[Readingsandsaints] Readings and Saints

Tue Oct 9 05:00:21 CDT 2007

Scripture Readings and Saints for Tue Oct 9 2007

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Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-9  (Vespers, 1st Reading, St. Tikhon)
1 But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no
torment will ever touch them.
2 In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died, and their
departure was thought to be affliction,
3 and their going from us to be their destruction; but they are at
peace.
4 For though in the sight of men they were punished, their hope is
full of immortality.
5 Having been disciplined a little, they will receive great good,
because God tested them and found them worthy of himself;
6 like gold in the furnace he tried them, and like a sacrificial burnt
offering he accepted them.
7 In the time of their visitation they will shine forth, and will run
like sparks through the stubble.
8 They will govern nations and rule other peoples, and the Lord will
reign over them for ever.
9 Those who trust in him will understand truth, and the faithful will
abide with him in love, because grace and mercy are upon his elect,
and he watches over his holy ones.
Scripture Reading 1 of 6

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Wisdom of Solomon 5:15-6:3  (Vespers, 2nd Reading, St. Tikhon)
15 But the righteous live for ever, and their reward is with the Lord;
the Most High takes care of them.
16 Therefore they will receive a glorious crown and a beautiful diadem
from the hand of the Lord, because with his right hand he will cover
them, and with his arm he will shield them.
17 The Lord will take his zeal as his whole armor, and will arm all
creation to repel his enemies;
18 he will put on righteousness as a breastplate, and wear impartial
justice as a helmet;
19 he will take holiness as a invincible shield,
20 and sharpen stern wrath for a sword, and creation will join with
him to fight against the madmen.
21 Shafts of lightening will fly with true aim, and will leap to the
target as a from a well-drawn bow of clouds,
22 and hailstones full of wrath will be hurled as from a catapult; the
water of the sea will rage against them, and rivers will relentlessly
overwhelm them;
23 a mighty wind will rise against them, and like a tempest it will
winnow them away. Lawlessness will lay waste the whole earth, and
evil-doing will overturn the thrones of rulers.
1 Listen therefore, O kings, and understand; learn, O judges of the
ends of the earth.
2 Give ear, you that rule over multitudes, and boast of many nations.
3 For your dominion was given you from the Lord, and your sovereignty
from the Most High, who will search out your works and inquire into
your plans.
Scripture Reading 2 of 6

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Wisdom of Solomon 4:7-15  (Vespers, 3rd Reading, St. Tikhon)
7 But the righteous man, though he die early, will be at rest.
8 For old age is not honored for length of time, nor measured by
number of years;
9 but understanding is gray hair for men, and a blameless life is ripe
old age.
10 There was one who pleased God and was loved by him,
11 He was caught up lest evil change his understanding or guile
deceive his soul.
12 For the fascination of wickedness obscures what is good, and roving
desire perverts the innocent mind.
13 Being perfected in a short time, he fulfilled long years;
14 for his soul was pleasing to the Lord, therefore he took him
quickly from the midst of wickedness.
15 Yet the peoples saw and did not understand, nor take such a thing
to heart, that God's grace and mercy are his elect, and he watches
over his holy ones.
Scripture Reading 3 of 6

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John 10:1-9  (Matins Gospel)
1 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by
the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a
robber.
2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he
calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the
sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
5 Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him,
for they do not know the voice of strangers.
6 Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things
which He spoke to them.
7 Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am
the door of the sheep.
8 All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep
did not hear them.
9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go
in and out and find pasture.
Scripture Reading 4 of 6

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Hebrews 7:26-8:2  (St. Tikhon)
26 For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless,
undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the
heavens;
27 who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up
sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people's, for this
He did once for all when He offered up Himself.
28 For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the
word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has
been perfected forever.
1 Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such
a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the
Majesty in the heavens,
2 a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the
Lord erected, and not man.
Scripture Reading 5 of 6

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John 10:9-16  (St. Tikhon)
9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go
in and out and find pasture.
10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to
destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have
it more abundantly.
11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the
sheep.
12 But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own
the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and
the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.
13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about
the sheep.
14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My
own.
15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down
My life for the sheep.
16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must
bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and
one shepherd.
