[Readingsandsaints] Readings and saints

[Daily Orthodox Readings and Saints]

Scripture Readings and Saints for Wed Apr 4 2007

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------ READINGS FOR TODAY ----------------------------
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John 12:17-50  (Bridegroom Matins Gospel)
17 Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out
of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness.
18 For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He
had done this sign.
19 The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, "You see that you
are accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him!"
20 Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at
the feast.
21 Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and
asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."
22 Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told
Jesus.
23 But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of
Man should be glorified.
24 Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into
the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces
much grain.
25 He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in
this world will keep it for eternal life.
26 If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My
servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.
27 Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save Me
from this hour'? But for this purpose I came to this hour.
28 Father, glorify Your name. Then a voice came from heaven, saying,
"I have both glorified it and will glorify it again."
29 Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had
thundered. Others said, "An angel has spoken to Him."
30 Jesus answered and said, "This voice did not come because of Me,
but for your sake.
31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will
be cast out.
32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to
Myself.
33 This He said, signifying by what death He would die.
34 The people answered Him, "We have heard from the law that the
Christ remains forever; and how can You say, 'The Son of Man must be
lifted up'? Who is this Son of Man?"
35 Then Jesus said to them, "A little while longer the light is with
you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who
walks in darkness does not know where he is going.
36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become
sons of light. These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden
from them.
37 But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not
believe in Him,
38 that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he
spoke: Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of
the LORD been revealed?"
39 Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again:
40 He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, Lest they
should see with their eyes, Lest they should understand with their
hearts and turn, So that I should heal them."
41 These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him.
42 Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but
because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be
put out of the synagogue;
43 for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
44 Then Jesus cried out and said, "He who believes in Me, believes not
in Me but in Him who sent Me.
45 And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me.
46 I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me
should not abide in darkness.
47 And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge
him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.
48 He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which
judges him-the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.
49 For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent
Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.
50 And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore,
whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.
Scripture Reading 1 of 5


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Ezekiel 2:3-3:3  (6th Hour)
3 And He said to me: Son of man, I am sending you to the children of
Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me; they and
their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day.
4 For they are impudent and stubborn children. I am sending you to
them, and you shall say to them, Thus says the Lord God.
5 As for them, whether they hear or whether they refusefor they are a
rebellious houseyet they will know that a prophet has been among them.
6 And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them nor be afraid of their
words, though briers and thorns are with you and you dwell among
scorpions; do not be afraid of their words or dismayed by their looks,
though they are a rebellious house.
7 You shall speak My words to them, whether they hear or whether they
refuse, for they are rebellious.
8 But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Do not be rebellious
like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.
9 Now when I looked, there was a hand stretched out to me; and behold,
a scroll of a book was in it.
10 Then He spread it before me; and there was writing on the inside
and on the outside, and written on it were lamentations and mourning
and woe.
1 Moreover He said to me, Son of man, eat what you find; eat this
scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.
2 So I opened my mouth, and He caused me to eat that scroll.
3 And He said to me, Son of man, feed your belly, and fill your
stomach with this scroll that I give you. So I ate, and it was in my
mouth like honey in sweetness.
Scripture Reading 2 of 5


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Exodus 2:11-22  (Vespers, 1st Reading)
11 Now it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he
went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens. And he saw an
Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren.
12 So he looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he
killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.
13 And when he went out the second day, behold, two Hebrew men were
fighting, and he said to the one who did the wrong, Why are you
striking your companion?
14 Then he said, Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you
intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian? So Moses feared and
said, Surely this thing is known!
15 When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But
Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of Midian;
and he sat down by a well.
16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. And they came and
drew water, and they filled the troughs to water their fathers flock.
17 Then the shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and
helped them, and watered their flock.
18 When they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that you
have come so soon today?
19 And they said, An Egyptian delivered us from the hand of the
shepherds, and he also drew enough water for us and watered the flock.
20 So he said to his daughters, And where is he? Why is it that you
have left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread.
21 Then Moses was content to live with the man, and he gave Zipporah
his daughter to Moses.
22 And she bore him a son. He called his name Gershom, for he said, I
have been a stranger in a foreign land.
Scripture Reading 3 of 5


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Job 2:1-10  (Vespers, 2nd Reading)
1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present
themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them to present
himself before the Lord.
2 And the Lord said to Satan, From where do you come? So Satan
answered the Lord and said, From going to and fro on the earth, and
from walking back and forth on it.
3 Then the Lord said to Satan, Have you considered My servant Job,
that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man,
one who fears God and shuns evil? And still he holds fast to his
integrity, although you incited Me against him, to destroy him without
cause."
