November 30, 2017

An Annual Miracle at the Tomb of the Apostle Andrew from the Sixth Century


Saint Gregory of Tours, in his late-6th century book titled Glory of the Martyrs (ch. 30), records the following annual miracle that was done at the tomb of the Apostle Andrew in Patras, Greece:

Footage from the Funeral Service of Saint Iakovos Tsalikes in November 1991


Archimandrite Sebastian Dabovich: Serbian Orthodox Apostle to America


By Hieromonk Damascene (Christensen)

1. An Apostle of Universal Significance

Born during the presidency of Abraham Lincoln, Archimandrite Sebastian Dabovich has the distinction of being the first person born in the United States of America to be ordained as an Orthodox priest,[1] and also the first native-born American to be tonsured as an Orthodox monk. His greatest distinction, however, lies in the tremendous apostolic, pastoral, and literary work that he accomplished during the forty-eight years of his priestly ministry. Known as the "Father of Serbian Orthodoxy in America,"[2] he was responsible for the founding of the first Serbian churches in the New World. This, however, was only one part of his life's work, for he tirelessly and zealously sought to spread the Orthodox Faith to all peoples, wherever he was called. He was an Orthodox apostle of universal significance.

Holy Hierarchs Peter and Samuel, First and Second Catholicos of Georgia

Sts. Peter and Samuel of Georgia (Feast Day - November 30)

Saint Peter was the first catholicos of Georgia. He led the Church of Kartli from the 460s through the beginning of the 6th century. According to God’s will, Saint Peter inaugurated the dynasty of the chief shepherds of Georgia.

It is written in the biography of Holy King Vakhtang IV Gorgasali that the king was introduced to Peter, a pupil of Saint Gregory the Theologian, during one of his visits to Byzantium, and he became very close to him. At that time he was also introduced to the future catholicos Samuel.

Saints and Feasts of November 30


On the thirtieth Andrew the First-Called endured the cross.

(Fasting Day)

Holy, Glorious and All-Praised Apostle 
Andrew the First-Called

Apostle Andrew Resource Page


Saint Frumentius, Archbishop of Abyssinia

Saint Frumentius, Enlightener of Abyssinia

Saint Frumentius of Ethiopia as a Model for our Lives


Saint Alexander, Bishop of Methymni

Saint Alexander, Bishop of Methymni


Saint Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia

Saint Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia (+ 502)


Saint Tudwal, Bishop of Treguier

Saint Tudwal, Bishop of Treguier (+ 564)


Holy Hierarchs Peter and Samuel, 
First and Second Catholicos of Georgia

Holy Hierarchs Peter and Samuel, First and Second Catholicos of Georgia


Saint Sebastian Dabovich of San Francisco

Archimandrite Sebastian Dabovich: Serbian Orthodox Apostle to America

Serbian Church Proclaims Fr. Sebastian (Dabovich) and Bp. Mardarije (Uskokovic) Saints of the Church


Saint Andrew Saguna, Metropolitan of Transylvania

Saint Andrew Saguna, Metropolitan of Transylvania (+ 1873)

Former Transylvania Metropolitan Andrei Saguna, Canonized in Sibiu


November 29, 2017

Saint Dionysios, Bishop of Corinth

St. Dionysios of Corinth (Feast Day - November 29)

Verses

Dionysios performed sacrifices,
Approaching the sword, he is also a Martyr.

Saint Jerome wrote the following about Saint Dionysios, information of which he took from Eusebius, who placed him as being Bishop in the eleventh year of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, which was 171.

"Dionysios, Bishop of the Church of Corinth, was of so great eloquence and industry that he taught not only the people of his own city and province but also those of other provinces and cities by his letters. Of these one is To the Lacedaemonians, another To the Athenians, a third To the Nicomedians, a fourth To the Cretans, a fifth To the Church at Amastrina and to the Other Churches of Pontus, a sixth To the Gnosians and to Pinytus the bishop of the same city, a seventh To the Romans, addressed to Soter their bishop, an eighth To Chrysophora a holy woman. He flourished in the reign of Marcus Antoninus Verus and Lucius Aurelius Commodus."

