Holy Martyr Epimachus of Egypt

St. Epimachus the Egyptian (Feast Day - October 31 & March 11)

Verses for October 31

Without cowardice Epimachus looked towards the sword,

For he was invincible having God as a fellow fighter.

Verses for March 11

Blissfully your all-blissful body Epimachus,

Is carried off to the blissful city.

Holy Apostles Tertius, Mark, Justus and Artemas of the Seventy

Sts. Tertius, Mark, Justus and Artemas (Feast Day - October 30)

Verses

To Tertius

Having transcribed the words of Paul,

I see you Tertius as a new author.

To Mark

Perceived as a servant of the Apostles,

I in turn see you as a fellow worker Mark.

To Justus, also known as Jesus

Jesus found the salvation of Jesus,

Showing him to be the Savior of those that bear his name.

To Artemas

Artemas partakes of the glory of noetic beings,

Keeping his nous proper for the Lord.

Holy Martyr Eutropia of Alexandria

St. Eutropia of Alexandria (Feast Day - October 30)

Verses

Lit torches go before the bride Eutropia,

As she enters the house of her noetic bridegroom.

Saint Eutropia was a pious Christian woman from Alexandria who lived during a time when the Christians were being persecuted and killed for their faith, probably in the mid-third century. She would often visit these imprisoned holy martyrs and attended to their needs.

Holy Virgin Martyr Anastasia the Roman

St. Anastasia the Roman (Feast Day - October 29)

Verses

You endured beheading with a mighty heart,

Offspring of Rome Martyr Anastasia.

On the twenty-ninth Anastasia submitted to a sharp sword.

The Venerable Martyr Anastasia the Roman was born in Rome of well-born parents and left an orphan at the age of three. As an orphan, she was taken into a women's monastery near Rome, where the abbess was one Sophia, a nun of a high level of perfection. She raised Anastasia in fervent faith, in the fear of God and obedience. After seventeen years, Anastasia was known to the Christians as a great ascetic and to the pagans as a rare beauty.

Alexandros Papadiamantis and Neo-Barlaamism

By Monk Moses the Athonite

By studying Papadiamantis’ work as a whole, we note that not only did he know to write, to describe, to give an account of the morals of the time, to criticize and to offer solutions, but he, himself, was also endowed with integrity, had chosen to lead a life of piety, of virtue and of honest work and virtuous chatter, a life with a course, a target, a discourse and value. Early on in his life, he had realized the vanity of the mundane and he was not afraid of death, for his faith was warm. He chose to live a simple, spartan, secluded life, quietly, peacefully and calmly. He did not become conceited; he chose to stand by the humble and the despised and he introduced them marvelously into his work.

Feast of the Holy Protection of the Theotokos in Blachernae and OXI Day

While most of the Orthodox Christian world celebrates the Holy Protection, or Agia Skepi, of the Theotokos on October 1st according to ancient custom, Greeks celebrate the Holy Protection on October 28th as a special holiday in order to invite the secular government of Greece to honor the Theotokos for her special protection over the Greek people during World War 2.

Fr. John Romanides and Neo-Barlaamism

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

Fr. John Romanides attached great importance and weight to the neptic tradition, because there is detected difference, besides dogmas, between the Orthodox tradition and the tradition of the Franco-Latins and Protestants.

Indeed, he found this in the terms "analogia entis" (analogy of being) and "analogia fidei" (analogy of faith) that consist of different ways of experiencing the revelation of God.

Saint Demetrius the New of Basarabov (+ 13th cent.)

St. Demetrius of Basarabov (Feast Day - October 27)

Saint Demetrius was born at the beginning of the thirteenth century into a peasant family in the village of Basarabov, situated in the region south of the Danube, which, at that time, belonged to the Kingdom of Bulgaria. From his childhood, Demetrius struggled valiantly for virtue, through fasting and prayer. One day, as he was taking out the cows to pasture, he trod on a nest of birds, hidden in the grass, and crushed the little birds in it. His penitence for what he had done as so great that he decided to go barefoot for three winters and summers.

Holy Martyrs Capitolina and Erotheis of Cappadocia

Sts. Capitolina and Erotheis (Feast Day - October 27)

Verses

Servant and mistress are beheaded by the sword,

Servants of the Trinity, the true Lord.