4 So Satan answered the Lord and said, Skin for skin! Yes, all that a
man has he will give for his life.
5 But stretch out Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and
he will surely curse You to Your face!
6 And the Lord said to Satan, Behold, he is in your hand, but spare
his life.
7 So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, and struck Job with
painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.
8 And he took for himself a potsherd with which to scrape himself
while he sat in the midst of the ashes.
9 Then his wife said to him, Do you still hold fast to your integrity?
Curse God and die!
10 But he said to her, You speak as one of the foolish women speaks.
Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept
adversity? In all this Job did not sin with his lips.
Scripture Reading 4 of 5


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Matthew 26:6-16  (Gospel)
6 And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper,
7 a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly
fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table.
8 But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, "Why
this waste?
9 For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the
poor.
10 But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, "Why do you
trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me.
11 For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have
always.
12 For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My
burial.
13 Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the
whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial
to her.
14 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief
priests
15 and said, "What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to
you?" And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.
16 So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.
Scripture Reading 5 of 5



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Great and Holy Wednesday
On Great and Holy Wednesday, the hymns of the Bridegroom Service
remind us of the sinful woman who poured precious ointment on Christ's
head at Simon the leper's house (Mt. 26:7).
The disciples complained about the wasteful extravagance, for the
myrrh could have been sold and the money given to the poor. On this
same day Judas agreed to betray the Lord for thirty pieces of silver.
Because the betrayal took place on Wednesday, Orthodox Christians fast
on most Wednesdays during the year.
On the other hand, the Savior declared that the woman's actions would
be remembered wherever the Gospel is preached (Mt. 26:13), for she had
anointed Him in preparation for His burial (Mt. 26:12).
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Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer
Saint Joseph the Hymnographer, "the sweet-voiced nightingale of the
Church," was born in Sicily in 816 into a pious Christian family. His
parents, Plotinos and Agatha, moved to the Peloponnesos to save
themselves from barbarian invasions. When he was fifteen, St Joseph
went to Thessalonica and entered the monastery of Latomos. He was
distinguished by his piety, his love for work, his meekness, and he
gained the good will of all the brethren of the monastery. He was
later ordained as a priest.
St Gregory the Dekapolite (November 20) visited the monastery and took
notice of the young monk, taking him along to Constantinople, where
they settled together near the church of the holy Martyrs Sergius and
Bacchus. This was during the reign of the emperor Leo the Armenian
(813-820), a time of fierce iconoclast persecution.
Sts Gregory and Joseph fearlessly defended the veneration of holy
icons. They preached in the city squares and visited in the homes of
the Orthodox, encouraging them against the heretics. The Church of
Constantinople was in a was most grievous position. Not only the
emperor, but also the patriarch were iconoclast heretics.
At that time the Roman bishops were in communion with the Eastern
Church, and Pope Leo III, who was not under the dominion of the
Byzantine Emperor, was able to render great help to the Orthodox. The
Orthodox monks chose St Joseph as a steadfast and eloquent messenger
to the Pope. St Gregory blessed him to journey to Rome and to report
on the plight of the Church of Constantinople, the atrocities of the
iconoclasts, and the dangers threatening Orthodoxy.
During the journey, St Joseph was captured by Arab brigands who had
been bribed by the iconoclasts. They took him to the island of Crete,
where they handed him over to the iconoclasts, who locked him up in
prison. Bravely enduring all the deprivations, he encouraged the other
prisoners. By his prayers, a certain Orthodox bishop who had begun to
waver was strengthened in spirit and courageously accepted martyrdom.
St Joseph spent six years in prison. On the night of the Nativity of
Christ in 820 he was granted a vision of St Nicholas of Myra, who told
him about the death of the iconoclast Leo the Armenian, and the end of
the persecution.
St Nicholas gave him a paper scroll and said, "Take this scroll and
eat it." On the scroll was written: "Hasten, O Gracious One, and come
to our aid if possible and as You will, for You are the Merciful One."
The monk read the scroll, ate it and said, "How sweet are Thine
oracles to my throat" (Ps 118/119:103). St Nicholas bade him to sing
these words. After this the fetters fell off the saint, the doors of
the prison opened, and he emerged from it. He was transported through
the air and set down on a large road near Constantinople, leading into
the city.
When he reached Constantinople, St Joseph found that St Gregory the
Dekapolite was no longer among the living, leaving behind his disciple
John (April 18), who soon died. St Joseph built a church dedicated to
St Nicholas and transferred the relics of Sts Gregory and John there.