Holy Abba Pityroum of Egypt, Disciple of Saint Anthony

Venerable Pityroum (Feast Day - November 29)

Verses

Willingly he advanced towards you O my Christ,
Pityroum the worker of the will.

History of the Monks of Egypt
(Ch. 19)

By St. Jerome

And we also saw in the Thebaid a certain high mountain which lay by the river, and it was an exceedingly terrible mountain with high barren peaks, and in the caves thereof there dwelt many monks; and these men had as Abba one Pityroum, who was a disciple of the holy man Anthony. He was the third who had received that place from Anthony, and he used to perform many mighty deeds, and to carry on the persecution of devils openly; and since he was the man who had received the place of Anthony, the blessed and great man, and of Ammonius his disciple, he received also, and rightly so, the inheritance of his labors.

Synaxarion of the Holy Martyr Paramonos and the 370 Martyrs With Him

St. Paramonos and the 370 With Him (Feast Day - November 29)

Verses

To Paramonos.
Paramonos was pierced for you my Christ,
Knowing only you as God, he dies only for you.

To the Three Hundred and Seventy.
The ten times seven men offered their heads to the sword,
Together with the six-fold fifty.

On the twenty-ninth Paramonos was slain with a long spear.

Saints and Feasts of November 29


On the twenty-ninth Paramonos was slain with a long spear.

(Fasting Day)

Holy Martyr Paramonos and the 
Three Hundred and Seventy Martyrs With Him

Synaxarion of the Holy Martyr Paramonos and the 370 Martyrs With Him


Holy Martyr Philoumenos of Ancyra

Saint Philoumenos of Ancyra


Venerable Nicholas, Archbishop of Thessaloniki

Venerable Nicholas, Archbishop of Thessaloniki


Holy Hieromartyr John of Persia

Holy Hieromartyr John of Persia


Holy Six Martyrs

Holy Six Martyrs


Saint Urban, Bishop of Macedonia

Saint Urban, Bishop of Macedonia


Saint Dionysios, Bishop of Corinth

Saint Dionysios, Bishop of Corinth


Venerable Pankosmios

Venerable Pankosmios


Venerable Pityroum

Holy Abba Pityroum of Egypt, Disciple of Saint Anthony


Holy Martyr Valerin

Holy Martyr Valerin


Holy Martyr Phaidros

Holy Martyr Phaidros


Holy Hieromartyr Abibos, Bishop of Nekresi

Holy Hieromartyr Abibos, Bishop of Nekresi


Venerable Nectarius the Obedient of the Kiev Caves

Saint Nectarius the Obedient of the Kiev Caves


Holy Hieromartyr Philoumenos the New 
of Jacob's Well

Saint Philoumenos the New Resource Page


November 28, 2017

Saint Iakovos Tsalikes Resource Page

St. Iakovos Tsalikes of Evia (Feast Day - November 22)
 
About 
 
 
 
 
 

The Archangel Michael Visits Saint Iakovos Tsalikes

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Teachings 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Miracles 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Saints and Feasts of November 28


On the twenty-eighth the head of Stephen the New was broken.

(Fasting Day)

Holy Confessor Stephen the New

Synaxarion of the Holy Confessor Stephen the New (+ 767)


Holy Martyr Andrew

Synaxarion of the Holy Martyr Stephen the New (+ 767)


Holy Martyr Peter

Synaxarion of the Holy Martyr Stephen the New (+ 767)


Holy Venerable Martyr Anna

Synaxarion of the Holy Martyr Stephen the New (+ 767)


Holy Martyrs Who Were Martyred With 
Saint Stephen on Behalf of the Holy Icons

Synaxarion of the Holy Martyr Stephen the New (+ 767)


Holy Martyr Eirenarchos 
and the Seven Women With Him

Holy Martyr Eirenarchos and the Seven Women With Him


Holy Hieromartyr Akakios

Holy Martyr Eirenarchos and the Seven Women With Him


Holy Martyrs Timothy and Theodore the Bishops; 
Peter, John, Sergius, Theodore and Nikephoros 
the Priests; Basil and Thomas the Deacons; Hierotheos, 
Daniel, Chariton, Socrates, Komasios and Eusebius 
the Monks; with Etimasios

