Orthodox Calendar, April 6 Hieromartyr Irenaeus, bishop of Sirmium He suffered during the persecution against Christians under the Roman emperors Diocletian and Maximian (284-305). He was a presbyter, and he and his wife raised their…
Orthodox Calendar, April 5 Holy Martyr Victorinus and those with him Troparion of Saints Claudius, Diodoros, Victor, Victorinus, Pappios, Serapion, and Nikephoros — Tone 4 Your holy martyrs, O Lord, / through their sufferings have…
Orthodox Calendar, April 4 Saint Joseph the Hymnographer The sweet-voiced nightingale of the Church was born in Sicily in 816 into a pious Christian family. His parents, Plotinos and Agatha, moved to the Peloponnesos to save…
Orthodox Calendar, April 3 Venerable Nicetas the Confessor and Illyricus Saint Nicetas the Confessor was born in Bithynian Caesarea (northwest Asia Minor) of a pious family. His mother died eight days after his birth, and…
Orthodox Calendar, April 2 Saint Titus the Wonderworker He displayed zeal for the monastic life from his youth. He pursued asceticism in the ninth century at the Studion monastery near Constantinople. By his deeds of…
Orthodox Calendar, April 1 Saint Zosimas was a monk at a certain Palestinian monastery on the outskirts of Caesarea. Having dwelt at the monastery since his childhood, he lived there in asceticism until he reached…
Orthodox Calendar March 27 Martyr Matrona of Thessalonica The Holy Martyr Matrona of Thessalonica suffered in the third or fourth century. She was a slave of the Jewish woman Pautila (or Pantilla), wife of one…
Orthodox Calendar March 26 Synaxis of the Holy Archangel Gabriel On the Leavetaking of the Feast of the Annunciation, the Church commemorates the Archangel Gabriel, who announced the great mystery of the Incarnation of Christ…
The Feast of the Annunciation is one of the earliest Christian feasts, and was already being celebrated in the fourth century. There is a painting of the Annunciation in the catacomb of Priscilla in Rome…
Orthodox Calendar March 24 Forefeast of the Annunciation For spiritual preparedness of the faithful, all the Royal Feasts are preceded by a time of preparation, anticipation or introduction, called “Forefeast”. They also have a continuation…