Saint(s) of the Day

[Shiranui117]

Hello all,

I know at least some of you saw my "Saint(s) of the Day" thread in the Eastern Orthodox subforum. After getting some good advice from Gaurya Priya, I've decided to bring this into the General Christianity DIR, and open up this thread to the Saints commemorated on each day by all of the Christian churches, not just the Eastern Orthodox.

If your church commemorates a Saint that isn't posted on this thread for today, or whatever day it happens to be, feel free to post the name of the Saint and a short bio about them, so that over time we can start to get an idea of some of the holy people that follow Christ, and what their walk with God looked like!

So, for example, say that it's March 17th (St. Patrick's Day) and St. Patrick isn't posted on here, but other Saints are, you can feel free to go right on ahead and post some information about St. Patrick.

For today;
The Holy Apostles of the Seventy Herodion, Agabus, Rufus, Asyncritus, Phlegon, and Hermes

Reading from the Synaxarion:
The Apostle Herodion, whom Saint Paul mentions in his Epistle to the Romans (16:11) and calls his "kinsman," was ordained presbyter and then Bishop of New Patras, where he was slain by Jews and pagans. Saint Agabus is mentioned in Acts 21:10-11, where he prophesied Saint Paul's arrest in Jerusalem at the hands of the Jewish leaders. In Acts 11:27-28 it is mentioned also that this Saint foretold the great famine that would come to pass in the time of Claudius Caesar. Having preached the Gospel throughout various regions, he departed to the Lord. The Apostle Rufus became Bishop of Thebes in Greece. The Apostles Asyncritus and Phlegon preached Christ in many places, suffered many afflictions at the hands of the pagans and Jews, and departed unto the Lord. The Apostle Hermes is mentioned with them in the Epistle to the Romans (16:13-14).

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, through the prayers of Your Saints, have mercy on us and save us!

 

[Shiranui117]

The Saints for today:

The Holy Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea

Reading from the Synaxarion:
This holy Martyr was from the parts of Cappadocia, and lived a blameless life with his wife. During the reign of Julian the Apostate, this blessed one was filled with divine zeal and, with other Christians, destroyed the pagan temple dedicated to Fortune. Because of this he received the crown of martyrdom by beheading in the year 362.

Raphael, Nicholas, Irene, & Olympias of Mytilene

Reading from the Synaxarion:
On the island of Mytilene (Lesbos in ancient times), near the village of Therme, the villagers had a custom of ascending a certain hill on this day to celebrate the Divine Liturgy in the ruins of a small chapel, although no one knew whence the tradition sprang. In the year 1959, certain villagers began seeing persons who spoke to them, first in dreams, then awake, both by day and by night. Through these wondrous appearances, which were given to many people independently, the holy Martyrs Raphael, Archimandrite of the ancient monastery, and Nicholas, his deacon, together with other Saints who had been martyred on the island, told the villagers the whole account of their martyrdom, which had taken place at the hands of the Moslem Turks ten years after the fall of Constantinople, in 1463. The twelve-year-old Irene had been tortured, then burned alive in a large earthenware jar in the presence of her parents. On Tuesday of Renewal Week, Saint Raphael had been tied to a tree and his head sawn off through his jaws; Saint Nicholas had died at the sight of this. Although the feast is celebrated today because it is the day of their martyrdom, through the appearances of the Saints as living persons five hundred years after their martyrdom, it is also a singular testimony to the Resurrection of Christ.

 

[Shiranui117]

The Saints for today:

Terence & his Companions beheaded at Carthage

Reading from the Synaxarion:
These Saints were from Africa, and they all contested during the reign of Decius, in 251. After many torments, they were beheaded at the command of Fortunatus the Governor.

Gregory V, the Holy Martyr & Patriarch of Constantinople
Full of Grace and Truth: St. Gregory V the Hieromartyr, Patriarch of Constantinople

An excerpt from the article:

When some tried to convince him to flee Constantinople to save himself, the good shepherd responded:
"They are trying to get me to flee. A sword will be drawn at the loins of Constantinople and the rest of the cities of Christian eparchies. You wish however that, vested, I take refuge in a ship or be locked in a house and never be a beneficial Ambassador, that I would then hear how the executioners hacked apart the abandoned people. Never! For this I am Patriarch, that I may save my Nation, but never however will they perceive anything other than the faith portrayed on my face. The Greeks, the men of battle, will fight with greater zeal, until they soon will be granted victory; of this I am certain. Look with patience if what I am saying comes true. Today (Palm Sunday) we will eat fish, but after a few days and likely this week the fish will eat us...Yes, why shouldn't I become food for animals, I will never accept fleeing to Odessa, or Kerkyra or Ancyra, passing among people pointing their fingers saying: "Here comes the killer Patriarch." If my Nation is saved and triumphant, then I will accept incense of praise and honors, for I paid my debt...I go wherever my nous, the great people of the Nation and Heavenly Father call me, the martyr of human deeds."