Synaxarion of the Holy Fifteen Martyrs of Tiberiopolis (+ 361)

The Holy Fifteen Martyrs of Tiberioupolis, Patrons of Kilkis


Holy Emperor Maurice and his Six Sons

Saint Maurice, Emperor of the Romans, With His Six Sons

The Fate of the Sixth Son of Roman Emperor Maurice


Saint Theodore, Archbishop of Rostov

Saint Theodore, Archbishop of Rostov (+ 1394)


November 27, 2017

The First Vigil in Honor of Elder Iakovos Tsalikes


The first festal all-night vigil in honor of Elder Iakovos Tsalikes took place from the 17th to the 18th of November 2017, ten days before he was officially recognized as a Saint by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. This was done by Metropolitan Neophytos of Morphou in the Church of Saints Barnabas and Hilarion in the village of Peristeronas in Morphou, Cyprus. The Service to Elder Iakovos had been composed by Nun Isidora of the Monastery of Saint John the Forerunner in Makrynos which is in Megara, with additions from a Service composed by Metropolitan Joel of Edessa.

The Abbot of the Monastery of the Venerable David on the Canonization of Elder Iakovos Tsalikes

Elder Gabriel of Venerable David Monastery

Immediately following the decision of the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to canonize Elder Iakovos Tsalikes, the Abbot of the Monastery of the Venerable David in Evia, Elder Gregory, was immediately notified of the good news.

Obviously he was excited about the decision, saying: "The revered Patriarchate officially recognized the sanctity of Father Iakovos, which has also existed in the conscience of the faithful."

Saints and Feasts of November 27


On the twenty-seventh the Persian 
was slain by dismemberment.

(Fasting Day)

Holy Great Martyr James the Persian 
 
Venerable Pinuphrios

Holy Abba Pinuphrios of Egypt


Venerable Nathaniel

Holy Abba Nathaniel of Nitria


Venerable Gregory of Sinai 
 
 
 
Venerable Seventeen Martyrs of India
 

Saint James the Wonderworker, Bishop of Rostov

Saint James the Wonderworker, Bishop of Rostov (+ 1392)


Venerable Theodosius of Trnovo

Saint Theodosius of Trnovo (+ 1363)

Saint Theodosios the Hesychast of Trnovo, Bulgaria (+ 1363)


Saint Damaskinos the Studite, 
Bishop of Liti and Rendini

Saint Damaskinos the Studite, Bishop of Liti and Rendini (+ 1577)

Two New Saints of the Orthodox Church - Akakios and Damaskinos, Bishops of Liti and Rendini


Synaxis of the Icon of the Mother of God 
of the Sign in Novgorod

Synaxis of the Icon of the Mother of God of the Sign in Novgorod


Elder Iakovos Tsalikes Has Been Officially Numbered Among the Saints


Today, Monday 27 November 2017, Elder Iakovos Tsalikes, who reposed in the Lord on 21 November 1991, was officially numbered among the saints by the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, on his patronal feast of Saint James (Iakovos) the Persian. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew himself had visited the Venerable Iakovos Tsalikes at the Monastery of the Venerable David in Evia in February of 1989, and he told the then Metropolitan Bartholomew that one day he would become Patriarch. His annual feast will take place on November 22nd.

November 26, 2017

Saint Paisios the Athonite Proclaimed the Patron Saint of the Military Corps of Signalmen


Following a request by the Office of Military Chaplains, part of the General Staff of the Greek Armed Forces, the Holy Permanent Synod of the Church of Greece declared on 1 November 2017 for Saint Paisios the Athonite to be the Patron Saint of the Military Corps of Signalmen, having served as a Signalman during the Greek Civil War from 1945 to 1949.

