Author Archives: maryadmin

The holy martyr Hyacinth, a native of Caesarea in Cappadocia, was raised in a Christian family. The emperor Trajan made the boy his chamberlain, unaware that he was a secret Christian. One day, while the emperor and his entourage were offering sacrifices to idols, the young Hyacinth remained at the palace, shut himself up in […]

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 […]

The holy martyrs, wonderworkers, and unmercenary healers Cosmas and Damian were brothers born in Rome, and physicians by profession. They led strict chaste lives and were granted by God the gift to heal the sick. By their generosity and exceptional kindness, the brothers converted many to Christ. Their spiritual influence attracted the attention of the […]

The synaxis of the glorious and all-praiseworthy Twelve Apostles of Christ appears to be an ancient Feast. The church honors each of the Twelve Apostles on separate dates throughout the year, and has established general commemoration for all of them on the day after the commemoration of the glorious and and first-ranked among the apostles […]

The Holy Pre-Eminent Apostles Peter and Paul: Simon, son of Jonah and brother of Andrew, was first among the disciples to confess that Jesus was Christ, the son of the living God. It was by Jesus that he was called Peter. Paul, Apostle of the gentiles, preached Christ crucified to the Jews and the Greeks. […]

The transfer of the relics of the holy martyrs, unmercinaries and Wonderworkers Cyrus and John from the city of Konopa, near Alexandria (where they suffered in the year 311) to the nearby village of Manuphin, took place in the year 412. This Egyptian village prompted fear in everyone since in a former time there was […]

Our venerable father Sampson the Hospitaller was the son of rich and illustrious Roman parents. In his youth he received an excellent education. He studied the medical arts and doctored the sick without charge. After the death of his parents, St. Sampson generously distributed alms and set his slaves free, preparing himself to go into […]

Our venerable father David of Thessalonica pursued asceticism at the monastery of the Holy Martyrs Theodore and Mercurius. Inspired by the example of the holy stylites, he lived in an almond tree in constant prayer, keeping strict fast, and enduring heat and cold. He remained there for three years until an angel told him to […]

The virgin martyr Febronia suffered during the reign of Diocletian (284-305). She was raised at a monastery in the city of Sivapolis in Assyria. The head of the women’s monastery was the abbess Bryaena, the aunt of St. Febronia. Being concerned about her niece’s salvation, Bryaena assigned Febronia a stricter form of life than the […]