Monthly Archives: July 2024

 The feast of the procession of the Wood of the venerable and life-creating Cross was established in the reign of the Greek Emperor Manuel as a memorial of the Greek victory over the Saracens. The procession with the relic of the Precious Cross was made from the imperial palace to the church of Hagia Sophia; […]

The holy and righteous Eudocimus lived in the time of the emperor Theophilus, the iconoclast. He was a military governor of Cappadocia, and lived a virtuous life before God and man. He died at the age of thirty-three during the 9th century.  The holy Joseph of Arimathea was a secret disciple of our Lord Jesus […]

The holy apostle Silas was sent by the apostles to the Churches of the gentiles together with Saints Paul and Barnabas. He earnestly fulfilled the office of preaching, full of the grace of God. (Acts 15:22) The holy apostle Silvanus helped both Peter and Paul (I Peter 5:12; II Corinthians 1:19), and became the first […]

The holy martyr Callinicus, a native of Cilicia, was raised from childhood in the Christian Faith. Grieving that many misguided people would perish for eternity because they worshiped idols, he went through the cities and villages to proclaim Jesus Christ and His teachings to the pagans, and with the Word of God he converted many […]

The holy apostles and deacons Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, and Parmenas were of the seven chosen to be deacons in Acts 6:1 ff. and are described as “full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom.” The congregation of the disciples chose them, and the Apostles laid their hands on them, that they might minister in service of […]

The holy great-martyr Panteleimon’s Christian mother passed away when he was just a child.  His pagan father sent him to study the medical sciences.  He became such a skilled physician that he was invited to become the doctor to the royals in Nicomedia.  His curiosity for Truth, Goodness and Beauty was not satiated by his […]

The holy priest-martyr Hermolaus was a priest in Nicomedia in the time of the Emperor Maximian, and was with the 20,000 martyrs condemned to be burned in their church. He and two other priests escaped. They were caught, tortured, and martyred.  The holy venerable Paraskevia was born in Rome, to Christian parents. She preached Christ […]

The Holy Anna was the daughter of the priest Matthan and his wife Mary. She was of the tribe of Levi and the lineage of Aaron. According to Tradition, she died peacefully in Jerusalem at age 79, before the Annunciation to the Most Holy Theotokos. During the reign of Saint Justinian the Emperor (527-565), a […]

      The holy great martyr Christine lived during the 3rd century. She was born into a rich family, and her father was governor of Tyre. By the age of 11 the girl was exceptionally beautiful, and many wanted to marry her. Christina’s father, however, envisioned that his daughter should become a pagan priestess. […]

  The holy martyrs Trophimus, Theophilus, and thirteen martyrs with them, suffered during the persecution against Christians under the emperor Diocletian (284-305). Brought to trial, they bravely confessed themselves Christians and refused to offer sacrifice to idols. After many fierce tortures, they broke the legs of the holy martyrs and threw them into a fire. […]