Capitolina (Kapetolina) was a woman of high rank in Cappadocia during the reign of Emperor Diocletian. At around the year 304 she was brought to trial as a Christian, and was asked her name, country, and parentage. She answered, "I am a Christian, my country is the heavenly Jerusalem, my parents are the teachers of Christianity, and chiefly the great Firmilian, bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia." When she had resisted all the persuasions and threats used by Zilikinthus, the governor, to induce her to renounce her faith and worship the gods — particularly Serapis — she was sent to prison.

Synaxarion of Saint Nestor the Martyr of Thessaloniki

St. Nestor the Martyr (Feast Day - October 27)

Verses

In cutting off both Lyaios and the brutal indignity of error,

Nestor is cut by the sword.

On the twenty-seventh diligent Nestor was beheaded.

Saint Nestor was very young, at around the time when the hairs of the beard begin to grow, and he had a pleasant and beautiful appearance. He was also well-known to the Holy Glorious Martyr Demetrios.

Synaxarion of the Holy and Glorious Great Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki

On the twenty-sixth of this month [October], we commemorate the holy and most-glorious Great Martyr and Wonderworker Demetrios the Myrrhgusher.

Verses

Lances, my Christ, pierced through Demetrios,

Emulating the passions of your lance-pierced side.

On the twenty-sixth spears pierced the side of Demetrios.

Holy Martyrs Mark, Soterichos and Valentina

Sts. Mark, Soterichos and Valentina (Feast Day - October 24)

Verses

The three contestants have the earth as a memorial,

Crying aloud their renowned pains.

These holy martyrs, having first lived in piety, and proclaimed Christ to all, converting many unbelievers to the Lord, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, were held by the impious Greeks, and suffered many tortures. Their bodies were pierced with nails. Then they were dragged along the ground and mercilessly kicked by men, women and children. Thus they delivered their holy and blessed souls to God.

Commemoration of the Great Earthquake at Constantinople in 740

Commemoration of the Great Earthquake in 740 (Feast Day - October 26)

Verses

You shook but balanced again the earth O Word,

For of your wrath pity is greater.

In the twenty fourth year of the reign of Leo the Isaurian, in the year 740, at the ninth indiction, on the twenty-sixth of October, there was such a great and terrible earthquake in Constantinople, so that the upper stories and the more splendid of the other buildings collapsed, and many people were crushed under the ruins and died. And so on the day of the Great Martyr Demetrios we commemorate that terrible threat of the earthquake, going in procession to the Church in Blachernae of our all-pure, holy and glorious Lady, the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, where we celebrate the divine and sacred Liturgy. At the prayers of the Theotokos may we be delivered from every threat and attain eternal good things, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and might to the ages of ages. Amen.

Contemporary Theological Movements in Orthodoxy (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

One of the greatest gifts of Christians (clergy, monastics, laity) who are members of the Church is that they consist of an alert conscience, and the greatest offering of the Shepherds of the Church, as the late Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Gregoriou of Mount Athos Archimandrite George (Kapsanis) writes, is the activation of this alertness of the conscience of the fullness of the Church. This is very important, especially when the people of God today largely leave "dormant and unactivated this gift." Alertness of the Orthodox consciousness is the greatest proof that the members of the Church are alive.

Holy New Martyrs Isidore and his Two Children, Newly-Revealed in 1953

Sts. Isidore, Irene and George the Newly-Revealed Martyrs
(Feast Day - October 18)

In the spring of 1953, a priest began to appear to the villagers of Vali in Crete while they slept. Among them was a grocer and chanter named Demetrios, who saw in his sleep a priest that told him to go dig at a specific place on the grounds of the old primary school, in order to "remove" him from there. The priest revealed to him that he was a priest and with his two children, Irene and George, was slaughtered by the Saracens, during the initial raids on the island by the Turks (prior to the 1650's). Demetrios asked him what his name was, and the priest said it was Papa-Tsiteris. After writing the name on a shoe carton, he fell asleep again.

Synaxarion of Holy Martyr Sebastiane of Heraclea

St. Sebastiane the Martyr (Feast Day - October 24)

Verses

The beheading of Sebastiane gushed forth milk,

For she did not approach the sword as flesh and blood.