"We are required", he said, "to shepherd our flocks well and to do that which is needed, as Jesus did for us to save us..." (www.synaxaristis -)]

The reprisals did come during Holy Week in April 1921 after the Greeks revolted in the Peloponnesus. During celebration of the divine liturgy, with eight hierarchs, on the night of Pascha of April 10, Gregory was arrested and, by order of Sultan Mahmud II, hanged on the front gate of the Patriarchate compound in his full Patriarchal vestments. The gate has been closed, locked, and not used since. After hanging for three days and being mocked by the passing crowds, his body was taken down and given to a group of Jews who dragged it through the streets of Constantinople before throwing it into the Bosphorus.

 

[SageTree]

William of Ockham (c. 1287 – 1347) was an English Franciscan friar and scholastic philosopher and theologian, who is believed to have been born in Ockham, a small village in Surrey.

He is considered to be one of the major figures of medieval thought and was at the centre of the major intellectual and political controversies of the fourteenth century.

He is commonly known for Occam's razor, the methodological principle that bears his name, and also produced significant works on logic, physics, and theology.

In the Church of England, his day of commemoration is 10 April.

 

[Gaura Priya]

This is really good! Keep it coming!

Since I was born Catholic, my Confirmation Saint was (and still is) Saint Kateri Tekakwitha.

Her title is the Lily of the Mohawks, and she came from the 17th Century in the Americas. Her feast day is April 17 in Canada.

Lord God, Thou didst call the virgin Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, to shine among the First Nations people as an example of innocence of life. Through her intercession, may all peoples of every tribe, tongue and nation, having been gathered into Thy Church, proclaim Thy greatness in one song of praise. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.


Amen

​

Here's a little bit from Wikipedia (modified because 'Native American' is improper Canadian terminology, lol. We prefer 'First Nations,' 'Aboriginal' or 'Indigenous' peoples):

Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, baptised as Catherine Tekakwitha and informally known as Lily of the Mohawks (1656 – April 17, 1680), is a Roman Catholic saint, who was an Algonquin–Mohawk virgin and religious laywoman. Born in present-day New York, she survived smallpox and was orphaned as a child, then baptized as a Roman Catholic and settled for the last years of her life at the Jesuit mission village of Kahnawake, south of Montreal in New France, now Canada.


Tekakwitha professed a vow of virginity until her death at the age of 24. Known for her virtue of chastity and corporal mortification of the flesh, as well as being shunned by her tribe for her religious conversion to Catholicism, she is the fourth 'First Nations' to be venerated in the Roman Catholic Church (after Juan Diego, the Mexican native of the Virgin of Guadalupe apparitions, and two other Oaxacan natives). She was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1980 and canonized by Pope Benedict XVI at Saint Peter's Basilica on October 21, 2012. Various miracles and supernatural events are attributed to her intercession.

 

[Shiranui117]

The Saints for today:

First off, this guy ain't canonized by the Catholic Church yet, but IMHO, he's a Saint.

'He Saved Hundreds': Army Chaplain To Get Medal Of Honor : The Two-Way : NPR

It took more than 60 years, but an Army chaplain who died as a prisoner during the Korean War will be awarded the Medal of Honor by President Obama on Thursday.

AP
Capt. Emil Kapaun was a Catholic priest serving with the 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division who died at age 35 in 1951. And he's not only a war hero — the Catholic Church is also looking into whether he .
Kapaun will be honored for "extraordinary heroism" during fighting at Unsan, Korea, and after his capture by enemy troops in November 1950. :

"When Chinese Communist Forces viciously attacked friendly elements, Chaplain Kapaun calmly walked through withering enemy fire in order to provide comfort and medical aid to his comrades. When they found themselves surrounded by the enemy, the able-bodied men were ordered to evacuate. Chaplain Kapaun, fully aware of his certain capture, elected to stay behind with the wounded."
​

Herbert Miller, who served with Kapaun, describes in what happened after he was wounded at Unsan:

"They threw a grenade, and that's when I got hit. I couldn't get out of the way. Broke my ankle and I laid there in the ditch till daylight. And I [saw] Koreans and Chinese coming in that ditch, so I just laid down, played dead and they went on by me. ... That afternoon, I [saw] them coming again and I said, 'Well, this is all it.' So I was laying there and this Korean come down through ... and that Korean stood over me with a gun ready to shoot. And he stood there, he hesitated — why I don't know — but pretty quick Father Kapaun came from across the road. I didn't know what his name was ... I did know he was a chaplain. He bent, pushed that guy aside, bent down, picked me up and carried me."​

