Feasts and Saints

Translation of the relics of the Protomartyr Stephen the Archdeacon; Righteous Gamaliel; Emperor Justinian the Great

The Transfer of the Relics of the Holy Protomartyr Stephen from Jerusalem to Constantinople took place about the year 428 After the holy Protomartyr Archdeacon Stephen was stoned by the Jews, they left his holy body unburied to be devoured by the beasts and birds. After a day and a night the renowned Jewish teacher…

Aug 2, 2017Iulian Dumitraşcu

Forefeast of the Procession of the Honorable and Lifegiving Cross of the Lord; Righteous Eudocimus of Cappadocia; Righteous Joseph of Arimathea

Saint Eudocimus, a native of Cappadocia (Asia Minor), lived during the ninth century during the reign of Emperor Theophilus (829-842). He was the son of the pious Christians Basil and Eudokia, an illustrious family known to the emperor. They raised their son “in discipline and admonition of the Lord” (Eph. 6: 4), planting in his…

Jul 31, 2017Iulian Dumitraşcu

Dormition of the Righteous Anna, the Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos; Commemoration of the Holy 165 Fathers of the Fifth Ecumenical Council; Holy Woman Olympias (Olympiada) the Deaconess of Constantinople; Virginmartyr Eupraxia of Tabenna

Saint Anna was the daughter of the priest Matthan and his wife Mary. She was of the tribe of Levi and the lineage of Aaron. According to Tradition, she died peacefully in Jerusalem at age 79, before the Annunciation to the Most Holy Theotokos. During the reign of Saint Justinian the Emperor (527-565), a church…

Jul 25, 2017Iulian Dumitraşcu

Martyr Christina of Tyre; Martyr Hermogenes

The Martyr Christina lived during the third century. She was born into a rich family, and her father was governor of Tyre. By the age of 11 the girl was exceptionally beautiful, and many wanted to marry her. Christina’s father, however, envisioned that his daughter should become a pagan priestess. To this end he placed…

Jul 24, 2017Iulian Dumitraşcu

Myrrhbearer and Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene; Martyr Markella of Chios

The Holy Myrrh-Bearer Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene. On the banks of Lake Genesareth (Galilee), between the cities of Capharnum and Tiberias, was the small city of Magdala, the remains of which have survived to our day. Now only the small village of Mejhdel stands on the site. A woman whose name has entered…

Jul 22, 2017Gheorghe Anghel

Venerable Simeon of Emessa the Fool-For-Christ; Venerable John the Ascetic and Fool-For-Christ; Prophet Ezekiel; Pious Saints Raphael and Parthenius of old Agapia

The Monks Simeon, Fool-for-Christ, and his Fellow-Ascetic John were Syrians, and they lived in the sixth century at the city of Edessa. From childhood they were bound by close ties of friendship. The older of them, Simeon, was unmarried and lived with his aged mother. John, however, although he was married, lived with his father…

Jul 21, 2017Iulian Dumitraşcu

Venerable Macrina the Sister of St Basil the Great; Venerable Dius the Abbot of Antioch; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov

Saint Macrina was the sister of the holy hierarchs Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, and was born in Cappadocia at the beginning of the fourth century. Her mother, Emilia, saw an angel in a dream, naming her unborn child Thekla, in honor of the holy Protomartyr Thekla. Saint Emilia (January 1) fulfilled the…

Jul 19, 2017Gheorghe Anghel

Martyr Emilian of Dorostolum; Venerable Pambo the Hermit of Egypt

The Holy Martyr Emilian, who was a Slav, suffered for Christ during the reign of Emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363). Julian wanted to restore the cult of the pagan gods throughout the Roman Empire, and he issued an edict, according to which all Christians who failed to honor the pagan gods would be subject to…

Jul 18, 2017Gheorghe Anghel

Translation of the relics of the Unmercenary Saints Cyrus and John

The Transfer of the Relics of the Holy Martyrs, Unmercenaries and Wonderworkers, Cyrus and John from the city of Konopa, near Alexandria (where they suffered in the year 311) to the nearby village of Manuphin, took place in the year 412. This Egyptian village prompted fear in everyone, since in a former time there was…

Jun 28, 2017Sorin Ioniţe

St. Sampson the Hospitable of Constantinople; St. Joanna the Myrrhbearer

Saint Sampson the Hospitable 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 Saint Sampson generously distributed alms and set his slaves free, preparing himself to go into the wilderness.…

Jun 27, 2017Iulian Dumitraşcu

Martyrs Leontius, Hypatius, and Theodulus; Synaxis of the Romanian Saints (Fish allowed)

The Holy Martyrs Leontius, Hypatius, and Theodulus were Roman soldiers. The holy Martyr Leontius, a Greek by origin, served as a military-chief in the imperial army in the Phoenician city of Tripoli during the reign of Vespasian (70-79). Leontius was distinguished for his bravery and good sense, and the people of Tripoli held him in…

Jun 18, 2017Gheorghe Anghel