Sebastiane (Sebastiana, Sevestiane, Sebastiani) lived and struggled in Marcianopolis (modern-day Devnya, Bulgaria), during the reign of Emperor Domitian (81-96). Having been baptized by the Apostle Paul, in the year 81 she continued to proclaim the good news of Christ. Due to her missionary work as a Christian, she was slandered before Governor Sergius. Therefore, she was made to give an accounting before him. She boldly confessed that she believed in Christ and that she was taught and received baptism by the Apostle Paul. She also added that she was prepared to die for Christ.

Synaxis of the Holy Fathers of Crete Who Participated in Ecumenical Synods

Holy Fathers of Crete Who Participated in Ecumenical Synods
(Feast Day - Sunday Between October 18 and 24)

For all the Holy God-bearing Fathers who participated in Ecumenical Synods, at the initiative of Father Chrysostomos Papadakis and the foresight of Metropolitan Cyril of Gortyna and Arkadia, their Service and Supplicatory Canon was drafted and published with the approval of the Holy Eparchial Synod. This renowned Hierarch also erected a Temple to them in the year 2000 in Livadiotis (en route from Moires to Pompia) which he was unable to inaugurate. The memory of all the Holy Fathers of Crete who participated in all the Holy Ecumenical Synods was set to be celebrated on the Sunday after the Sunday in which is celebrated the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Synod in the month of October.

Saint Abercius of Hierapolis, the Equal to the Apostles and Wonderworker

St. Abercius of Hierapolis the Wonderworker (Feast Day - October 22)

Verses

Throwing to the ground mortal law Abercius,

You gave the place to God, belonging to God by nature.

On the twenty-second Abercius departed the earth.

Saint Abercius (also spelled Averkios) succeded Papias as Bishop of Hieropolis (now Pamoukkale) in Phrygia Salutaris and flourished during the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius (161-180) who, although a reputed philosopher, was a fierce persecutor of Christians. To discover the Christians of his empire, he would order all his subjects to join in celebrations that honored pagan deities, and to offer sacrifices to their idols.

Saint Philotheos the Hagiorite (+ 1610)

Saint Philotheos of Dionysiou (Feast Day - October 21)

Verses

Philotheos lived as a friend of God,

Finding endless life with the friends of God.

Saint Philotheos was born in 1526 in Chrysopolis (near modern Kavala in northern Greece). His parents came from Elateia in Asia Minor, and emigrated to Chrysopolis out of fear of the Hagarenes, where they bore two sons, one of whom was named Theophilos. When they were very young, their father died, leaving them to the care of their mother Eudokia. One day, however, her two children were captured by the Turks to be raised as Turks, leaving Eudokia in great pain. After some time, having heard nothing of the fate of her sons, to bring herself some comfort and hope, she enclosed herself in a nearby convent and dedicated her life to the Lord.

Holy Martyrs Gaios, Dasios and Zotikos of Nicomedia

Sts. Gaios, Dasios and Zotikos (Feast Day - October 21)

Verses

In water the three men died bitterly,

On high they drink a torrent of sweet luxuries.

These Holy Martyrs were from Nicomedia in Bithynia. One day when the pagans were celebrating an imperial festival, with divine zeal in their hearts these men went into the temples and threw down the idols they found there. They were immediately arrested for this and brought before the judge on charges of sacrilege.

Saint Gerasimos the New Ascetic of Kefallonia (+ 1579)

St. Gerasimos of Kefallonia (Feast Day - October 20 & August 16)

By St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite

Verses

Gerasimos gained a beautiful crown,

At the right hand of the Lord above.

The newly-appeared Venerable Gerasimos was born in 1509, in the village of Trikala, in the Peloponnese, which is known as the Morea. His parents, Demetrios and Kali, came from the Notaras family and, from a young age, he was given to learning sacred letters, which became for him a second nature. When he reached a mature age, he left his homeland and went to Zakynthos, and from there traveled throughout the whole of Greece. From Thessaly he went to the Black Sea, Constantinople, Propontis and Chalcedon. He finally arrived at the Holy Mountain of Athos, where, like a bee, he gathered the nectar from the various flowers of virtue he observed in the ascetic fathers. He left that place and went to Jerusalem, where he settled, and Patriarch Germanos I (1537-1579) ordained him first Sub-deacon, then Deacon, and then Presbyter. For a year he served at the Holy Sepulchre as a lamp-lighter, and then a further twelve years at the Patriarchate. At one time he went into the Jordan desert, where he spent forty days fasting, in imitation of the Lord (Matt. 4:1), and returned to his duties at the Patriarchate.

