July 4 Our Holy Father Andrew of Jerusalem; Our Venerable Mother Martha, Mother of St. Simeon of the Wondrous Mountain

Our holy father Andrew of Jerusalem, archbishop of Crete, whose passing over is remembered this day at Erissus on the island of Lesbos. He was bishop of Gortyna, and sang –a singular art– praises to God by his prayers, hymns, and songs. He exalted the Virgin Mother of God, immaculate, and assumed into heaven. Our […]

July 2 The Deposition of the Venerable Robes of our most holy Lady, the Theotokos at Blachernae Constantinople 

During the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Leo the Great (457-474), the brothers Galbius and Candidus, associates of the emperor, set out from Constantinople to Palestine to venerate the holy places. In a small settlement near Nazareth they stayed in the home of a certain old Jewish woman. In her house they noticed a room […]