Holy Apostle James, the son of Alphaeus Holy Apostle James the son of Alphaeus one of the Twelve Apostles, was the brother of the holy Evangelist Matthew. He heard the Lord’s words and witnessed His miracles. After the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle James Alphaeus and the Apostle Andrew the First-Called (November 30),…

Saint Thais, the repentant harlot Saint Thais of Egypt, raised by her mother in a spirit far removed from Christian piety, led a depraved and dissolute life. She was famed for her beauty, leading many on the path to perdition. The account about the prodigal Thais spread throughout all Egypt and reached even Saint Paphnutius,…

Holy Martyrs Sergius and Bacchus The Martyrs Sergius and Bacchus in Syria were appointed to high positions in the army by the emperor Maximian (284-305), who did not know that they were Christians. Envious people informed Maximian that his two trusted counsellors did not honor the pagan gods. This was considered to be a crime…

Holy Apostle Thomas The Holy and Glorious Apostle Thomas was born in the Galilean city of Pansada and was a fisherman. Hearing the good tidings of Jesus Christ, he left all and followed after Him. The Apostle Thomas is included in the number of the holy Twelve Apostles of the Savior.  According to Holy Scripture,…

Holy Martyr Charitina Saint Charitina (Charitίnē) was from Amisos (Amisós) in Pontus and lived during the reign of Emperor Diocletian (284-305). Orphaned at a young age, she became the servant of a noble Roman Christian named Claudianus, or Claudius, who brought her up as his own daughter. The young girl was very pretty, sensible, and…

Saint Domnina and her daughters, Bernice and Prosdoke Saint Domnina was a woman with two daughters named Verine (Saint John Chrysostom calls her Vernike, or Berenice) and Prosdoce. Leaving their home and family, they settled in Edessa on the plain of Mesopotamia. Berenice’s father and her husband, who were pagans, took the women to Hieropolis…

Holy Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite Saint Dionysius lived originally in the city of Athens. He was raised there and received a classical Greek education. He then went to Egypt, where he studied astronomy at the city of Heliopolis. It was in Heliopolis, along with his friend Apollophonos where he witnessed the solar eclipse that occurred…

Saint Anna of Kashin The Holy Right-believing Princess Anna of Kashin, a daughter of the Rostov prince Demetrius Borisovich, in 1294 became the wife of the holy Great Prince Michael Yaroslavich of Tver, who was murdered by the Mongol-Tatars of the Horde in 1318, (November 22). After the death of her husband, Anna withdrew into…

The Protection of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary This miraculous appearance of the Mother of God occurred in the mid-tenth century in Constantinople, in the Blachernae church where her robe, veil, and part of her belt were preserved after being transferred from Palestine in the fifth century.  On Sunday,…