Saint Matrona of Chios the Wonderworker

St. Matrona of Chios (Feast Day - October 20)

Verses

Leaving the world completely non-worldly,

Now bride Matrona you stand before the Bridegroom.

Saint Matrona was born with the name Maria in the village of Volissos in Chios sometime in the thirteenth or fourteenth century. Her parents, Leon and Anna, were pious towards God, devout in character, highly respected by all and wealthy. Maria was the youngest of seven children. From her youth, she showed to have much knowledge and love for God, causing her to despise all transitory pleasures and attachments to the world. When the time came for her parents to arrange her marriage, she refused because she wanted to remain a virgin. To avoid this marriage, she left Volissos and went to an area overlooking the village, called Katavasis. Here she began her spiritual struggle by fasting and prayer. Soon other nuns joined her. Her parents searched everywhere to find her. After locating her, they convinced her to return home. Maria complied with her parents' wishes, except for one — she refused to wed. Her parents, seeing that she still desired to lead a monastic life, gave her their consent to pursue her ambition.

Miracles of Saint Artemios the Great Martyr (1 - 5)

In the seventh century an Anonymous author compiled a number of miracles of Saint Artemios, whose healing activities were predominantly centered in the Church of Saint John the Forerunner in Constantinople and who "specialized" in healing hernias and diseases affecting the genitals of mostly male patients. Below are five examples of many:

St. Justin Popovich on Sacrifice and the Holy Canons

"I will sacrifice myself in order to save the Canons of the Church, but in the case of saving one person, I will sacrifice all the Canons."

- St. Justin Popovich

Holy Martyr Sadoth and the 120 Martyrs With Him

St. Sadoth and his companions (Feast Days - October 19, February 20, April 6)

Verses for October 19

To Sadoth

The head of the divine Sadoth was cut off by the sword,

Now he stands before the throne of God Sabaoth.

To the 120 Martyrs

Ten times ten Martyrs are martyred together,

And with ten times two they die wounded by the sword.

Verses for February 20

Eight together with Sadok the Bishop are brought,

With twelve times ten Martyrs to the sword.

Verses for April 6

If you number the Persians burned in the fire,
You will find that you have four times thirty.

The Wonderworking Sarcophagus of Saint Luke the Evangelist

The wonderworking sarcophagus of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke is located in Thebes of Boetia. Though some sources say Saint Luke died here in peace in his eighties, other sources say he was crucified here to an olive tree and died a martyric death.

Saint John of Kronstadt Resource Page

 

Life and Veneration 

 

Life of Saint John of Kronstadt (1829 - 1908) 

 

Autobiographical Writings of St. John of Kronstadt 

 

One of the Best Biographies of St. John of Kronstadt Was Written by a Contemporary of His Who Was an Occultist 

 

Saint John of Kronstadt as a Wonderworker of our Days (St. Justin Popovich)

 

How Saint John of Kronstadt Explained To a Group of Priests His Miraculous Power

 

St. John of Kronstadt: A Prophet Who Raised the Dead 

 

Testimony of a Man That Was Healed of Blindness by Saint John of Kronstadt

 

NYT - The Funeral of St. John of Kronstadt 

 

1894 'New York Times' Report on St. John of Kronstadt

 

Saint John of Kronstadt and the Students of the Revolution of His Time 

 

Photos Associated With St. John of Kronstadt Today

 

The Church Where Saint John of Kronstadt Served for 53 Years

Documentary on Saint John of Kronstadt 

 

The Saint Who Conquered the Passion of Smoking 

 

Holy New Hieromartyr Philosophus and His Sons Boris and Nicholas (+ 1918) 

 

St. John of Kronstadt: "Count Leo Tolstoy, the Worst Heretic of Our Evil Days" 

 

The Enochites: An Early 20th-Century Russian Apocalyptic Cult That Worshiped St. John of Kronstadt 

 

A 2000 km Maritime Litany Dedicated to St. John of Kronstadt 

 

Naval Cathedral of Saint Nicholas Consecrated in Kronstadt 

 

On the Occasion of the Glorification of Saint John of Kronstadt (St. John Maximovitch) 

 

The Truth Behind the Alleged "Prophetic Vision of Saint John of Kronstadt"

 

Was Saint John of Kronstadt an Anti-Semite and Pogromist?