Scripture Reading 6 of 6

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Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America
St Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and Apostle to America was born as
Vasily Ivanovich Belavin on January 19, 1865 into the family of Ioann
Belavin, a rural priest of the Toropetz district of the Pskov diocese.
His childhood and adolescence were spent in the village in direct
contact with peasants and their labor. From his early years he
displayed a particular religious disposition, love for the Church as
well as rare meekness and humility.
When Vasily was still a boy, his father had a revelation about each of
his children. One night, when he and his three sons slept in the
hayloft, he suddenly woke up and roused them. He had seen his dead
mother in a dream, who foretold to him his imminent death, and the
fate of his three sons. She said that one would be unfortunate
throughout his entire life, another would die young, while the third,
Vasily, would be a great man. The prophecy of the dead woman proved to
be entirely accurate in regard to all three brothers.
>From 1878 to 1883, Vasily studied at the Pskov Theological Seminary.
The modest seminarian was tender and affectionate by nature. He was
fair-haired and tall of stature. His fellow students liked and
respected him for his piety, brilliant progress in studies, and
constant readiness to help comrades, who often turned to him for
explanations of lessons, especially for help in drawing up and
correcting numerous compositions. Vasily was called "bishop" and
"patriarch" by his classmates.
In 1888, at the age of 23, Vasily Belavin graduated from the St
Petersburg Theological Academy as a layman, and returned to the Pskov
Seminary as an instructor of Moral and Dogmatic Theology. The whole
seminary and the town of Pskov became very fond of him. He led an
austere and chaste life, and in 1891, when he turned 26, he took
monastic vows. Nearly the whole town gathered for the ceremony. He
embarked on this new way of life consciously and deliberately,
desiring to dedicate himself entirely to the service of the Church.
The meek and humble young man was given the name Tikhon in honor of St
Tikhon of Zadonsk.
He was transferred from the Pskov Seminary to the Kholm Theological
Seminary in 1892, and was raised to the rank of archimandrite.
Archimandrite Tikhon was consecrated Bishop of Lublin on October 19,
1897, and returned to Kholm for a year as Vicar Bishop of the Kholm
Diocese. Bishop Tikhon zealously devoted his energy to the
establishment of the new vicariate. His attractive moral make-up won
the general affection, of not only the Russian population, but also of
the Lithuanians and Poles. On September 14, 1898, Bishop Tikhon was
made Bishop of the Aleutians and Alaska. As head of the Orthodox
Church in America, Bishop Tikhon was a zealous laborer in the Lord's
vineyard.
He did much to promote the spread of Orthodoxy, and to improve his
vast diocese. He reorganized the diocesan structure, and changed its
name from "Diocese of the Aleutians and Alaska" to "Diocese of the
Aleutians and North America" in 1900. Both clergy and laity loved
their archpastor, and held him in such esteem that the Americans made
Archbishop Tikhon an honorary citizen of the United States.
On May 22, 1901, he blessed the cornerstone for St Nicholas Cathedral
in New York, and was also involved in establishing other churches. On
November 9, 1902, he consecrated the church of St Nicholas in Brooklyn
for the Syrian Orthodox immigrants. Two weeks later, he consecrated St
Nicholas Cathedral in NY.
In 1905, the American Mission was made an Archdiocese, and St Tikhon
was elevated to the rank of Archbishop. He had two vicar bishops:
Bishop Innocent (Pustynsky) in Alaska, and St Raphael (Hawaweeny) in
Brooklyn to assist him in administering his large, ethnically diverse
diocese. In June of 1905, St Tikhon gave his blessing for the
establishment of St Tikhon's Monastery.
In 1907, he returned to Russia, and was appointed to Yaroslavl, where
he quickly won the affection of his flock. They came to love him as a
friendly, communicative, and wise archpastor. He spoke simply to his
subordinates, never resorting to a peremptory or overbearing tone.
When he had to reprimand someone, he did so in a good-natured,
sometimes joking manner, which encouraged the person to correct his
mistakes.