Instead of some successful and efficient wartime leader, the Orthodox Church advances a humble saint and monk as an example to follow in times of conflict. Later as a monastic, Saint Paisios used his former military position as a Signalman as a way to describe something more deeper and spiritual. For example, he used it to teach about prayer:

Gospel Commentary for the Thirteenth Sunday of Luke (St. Theophylact of Ochrid)


Thirteenth Sunday of Luke

The Rich Young Man

Luke 18:18-27

From The Explanation of the Gospel of St. Luke

By Blessed Theophylact, Archbishop of Ochrid and Bulgaria

18-23. And a certain ruler asked Him saying, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" And Jesus said unto him, "Why callest thou Me good? None is good, save One, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments: Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother." And he said, "All these have I kept from my youth up." Now when Jesus heard these things, He said unto him, "Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow Me." And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.

Saints and Feasts of the Last Sunday of November


Synaxis of All Saints of Achaea

Synaxis of All Saints of Achaea


Synaxis of the Saints of Agia

Synaxis of the Saints of Agia


Saints and Feasts of November 26


On the twenty-sixth Alypios departed 
to dwell where there is no pain.

(Fasting Day)

Venerable Alypios the Kionite

Saint Alypios the Stylite of Adrianople


Venerable Stylianos of Paphlagonia

Saint Stylianos Resource Page


Venerable Akakios of the "Ladder"

Saint Akakios of the "Ladder"


Venerable James the Anchorite

Saint James the Ascetic of Cyrus


Venerable Nikon the Metanoeite

Synaxarion of Saint Nikon the Metanoeite (+ 998)

Saint Nikon "Metanoeite" (Preacher of Repentance)


Venerable Silos, Bishop of Persia

Venerable Silos, Bishop of Persia


Saint Sophianos, Bishop of Dryinoupolis

Saint Sophianos, Bishop of Dryinoupolis (+ 1711)


Holy New Martyr George of Chios

Holy New Martyr George of Chios (+ 1807)


Commemoration of the Consecration of the 
Church of Saint George in Kyparission

Commemoration of the Consecration of the Church of Saint George in Kyparission


Commemoration of the Consecration of the 
Church of the Holy Great Martyr George at Kiev

The Veneration of Saint George in the Founding of the Russian State


November 25, 2017

The Holy Spring of Saint Katherine in Moda, Istanbul


There are many sacred shrines dedicated to Saint Katherine throughout the world, but in Turkey there is only one -- in Moda, Istanbul.

In the year 1924 on the Asian side of Constantinople, specifically in the district of Kadikoy in Moda, Greek fishermen found a rock from which a spring gushed forth, and they considered this to be holy water. It is said that the spring flowed from the ruins of an older church next to an icon of Saint Katherine. Soon after this discovery, a small wooden church was built over it, and the holy water came to be known as the Spring of Saint Katherine.

Holy Hieromartyr Moses, Presbyter of Rome (+ 251)

St. Moses of Rome (Feast Day - November 25)

Saint Moses was possibly of Jewish origin and a presbyter of Rome. He corresponded with Saint Cyprian of Carthage and zealously opposed the Novatian schism and heresy. According to Pope Cornelius of Rome, when Moses beheld the boldness and folly of the rigorism of Novatian, who had sought to become the Pope of Rome himself, he "refused to commune with him and with the five presbyters who with him had separated themselves from the Church."

Saints and Feasts of November 25


On the twenty-fifth the aid of orators was killed by the sword.

(Fasting Day)

Leavetaking of the Feast of the 
Entrance of the Theotokos

Entrance of the Theotokos Resource Page


Holy and Glorious Great Martyr Katherine

Saint Katherine of Alexandria Resource Page


Holy One Hundred and Fifty Rhetoricians

Fifty Philosophers and Rhetoricians Who Converted to Christianity


The Holy Empress

The Holy Empress together with the Holy Martyr Porphyrios and the Two Hundred Soldiers with Him


Holy Martyr Porphyrios the General 
and the Two Hundred Soldiers with Him

The Holy Empress together with the Holy Martyr Porphyrios and the Two Hundred Soldiers with Him


Holy Great Martyr Mercurius

Holy Great Martyr Mercurius of Caesarea in Cappadocia


Venerable Peter the Hesychast of Galatia

Saint Peter the Hesychast of Galatia


Holy Six Hundred and Seventy Martyrs

Holy Six Hundred and Seventy Martyrs


Holy Hieromartyr Moses, Presbyter of Rome

Holy Hieromartyr Moses, Presbyter of Rome (+ 251)


November 24, 2017

Second Homily on the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple (St. Germanos of Constantinople)


By St. Germanos, Archbishop of Constantinople (715-730)

Behold, again another festival, and a glorious feast of the Mother of the Lord. Behold, the arrival of the blameless bride (cf. 2 Peter 3.14). Behold, the first procession of the queen. Behold, an accurate sign of the glory which will surround her.

