Our venerable father Cyriacus the anchorite was born in Corinth of a Christian family, he left to go to Jerusalem and entered the monastery. He learned at the feet of saints such as Euthymius and Gerasimos. He was famous for his silence, his asceticism, and his zeal for the Orthodox faith. Troparion You made […]
Category Archives: Daily Devotionals
Sept. 28 Our Venerable Father and Confessor Chariton; Holy Wenceslaus, Prince of the Czechs; The Holy Prophet Baruch
Our venerable father and confessor Chariton was abbot in the Old Lavra near Bethlehem in Palestine during the 4th century. He was diligent in prayer and fasting, and founded many lavras in the desert before his falling asleep in the Lord in 362. The holy martyr Wenceslaus, prince of the Czechs, was the leader of […]
Sept. 27 The Holy Martyr Callistratus and his Companions; Our Venerable Father Nilus, Founder and Hegumen of the Monastery of Grottaferrata
The holy martyr Callistratus was raised a Christian and became a soldier. Reported by one of his cohort as a believer, he was imprisoned and ordered to offer sacrifice to idols. He refused. He was repeatedly tortured and still remained faithful, so much so that forty-nine of his fellow soldiers came to believe in Christ. […]
Sept. 26 The Passing of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian
The holy apostle and evangelist John the Theologian reposed when he was more than a hundred years old. He far outlived the other eyewitnesses of the Lord, and for a long time he remained the only remaining eyewitness of the earthly life of the Savior. When it was time for his departure from this life, […]
Sept. 25 Our Venerable Mother Euphrosyna
Our venerable mother Euphrosyna was born to parents long childless, who brought her up in the Christian faith. She presented herself, in man’s clothing, to the abbot of a local monastery, who admitted her and placed her in the spiritual care of the monk Agapetus. After thirty-eight years of living the monastic life, her father […]
Sept. 24 The Holy Martyr, First Among Women, and Equal to the Apostles, Thecla
The holy martyr Thecla, first among women and equal to the Apostles, was converted to the faith by the preaching of the Apostle Paul when he came to Iconium with Barnabas. Thecla became a follower of Paul, and went with him to Antioch. She settled in a solitary place near Seleucia, and was martyred in […]
Sept. 23 The Conception of the Prophet and Forerunner, John the Baptist
The Conception of the Prophet and Forerunner, John the Baptist: On this day are celebrated God’s mercy, His wondrous deeds, and His wisdom. The holy Prophet Malachi prophesied that before the Messiah’s birth His Forerunner would appear, and would indicate His coming. The Jews therefore in awaiting the Messiah also awaited the appearance of His […]
Sept. 22 The Holy Priest-Martyr Phocas, Bishop of Sinope; The Holy Prophet Jonah; Our Venerable Father Jonah the Priest
The holy martyr Phocas, bishop of Sinope, strengthened the faithful by his example and words as bishop, and brought many to the true faith. The governor of the province had him seized and tortured, and then killed him by throwing him into boiling water. He died during the reign of the emperor Trajan in 103. […]
Sept. 21 The Holy Apostle Quadratus of Magnesia
The holy apostle Quadratus of Magnesia of Greece, was a disciple of the Apostles. It is told that he, by his faith and diligence, gathered together the Church, which had been scattered by terror in the persecution of Hadrian the emperor. He also presented a book in defense of the Christian religion, worthy of the […]
Sept. 20 The Holy Martyr Eustace and his Family; The Holy Martyrs and Confessors the Great Prince Michael and his Counselor Theodore, the Wonder-workers of Chernigov
The holy martyr Eustace was a Roman military leader in the time of the emperors Titus and Trajan. He was a righteous and merciful pagan. One day while hunting, he found a stag. In the stag’s antlers, a cross appeared, and Eustace heard a voice telling him to find a Christian priest and be baptized. […]