When St Tikhon was transferred to Lithuania on December 22, 1913, the
people of Yaroslavl voted him an honorary citizen of their town. After
his transfer to Vilnius, he did much in terms of material support for
various charitable institutions. There too, his generous soul and love
of people clearly manifested themselves. World War I broke out when
His Eminence was in Vilnius. He spared no effort to help the poor
residents of the Vilnius region who were left without a roof over
their heads or means of subsistence as a result of the war with the
Germans, and who flocked to their archpastor in droves.
After the February Revolution and formation of a new Synod, St Tikhon
became one of its members. On June 21, 1917, the Moscow Diocesan
Congress of clergy and laity elected him as their ruling bishop. He
was a zealous and educated archpastor, widely known even outside his
country.
On August 15, 1917, a local council was opened in Moscow, and
Archbishop Tikhon was raised to the dignity of Metropolitan, and then
elected as chairman of the council. The council had as its aim to
restore the life of Russian Orthodox Church on strictly canonical
principles, and its primary concern was the restoration of the
Patriarchate. All council members would select three candidates, and
then a lot would reveal the will of God. The council members chose
three candidates: Archbishop Anthony of Kharkov, the wisest,
Archbishop Arseny of Novgorod, the strictest, and Metropolitan Tikhon
of Moscow, the kindest of the Russian hierarchs.
On November 5, following the Divine Liturgy and a Molieben in the
Cathedral of Christ the Savior, a monk removed one of the three
ballots from the ballot box, which stood before the Vladimir Icon of
the Mother of God. Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev announced
Metropolitan Tikhon as the newly elected Patriarch. St Tikhon did not
change after becoming the primate of the Russian Orthodox Church. In
accepting the will of the council, Patriarch Tikhon referred to the
scroll that the Prophet Ezekiel had to eat, on which was written,
"Lamentations, mourning, and woe." He foresaw that his ministry would
be filled with affliction and tears, but through all his suffering, he
remained the same accessible, unassuming, and kindly person.
All who met St Tikhon were surprised by his accessibility, simplicity
and modesty. His gentle disposition did not prevent him from showing
firmness in Church matters, however, particularly when he had to
defend the Church from her enemies. He bore a very heavy cross. He had
to administer and direct the Church amidst wholesale church
disorganization, without auxiliary administrative bodies, in
conditions of internal schisms and upheavals by various adherents of
the Living Church, renovationists, and autocephalists.
The situation was complicated by external circumstances: the change of
the political system, by the accession to power of the godless regime,
by hunger, and civil war. This was a time when Church property was
being confiscated, when clergy were subjected to court trials and
persecutions, and Christ's Church endured repression. News of this
came to the Patriarch from all ends of Russia. His exceptionally high
moral and religious authority helped him to unite the scattered and
enfeebled flock. At a crucial time for the church, his unblemished
name was a bright beacon pointing the way to the truth of Orthodoxy.
In his messages, he called on people to fulfill the commandments of
Christ, and to attain spiritual rebirth through repentance. His
irreproachable life was an example to all.
In order to save thousands of lives and to improve the general
position of the church, the Patriarch took measures to prevent clergy
from making purely political statements. On September 25, 1919, when
the civil war was at its height, he issued a message to the clergy
urging them to stay away from political struggle.
The summer of 1921 brought a severe famine to the Volga region. In
August, Patriarch Tikhon issued a message to the Russian people and to
the people of the world, calling them to help famine victims. He gave
his blessing for voluntary donations of church valuables, which were
not directly used in liturgical services. However, on February 23,
1922, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee published a decree
making all valuables subject to confiscation.
According to the 73rd Apostolic Canon, such actions were regarded as
sacrilege, and the Patriarch could not approve such total
confiscation, especially since many doubted that the valuables would
be used to combat famine. This forcible confiscation aroused popular
indignation everywhere. Nearly two thousand trials were staged all
over Russia, and more than ten thousand believers were shot. The
Patriarch's message was viewed as sabotage, for which he was
imprisoned from April 1922 until June 1923.
His Holiness, Patriarch Tikhon did much on behalf of the Russian
Orthodox Church during the crucial time of the so-called Renovationist
schism. He showed himself to be a faithful servant and custodian of
the undistorted precepts of the true Orthodox Church. He was the
living embodiment of Orthodoxy, which was unconsciously recognized
even by enemies of the church, who called its members "Tikhonites."