AP
Miller and other soldiers who served with Kapaun have been working for years to see him awarded the Medal of Honor, according to the Eagle, which has , a Kansas native.
Fellow captives said the chaplain's "most courageous acts followed in a prisoner of war camp, where Kapaun died in May 1951. They said he saved hundreds of soldiers' lives using faith and the skills honed on his family's farm near Pilsen," .
The Eagle adds:

"In the prison camp, he shaped roofing tin into cooking pots so prisoners could boil water, which prevented dysentery. He picked lice off sick prisoners. He stole food from his captors and shared it with his starving comrades.
"Most of all, Kapaun rallied all of them, as they starved during subzero temperatures, to stay alive."​

Antipas, Bishop of Pergamum

Reading from the Synaxarion:
Saint Antipas was a contemporary of the holy Apostles, by whom he was made Bishop of Pergamum. He contested during the reign of Domitian, when he was cast, as it is said, into a bronze bull that had been heated exceedingly. The Evangelist John writes of him in the Book of Revelation, and says (as it were from the mouth of Christ, Who says to the Angel [that is, the Bishop] of the Church of Pergamum): "I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is; and thou holdest fast My Name, and hast not denied My Faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful Martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth" (Rev. 2:13). The faithful pray to this Saint for ailments of the teeth.

^I'm assuming there's a story behind this one, like all his teeth got knocked out or something... All I can find about the exact details of his martyrdom are from Wiki.
Many Christian traditions believe Saint Antipas to be the Antipas referred to in the Book of Revelation (Revelation 2:13) as the "faithful martyr" of Pergamon, "where Satan dwells". According to Christian tradition, John the Apostle ordained Antipas as bishop of Pergamon during the reign of the Roman emperor Domitian. The traditional account goes on to say Antipas was martyred in ca. 92 AD by burning in a brazen bull-shaped altar used for casting out demons worshiped by the local population.

And from the Catholic Church:
St. Marguerite d'Youville
Foundress of the Sisters of Charity, the Grey Nuns of Canada. St. Marguerite D'Youville was born at Varennes, Quebec, on October 15, Marie Marguerite Dufrost de La Jemmerais. She studied under the Ursulines, married Francois D'Youville in 1722, and became a widow in 1730. She worked to support herself and her three children, devoted much of her time to the Confraternity of the Holy Family in charitable activities.
In 1737, with three companions, she founded the Grey Nuns when they took their initial vows; a formal declaration took place in 1745. Two years later she was appointed Directress of the General Hospital in Montreal, which was taken over by the Grey Nuns, and had the rule of the Grey Nuns, with Marguerite as Superior, confirmed by Bishop of Pontbriand of Quebec in 1755.
She died in Montreal on December 23, and since her death, the Grey Nuns have established schools, hospitals, and orphanages throughout Canada, the United States, Africa, and South America, and are especially known for their work among the Eskimos. She was beatified by Pope John XXIII in 1959 and canonized in 1990 by Pope John Paul II.

 

[Shiranui117]

The Saints for today:

Basil the Confessor, Bishop of Parium

Reading from the Synaxarion:
This Saint lived during the time of the Iconoclasts, and because of his exceptional and virtuous life became Bishop of Parium. He suffered many hardships, afflictions, and persecutions from the heretics his whole life long, and finally reposed in peace.

St. Julius, Bishop of Rome

Julius whose feast day is April 12th. Julius was the son of a Roman named Rusticus. He was elected Pope to succeed Pope St. Mark on February 6, 337. Julius was soon involved in the Arian controversy when Eusebius of Nicomedia opposed the return of Athanasius to the See of Alexandria in 338. Eusebius and his followers elected George, whereupon the Arians elected Pistus. Julius convened a synod in Rome in 340 or 341 that neither group attended, and in a letter to the Eusebian bishops, Julius declared that Athanasius was the rightful bishop of Alexandria and reinstated him. The matter was not finally settled until the Council of Sardica (Sofia), summoned by emperors Constans and Constantius in 342 or 343, declared Julius' action correct and that any deposed bishop had the right of appeal to the Pope in Rome. Julius built several basilicas and churches in Rome and died there on April 12.

 

[Gaura Priya]

Yesterday was the commemoration of George Augustus Selwyn, the first Missionary Bishop of New Zealand (1878).

From "For All The Saints," an Anglican Canadian publication.

George Augustus Selwyn became the first bishop of New Zealand in 1841, and over the next twenty-six years built up a self-governing Church in which Europeans and Maori natives had an equal say. He worked very hard to make the English colonists recognise the rights and human dignity of the Maoris, but his pleas and warnings were largely ignored, and three Maori uprisings were the result.

In 1867 Selwyn retired from New Zealand and became bishop of Lichfield, a diocese in the industrial Midlands of England. He organised local synods, so that lay people might have a share in making diocesan policies, and started a special ministry to miners, itinerant workers, and the homeless poor. He died at Lichfield on this day in the year 1878.

