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 […]
Tag Archives: catholic
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; Sunday before the Exaltation of the Cross
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 […]
Sept. 7 The Holy Martyr Sozon; Prefestive day of the Nativity of the Theotokos
The holy martyr Sozon was a shepherd of Lycaonia who taught his family and friends the law of God. Sozon destroyed an idol, and was tortured and then burned for his Christian faith in the year 304 in Popeiopolis in Cilicia. Troparion – Prefestive Today is born to us from the root of Jesse […]
Sept. 5 The Holy Prophet Zachary, Father of the Forerunner and His Wife, the Holy and Venerable Elizabeth
The holy prophet Zachary and his wife, the holy venerable Elizabeth, were the parents of the Forerunner John the Baptist. When she took her cousin Mary into her home, Elizabeth –full of the holy spirit– hailed the mother of the Lord as blessed among women. Zachary, a priest full of the prophetic spirit, praised God […]
Sept. 4 The Holy Priest-Martyr Babylas, Bishop of Great Antioch; The Holy Prophet Moses, who saw God
St. John Chyrostom wrote of the holy priest-martyr Babylas, “this great and wonderful man–if one can call him a man.” He was archbishop of Antioch in the time of the evil emperor Numerian. St. Babylas forbade the emperor entrance into the church because he was an idolator. In response, the emperor threw him into prison, […]
Sept. 3 The Holy Priest-Martyr Anthimus, Bishop of Nicomedia; Our Venerable Father Theoctistus of Palestine
The holy martyr Anthimus, bishop of Nicomedia in Bithynia, and his companions, martyrs in the persecution of Diocletian the emperor in the year 303. In fact, a whole crowd followed St. Anthimus as he received the glory of martyrdom by beheading for the sake of his confession of Christ. Some of his companions were martyred […]
Sept. 2 The Holy Martyr Mammas; Our Venerable Father John the Faster, Patriarch of Constantinople
The holy martyr Mammas was born in Paphlagonia to Christian parents who were imprisoned for the name of Christ. He was dumb until the age of five, and his first word was ‘mama,’ and it is from this word that his name derives. At the age of fifteen, he was brought before the emperor Aurelian. […]
Sept. 1 The Beginning of the Church New Year; Our Venerable Father Simeon the Stylite and his Mother; The Synaxis of the most holy Theotokos of Miasena; The Holy Martyr Aeithalas; The Forty Holy Women martyred with their Instructor Ammon the Deacon; The Holy Martyr Callista and her two brothers, Evodius and Hermogenes; Joshua the Just, Son of Nun
The First Ecumenical Council (325) decreed that the Church’s year should begin on September 1. The lunar month corresponding to September on the Jewish calendar was the beginning of the civil year (cf Exodus 12:2); it was at this time that our Lord Jesus went into the synagogue at Nazareth and read the words of […]