When Renovationist priests and hierarchs repented and returned to the
church, they were met with tenderness and love by St Tikhon. This,
however, did not represent any deviation from his strictly Orthodox
policy. "I ask you to believe me that I will not come to agreement or
make concessions which could lead to the loss of the purity and
strength of Orthodoxy," the Patriarch said in 1924.
Being a good pastor, who devoted himself entirely to the church's
cause, he called upon the clergy to do the same: "Devote all your
energy to preaching the word of God and the truth of Christ,
especially today, when unbelief and atheism are audaciously attacking
the Church of Christ. May the God of peace and love be with all of
you!"
It was extremely painful and hard for the Patriarch's loving,
responsive heart to endure all the Church's misfortunes. Upheavals in
and outside the church, the Renovationist schism, his primatial
labors, his concern for the organization and tranquility of Church
life, sleepless nights and heavy thoughts, his confinement that lasted
more than a year, the spiteful and wicked baiting of his enemies, and
the unrelenting criticism sometimes even from the Orthodox, combined
to undermine his strength and health.
In 1924, Patriarch Tikhon began to feel unwell. He checked into a
hospital, but would leave it on Sundays and Feast Days in order to
conduct services. On Sunday, April 5, 1925, he served his last
Liturgy, and died two days later. On March 25/April 7, 1925 the
Patriarch received Metropolitan Peter and had a long talk with him. In
the evening, the Patriarch slept a little, then he woke up and asked
what time it was. When he was told it was 11:45 P.M., he made the Sign
of the Cross twice and said, "Glory to Thee, O Lord, glory to Thee."
He did not have time to cross himself a third time.
Almost a million people came to say farewell to the Patriarch. The
large cathedral of the Donskoy Monastery in Moscow could not contain
the crowd, which overflowed the monastery property into the square and
adjacent streets. St Tikhon, the eleventh Patriarch of Moscow, was
primate of the Russian Church for seven and a half years.
On September 26/October 9, 1989, the Council of Bishops of the Russian
Orthodox Church glorified Patriarch Tikhon and numbered him among the
saints. For nearly seventy years, St Tikhon's relics were believed
lost, but in February 1992, they were discovered in a concealed place
in the Donskoy Monastery.
It would be difficult to imagine the Russian Orthodox Church without
Patriarch Tikhon during those years. He did so much for the Church and
for the strengthening of the Faith itself during those difficult years
of trial. Perhaps the saint's own words can best sum up his life: "May
God teach every one of us to strive for His truth, and for the good of
the Holy Church, rather than something for our own sake."
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Venerable Andronicus of Egypt with his Wife
Saint Andronicus and his wife Athanasia of Egypt lived in Antioch in
the fifth century. St Andronicus was a craftsman who divided his
earnings into three portions. One part he gave to the Church, the
second to the poor, and the third he used for his family. When the
Lord took the son and daughter of Andronicus and Athanasia, the pious
couple decided to devote themselves fully to the service of God,
helping the poor and the sick. Soon the saintly spouses set out for
Alexandria, where Andronicus entered a skete monastery, and Athanasia
entered the women's Tabennisiota monastery.
After twelve years of ascetic life St Andronicus went to Jerusalem to
pray at the holy places. He met a co-pilgrim, St Athanasia, who,
foreseeing the difficulties of the journey, had donned men's attire.
They did not recognize each other, since long ascetic effort had
altered their appearance. When they returned from Jerusalem, both
monks settled into a single cell and for many years lived the ascetic
life in silence. St Athanasia wrote a note to be read after her death,
revealing her secret.. St Andronicus died soon after St Athanasia.
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Venerable Athanasia of Egypt with her Husband
Saint Athanasia and her husband Andronicus of Egypt lived in Antioch
in the fifth century. When the Lord took the son and daughter of
Andronicus and Athanasia, the pious couple decided to devote
themselves fully to the service of God, helping the poor and the sick.
Soon the holy couple traveled to Alexandria, where Andronicus entered
a skete monastery, and Athanasia entered the women's Tabennisiota
monastery.
