The Fast of the Holy Apostles (June 8–28)

The Fast of the Holy Apostles is one of the established fasting periods of the Orthodox Church and is directly connected with the feast of the Holy Chief Apostles Peter and Paul on June 29. It begins on the Monday after All Saints’ Sunday, and its length varies each year because it depends on the date of Pascha. In 2026, this fast begins on Monday, June 8, and concludes on June 28.

The Church presents this fast as a period of spiritual preparation in honor of the Apostles, those who became the first preachers of the Gospel and the living instruments through whom the truth of Christ was spread throughout the world. After the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the Apostles went forth into all the world to proclaim the Gospel of Christ. This fast reminds us that the mission of the Church is not founded upon human strength, but upon the grace of God, which is received through prayer, self-restraint, and spiritual struggle.

From a theological point of view, the Fast of the Holy Apostles is closely linked to the life of the Church after Pentecost. It is not simply a matter of abstaining from certain foods, but an ascetic practice aimed at the purification of the human person…