EASTER

The Correct Date

The Reverend Constantine Regopoulos, Oikonomos,
Pastor at Assumption Greek Orthodox Church in East Moline,
Illinois explains the correct date on which Easter
must be observed.

        It  is  fitting  that  EASTER  should be the introductory subject of  first  priority in  presenting our Page  On Religion.   The  celebration  of   Easter   embodies  within  it  the  entirety  of  the Christian message  of   Love,   Charity,    Forgiveness,    Compassion,   Courage,  Sacrifice,  Faith,   Generosity,   Nobility,  Hope,  and the full  Magnanimity    latent in the  human soul.  All of which point to the supreme and unparalleled promise of an eternal life by Grace.  This is the essence of  the   CHRIST   teaching  for believers and  non-believers   alike; and must be celebrated and experienced at every moment in the individual's life and re-enacted as a remembrance once a year.  Therefore, it is of  utmost  importance when establishing the date for the observance of Easter to conform faithfully to the historical events as they occurred at the time of  the Passion.

We accredit the following succinct explanation to a highly respected Orthodox priest of the Greek Orthodox Church, Diocese of Chicago, Father Constantine Regopoulos,  who was  interviewed by  Correspondent Debera Schaubroeck  of The Dispatch  of  East Moline,  Illinois.   Below appear excerpts  from  that  interview published in The Dispatch on  April 18, 1998:

" . . . For the Orthodox Church,  Easter is the feast of feasts, radiating the tremendous joy of Christ's victory over death.  And the date on which Orthodox churches celebrate that festival is based on regulations  established by the  First  Ecumenical  Council  of Nicaea   in  A.D. 325.

"The Council established that Easter must be celebrated on a Sunday and must never be celebrated on or before Passover [our emphasis].  According to the Gospel, Christ was crucified during Passover week, was taken down from the cross on the eve of the Sabbath, and arose on the day after the Sabbath.

"The Council also established that Easter must not be celebrated on or before the vernal equinox -- the first day of spring . . . ,   according  to the Rev. Constantine Regopoulos,  pastor of Assumption Greek Orthodox Church in East Moline.  In the Orthodox church, the entire Passion of Christ is re-enacted during Holy Week, just as the early Christians did, visiting and praying at each site where events took place.   Services are held every day from Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday.

"'We re-enact the history of our salvation,' Rev. Regopoulos said.

"On Good Friday, Christ's tomb is decorated with flowers and a procession is held.

"Easter services actually begin Saturday evening, with Easter celebrated at midnight, when the Paschal candle is lit,  representing Christ,   the Light of the world.   The doors to the sanctuary swing open, which represents the opening of Christ's tomb.

"The congregation lights candles from the Paschal candle until all candles in the church are lit, signifying that Christ is risen, changing our darkness into light, according to Rev. Regopoulos.

"The week following Easter is called Bright Week, with the brightness of Easter spilling over into the next week. . .

" . . . born and raised in New York City, Rev. Regopoulos graduated from Kingston University in Glendale, Calif., studied at St. Vladimir Seminary, New York, and graduated from Three Hierarchs Seminary, Orlando, Fla.

"He was ordained into the priesthood by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America in New York City and has been serving the church for 38 years . . . . "  With his spouse, the Presbytera Andronike, they have two children, Annette Evdos and Peter.

Expansion of Western Civilization: from Constantine the Great to Constantinople and Byzantium and onward to America

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Constantine the Great began his eventful climb in York, England and reached the apex of his achievement in Constantinople, the City that he founded and named after himself (Constantine+Polis [city]=Constantinople).  By means of these pages, our readers travel through time, touching upon the early periods, including that of Constantine, of historical Constantinople, and of Hagia Sophia—the nexus of the Christian world—to arrive at places and events of our present day.  Our readers reach the outermost limit to which both Eastern and Western Christian groups expanded, bringing forth the flower of Western Civilization.  That limit is the Western Hemisphere as a whole, and in particular the coast of California near San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge where the two groups converged  as they approached from the North and from the South.