A monastery was founded near the church.
St Joseph received a portion of the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew
from a certain virtuous man. He built a church in memory of the holy
apostle. He loved and honored St Bartholomew, and he was distressed
that there was no Canon glorifying the holy Apostle. He desired to
adorn the Feast of St Bartholomew with hymns, but he did not dare to
compose them himself.
For forty days St Joseph prayed with tears, preparing for the Feast of
the holy apostle. On the eve of the Feast the Apostle Bartholomew
appeared to him in the altar. He pressed the holy Gospel to Joseph's
bosom, and blessed him to write church hymns with the words, "May the
right hand of the Almighty God bless you, may your tongue pour forth
waters of heavenly wisdom, may your heart be a temple of the Holy
Spirit, and may your hymnody delight the entire world." After this
miraculous appearance, St Joseph composed a Canon to the Apostle
Bartholomew, and from that time he began to compose hymns and Canons
in honor of the Mother of God, of the saints, and in honor of St
Nicholas, who liberated him from prison.
During the revival of the iconoclast heresy under the emperor
Theophilus (829-842), St Joseph suffered a second time from the
heretics. He was exiled to Cherson [Chersonessus] for eleven years.
The Orthodox veneration of holy icons was restored under the holy
empress Theodora (February 11) in 842, and St Joseph was made keeper
of sacred vessels at Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. Because of his
bold denunciation of the brother of the empress, Bardas, for unlawful
cohabitation, the saint was again sent into exile and returned only
after Bardas died in 867.
Patriarch Photius (February 6) restored him to his former position and
appointed him Father-confessor for all the clergy of Constantinople.
Having reached old age, St Joseph fell ill. On Great and Holy Friday,
the Lord informed him of his approaching demise in a dream. The saint
made an inventory of the church articles in Hagia Sophia, which were
under his official care, and he sent it to Patriarch Photius.
For several days he prayed intensely, preparing for death. He prayed
for peace for the Church, and the mercy of God for his soul. Having
received the Holy Mysteries of Christ, St Joseph blessed all who came
to him, and with joy he fell asleep in the Lord (+ 863). The choirs of
the angels and the saints, whom St Joseph had glorified in his
hymnology, carried his soul to Heaven in triumph.
In 890, his biographer John the deacon of the Great Church wrote about
the spirit and power of St Joseph's Canons: "When he began to write
verses, then the hearing was taken with a wondrous pleasantness of
sound, and the heart was struck by the power of the thought. Those who
strive for a life of perfection find a respite here. Writers, having
left off with their other versification, from this one treasure-trove,
from the writings of St Joseph, began to scoop out his treasure for
their own songs, or better to say, daily they scoop them out.
And finally, all the people carry it over into their own language, so
as to enlighten with song the darkness of night, or staving off sleep,
to continue with the vigil until sunrise. If anyone were peruse the
life of a saint of the Church on any given day, they would see the
worthiness of St Joseph's hymns and acknowledge his glorious life.
Actually, since the lives and deeds of almost every saint are adorned
with praises, is not he worthy of immortal glory, who has worthily and
exquisitely known how to glorify them?
Now let some saints glorify his meekness, and others his wisdom, and
others his works, and all together glorify the grace of the Holy
Spirit, Who so abundantly and immeasurably has bestown his gifts on
him."
Most of the Canons in the MENAION are St Joseph's work. His name may
be found in the Ninth Ode as an acrostic. He also composed many of the
hymns in the PARAKLETIKE.
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Venerable George of Mt. Maleon in the Peloponnesus
Saint George lived during the ninth century. His parents arranged a
marriage for him, but he refused to marry the woman they had chosen.
He entered the monastery on Mount Malea in the Peloponessos, and many
disciples gathered around him. He was able to see the future, and
predicted his own death three years before it occurred. He fell asleep
in the Lord in the sixth century.
In the service to him, St George is called an earthly angel and a
wonderworker.
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Venerable Joseph the Much-Ailing, of the Kiev Far Caves
Saint Joseph the Much-Ailing lived during the fourteenth century. In
his grievous illness he turned to God with prayer and vowed that if
the Lord granted him health, he would then serve the brethren of the
Kiev Caves monastery until the end of his days.
After his return to health, he entered the Kiev Caves monastery,
received monastic tonsure, and began to work at deeds of fasting and
prayer, and to serve the brethren with love. After his death St Joseph
was buried in the Far Caves (his memory is likewise celebrated on the
Synaxis of the Saints of the Far Caves on August 28).
