[Readingsandsaints] Readings and Saints

Mon Sep 24 05:00:22 CDT 2007

Scripture Readings and Saints for Mon Sep 24 2007

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Isaiah 43:9-14  (Vespers, 1st Reading)
9 Let all the nations be gathered together, And let the people be
assembled. Who among them can declare this, And show us former things?
Let them bring out their witnesses, that they may be justified; Or let
them hear and say, It is truth.
10 You are My witnesses, says the Lord, And My servant whom I have
chosen, That you may know and believe Me, And understand that I am He.
Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me.
11 I, even I, am the Lord, And besides Me there is no savior.
12 I have declared and saved, I have proclaimed, And there was no
foreign god among you; Therefore you are My witnesses, Says the Lord,
that I am God.
13 Indeed before the day was, I am He; And there is no one who can
deliver out of My hand; I work, and who will reverse it?
14 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: For your
sake I will send to Babylon, And bring them all down as fugitives The
Chaldeans, who rejoice in their ships.
Scripture Reading 1 of 6

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Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-9  (Vespers, 2nd Reading)
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 2 of 6

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Wisdom of Solomon 5:15-6:3  (Vespers, 3rd Reading)
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 3 of 6

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Luke 12:2-12  (Matins Gospel)
2 For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden
that will not be known.
3 Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the
light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be
proclaimed on the housetops.
4 And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the
body, and after that have no more that they can do.
5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has
killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!
6 Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them
is forgotten before God.
7 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear
therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
8 Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of
Man also will confess before the angels of God.
9 But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of
God.
10 And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be
forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it
will not be forgiven.
11 Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and
authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what
you should say.
12 For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought
to say.
Scripture Reading 4 of 6

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Romans 8:28-39  (Martyrs)
28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who
love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the
image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called,
these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also
glorified.
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can
be against us?
32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all,
how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
33 Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who
justifies.
34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is
also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes
intercession for us.
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation,
or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or
sword?
36 As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are
accounted as sheep for the slaughter."
37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who
loved us.
38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor
principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,
39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to
separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Scripture Reading 5 of 6

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Luke 21:12-19  (Martyrs)
12 But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and
persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You
will be brought before kings and rulers for My name's sake.
13 But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony.
14 Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on
what you will answer;
15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries
will not be able to contradict or resist.
16 You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and
friends; and they will put some of you to death.
17 And you will be hated by all for My name's sake.
18 But not a hair of your head shall be lost.
19 By your patience possess your souls.
Scripture Reading 6 of 6

