Author Archives: maryadmin

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 […]

The Gospel (Luke 1:5) relates that the righteous parents of St. John the Baptist, the priest Zechariah and Elizabeth, lived in the ancient city of Hebron. They reached old age without having children, since Elizabeth was barren. Once, St. Zechariah was serving in the Temple of Jerusalem when he saw the Archangel Gabriel. The angel […]

The holy martyr Agrippina was a Roman by birth. She did not wish to marry, and totally dedicated her life to God. During the time of persecution against Christians under the emperor Valerian (253-259), the saint went before the court and bravely confessed her faith in Christ, for which she was given over to torture. […]

The holy martyr Eusebius, bishop of Samosata who, at the time of the Arian emperor, visited the Churches of God in the disguise of a soldier so that he might strengthen them in the Catholic faith. Then, under the emperor Valens, he was exiled to Thrace. When the peace of the Church returned, he was […]

The holy martyr Julian was of noble and senatorial origin. He lived in Tarsus in Cilicia and suffered during the reign of Diocletian. Even though he was only eighteen years old when he was subjected to torture for the Faith, St. Julian was sufficiently educated and strengthened in Christian piety. The imperial deputy led him […]

The Hieromartyr Methodius, bishop of Patara (Lycia in Asia Minor), was distinguished for his genuine monastic humility. Calmly and with mildness he instructed his flock, but he firmly  defended the purity of Orthodoxy and he energetically contended against heresies, especially the widespread heresy of the Origenists. He left behind a rich literary legacy: works in […]