Holy Monk and New Martyr Hilarion the Cretan Saint Hilarion was from Heraklion in Crete and his secular name was John. He had five other siblings, John, Polyzoes, George, and two sisters, whose names are unknown. His parents, Francis and Katherine, had raised him with diligence, and he had learned to read and write. When…

Holy Prince Theodore of Yaroslavl, and of his sons David and Constantine The holy right-believing Prince Theodore of Smolensk and Yaroslavl, nicknamed the “Black” [i.e. “dark” or “swarthy”], was born at a terrible time for Rus: the Mongol invasion of 1237-1239. At Baptism he was named for the holy Great Martyr Theodore Stratelates (February 8),…

Saint Ariadne of Phrygia The Holy Martyr Ariádnē was a slave of Tertullus, a prominent official of the city of Promissia, Phrygia in the reign of Emperor Hadrian (117–161). Although she was only a slave, Saint Ariádnē was wiser than many noble ladies, who were enslaved by worldly vanities and “every defilement of flesh and…

Holy Martyrs Pistis, Elpis, Agape, and of their mother Sophia The Holy Martyrs Saint Sophia and her Daughters Faith, Hope and Love were born in Italy. Their mother was a pious Christian widow who named her daughters for the three Christian virtues. Faith was twelve, Hope was ten, and Love was nine. Saint Sophia raised…

Holy Great Martyr Euphemia of Chalcedon The Holy Great Martyr Euphemia (Euphēmia / Ευφημία) was the daughter of Christian parents, the senator Philophronos and his wife Theodosia. She suffered for Christ in the year 304 in the city of Chalcedon, on the Bosphorus opposite Constantinople, the Queen of Cities. Priscus, the Proconsul of Chalcedon, issued…

Holy Father Bessarion II, Metropolitan of Larissa Saint Bessarion, Archbishop of Larissa, lived during the sixteenth century and founded the Dusika monastery in Thessaly. Troparion — Tone 4 In truth you were revealed to your flock as a rule of faith, / an image of humility and a teacher of abstinence; / your humility exalted…

Feast of the Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-giving Cross The pagan Roman Emperors tried to obliterate the holy places where our Lord Jesus Christ suffered and rose from the dead, so that they would be forgotten. Emperor Hadrian (117-138) ordered that Golgotha and the Lord’s Sepulchre be buried, and that a temple in…

Holy Great Martyr Ketevan, Queen of Georgia The holy Queen Ketevan was the daughter of Ashotan Mukhran-Batoni, a prominent ruler from the Bagrationi royal family. The clever and pious Ketevan was married to Prince David, heir to the throne of Kakheti. David’s father, King Alexander II (1574-1605), had two other sons, George and Constantine, but…

Holy Martyr Julian and his Forty Companions The Holy Martyr Julian lived during the fourth century not far from the ancient city of Ancyra. A report was made to the governor of the district of Galatia that the Presbyter Julian was hiding in a certain cave with forty others of the same persuasion, and that…

Holy Father Euphrosynus the Cook Our Holy Father Euphrosynos (Euphrósynos)1 the Cook was born into a peasant family, and had no schooling, but he was truly devout and faithful.  As an adult, he became a cook, and was able to save money out of his expenses by depriving himself, but only for the sake of almsgiving.…