Selwyn possessed wide human sympathies and the gift for getting things done in a way that included as many people as possible. This was reflected in his constant conviction that the Church was best governed through synods, and his example, both in New Zealand and in Lichfield, has had great influence throughout the Anglican communion.

Almighty God,
hear our prayers and supplications
as we remember your servant George Augustus Selwn,
and enrich your Church in every land
with the manifold gifts of service,
that by constant witness and selfless devotion
we may share with one another,
and with all the world,
the immeasurable wealth of your salvation;

through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns wih you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
​

 

[Shiranui117]

It's worth noting that today, the fourth Saturday in Great Lent in the Orthodox Church, is All Souls' Saturday. So some hymns for all the departed:

Apolytikion in the Second Tone
O Apostles, martyrs, prophets, hierarchs, righteous, and just ones, who have finished your course well and have kept the Faith: seeing ye have boldness with the Saviour, beseech Him for us, since He is good, that our souls be saved, we pray.

Kontakion in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone [AKA 8th Tone]
Give rest, O Christ, among the Saints to the souls of Your servants, where there is no pain, no sorrow, no grieving, but life everlasting.

Martin the Confessor, Pope of Rome

Reading from the Synaxarion:
Saint Martin was born in Tuscany. He had been the papal delegate at Constantinople; upon the death of Pope Theodore, Saint Martin was elected his successor. At this time the Emperor Constans II, also known as Constantine Pogonatus (reigned 641-668), was seeking support of his confession of faith called the Typos, which espoused the Monothelite heresy, that is, that there is only one will and energy in the Incarnate Son of God. But the newly-consecrated Pope not only did not accept the Typos, but convened the Lateran Council of 649 (attended by 105 of his bishops, and Saint Maximus the Confessor, who was then in Rome), which anathematized the Typos and the Monothelite heresy. Because of this Saint Martin was seized by an imperial force in 653 and brought to Constantinople, where he was charged with sending money to the Saracens and conspiring with them, and blaspheming against the most holy Mother of God. Though innocent of these accusations, he was exiled to Cherson on the Black Sea, where, after many sufferings and privations, he received the crown of his courageous confession in the year 655.

Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone
O God of our Fathers, ever dealing with us according to Thy gentleness: take not Thy mercy from us, but by their entreaties guide our life in peace.

 

[Shiranui117]

Today is the Sunday of St. John Climacus/St. John of the Ladder! (Phew, that was close, eh? )

(He's on the left pointing us to the ladder of salvation )

Sunday of St. John Climacus

Reading from the Synaxarion:
The memory of this Saint is celebrated on March 30, where his biography may be found. He is celebrated today because his book, The Ladder of Divine Ascent, is a sure guide to the ascetic life, written by a great man of prayer experienced in all forms of the monastic polity; it teaches the seeker after salvation how to lay a sound foundation for his struggles, how to detect and war against each of the passions, how to avoid the snares laid by the demons, and how to rise from the rudimental virtues to the heights of Godlike love and humility. It is held in such high esteem that it is universally read in its entirety in monasteries during the Great Fast.

Resurrectional Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone
When the women Disciples of the Lord had learned from the Angel the joyful message of the Resurrection and had rejected the ancestral decision, they cried aloud to the Apostles triumphantly: Death has been despoiled, Christ God has risen, granting His great mercy to the world.

Apolytikion in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone
With the rivers of your tears, you have made the barren desert fertile. Through sighs of sorrow from deep within you, your labors have borne fruit a hundred-fold. By your miracles you have become a light, shining upon the world. O John, our Holy Father, pray to Christ our God, to save our souls.

 

[SageTree]

Today these Saints come from the Episcopal Church, from within the Anglican Communion.
(Since I'm an American citizen in Canada, I'll play both sides of the border.

They both did work with leapers on the island of Molokaʻi in Hawaii.

Father Damien or Saint Damien of Molokai, SS.CC.

(January 3, 1840 – April 15, 1889).​

Born Jozef De Veuster, was a Roman Catholic priest from Belgium and member of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, a missionary religious institute.

He won recognition for his ministry in the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi, to people with leprosy (also known as Hansen's disease), who had been placed under a government-sanctioned medical quarantine on the island of Molokaʻi.

​

After sixteen years caring for the physical, spiritual, and emotional needs of those in the leper colony, he eventually contracted and died of the disease, and is considered a "martyr of charity".

He was the tenth person recognized as a saint by the Catholic Church to have lived, worked, and/or died in what is now the United States.