 

 

Homilies and Writings   

 

Homily on the Nativity of the Theotokos (St. John of Kronstadt) 

 

The House of God: A Homily for the Entry of the Theotokos by St. John of Kronstadt  

 

Homily on the Annunciation (St. John of Kronstadt)

 

Homily Before Christmas (St. John of Kronstadt)

 

As We Approach the Nativity of Christ (St. John of Kronstadt)  

  

The Word Became Flesh (A Christmas Sermon by St. John of Kronstadt) 

 

Homily on the Baptism of the Lord (St. John of Kronstadt) 

 

Sermon for the Sunday of the Prodigal Son (St. John of Kronstadt) 

 

Two Homilies on the Last Judgement (St. John of Kronstadt) 

 

Homily on Forgiveness Sunday (St. John of Kronstadt) 

 

Homily for the First Saturday of Great Lent (St. John of Kronstadt) 

 

Homily for the First Sunday of Great Lent: On the Joy of Being Orthodox (St. John of Kronstadt) 

 

Homily on the Fourth Sunday of Great Lent (St. John of Kronstadt) 

 

The Parable of the Ten Virgins and the Instability of the World (St. John of Kronstadt) 

 

Sermon on the All-Joyous Day of Pascha (St. John of Kronstadt) 

 

Homily for the Sunday of Saint Thomas (St. John of Kronstadt) 

 

Homily on the Day of the Foremost Apostles Peter and Paul (St. John of Kronstadt)  

 

Homily on the Dormition of the Theotokos (St. John of Kronstadt)  

 

Sermon on the Feast of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called (St. John of Kronstadt)

 

Fear Evil Like Fire (A Homily of St. John of Kronstadt) 

 

In the Church is the One Thing Needful (St. John of Kronstadt) 

 

Why Go To Church When I Can Just Pray At Home? 

 

Empirical Observations of the Holy Mysteries 

 

Asceticism and Its Fruits (St. John of Kronstadt) 

 

A Healthy Lifestyle vs. an Ascetic Lifestyle (St. John of Kronstadt) 

 

St. John of Kronstadt on Fasting 

 

We Ought Not Care More For the Body Than the Soul

 

On the Fragrant Souls and Bodies of the Saints (St. John of Kronstadt) 

 

Saint John of Kronstadt on the Saints    

 

Homily on the First Sunday of Saint Luke (St. John of Kronstadt)

 

On Malice and the Love of Enemies According to Saint John of Kronstadt

A Former Nightclub Bouncer in an Orthodox Monastery

Fr. Mardarios, a former bouncer at a nightclub, is photographed here now using his strength to clean the garden of his monastery at Mount Athos from rocks. "No matter how many rocks I lift," he says, "their weight is less than the weight of my sins."

Synaxarion of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke

On the eighteenth of this month [October], we commemorate the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke.

Verses

"At Emmaus I was once prevented from seeing,"

Luke now says, "I see you clearly now O Christ."

On the eighteenth Luke reached his life’s end.

Holy Martyr Marinos the Elder

St. Marinos the Elder (Feast Day - October 18)

Verses

Marinos the Elder rebuked the error of old,

With the daring of youth, and met his end by sword.

Saint Julian Sabas the Hermit of the Euphrates River

Saint Julian of Mesopotamia (Feast Day - October 18)

Verses

Having run past life as a dream, 

Julian gladly ran past it.

By Bishop Theodoret of Cyrus, Syria

1. Julian, whom the people of the country in honor surnamed 'Saba' (the word means 'Old Man' in Greek), set up his ascetic cell in the land once called Parthia but now Osrhoene. It extends westwards to the very bank of the river (its name is the Euphrates), while towards the rising sun its frontier is that of the Roman Empire. It is succeeded by Assyria, the western border of the kingdom of Persia, which later people have called Adiabene. In this province are many great and populous cities, and a great extent both of inhabited countryside and of uninhabited desert.

Muslim Refugee in Greece Builds Shrine to the Virgin Mary to Thank the Greeks

A Muslim refugee named Ahmet, who was given hospitality from Greece to stay in Thermopylae, has built a shrine to the Virgin Mary there to thank the Greek people for their help, and with tears in his eyes asks for people to pray at this shrine that the war in his homeland will come to an end.

