Feast and Fasting Calendar for May 2012

1 TU  Holy Prophet Jeremiah — Ordinary Day

2 WE  St. Athanasius the Great — Fried Shrimp Day

3 TH  Holy Martyrs Timothy the Reader and his wife Maura of Antinoe — No Fasting

4 FR  Virgin-martyr Pelagia of Tarsus — Fried Shrimp Day

5 SA  St. Irene the Great Martyr of Thessalonica — No Fasting

6 SU  Sunday of the Paralytic — No Fasting

7 MO  St. Alexis Toth — No Fasting

8 TU  Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian — Ordinary Day

9 WE  Mid-feast of Pentecost — Fish Day

10 TH  Holy Apostle Simeon the Zealot — No Fasting

11 FR  Sts. Cyril and Methodius, Equals to the Aposles — Fried Shrimp Day

12 SA  St. Epiphanius of Cyprus — No Fasting

13 SU  Sunday of the Samaritan Woman — No Fasting

14 MO  St. Leontius, Patriarch of Jerusalem — No Fasting

15 TU  St. Pachomius the Great — Ordinary Day

16 WE  Leavetaking of the Midfeast of Pentecost — Fried Shrimp Day

17 TH  Holy Apostle Andronicus of the Seventy and his fellow laborer, Junia — No Fasting

18 FR  Holy Martyrs David and Tarechan of Georgia — Fried Shrimp Day

19 SA  St. Patrick, Hieromartyr and Bishop of Prussa — No Fasting

20 SU  Sunday of the Blind Man — No Fasting

21 MO  Sts. Constantine & Helen, Equals to the Apostles — No Fasting

22 TU  St. Basiliscus of Comana — Ordinary Day

23 WE  Leavetaking of Pascha — Fried Shrimp Day

24 TH  Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ — No Fasting

25 FR  Third Finding of the Head of St. John the Baptist — Fried Shrimp Day

26 SA  Holy Apostles Carpus and Alphaeus of the Seventy — No Fasting

27 SU  Sunday of the 318 Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council — No Fasting

28 MO  St. Ignatius, Bishop and Wonderworker of Rostov — No Fasting

29 TU  St. Theodosia the Virgin-Martyr of Tyre — Ordinary Day

30 WE  St. Isaac, the founder of the Dalmatian Monastery in Constantinople — Fried Shrimp Day

31 TH  Holy Apostle Hermes of the Seventy — No Fasting

CALENDAR KEY

Ordinary Days - We may eat anything that we want.

Cheese Days - We may have dairy products, eggs, fish, fish eggs, shellfish, wine, oil, vegetables, fruit, nuts, and grains.

Fish Days - We may eat fish, fish eggs, shellfish, wine, oil, vegetables, fruit, nuts, and grains.

Roe Days - We may eat fish eggs, shellfish, wine, oil, vegetables, fruit, nuts, and grains.

Fried Shrimp Days - We may have wine, oil, shellfish, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and grains.

Boiled Shrimp Days - We may have shellfish, vegetables, fruit, nuts, and grains.

Modified Strict Fast Days -- We may eat wine, oil, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains.

Strict Fast Days - We may eat dried fruits and vegetables, nuts, and grains.

   Before we take communion, we keep a total fast. The rule in our diocese is nothing after midnight.
  There are, of course, some common sense exceptions to the fasting rules. People who must take medications are allowed to take them before receiving communion. Women who are pregnant are not required to fast. Babies are not required to fast. The sick and elderly also are not required to fast. Small children are not expected to fast like adults.
  Unlike the days on our liturgical calendar which run from sunset to sunset, the days on our fasting calendar go from midnight to midnight.
  The Church Canons prohibit fasting on Saturdays and Sundays except during Lent or if one is preparing to receive Communion. In the Didache it says that we should fast on Wednesdays and Fridays, but not on Mondays and Thursdays. The Didache is a short compendium of Apostolic tradition and is held in high esteem by the Church.