Behold, the prelude of the divine grace which will overshadow her. Behold, the brilliant evidence of her exceptional purity. For where entering not many times, but once in the year (cf. Leviticus 16.1), the priest performs the mystical worship, there she is brought by her parents for unceasing residence, to be in the sacred sanctuary of grace.

Saint Protasius, Bishop of Milan (+ 343)


Almost nothing is known about the life of our Holy Father Protasius. He was elected Bishop of Milan in 328, and served until his death, about 343.

Saints and Feasts of November 24


Clement is cast into the depths like an anchor,
And is present with Christ, the anchor of the eschaton.

(Fast Day)

Holy Hieromartyr Clement, Pope of Rome


 
 
Holy Hieromartyr Peter, Archbishop of Alexandria



 


Saint Malchus

Saint Malchus


Venerable Fathers Karion and Zachariah of Scetis



Saint Hermogenes, Bishop of Agrigentum

Saint Hermogenes, Bishop of Agrigentum


Holy Martyrs Philoumenos and Christopher

Holy Martyrs Philoumenos and Christopher


Holy Martyr Eugenios

Holy Martyr Eugenios


Holy Martyrs Prokopios and Christopher

Holy Martyrs Prokopios and Christopher


Holy Martyr Alexander of Corinth

Holy Martyr Alexander of Corinth


Venerable Gregory of Chryse Petra Monastery

Saint Gregory of Chryse Petra Monastery


Holy Martyr Chrysygonos at Aquileia

Holy Martyr Chrysygonos at Aquileia


Venerable Mark of Trigleia

Venerable Mark of Trigleia


Holy Martyr Theodore of Antioch

Holy Martyr Theodore of Antioch


Saint Protasius, Bishop of Milan

Saint Protasius, Bishop of Milan (+ 343)

 
Holy Martyr Mercurius of Smolensk
 
 
 
Holy Venerable Martyr Nikodemos
the New of Beroia

 


Venerable Mercurius the Faster of the Kiev Caves 
 
 
 
Venerable Simon of Soiga
 

 

November 23, 2017

Saint Sisinios the Confessor, Bishop of Cyzicus

St. Sisinios the Confessor (Feast Day - November 23)

Verses

Having first submitted to much violence in life,
Sisinios entered life without violence.

Sisinios was from the city of Cyzicus and contested during the reign of Emperor Diocletian in the year 300, when Alexander was Governor of Cyzicus. He was accused of being a Christian to Alexander, and after confessing that he was indeed a Christian, he was bound to wild horses and forced to run with them. He was then beaten without mercy, and they forced bitter vinegar up his nose. After enduring other tortures, and performing various miracles, he was cast into prison.

Saint Alexander Nevsky (+ 1263)

St. Alexander Nevsky (Feast Day - November 23)

The Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky was born on May 30, 1220 in the city of Pereslavl-Zalessk. His father Yaroslav II, Theodore in Baptism (+ 1246), “a gentle, kindly and genial prince”, was the younger son of Vsevolod III Large Nest (+ 1212), brother of the Holy Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich (Feb. 4). Saint Alexander’s mother, Theodosia Igorevna, a Ryazan princess, was Yaroslav’s third wife. Their older son was the Holy Prince Theodore (June 5), who departed to the Lord at age fifteen. Saint Alexander was their second son.

His childhood was spent at Pereslavl-Zalessk, where his father was prince. The princely tonsure of the lad Alexander (a ceremony of initiation to be soldier) was done in the Savior Transfiguration Cathedral of Pereslavl by Saint Simon, Bishop of Suzdal (May 10), one of the compilers of the Kiev Caves Paterikon. From this Elder-Hierarch, Saint Alexander received his first blessing for military service in the name of God, to defend the Russian Church and the Russian Land.