Synaxarion of the Holy Martyr Andrew who is in Krisi

On the seventeenth of this month [October], we commemorate the Holy Venerable Martyr Andrew who is in Krisi.

Verses

One of the two legs of Andrew was cut off,

Bringing to an end the path of your contest.

Holy Prophet Hosea

Holy Prophet Hosea (Feast Day - October 17)

Verses

Having joined together with a prostitute, now you behold O Prophet, 

An earthly type of God as a suitor to a prostitute.

On the seventeenth the body of Hosea was buried.

The Holy Prophet Hosea, the son of Beeri, was of the tribe of Isaachar, and lived in the eighth century before Christ.

October 16th

Saints Commemorated on October 16

Holy Martyr Longinus the Centurion

Holy New Martyr John of Tourkoleka (+ 1816)

October 15th

Saints and Feasts Commemorated on October 15th

Saint Loukianos (Lucian) the Hieromartyr of Antioch

The Orthodoxy of Lucian of Antioch

Holy Martyrs Sarbelos and Bebaia of Edessa

Saint Euthymios the New of Peristera Monastery (+ 894)

Icon of the Mother of God the "Multiplier of Wheat"

October 14th

Saints and Feasts Commemorated on October 14th

Four Martyrs of Milan - Nazarius, Gervasius, Protasius and Celsus

Saint Paraskeva (Petka) the New of Epivato

Saint Parascheva and Her Feast Day in Romania

Saint Ignatios Agallianos, Metropolitan of Mithymna, the Wonderworker (+ 1566)

Life and Spiritual Counsels of Saint Pachomios of Chios (+ 1905)

The Miracle of St. Paraskevi in 1442 on the Island of Chios

Thousands Gather in Georgia for Svetistkholoba

Update: October 13th

On October 4th I went to France for a week, and returned last night. It was my intention to notify my readers through this website, but in my rush I put it off till I arrived in France. However, due to complications from the hotel computer, I was unable to log in to my site. Within 24 hours and every day since I have received many messages, mainly asking about my well-being, and though I have responded to some, I decided to just put it off till I returned since I wanted to take as much advantage of my time as I could of this unique opportunity to explore Paris and other places in France. Thus, I want to assure everyone, that all is well with me, and I had a most illuminating and unforgettable time this past week. Thank you for your patience.

I will resume posting this Monday. Till then, I will daily post the Saints and Feasts of the day I have already posted on, will provide an online poll concerning a new website, and will post a few pictures from my trip in France, as well as any other update that comes to mind. As far as the poll is concerned, they are a list of topics for a new website, much like my other websites linked with the Mystagogy Resource Center, that will focus exclusively on that subject, based on popular feedback I have received in the past year or so, and it will launch in November. The last three in the list are translations of Orthodox classics I intend to publish, and if one of those are chosen they will be available only to those who are payed subscribers of my site, either with a monthly donation or an annual donation of at least $60 (please make sure your address and email are up to date). I will provide links at the end of this page to make those donations. The final decision will be made on Monday.

"The Confession of Faith" of Gennadios Scholarios (1453 A.D.)

Introduction

Soon after the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, at the request of the Mohammedan conqueror Sultan Mehmed II, Gennadios prepared a Confession of the Christian faith. The Sultan received it, invested Gennadios with the patriarchate of Constantinople by the delivery of the crozier or pastoral staff, and authorized him to assure the Roman Christians of freedom in the exercise of their religion.

Saint Denis, First Bishop of Paris

St. Denis of Paris (Feast Day - October 9)

Verses

Your head is cut off from the rest, and as one who is great,

Dionysius, you run to her who prays.

On the third you were beheaded, and ran with your head in your hands, Dionysius.*

