saints of the day

Forefeast of the Dormition; Prophet Micah

1. Forefeast of the Dormition 2. The Prophet Micah, the sixth of the Twelve Minor Prophets, was descended from the Tribe of Judah and was a native of the city of Moresheth, to the south of Jerusalem. His prophetic service began around the year 778 before Christ and continued for almost 50 years under the…

Aug 14, 2017Iulian Dumitraşcu

Apodosis of the Transfiguration; Translation of the relics of St. Maximus the Confessor; Ven. Dorotheus and Dositheus; 10th Sunday after Pentecost (Cure of the lunatic)

Saint Maximus the Confessor was born in Constantinople around 580 and raised in a pious Christian family. He received an excellent education, studying philosophy, grammar, and rhetoric. He was well-read in the authors of antiquity and he also mastered philosophy and theology. When Saint Maximus entered into government service, he became first secretary (asekretis) and…

Aug 13, 2017Iulian Dumitraşcu

Martyrs Photios & Anicetus (W,O)

The Martyrs Anicetus and Photius (his nephew) were natives of Nicomedia. Anicetus, a military official, denounced the emperor Diocletian (284-305) for setting up in the city square an implement of execution for frightening Christians. The enraged emperor ordered Saint Anicetus to be tortured, and later condemned him to be devoured by wild beasts. But the…

Aug 12, 2017Iulian Dumitraşcu

+) Holy Hierarch Niphon, patriarch of Constantinople; Martyr & Archdeacon Euplus

Saint Niphon, Patriarch of Constantinople, was a native of Greece, and accepted monasticism at Epidauros. After the death of his Elder Anthony, he went to Athos, where he occupied himself by the copying of books. The saint was later chosen Metropolitan of Thessalonica, and still later occupied the Patriarchal throne in Constantinople and was primate…

Aug 11, 2017Iulian Dumitraşcu

Apostle Matthias; Ten Holy Martyrs who suffered for the icon of Christ

The Holy Apostle Matthias was born at Bethlehem of the Tribe of Judah. From his early childhood he studied the Law of God under the guidance of Saint Simeon the God-Receiver (February 3). When the Lord Jesus Christ revealed Himself to the world, Saint Matthias believed in Him as the Messiah, followed constantly after Him…

Aug 9, 2017Iulian Dumitraşcu

St. Emilian the Confessor, Bishop of Cyzicus; St. Myron the Wonderworker and Bishop of Crete

Saint Emilian, Bishop of Cyzikus, lived during the reign of the Iconoclast emperor Leo the Armenian (813-820). He was summoned together with other bishops to the court of the emperor, who insistently urged the bishops to refrain from the veneration of holy icons. Saint Emilian was the first to tell the emperor firmly that the…

Aug 8, 2017Iulian Dumitraşcu

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

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 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

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

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