Author Archives: maryadmin

The Holy Martyr Theodotus and the Holy Seven Virgins Tecusa, Phaine, Claudia, Matrona, Julia, Alexandra and Euphrasia lived during the second half of the third century in the city of Ancyra, Galatia, and died as martyrs for Christ at the beginning of the fourth century. Saint Theodotus was an innkeeper and was married. The prefect […]

The holy apostle Andronicus was one of the Seventy apostles. He and his companion Junias were kinsmen of St. Paul, as he mentions in Romans 16:17. St. Andronicus was Bishop of Pannonia but still he traveled preaching the gospel with Junias, bringing the word of God to pagans. Many pagans temples were closed and Christian […]

Our venerable father Theodore was a disciple of St. Pachomius (May 15). Yearning for monastic life at an early age, he left his parents home at the age of fourteen and joined one of St. Pachomius’ monasteries. St. Theodore cared for St. Pachomius during his final illness. He became the hegumen of all of St. […]

Our venerable father Pachomius the Great was a soldier in Thebaid (Upper Egypt) in the fourth century. After watching Christians feed and care for his fellow soldiers because they loved their God and wanted to fulfill His commandment to love their neighbor, St. Pachomius converted to Christianity. After his baptism, St. Pachomius led a strict […]

The holy martyr Isidore was an officer in the Roman Navy in the third century. Once it was discovered that he was a Christian, St. Isidore’s admiral urged him to renounce Christ and made sacrifice to the idol, but St. Isidore refused saying, “You may be able to kill my body, but you have no […]

The holy martyr Glyceria was orphaned at an early age and became Christian. During the persecutions of Christians under the emperor Antoninus (138-161), an edict was issued that all Christians had to offer sacrifice to the idols. St. Glyceria was determined to suffer for Christ. On the appointed day, she drew a Sign of the […]

Our holy father Epiphanius, Bishop of Cyprus, “a last relic of ancient piety,” as St. Jerome calls him, lived during the fourth century in Phoenicia. The Roman empress Honoria was his sister. He was of Jewish descent, and in his youth he received a fine education. He was converted to Christianity after seeing how a […]

Our holy fathers Cyril and Methodius, Apostles to the Slavs, were brothers born in Thessalonica in the first half of the ninth century. Since Methodius had been a soldier among the Slavs in Macedonia, he was considered an excellent candidate for carrying the Gospel to the Khazars. After the invention of the first Slavonic alphabet […]

The holy apostle Simon was from Cana in Galilee, and was known to the Lord and His Mother. Tradition says that he was the bridegroom at the wedding where the Savior performed His first miracle. After witnessing the miracle of the water turned into wine, he became a zealous follower of Christ. For this reason, […]