Easter joy unites Orthodox Christians in Seychelles in Parish of Saint Dimitrios |22 April 2025
Easter joy unites Orthodox Christians in Seychelles in Parish of Saint Dimitrios
The Orthodox Church parish of Saint Dimitrios in Machabée, under the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa, joyfully celebrated the Resurrection of Christ on Sunday morning, drawing faithful from Seychelles, Serbia, Russia, Ukraine, Romania and Egypt. The liturgy was celebrated by Father Sergios Janosevic, archpriest and dean of the parish, who delivered a stirring homily proclaiming the eternal hope found in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
“Pascha, Lord’s Pascha! The Lord brought us from death to life with His Resurrection,” declared Father Sergios, as he reminded the congregation of the ultimate sacrifice and victory of the Saviour. “Let us remember the love and sacrifice of our Saviour… that we may have eternal life in Heaven.”
In his homily, Father Sergios emphasised the joy and transformative power of the Resurrection, calling Easter “the most joyous celebration of the world.” He exhorted believers to live righteously and to seek the kind of spiritual wealth Christ spoke of – treasures that are gathered not on earth but in Heaven. These treasures are stored through a life rooted in humility, compassion, love, faith, helping the poor, and obedience to God. These, he explained, are the enduring riches that align our hearts with the Kingdom and prepare us for eternal life.
Quoting from Matthew 24:13, “But he who endures to the end shall be saved,” Father Sergios called on the faithful to embrace a Christian life of perseverance, sacrifice, and virtue. He reminded them that suffering, prayer, and endurance in faith are part of the cross every believer carries, and that through this path we become worthy of the Kingdom of God.
The proclamation of the Resurrection resounded through the church as believers joyfully responded:
Christ is Risen! – Indeed, He is Risen!
This year, something rare happened: all major Christian churches – Orthodox, Catholic, and Anglican – celebrated Easter on the same day, April 20. That’s because of a centuries-old difference in calendars and traditions that, just this year, happen to align.
It does not happen often – only every few decades. The last time was in 2017, and it will not happen again until 2034.
The Julian calendar, created by Julius Caesar in 46 BC, was the calendar of the Roman Empire and the one in use at the time of Jesus’ birth and death. It is still followed by the Orthodox Church today. More than 1,500 years later, Roman Catholic Pope Gregory XIII introduced a new system – the Gregorian calendar – in 1582, which is now used by most of the Western world, including the Catholic and Anglican churches.
Today, the Julian calendar runs 13 days behind the Gregorian.
That gap – combined with an Orthodox tradition that Easter must come after the Jewish Passover – usually means the churches celebrate Easter on different dates. But in 2025, the calculation of the Easter date, which uses the spring equinox, ecclesiastical approximation of the full moon, and Passover for the Orthodox, all aligned in both calendars.
Passover is deeply significant to Christians because it marks the time when Jesus was betrayed, arrested, and crucified, during the Jewish festival in Jerusalem.
Contributed by the Orthodox community