After twelve years of ascetic life St Andronicus went to Jerusalem to
pray at the holy places. He met a co-pilgrim, St Athanasia, who,
foreseeing the difficulties of the journey, had donned men's attire.
They did not recognize each other, since long ascetic effort had
altered their appearance. When they returned from Jerusalem, both
monks settled into a single cell and for many years lived the ascetic
life in silence. St Athanasia wrote a note to be read after her death,
revealing her secret.. St Andronicus died soon after St Athanasia.
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Righteous Forefather Abraham
The Righteous Forefather Abraham lived around 2000 B.C. His story is
found in the Book of Genesis, Chapters 12-25.
God told Abraham that all the nations of the earth would be blessed in
his seed (Genesis 22:18), and ordered him to leave his home and his
relatives and go to Canaan, the country between the Mediterranean and
Jordan. Because God gave this land to Abraham and his posterity
(Genesis 12:7), it became known as "the Promised Land."
Abraham and Lot are also commemorated with Christ's ancestors
according to the flesh on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers (between
December 11 and 17).
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Righteous Lot
The Righteous Forefather Abraham ("Father of a multitude") and his
nephew Lot ("veil") lived around 2000 B.C.
The Righteous Lot is regarded as the progenitor of the Moabites and
the Ammonites.He lived in Sodom with his wife and two daughters, a
righteous man living in the midst of wicked people. The citizens of
Sodom despised him as a newcomer, and also hated him for his upright
life, hospitality, and obedience to God.
Lot's efforts to turn them from their wickedness only increased their
wrath. As fire consumed the city, Lot and his family were led to
safety by an angel.
Abraham and Lot are also commemorated with Christ's ancestors
according to the flesh on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers (between
December 11 and 17).
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Martyr Juventinus at Antioch
Martyrs Juventinus and Maximus at Antioch were bodyguards of the
emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363). Having arrived in Antioch, the
emperor gave orders to sprinkle all the foodstuffs in the marketplace
and the water in the wells with blood offered to idols. Sts Juventinus
and Maximus opposed this edict, and Julian ordered them executed.
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Martyr Maximus at Antioch
Martyrs Maximus and Juventinus at Antioch were bodyguards of the
emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363). Having arrived in Antioch, the
emperor gave orders to sprinkle all the foodstuffs in the marketplace
and the water in the wells with blood offered to idols. Sts Juventinus
and Maximus opposed this edict, and Julian ordered them executed.
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St Publia the Confessor and Deaconess of Antioch
The holy Martyr Publia the Confessor, a deaconess of Antioch, became a
widow at a young age and devoted all her strength to raising her son
John in the Christian Faith. John became a presbyter, and Publia, for
her prudent and ascetic life, was found worthy of becoming a
deaconess. She undertook the guidance of widows and young women who
wished to devote themselves to the service of God, and she organized a
monastery in her home. During the persecution of Christians under the
emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363), St Publia and the sisters
denounced the reprobate.
When the emperor made his way to Publia's house, the sisters loudly
sang Psalm 113/114, denouncing idol-worship. The emperor's soldiers
fiercely beat the venerable abbess, but she endured the beating with
forbearance.
St Publia did not live long after this, but peacefully fell asleep in
the Lord.
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Venerable Peter of Galatia
Saint Peter was born into a noble family of Asia Minor in 829. He
lived in Constantinople during the reign of Emperor Theophilus and
entered the monastery of Daphneona. He died at the monastery of St
Phocas in 867.
This St Peter should not be confused with the other St Peter of
Galatia (February 1).
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Hieromartyr Dionysius of Paris, Bishop
Saint Dionysius (or Denis) has, for many centuries, been regarded as
the patron saint of France.
It is believed that St Dionysius was sent to preach the Gospel at
Lutetia Parisiorum (modern Paris) in Gaul around 250. He was beheaded
in 258 with the priest Rusticus and the deacon Eleutherius at
Montmartre (Hill of the Martyrs). A later legend claims that St
Dionysius carried his severed head from Montmartre to his burial place
at Vicus Catulliacus, now known as St Denis. The abbey of Saint-Denis,
where French kings were interred, was built on the site of their
martyrdom.
The identification of this St Dionysius with St Dionysius the
Areopagite (October 3) appears to be an error made by a ninth century
writer.