​

In both the Latin Rite and the Eastern Rites of the Catholic Church, Damien is venerated as a saint, one who is holy and worthy of public veneration and invocation. In the Anglican communion, as well as other denominations of Christianity, Damien is considered the spiritual patron for leprosy and outcasts. As the patron saint of the Diocese of Honolulu and of Hawaiʻi, Father Damien Day is celebrated statewide on April 15. Upon his beatification by Pope John Paul II in Rome on June 4, 1995, Blessed Damien was granted a memorial feast day, which is celebrated on May 10.

Father Damien was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday October 11, 2009. The Catholic Encyclopedia calls him "the Apostle of the Lepers", and elsewhere he is known as the "leper priest".


​

AND


​

Saint Marianne Cope, also known as the Saint Marianne of Molokaʻi,

(January 23, 1838 – August 9, 1918)

​

She was a German-born American who was a member of the Sisters of Saint Francis of Syracuse, New York. Known for her charitable works and virtuous deeds, she spent many years caring for lepers on the island of Molokaʻi in Hawaiʻi.

Despite direct contact with the patients over many years, Cope was not afflicted by the disease, considered by some faithful to be miraculous.

​

In 2005 Cope was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI. Cope was declared a saint by the same pope on October 21, 2012.

She is only the 11th American citizen to be so honored by the Catholic church.​

 

[Shiranui117]

The Saints for today (So clutch!)

Crescens the Martyr

Reading from the Synaxarion:
This Martyr was from Myra of Lycia, born of an illustrious family. Of his own accord he went amidst the idolaters and admonished them to leave off their futile religion and worship the only true God, Who is worshipped by the Christians; for this he was arrested. When asked by the ruler what his name and lineage were, the Saint would answer only that he was a Christian; counseled to offer sacrifice to the idols, he refused. For this, he was hung up and beaten, was scraped, and then was cast into fire, in which he gave up his holy soul into the hands of God, though not even the hair of his head was harmed by the flames.

Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone
Thy Martyr, O Lord, in his courageous contest for Thee received the prize of the crowns of incorruption and life from Thee, our immortal God. For since he possessed Thy strength, he cast down the tyrants and wholly destroyed the demons' strengthless presumption. O Christ God, by his prayers, save our souls, since Thou art merciful.

Leonidas, Bishop of Athens
Leonidas was Bishop of Athens during the 3rd century AD.
Leonidas was arrested during the persecution of Christians by emperor Decius in 250. He was taken to Corinth where he was tortured and hanged. His earthly remains were transported to Athens and interred in the crypt of a chapel on an islet of the Ilisos River, the ruins of which were discovered in 1950.

 

[SageTree]

• Molly Brant (c.1736 – April 16, 1796), also known as Mary Brant, Konwatsi'tsiaienni, and Degonwadonti , was a prominent Mohawk woman in the era of the American Revolution. Living in the Province of New York, she was the consort of Sir William Johnson, the influential British Superintendent of Indian Affairs, with whom she had eight children. Joseph Brant, who became an important Mohawk leader, was her younger brother. After Johnson's death in 1774, Brant and her children returned to her native village of Canajoharie on the Mohawk River. A Loyalist during the American Revolutionary War, she fled to British Canada, where she worked as an intermediary between British officials and the Iroquois. After the war, she settled in what is now Kingston, Ontario. In recognition of her service to the Crown, the British government gave Brant a pension and compensated her for her wartime losses.Since 1994, Brant has been honored as a Person of National Historic Significance in Canada. She was long ignored or disparaged by historians of the United States, but scholarly interest in her increased in the late 20th century. She has sometimes been controversial, criticized for being pro-British at the expense of the Iroquois. A devout Anglican, she is commemorated on April 16 in the calendar of the Anglican Church of Canada. No portraits of her are known to exist; an idealized likeness is featured on a statue in Kingston and on a Canadian stamp issued in 1986.

• Isabella Gilmore (1842–1923) was an English churchwoman who oversaw the revival of the Deaconess Order in the Anglican Communion. Isabella served actively in the poorest parishes in South London for almost two decades and she is remembered with a commemoration in the Calendar of saints in some parts of the Anglican Communion on 16 April. She was the sister of William Morris.

 

[Shiranui117]

Agape, Chionia, & Irene, the Holy Martyrs

Reading from the Synaxarion:
When the Emperor Diocletian was at Aquileia, he learned that these Saints were Christians, and had them brought before him. Because they would not deny Christ, he had them imprisoned, and when he went into Macedonia, he committed them to Dulcitius the Prefect, who, however, lost his understanding and became incapable of doing them any harm. Diocletian then gave Count Sisinius charge over them. He had Saints Agape and Chionia burned; he ordered that Saint Irene be put in a brothel, but by the providence of God this was not accomplished, and she was shot with an arrow. These holy sisters suffered martyrdom in Thessalonica in the year 295.