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Venerable Zosimas the Abbot of Vorbozomsk
Saint Zosimas of Vorbozomsk was the founder of a monastery dedicated
to the Annuniciation of the Most Holy Theotokos on an island in Lake
Vorbozoma, twenty-three versts south of White Lake. The monastery was
founded in the fifteenth century. In 1501, the head of the monastery
was Igumen Jonah, a disciple of St Zosimas.
The monastery was one of the numerous wilderness-monasteries modeled
after the so-called "Trans-Volga" monasteries, which were scattered
around the St Cyril of White Lake monastery. St Zosimas died in the
first half of the sixteenth century. The saint wrote counsels and
letters to his spiritual daughter Anastasia.
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Venerable Zosimas of Palestine
Saint Zosimas was born near the end of the fifth century, and lived in
a monastery by the Jordan River. He met St Mary of Egypt (April 1),
gave her Holy Communion, then buried her.
St Zosimas lived to be one hundred years old, then fell asleep in the
Lord around 560.
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Virginmartyr Pherbutha (Phermoutha) of Persia, with her
sister and servant
The Holy Martyr Pherbutha (Phermoutha) and her sister and servants
were martyred for Christ between the years 341 and 343. St Pherbutha
and her sister were sisters of Bishop Simeon of Seleucia, who suffered
for Christ under the Persian emperor Sapor between the years 341-344.
Both sisters and their servants had been brought to the court by the
empress to attend her. St Pherbutha was distinguished by her
extraordinary beauty, and the empress suggested that she marry in
order to gain high position. The saint refused, since she had made a
vow of virginity and total service to God.
Soon the empress fell ill. The sorcerers who were brought in to treat
the empress, saw St Pherbutha and were struck by her extraordinary
beauty. One of them asked her to become his wife. The saint answered
that she was a Christian and had vowed to remain a bride of Christ.
The offended sorcerer reported to the emperor that the sickness of the
empress was caused by poison given her by servants. By order of the
emperor St Pherbutha, and her sister and servants were brought to
trial.
At the trial the holy martyrs fearlessly declared that they were
innocent of any crime, and that they were prepared to accept death for
Christ.
The chief judge, the sorcerer Mauptis, was captivated by the beauty of
the holy virgin Pherbutha, and he secretly sent his servant to her in
the prison offering to free her and her companions, if only she would
consent to become his wife. The two other judges secretly made similar
offers to the holy virgin, one after the other.
St Pherbutha resolutely refused all these offers, saying that she was
a bride of Christ and could never consent to an earthly marriage.
After this, the martyrs were found guilty of being Christians and of
working magic in poisoning the empress, and they were sentenced to
death. The pagan priests said that the bodies of the Christians should
be cut into pieces. They placed three pieces on one side, and three
pieces on the other side. Then they told the empress to walk between
the body parts in order to receive healing. The bodies of the holy
martyrs were thrown into a ditch, from which Christians secretly
retrieved them and buried them.
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Virginmartyr sister of Pherbutha
The Holy Martyr Pherbutha and her sister and servants were martyred
for Christ between the years 341 and 343. Both sisters and their
servants had been brought to the court by the empress to attend her.
One day the empress fell ill. The sorcerers who were brought in to
treat the empress saw St Pherbutha and were struck by her
extraordinary beauty. One of them asked her to become his wife. The
saint answered that she was a Christian and had vowed to remain a
bride of Christ.
The offended sorcerer reported to the emperor that the sickness of the
empress was caused by poison given her by servants. By order of the
emperor, St Pherbutha, her sister and servants were brought to trial.
At the trial the holy martyrs fearlessly declared that they were
innocent of any crime, and that they were prepared to accept death for
Christ.
St Pherbutha, her sister and her servants, were found guilty of being
Christians and of poisoning the empress, and they were sentenced to
death. The pagan priests said that the bodies of the Christians should
be cut into pieces. They placed three pieces on one side, and three
pieces on the other side. Then they told the empress to walk between
the body parts in order to receive healing. The bodies of the holy
martyrs were thrown into a ditch, from which Christians secretly
retrieved them and buried them.
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Virginmartyr servant of Pherbutha
The Holy Martyr Pherbutha and her sister and servants were martyred
for Christ between the years 341 and 343. Both sisters and their
servants had been brought to the court by the empress to attend her.
One day the empress fell ill. The sorcerers who were brought in to
treat the empress saw St Pherbutha and were struck by her
extraordinary beauty. One of them asked her to become his wife. The
saint answered that she was a Christian and had vowed to remain a
bride of Christ.
