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 Pentecost, by El Greco Scott 572 (1975) The Solemnity of Pentecost is celebrated on the 50th day, and the seventh Sunday, following Easter Sunday (the term Pentecost comes from the Greek meaning "fiftieth"). It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ while they were in Jerusalem celebrating Shavuot, or the Feast of Weeks. Pentecost is also referred to as Whit Sunday (especially in the United Kingdom). Whit Monday, the Monday after Pentecost, is a legal holiday in some European countries. Since the date of Pentecost depends on the date of Easter, it is a moveable feast.  Panoramic view of the Upper Room, or Cenacle, Jerusalem Photo by Assaf Yekuel (2013) From Wikimedia Commons, used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license According to Church tradition, the events of Pentecost took place in the Cenacle or "Upper Room" in Jerusalem, the same room where the Last Supper and the first post-resurrection appearances of Christ to his apostles are said to have occurred. As paraphrased below, from the second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 2:1-31), the disciples of Jesus: "were all together in one place on the day of Pentecost. There was a mighty rushing wind (wind is a common symbol for the Holy Spirit) and tongues as of fire appeared, and the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit. They then began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim".Pentecost represents the fulfillment of the promise that Christ will baptize his followers with the Holy Spirit. In addition to the Apostles and other disciples, the Blessed Virgin Mary is present with them at Pentecost. There is no reference to Mary in the Gospels from the time of the crucifixion and the worldly death of Jesus until Pentecost, reflecting the importance of Mary on the day of Pentecost and her central role in the divine concession of the gift of the Holy Spirit to the Apostles. Vatican City has represented the feast of Pentecost on a number of stamps over the years, the first being Scott 572 from 1975 (shown above), taken from a painting by El Greco. It is also shown on Scott 809 (1988) and Scott 1115 (1999). Two additional stamps, Scott 1236j (2003) and Scott 1644 (2017), show Popes John Paul II and Francis celebrating Mass on Pentecost. 
 
 Pentecost on Vatican City stamps: Top: Scott 809 and Scott 1115 Bottom: Scott 1236j and Scott 1644 REFERENCES: |
