The holy martyrs St. Sophia [Wisdom], and her daughters Faith [Vera], Hope [Nadežda], and Charity [Luba] were born in Italy. Their mother was a pious Christian widow who named her daughters after the three Christian virtues. Faith was 12, Hope was 10, and Love was 9. St. Sophia raised them in the love of the […]
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Sept. 16 The Holy Great-Martyr Euphemia the All-Praiseworthy
The holy great-martyr Euphemia was raised by her devout Christian parents. Her father, Philophronus, was a senator. UNder the emperor Diocletian, when the Proconsul Priscus held a feast and offered sacrifice to Ares in Chalcedon, forty-nine Christians avoided this sacrificial offering and hid themselves. However, they were discovered and brought before Priscus. Among them was […]
Sept. 15 The Holy Great Martyr Nicetas
The holy great martyr Nicetas the Goth was a disciple of Theophilus, Bishop of the Goths, who participated in the First Ecumenical Council [Nicaea 325]. When the Gothic prince Athenarik began to torture Christians, St. Nicetas stood before the prince and denounced him for his paganism and inhumanity. Subsequently harshly tortured, Nicetas confessed his faith […]
Sunday Bulletin 9/15/24
WEEKLY SCHEDULE Saturday, Sept. 14 – The Exaltation of the Holy Cross 5:00 PM Santa Paula Outreach Divine Liturgy Sunday, Sept. 15 – Sunday after the Exaltation of the Holy Cross 8:30 AM Matins 9:30 AM Divine Liturgy Monday, Sept. 16 – Euphemia, […]
Sept. 14 The Exaltation of the Honorable and Life-giving Cross
The Exaltation of the Precious, Holy, and Life-Creating Cross, which is exalted and honored the day after the dedication of the basilica of the Resurrection built over the tomb of Christ, just as the trophy and sign of his paschal victory would appear in heaven, at last foretelling his second advent to all. Troparion […]
Sept. 13 The Commemoration of the Dedication of the Holy Church of the Resurrection of Our Lord in Jerusalem; Prefestive of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross; The Holy Bishop-Martyr Cornelius
The commemoration of the dedication of the Church of the Resurrection of Our Lord in Jerusalem: When St. Helen found the Lord’s cross in Jerusalem, she stayed longer in the city and built churches in Gethsemane, in Bethlehem, on the Mount of Olives, and in other places connected to the life and death of the […]
Sept. 12 The Holy Priest-Martyr Autonomous
The holy bishop martyr Autonomous fled Italy during the Diocletian persecution and settled in Asian Bithynia at a place called Soreoi. There, he converted many to Christianity, and built a church for them dedicated to the holy Archangel Michael. Autonomous lived in the home of a devout Christian, Cornelius, whom he first ordained as a […]
Sept. 11 Our Venerable Mother Theodora of Alexandria
Our venerable mother Theodora of Alexandria who, as a young woman committed adultery on the advice of a fortune-teller. She was accused by her conscience, and left the world, cutting off her hair and dressing as a man in order to enter the monastery of Octodecatos, assuming the name of Theodore. Falsely accused of having […]
Sept. 10 The Holy Martyrs Menodora, Mitrodora, and Nymphodora
The holy martyrs Menodora, Mitrodora, and Nymphodora were sisters from Bythinia. Brought up as Christians, they withdrew from the city into the desert to live for Christ alone, and gave themselves up to fasting, prayer, and work. They became famous as a source of healing illness, which brought them to the attention of the governor. […]
Sept. 9 The Synaxis of the Holy and Just Grandparents of God Joachim and Anna; The Holy Martyr Severian
The Synaxis of the holy and just grandparents of God, Joachim and Anna, parents of Mary the immaculate Virgin mother of God, the names of whom were preserved by the ancient traditions of Christians from the Jews. The couple lived at Nazareth in Galilee. They were childless into their old age and all their life […]