The Orthodox Church celebrates the memory of all saints
On the first Sunday after Pentecost, believers glorify all the saints of God, whose path to holiness became the living fruit of the descent of the Holy Spirit.
On June 7, 2026, the Orthodox Church celebrates the feast of All Saints who have shone forth throughout the universe. This celebration unites the memory of all God's saints - from the ancient apostles and martyrs to the ascetics of recent times, including those whose names are known only to God. This day serves as a common name day for every Christian, as the Church honors the fruits of the Holy Spirit's action in all people, regardless of their rank or time of life.
The theological meaning of the feast is inseparably connected with the event of Pentecost. According to the Synaxarion, the holy fathers established this celebration immediately after the descent of the Holy Spirit, to show the fruits of apostolic preaching and how God's grace elevates human nature to the angelic degree.
The sequence of these celebrations emphasizes: the saints shone forth at different times and through different labors, but all were inspired by the one Spirit, Who was poured out upon the Church on the day of Trinity. In the hymnography of the feast, the saints are praised as "incorruptible luminaries" and "divine cloud."
This present Sunday has also become an important milestone in the annual liturgical cycle. The period of using the Flowery Triodion has concluded, and the Church has transitioned to singing the Octoechos. From this day, the reading of the sequence of eleven Sunday Gospels begins at Matins, and at the Divine Liturgy, the readings from the Epistle to the Romans and the Gospel of Matthew come into effect.
The feast of All Saints is the eve before the Petrine (Apostolic) Fast. Beginning Monday, the faithful enter into a period of summer abstinence, which will last until July 11 inclusive and conclude with the celebration of the memory of the chief apostles Peter and Paul.