Apolytikion in the Plagal of the First Tone
Since Thou hast given us the miracles of Thy holy Martyrs as an invincible battlement, by their entreaties scatter the counsels of the heathen, O Christ our God, and strengthen the faith of Orthodox Christians, since Thou alone art good and the Friend of man.

Kontakion in the Third Tone
O Most fair Chionia, divine Irene, and Agape, ye are mirrors glittering with spotless virginal brightness; and ye shine like unto lightning upon the whole Church with the splendour of your contest as valiant Martyrs; and ye drive away the darkness of pain and sickness as brilliant gems of Christ God.

 

[Shiranui117]

Symeon the Holy Martyr & Bishop of Persia

Reading from the Synaxarion:
This Martyr was Bishop of the royal cities Seleucia and Ctesiphon in Persia. As the number of Christians increased in Persia, building churches and appointing clergy, the Magi, guardians of the Persian religion, and the Jews, who also envied them, accused Symeon to Sapor II, King of Persia, saying that Symeon was a friend of the Roman Emperor and his spy. Then began Sapor's persecution of the Christians of Persia, about the year 343. The Magi together with the Jews destroyed the churches. Saint Symeon was brought before Sapor, and, refusing to worship the sun, was imprisoned. On Holy and Great Friday of that year, Saint Symeon was brought out of prison with a hundred others, bishops, priests, and deacons. As each was taken to be slain, Saint Symeon exhorted him to be of good courage; he was slain last of all. It is said that 1,150 Martyrs were slain; an innumerable multitude of Christians were slain throughout Persia during this persecution, among them Saints Acepsimas, Josep
h, and Aethalas (see Nov. 3).

Apolytikion in the Plagal of the First Tone
All the powers of Heaven were awestruck and amazed at the achievements and deeds of the holy Martyrs of Christ; for contending well in mortal bodies clothed with flesh, they overcame the fleshless foe by the power of the Cross and invisibly subdued him. And now they pray to the Lord, that He might bestow His mercy on our souls.

Makarios, Bishop of Antioch
On the 17 April on the Church’s calendar, we celebrate the memory of St Makarios (Notaras) of Corinth (1731-1835), one of the Kollyvades Fathers.
His life was written by St. Athanasios of Paros. According to St Athanasios, the young St Makarios belonged to the wealthiest, most influential family in Corinth, ‘the noble, ancient, and brilliant House of Notaras, which can be traced back to the Senate of the Byzantines’ , and the most famous of whom is probably Loukas Notaras, the last Grand Duke of the Empire. He was educated in ‘sacred letters and Greek learning’, and—’From his early youth he began to show signs that he had no inclination whatsoever for worldly things, but tended only towards the spiritual. He lived with the greatest piety, eagerly attending church services and shunning the company of youths and worldly vanity’
He used to give liberally to the poor, and eventually fled for a time to the Mega Spelaion Monastery in the Peloponnesus. His father, however, had him brought back, and, forcibly returned, ‘he occupied himself with the reading and study of Divine Scriptures as well as other instructive and edifying books’ . He also volunteered to teach without pay at the school of Corinth for six years.
Finally, in 1764, the people of Corinth with one accord elected ‘the virtuous Makarios’ to be consecrated Archbishop by Patriarch Samuel I in Constantinople. St Athanasius tells us:
Like Gregory the Theologian, he reflected that ‘he did not receive the office of Bishop as an unexamined power’ and as a means to enjoyments and the acquisition of wealth, but as a supervision and fatherly concern for the security and salvation of his spiritual flock, for which he was to be held accountable to the Supreme Shepherd, the Lord and God of all.
Accordingly, he set about preaching to the people, ridding the Church of corruption and ineffectual priests, ordaining virtuous and educated priests who were canonically qualified (and sending the unqualified candidates to monasteries for education and training), distributing catechisms and baptismal fonts adequately sized for proper Baptisms, and planning the establishment of schools ‘throughout his province’


Apolitikion, Tone 1

Let us faithful praise the shepherd of Corinth, the truly Blessed one, who by God’s providence, for reasons ineffable became Chios’ great spiritual leader—him who shone through deeds, words, and prayers; for truly he received from God grace for healing the sick and driving away unclean spirits. Glory to the Father Who destined him, glory to the Son Who elevated him, glory to the Spirit who acts through him.

Read more here: St. Makarios of Corinth | Monastery of Ypseni

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

The Anglican (church of England) has no mechanism to create saints.
The Provinces of the Anglican Communion all have ther own lists of days comemorating the traditional Saints and heroes of the church. Mostly these lists are similar to the Roman Church.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calendar_of_saints_(Church_of_England)

To day !8th April we list no one
Tomorrow we list Alphege, Archbishop of Canterbury

 

[Shiranui117]

Zacchaeus the Apostle of Caesaria

Reading from the Synaxarion:
The conversion of the publican Zacchaeus, and our Saviour's compassion for him, is narrated in the Holy Gospel (Luke 19:1-10). Afterwards he laboured as a companion of the Holy Apostles, and became first Bishop of Caesarea in Palestine.

