 21, Metropolitan Apostolos of New Jersey celebrated the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy for the 5th Sunday of Holy and Great Lent at the Kimisis Tis Theotokou Greek Orthodox Church in Holmdel, New Jersey. During the service, he tonsured 9 young men as Acolytes of the Orthodox Church and offered the 40-day blessing service to a newborn baby named Andreas. In his sermon, Metropolitan Apostolos emphasized the importance of spiritual and physical preparation for the upcoming journey through Holy Week [89f9e08b].
Greek Orthodox Easter, the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, will be celebrated on Sunday. Orthodox Easter falls between April 4 and May 8 and is determined by the Julian Calendar used by Orthodox Christians. The preparations for Easter include 40 days of reflection and fasting called Great Lent. While the celebrations of Orthodox Easter are similar to non-Orthodox Christians, there are some differences in traditions [a44e3cbb].