According to Gregory of Tours (History of the Franks 1.30): "Under the emperor Decius many persecutions arose against the name of Christ, and there was such a slaughter of believers that they could not be numbered. Babylas, bishop of Antioch, with his three little sons, Urban, Prilidan and Epolon, and Sixtus, bishop of Rome, Laurence, an archdeacon, and Hippolytus, were made perfect by martyrdom because they confessed the name of the Lord. Valentinian and Novatian were then the chief heretics and were active against our faith, the enemy urging them on. At this time seven men were ordained as bishops and sent into the Gauls to preach, as the history of the martyrdom of the holy martyr Saturninus relates. For it says: 'In the consulship of Decius and Gratus, as faithful memory recalls, the city of Toulouse received the holy Saturninus as its first and greatest bishop.' These bishops were sent: Bishop Gatianus to Tours (Dec. 18); Bishop Trophimus to Arles (Dec. 29); Bishop Paul to Narbonne (Mar. 22); Bishop Saturninus to Toulouse (Nov. 29); Bishop Dionysius to Paris; Bishop Stremonius to Clermont (Nov. 1), Bishop Martial to Limoges (June 30). And of these the blessed Dionysius, bishop of Paris, after suffering diverse pains in Christ's name, ended the present life by the threatening sword."

Historical Outline of the Orthodox Church in Gaul (France)

By Monk Nicodemus

1. The beginnings of the Gallic Church

The Gallic Church had its beginnings in the first century. Western tradition holds that Gaul (France) was initially evangelized and baptized by St. Mary Magdalene, St. Lazarus the Four-Days Dead, and his sisters Sts. Mary and Martha. On the basis of St. Paul's second Epistle to Timothy, several historians have thought that the Apostle Crescens, an envoy of St. Paul, labored in Gaul. Some also think that St. Paul stopped in Gaul on his way to Spain. In any event, Christianity penetrated into southern Gaul at an early date, specifically into Provence and the Rhone Valley — areas that had a strong presence of Greek minorities hailing from Asia Minor, Phrygia and Syria.

Protopresbyter John Romanides's Teaching on Creation

PROTOPRESBYTER JOHN ROMANIDES'S

TEACHING ON CREATION

By James L. Kelley, 2016

Father John Romanides (1927-2001), from his earliest publications in the 1950's to his final postings to the website romanity.org in the early 2000's, never ceased to speak of the Orthodox doctrines about creation as essential to understanding Orthodox Tradition. The core of this Tradition, for Father John, is the healing of man's dissipated noetic energy through the “way free of error”: the threefold path of purification, illumination, and glorification.[1] His presentation of the Orthodox faith, undoubtedly unique in its organization and in some of its applications, is nonetheless not new, but rather remains in essence identical to what the Orthodox have taught at all times. This being the case, our discourse can be read as a general presentation of the Orthodox teaching concerning creation, though it also serves to introduce Father John's rich and enduring oeuvre.

Saint Dionysius the Areopagite Resource Page

St. Dionysius the Areopagite (Feast Day - October 3)

Verses

You were inflamed with eros for your Master,

And in the flames departed to Him in a well-pleasing manner.

On the third of October Dionysius died.

 

Synaxarion of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite  

 

Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite, Bishop of Athens 

 

Kontakion and Oikos to Saint Dionysios the Areopagite

 

Corpus Areopagiticum (Fr. George Florovsky)

 

The Authenticity of Dionysius the Areopagite's Writings

 

The Life of the Holy Great Martyr Theodore Gavras (+ 1098)

By Constantine J. Gavras, a descendant of the Saint

The glorious Great Martyr and brave athlete of the Lord, Theodore Gavras, was born in the eleventh century in a rural town of the theme of Chaldia called Atra, from pious and illustrious parents, who bestowed upon him the same piety and glory. They had great wealth, glory and and many dignities, titles and privileges. They were the supreme rulers of the Eastern Lands*; of places like Chaldia and Coloneia and with lands bordering these areas.

Saint Remigius, Bishop of Rheims and Apostle of the Franks (+ 533)

St. Remigius of Rheims (Feast Day - October 1)

Remigius was born in 437, traditionally at Cerny-en-Laonnois, near Laon, Picardy, in northern Gaul, into the highest levels of Gallo-Roman society. He is said to have been the son of Emilius, count of Laon (who is not otherwise attested) and of Celina, daughter of the Bishop of Soissons, which Clovis had conquered in 486.

The birth of Saint Remigius was foretold to his aged parents by a holy hermit called Montanus. From childhood the noble youth devoted himself to the acquisition of secular and sacred learning and then withdrew to a little house near Laon, where he led an exemplary and virtuous life of holy solitude. When the see of Rheims became vacant, the clergy and people resorted to his retreat and carried him off as their bishop-elect in spite of his being only twenty-two years of age and a layman. At the time of his consecration in 459, his brow shone with light and was scented with a heavenly fragrance.