Apolytikion in the Third Tone
Having justly hated unjust riches, thou didst lay up treasures of salvation; for, receiving the Saviour within thy house, thou, O Zacchaeus, wast truly made marvelous with all the fruits of repentance thou broughtest forth: deeds of mercy, the correction of wrongs, and godly life, because of which we honour thee and call thee blest.

Kontakion in the Fourth Tone
When He that bowed the Heavens came to save sinners, Zacchaeus, great in zeal, but little of stature, beheld the Tree of Life from in the sycamore; lifted above the earth, he saw Jesus, Who called him: coming down in lowliness, he repenting, received Him; and so salvation came into his house, and he was shown forth a true son of Abraham.

5th Saturday of Lent: The Akathist Hymn

Reading from the Synaxarion:
About the year 626, the Persians, Avars, and Slavs came with a great host and besieged the imperial city of Constantinople while the Emperor Heraclius and the main body of the Byzantine army were absent in the East. Enemy ships filled the sea, especially the Golden Horn, and on land the adversaries were ready for attack with foot-soldiers, horses, and engines of war. Though the citizens courageously withstood them, yet they were few in number and would be unable to repulse the attack of such a great host. Hence, they could not count on any other means of salvation, except the protection of the Theotokos. And truly, suddenly a violent tempest broke up all the ships and submerged them, and the bodies of the invaders were cast out near the Blachernae quarter of the city where the famous Church of the Theotokos stood. Taking courage from this, the people went forth from the city and repulsed the remaining forces, who fled out of fear. In 673, the city was miraculously delivered yet again, this time from an invasion of the Arabs. Then in 717-718, led by the Saracen general Maslamah, the Arab fleet laid siege once more to the city. The numerical superiority of the enemy was so overwhelming that the fall of the Imperial City seemed imminent. But then the Mother of God, together with a multitude of the angelic hosts, appeared suddenly over the city walls. The enemy forces, struck with terror and thrown into a panic at this apparition, fled in disarray. Soon after this, the Arab fleet was utterly destroyed by a terrible storm in the Aegean Sea on the eve of the Annunciation, March 24, 718. Thenceforth, a special "feast of victory and of thanksgiving" was dedicated to celebrate and commemorate these benefactions. In this magnificent service, the Akathist Hymn is prominent and holds the place of honour. It appears that even before the occasion of the enemy assaults mentioned above, the Akathist Hymn was already in use as the prescribed Service for the Feast of the Annunciation, together with the kontakion, "When the bodiless one learned the secret command," which has the Annunciation as its theme. It was only on the occasion of the great miracle wrought for the Christian populace of the Imperial City on the eve of the Annunciation in 718 that the hymn "To thee, the Champion Leader" was composed, most likely by Saint Germanus, Patriarch of Constantinople.

Historians have ascribed the Akathist Hymn to Patriarch Sergius of Constantinople (638), to Saint George the Confessor, Bishop of Pisidia (818), or even to Saint Photius the Great (891), all of whom lived either at the time of or after the above-mentioned sieges. However, it appears most likely from its language, content, and style that the true composer of the Akathist Hymn is Saint Romanus the Melodist (6th century).

Apolytikion in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone
When the bodiless one learned the secret command, in haste he came and stood before Joseph's dwelling, and spake unto the Maiden who knew not wedlock: The One Who hath bowed the Heavens by His descent is held and contained unchanging wholly in thee. Seeing Him receiving the form of a servant in thy womb, I stand in awe and cry to thee: Rejoice, thou Bride unwedded.

Kontakion in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone
To you, Theotokos, invincible Defender, having been delivered from peril, I, your city, dedicate the victory festival as a thank offering. In your irresistible might, keep me safe from all trials, that I may call out to you: "Hail, unwedded bride!"

 

[SageTree]

Saint Anselm of Canterbury (c. 1033 – 21 April 1109)

Also called of Aosta for his birthplace, and of Bec for his home monastery, was a Benedictine monk, a philosopher, and a prelate of the Church who held the office of Archbishop of Canterbury from 1093 to 1109.

Called the founder of scholasticism, he has been a major influence in Western theology and is famous as the originator of the ontological argument for the existence of God and the satisfaction theory of atonement.

Born into the House of Candia, he entered the Benedictine order at the Abbey of Bec at the age of 27, where he became abbot in 1079. He became Archbishop of Canterbury under William II of England, and was exiled from England from 1097 to 1100, and again from 1105 to 1107 under Henry I of England as a result of the investiture controversy, the most significant conflict between Church and state in Medieval Europe. Anselm was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1720 by a Papal Bull of Pope Clement XI.