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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), made missionary journeys preaching in Judea, Edessa,
Gaza, Eleutheropolis, proclaiming the Gospel, healing all sorts of
sickness and disease, and converting many to the path of salvation. St
James finished his apostolic work In the Egyptian city of Ostrachina,
where he was crucified by the pagans.
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Icon of the Mother of God of Korsun
The Korsun Icon of the Mother of God is believed to be one of those
painted by the holy Evangelist Luke, and it had been preserved in
Ephesus. On October 9, 988, a copy of this icon was transferred from
Korsun to Kiev by the holy Great Prince Vladimir (July 15), and it
came to be called the Korsun Icon. Later this icon was transferred to
Novgorod, and from there to Moscow to the Dormition cathedral in the
Kremlin. Another copy of the Korsun Icon of the Mother of God was
brought from Greece to Russia by St Euphrosyne of Polotsk (May 23) in
1162.
St Euphrosyne founded the Savior monastery at Polotsk. When she
learned that there was an icon painted by St Luke at Menignus in
Greece, she sent rich presents to the Byzantine Emperor and the
Patriarch Chrysovergos asking them to send her this icon.
The icon was sent to Rus from Ephesus, and passed through Korsun. At
the request of the inhabitants of that city it remained there about a
year, thus it became known as the Korsun Icon.
In 1239, Alexandra, the daughter of Prince Bryachislav of Polotsk,
brought this icon to the city of Toropets on her way to be married to
the holy Great Prince Alexander Nevsky (November 23).
The Korsun Icon is also mentioned in the Life of St Dorothy of Kashin
(September 24).
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Icon of the Mother of God "Assuage My Sorrows"
Today we commemorate a copy of the "Assuage My Sorrows" Icon (January
25) which is treasured in the St Nicholas Odrino Monastery in the Orel
Diocese, Karachev district.
Until 1784, this icon belonged to Count Nicholas Borisovitch Samoilov,
who regarded it as a holy icon. At first, it was at the Count's home
in Moscow, where it was renowned for many miraculous healings. Later,
N.B. Samoilov moved it to his estate adjoining the St Nicholas Odrino
Monastery. He constructed, at his own expense, a heated chapel in
honor of the "Assuage My Sorrows" Icon as part of the St Nicholas
katholikon (main church).The Count later donated the icon to the
monastery.
This wonderworking icon is celebrated locally twice a year: on January
25, and on October 9. Many people visit the St Nicholas Odrino
Monastery on both days.
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St Stephen of Serbia, "the blind one"
Saint Stephen Brancovich was the son of the Despot George and Queen
Irene, and lived in the fifteenth century.
He and his sister Mara lived in the court of Sultan Murat II. St
Stephen and his brother Gregory were blinded at Jedrene by the Turkish
Sultan for some perceived offense. Since he was innocent, he bore his
affliction with courage.
Stephen became ruler of Serbia in 1458, but was soon forced to flee to
Albania. St Stephen was not only Prince George Skenderbeg's guest, but
he was also treated as a member of his family. There he met St
Angelina (July 1 & 30 and December 10), the daughter of Prince George
. Not surprisingly, Stephen and Angelina eventually fell in love. With
her parents' blessing, they were married in church. After a few years,
they were blessed with two sons: George and John.
When the boys were grown, St Stephen and his family were forced to
flee to Italy for their safety, because the Turks invaded Albania and
began to slaughter men, women, and even children.
He died as an exile in Italy in 1468. He was buried in Serbia in the
monastery of Krushedol in Frushka Gora, which was founded by his son
the monk Maximus. After eight years, St Steven's relics were uncovered
and were found incorrupt and fragrant. Many miracles took place at his
tomb.
St Stephen is also commemorated on December 10 with St Angelina and St
John.
John was married, but had no sons. He died in 1503 at a young age, and
many miracles took place before his holy relics.
St Angelina survived her husband and both of her sons. Mindful of her
soul's salvation, she entered a women's monastery. She departed to the
Lord in peace, and her body was buried in the same tomb as her sons in
the monastery of Krushedol
St Angelina is also commemorated on December 10 with her husband St
Stephen and her son St John.
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