The Feast of Feasts, Great and Holy Pascha 2026

Archpastoral Epistle from His Eminence Archbishop Mark for the Resurrection of our Lord

Dearly Beloved in Christ,

CHRIST IS RISEN! INDEED HE IS RISEN!

As we began Great Lent, we asked one another for forgiveness and entered the Fast with joy. Now, standing at the radiant Feast of Feasts, we come before one another once again in that spirit of joy and reconciliation, exclaiming: “This is the day of resurrection! Let us be illumined by the Feast! Let us embrace each other! Let us call ‘brothers’ even those that hate us, and forgive all by the resurrection!” (The Paschal Stikhiri).

Having journeyed through Holy Week, we must be mindful of what we have beheld in the Entrance of our Lord into Jerusalem, where the crowds cried, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord!” and how quickly those same voices turned to cry, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” Dear brothers and sisters, we must take care that this same change of heart does not occur within us. We must not allow our Paschal joy to become bitter or even overshadowed. Rather, we are called to preserve and cultivate the sweetness and beauty of the Resurrection in our lives. Do we receive Christ with steadfast faith, or do we, through our sins and negligence, deny Him? We are given the supreme gift of eternal life; let us guard this gift and not carelessly cast it aside. The tomb is found empty! The Cross is the weapon of peace! Death is overthrown! Life Reigns!

As Saint John Chrysostom says, “Let all partake of the feast of faith; let all receive the riches of goodness.” No one is excluded from this joy, for Christ has trampled down death by death and bestowed life on those in the tombs! The joy of Pascha is not fleeting, nor is it confined to a single night. It is the very life of the Church, the foundation of our faith, and the promise of our salvation. Having been illumined by the light of the Resurrection, we are called to carry that light into the darkness of the world, bearing witness to Christ, of Whom it is written, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1).

Be assured of my prayers for all of you, and I humbly ask that you remember me in yours. As we stand before the empty tomb, may we proclaim with one voice:

CHRIST IS RISEN! INDEED HE IS RISEN!

Your unworthy father in Christ,

+MARK

Archbishop of Philadelphia and the Diocese of Eastern Pennsylvania