Founding Father of 'Satisfaction Atonement'..... interesting.
Not necessarily one that jives with me...
But interesting to know roots, for sure.
​

 

[Shiranui117]

Today is the Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt.

She began her life as a young woman who followed the passions of the body, running away from her parents at age twelve for Alexandria. There she lived as a harlot for seventeen years, refusing money from the men that she copulated with, instead living by begging and spinning flax.
One day, however, she met a group of young men heading toward the sea to sail to Jerusalem for the veneration of the Holy Cross. Mary went along for the ride, seducing the men as they traveled for the fun of it. But when the group reached Jerusalem and actually went towards the church, Mary was prohibited from entering by an unseen force. After three such attempts, she remained outside on the church patio, where she looked up and saw an icon of the Theotokos. She began to weep and prayed with all her might that the Theotokos might allow her to see the True Cross; afterwards, she promised, she would renounce her worldly desires and go wherever the Theotokos may lead her.
After this heart-felt conversion at the doors of the church, she fled into the desert to live as an ascetic. She survived for years on only three loaves of bread and thereafter on scarce herbs of the land. For another seventeen years, Mary was tormented by "wild beasts—mad desires and passions." After these years of temptation, however, she overcame the passions and was led by the Theotokos in all things.
Following 47 years in solitude, she met the priest St. Zosima in the desert, who pleaded with her to tell him of her life. She recounted her story with great humility while also demonstrating her gift of clairvoyance; she knew who Zosima was and his life story despite never having met him before. Finally, she asked Zosima to meet her again the following year at sunset on Holy Thursday by the banks of the Jordan.
Zosima did exactly this, though he began to doubt his experience as the sun began to go that night. Then Mary appeared on the opposite side of the Jordan; crossing herself, she miraculously walked across the water and met Zosima. When he attempted to bow, she rebuked him, saying that as a priest he was far superior, and furthermore, he was holding the Holy Mysteries. Mary then received communion and walked back across the Jordan after giving Zosima instructions about his monastery and that he should return to where they first met exactly a year later. When he did so, he found Mary's body with a message written on the sand asking him for burial and revealing that she had died immediately after receiving the Holy Mysteries the year before (and thus had been miraculously transported to the spot where she now lay). So Zosima, amazed, began to dig, but soon tired; then a lion approached and began to help him, that is, after Zosima had recovered from his fear of the creature. Thus St. Mary of Egypt was buried. Zosima returned to the monastery, told all he had seen, and improved the faults of the monks and abbot there. He died at almost a hundred years old in the same monastery.
Later, the story of Mary's life was written down by St. Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem (cf. "External links").
The Life of St. Mary of Egypt is read during Great Lent along with the Great Canon of St. Andrew.



Troparion (Tone 8) [1]
The image of God was truly preserved in you, O mother, For you took up the Cross and followed Christ. By so doing, you taught us to disregard the flesh, for it passes away; But to care instead for the soul, since it is immortal. Therefore your spirit, O holy Mother Mary, rejoices with the Angels.

Kontakion (Tone 3)
Having been a sinful woman, You became through repentance a Bride of Christ. Having attained angelic life, You defeated demons with the weapon of the Cross; Therefore, O most glorious Mary you are a Bride of the Kingdom!​

This was a very condensed version of her life from OrthodoxWiki; I would encourage you all to read the full story here.

 

[Shiranui117]

Theodore of Sykeon

Reading from the Synaxarion:
Saint Theodore was born out of wedlock in Sykeon, a village of Galatia in Asia Minor. From his childhood, he was under the protection and guidance of the holy Great Martyr George, who often appeared to him, and was as it were his trainer in the hard ascetical discipline which he took upon himself all his life. After a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, he became a monk in his native Galatia. About 584 he was ordained Bishop of Anastasiopolis in Galatia, where he shepherded his flock for ten years. After this, he asked to be allowed to be relieved of the duties of governing the diocese. His request was granted but he was commanded to retain his rank as bishop. Saint Theodore was a great worker of miracles, and also received from God the power to cast out even the most obstinate demons, who called him "Iron-eater" because of his stern way of life. Having passed throughout many regions, worked numerous miracles, and strengthened the faithful in piety, he departed this life in 613.

Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone
Since thou hadst been known from thy swaddling bands to be sanctified, and hadst been shown to be filled with graces, thou didst illuminate the world with miracles, and dist drive off the swarms of demons, O sacred minister Theodore; wherefore do thou beseech the Lord in our behalf.


Kontakion in the Third Tone
As thy fiery chariot, thou didst ascend on the virtues, O God-bearer, mounting up unto the dwellings of Heaven; and thou wast an Angel living on earth among men, and a man dancing for joy with the holy Angels. Hence, O Theodore, thou hast proved a godly vessel of awesome wonders and signs.