Synaxarion of Saint Amphilochios of Iconium

St. Amphilochios of Iconium (Feast Day - November 23)

Verses

Make ready Amphilochios the vestments of death,
You scatter those lying in wait and dead you perceive with the mind.
On the twenty-third Amphilochios received death.

This Saint, having passed through every stage of ecclesiastical office, and shined in asceticism and divine knowledge, proceeded to become the Bishop of Iconium by the election of God and the common people, during the reigns of Valentinian and Valens. He flourished during the reign of Constantine the Great as well as that of his sons, and became a hierarch in the year 374. Having therefore become a teacher of the Orthodox faith, the renowned one bravely stood against the heresies of Arius and Macedonius and Eunomius. For this reason he endured many persecutions and tribulations from the impious. He was also a fellow-struggler with the one hundred and fifty Fathers of the Second Ecumenical Synod, who assembled together in the year 381 against Macedonius the Pneumatomach.* Since Theodosius the Great gave authority over the western territories of Europe to the young Valentinian, having trampled on the tyrant Maximinus, then the great Amphilochios returned to Constantinople, and approaching the emperor he asked him to banish the Arians. In prevailing upon him with supplications, by this the wondrous Father found a mechanism by which he could persuade the emperor.

Saints and Feasts of November 23


On the twenty-third Amphilochios received death.

(Fasting Day)

Saint Amphilochios, Bishop of Iconium

Saint Amphilochios of Iconium Resource Page


Saint Gregory, Bishop of Agrigentum

Saint Gregory, Bishop of Agrigentum


Venerable Mark the Spirit-Bearer

Saint Gregory, Bishop of Agrigentum


Saint Potamianos the Bishop

Saint Gregory, Bishop of Agrigentum


Saint Sisinios the Confessor, Bishop of Cyzicus

Saint Sisinios the Confessor, Bishop of Cyzicus


Saint Ischyrion the Bishop

Saint Ischyrion the Bishop

The Prophecy of Abba Ischyrion


Saint Elenos, Bishop of Tarsus

Saint Elenos, Bishop of Tarsus


Saint Dionysios I the Wise, Patriarch of Constantinople

Saint Dionysios I the Wise, Patriarch of Constantinople (+ 1492)

Bulgarians Return Relics of St. Dionysios I to Greece


Venerable Anthony the Hesychast of Iezeru–Valcea

Saint Anthony the Hesychast of Iezeru–Valcea Skete (+ 1714)


Saint Alexander Nevsky

Saint Alexander Nevsky (+ 1263)

Saint Alexander Nevsky Cathedral In Sofia

30 Icons of St. Alexander Nevsky In Space


Saint Metrophanes, Bishop of Voronezh

Saint Metrophanes, Bishop of Voronezh (+ 1703)


Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) in Warsaw

Feast of Saint Gregory (Peradze) in Warsaw


Narration of the Vision of a Certain John 
Which is Altogether Beneficial

Narration of the Vision of a Certain John Which is Altogether Beneficial



November 22, 2017

Synaxarion of the Holy Martyr Cecilia and Those With Her

St. Cecilia the Virgin Martyr (Feast Day - November 22)

Verses

To Cecilia.
Brought to the bath you were burnt, O Cecilia,
And washed in the bath with blood by the sword.

To Valerian and Tiburtius.
Valerian together with his fellow athlete,
Are slain with the sword being insolent towards delusion.

To Maxmos the Keeper of the Keys.
Maximos the prison keeper is tortured,
Immediately becoming a keeper of the commandments of God.

Synaxarion of the Venerable Abba the Ishmaelite

Venerable Abba (Feast Day - November 22)

Verses

Abba was the image of all abbas,
Rightly I honor you as a child does a father.

Our Holy Father Abba (which is translated as Father) was from the race of the Ishmaelites. Forsaking parents and country and wealth, he became the follower of a certain monk. Receiving from him the monastic schema, they lived together for a few years. Both then went to the great and venerable Eusebius the struggler (Feb. 15) to become his disciples. After his fellow monk died, the blessed Abba remained with the great Eusebius.