The offended sorcerer reported to the emperor that the sickness of the
empress was caused by poison given her by servants. By order of the
emperor, St Pherbutha, her sister and servants were brought to trial.
At the trial the holy martyrs fearlessly declared that they were
innocent of any crime, and that they were prepared to accept death for
Christ.
St Pherbutha, her sister and her servants, were found guilty of being
Christians and of poisoning the empress, and they were sentenced to
death. The pagan priests said that the bodies of the Christians should
be cut into pieces. They placed three pieces on one side, and three
pieces on the other side. Then they told the empress to walk between
the body parts in order to receive healing. The bodies of the holy
martyrs were thrown into a ditch, from which Christians secretly
retrieved them and buried them.
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New Martyr Nicetas of Pojani and Serres
The holy New Martyr Nicetas was a Slav from Albania, but we know
nothing of his family or his early life. He lived on Mt. Athos in the
Russian monastery of St Panteleimon, then lived in the Skete of St
Anne. Burning with a desire for martyrdom, he decided to travel to
Serres. He arrived on March 30, 1808 (Great and Holy Monday) and
stopped at a local monastery. In speaking to the igumen, he revealed
that he was a hieromonk from Mt. Athos. At midnight, the igumen was
making his customary rounds of the monastery when he saw someone
standing in the moonlight praying on the church porch.
As he came closer, he could see that it was Father Nicetas, who
revealed his intention to shed his blood for Christ. After speaking
with the saint for a while, the igumen continued his rounds and left
Fr .Nicetas to pray.
In the morning, Fr Nicetas received Communion from the Presanctified
Gifts, then went to a mosque outside the city. There he debated
religion with a Moslem teacher and his disciples. St Nicetas
approached one of them, noticing that he was lame.
The saint asked the man why he did not seek healing from his
infirmity. The man said that it was impossible for him to be cured,
since he had been born this way.
The monk replied that the man could be cured easily, if he would agree
to obey him. The afflicted man looked at him with amazement and asked,
"How must I obey you?"
"Believe in Jesus Christ as the one true God. If you are baptized, I
promise you that you will be healthy and no trace of your lameness
will remain."
The man said nothing, but went to his teacher to report what the monk
had said to him. The teacher questioned St Nicetas about where he had
come from, and what he had said to his disciple.
Fearlessly, the warrior of Christ told him he was from Albania and had
come to preach Christianity. Feeling pity for the lame man, he had
advised him to believe in Christ so that he might receive his bodily
health and the Kingdom of Heaven after death.
The teacher sent word to the mayor that a monk had come to their city
and was speaking against their religion. St Nicetas was locked up in
prison for the night, and the next day he was interrogated by Moslem
religious leaders. Since they could not defeat him with reason, they
tortured him and hanged him in the evening of Great and Holy Saturday
in 1808. He was left hanging until Bright Tuesday, when Christians
were given permission to take his body and bury it.
Two separate services have been composed in honor of St Nicetas, one
in Slavonic and the other in Greek. A comparison of the two services
reveals a difference of opinion about the saint's national origin.
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St Isidore the Bishop of Seville
Saint Isidore was born in the middle of the sixth century, and was
related to the Visigoth royal family who converted to Orthodoxy from
Arianism during his lifetime.
St Isidore was the brother of three saints: St Leander (February 27),
St Fulgentius, and St Florentina. Orphaned at an early age, he was
educated by his older brother Leander. The range of his knowledge was
extensive, and included the study of Hebrew and Greek. He also wrote
biographies of biblical figures and other illustrious men.
A prollific writer, St Isidore wrote on religious, historical and
scientific topics. His ETYMOLOGIES (or ORIGINS) was a compendium of
the knowledge of his time, and was used through the Middle Ages.
Today, however, his history of the Goths and Vandals is of greater
interest. He even composed a monastic Rule, although he was not a
monk.
The tireless bishop also composed treatises refuting the Arian and
Monophysite heresies. He participated in a council at Toledo in 610,
and presided at the second Council of Seville in 618 or 619.
St Isidore fell asleep in the Lord in 636, and his holy relics were
later transferred to Leon. Dante mentions him in his PARADISO (X,
130).
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Venerable Theonas the Archbishop of Thessalonica
Saint Theonas was a disciple of St James of Kastoria (November 1), and
lived at the beginning of the sixteenth century. He lived for some
time in the Pantokrator and Simonopetra Monasteries on Mt. Athos. He
founded the Monastery of St Anastasia, and was consecrated as
Archbishop of Thessalonica. He died in peace.
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St George Mtsire of Georgia
No information available at this time.
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