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Synaxis of All Saints of Alaska
On the anniversary of the arrival of the Russian missionaries in
Alaska (1794), we remember the New Martyrs St Peter the Aleut,
Protomartyr of America, and St Juvenal.
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Martyr Peter the Aleut
Saint Peter the Aleut is mentioned in the Life of St Herman of Alaska
(December 13). Simeon Yanovsky (who ended his life as the schemamonk
Sergius in the St Tikhon of Kaluga Monastery), has left the following
account:
"On another occasion I was relating to him how the Spanish in
California had imprisoned fourteen Aleuts, and how the Jesuits
(actually Franciscans) were forcing all of them to accept the Catholic
Faith. But the Aleuts would not agree under any circumstances, saying,
'We are Christians.' The Jesuits argued, 'That's not true, you are
heretics and schismatics. If you do not agree to accept our faith then
we will torture all of you to death.' Then the Aleuts were placed in
prisons two to a cell. That evening, the Jesuits came to the prison
with lanterns and lighted candles. Again they tried to persuade two
Aleuts in the cell to accept the Catholic Faith. 'We are Christians,'
the Aleuts replied, 'and we will not change our Faith.' Then the
Jesuits began to torture them, at first the one while his companion
was a witness. They cut off one of the joints of his feet, and then
the other joint. Then they cut the first joint on the fingers of his
hands, and then the other joint. Then they cut off his feet, and his
hands. The blood flowed, but the martyr endured all and firmly
repeated one thing: "I am a Christian.' He died in such suffering, due
to a loss of blood. The Jesuit also promised to torture his comrade to
death the next day.
But that night an order was received from Monterey stating that the
imprisoned Aleuts were to be released immediately, and sent there
under escort. Therefore, in the morning all were sent to Monterey with
the exception of the dead Aleut. This was related to me by a witness,
the same Aleut who had escaped torture, and who was the friend of the
martyred Aleut. I reported this incident to the authorities in St
Petersburg. When I finished my story, Father Herman asked, 'What was
the name of the martyred Aleut?' I answered, 'Peter. I do not remember
his family name.' The Elder stood reverently before an icon, made the
Sign of the Cross and said, "Holy New Martyr Peter, pray to God for
usl"
We know very little about St Peter, except that he was from Kodiak,
and was arrested and put to death by the Spaniards in California
because he refused to convert to Catholicism. The circumstances of his
martyrdom recall the torture of St James the Persian (November 27).
Both in his sufferings and in his steadfast confession of the Faith,
St Peter is the equal of the martyrs of old, and also of the New
Martyrs who have shone forth in more recent times. Now he rejoices
with them in the heavenly Kingdom, glorifying God, the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Spirit, throughout all ages.
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Martyr Juvenal of Alaska
Saint Juvenal, the Protomartyr of America, was born in 1761 in
Nerchinsk, Siberia. His secular name was John Feodorovich Hovorukhin,
and he was trained as a mining engineer. In a letter to Abbot Nazarius
of Valaam (December 13, 1819), St Herman says that St Juvenal "had
been an assistant at our monastery and was a former officer."
After his wife died in 1791, John entered a monastery at St Petersburg
(St Herman's Letter of December 13, 1819) and was tonsured with the
name Juvenal. Three years later, he went to Alaska as a missionary.
During 1794, the hieromonks Juvenal and Macarius spent two months in
the area around Kodiak teaching the inhabitants about Christ and
baptizing them. They traveled in small boats of hide in all sorts of
weather, dividing up the territory among themselves. St Herman tells
of a conversation he heard one day as he walked with the hieromonks to
a small hill on the south side of the harbor. They sat down facing the
sea, and spoke of various things. Soon they began to discuss where
each of them should go to preach. Aflame with zeal and eager to set
out on their journey, a friendly argument ensued between Fr Macarius
and Fr Juvenal. Fr Macarius said he intended to go north to the
Aleutian Islands, and then make his way to the Alaskan mainland, where
the inhabitants had invited him to visit. The monks had a map of
Captain Cook's which indicated that some Russians were living near a
certain river in that particular area, and Fr Macarius hoped to find
them.
Fr Juvenal interrupted, saying that he believed that the Alaskan
mainland was his territory. "I beg you to yield to me and not offend
me in this," he told Fr Macarius, "since the ship is leaving for
Yakutan. I shall begin preaching in the south, proceeding north along
the ocean, cross the Kenai peninsula, then from the port there I shall
cross to Alaska."
Fr Macarius became sorrowful and said, "No, Father. Do not restrict me
in this way. You know the Aleutian chain of islands is joined to
Alaska, therefore it belongs to me, and also the whole northern shore.
As for you, the southern part of America is sufficient for your whole
lifetime, if you please."
As he listened to their apostolic fervor, St Herman says he "went from
joy to rapture" (Letter to Abbot Nazarius, May 19, 1795).
In 1795, Father Juvenal baptized over 700 Chugatchi at Nushek, then he
crossed Kenai Bay and baptized the local people there. In 1796,
according to native oral tradition, St Juvenal came to the mouth of
the Kuskokwim near the present village of Quinahgak, where he was
killed by a hunting party (There is a forged diary attributed to Ivan
Petroff which gives a slanderous version of Fr Juvenal's death, and
alleges that he was martyred at Lake Iliamna).
The precise reason for St Juvenal's murder by the natives is not
known. However, they later told St Innocent something about his death.
They said that St Juvenal did not try to defend himself when attacked,
nor did he make any attempt to escape. After being struck from behind,
he turned to face his attackers and begged them to spare the natives
he had baptized.
The natives told St Innocent that after they had killed St Juvenal, he
got up and followed them, urging them to repent. The fell upon him
again and gave him a savage beating. Once more, he got to his feet and
called them to repentance. This happened several times, then finally
the natives hacked him to pieces. Thus, the zealous Hieromonk Juvenal
became the first Orthodox Christian in America to receive the crown of
martyrdom. His unnamed guide, possibly a Tanaina Indian convert, was
also martyred at the same time.
It is said that a local shaman removed St Juvenal's brass pectoral
cross from his body and attempted to cast a spell. Unexpectedly, the
shaman was lifted up off the ground. He made three more tries with the
same result, then concluded that there was a greater power than his
own at work here. Years later, a man showed up at the Nushagak Trading
Post wearing a brass pectoral cross exactly like the one worn by St
Juvenal.
A column of light arose from his holy relics and reached up to Heaven.
It is not known how long this phenomenon continued.
St Juvenal, in his tireless evangelization of the native peoples of
Alaska, served the Church more than all the other missionaries
combined.
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Protomartyr and Equal of the Apostles Thekla
The Holy Protomartyr and Equal of the Apostles Thekla was born in the
city of Iconium. She was the daughter of rich and illustrious parents,
and she was distinguished by extraordinary beauty. At eighteen years
of age they betrothed her to an eminent youth. But after she heard the
preaching of the holy Apostle Paul about the Savior, St Thekla with
all her heart came to love the Lord Jesus Christ, and she steadfastly
resolved not to enter into marriage, but rather to devote all her life
to preaching the Gospel.
St Thekla's mother was opposed to her daughter's plans and insisted
that she marry her betrothed. St Thekla's fiancé also complained to
the prefect of the city about the Apostle Paul, accusing him of
turning his bride against him. The prefect locked up St Paul in
prison.
During the night St Thekla secretly ran away from her house, and she
bribed the prison guards, giving them all her gold ornaments, and so
made her way into the prison to the prisoner. For three days she sat
at the feet of the Apostle Paul, listening to his fatherly precepts.
Thekla's disappearance was discovered, and servants were sent out
everywhere looking for her. Finally, they found her in the prison and
brought her home by force.
At his trial St Paul was sentenced to banishment from the city. Again
they urged St Thekla to consent to the marriage, but she would not
change her mind. Neither the tears of her mother, nor her wrath, nor
the threats of the prefect could separate St Thekla from her love for
the Heavenly Bridegroom, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Her mother in a insane rage demanded from the judges a death sentence
against her unyielding daughter, and St Thekla was sentenced to be
burned. Without flinching, the holy martyr went into the fire and made
the Sign of the Cross over herself. At this moment the Savior appeared
to her, blessing her present deed, and inexpressible joy filled her
holy soul.
The flames of the fire shot up high, but the martyr was surrounded by
a light and the flames did not touch her. Thunder boomed, and a strong
downpour of rain and hail extinguished the fire. The torturers
scattered in fear. St Thekla, kept safe by the Lord, left the city and
with the help of a certain Christian youth, searched for the Apostle
Paul. The holy apostle and his companions, among whom was St Barnabas,
were hidden in a cave not far from the city, praying fervently, that
the Lord would strengthen St Thekla in her sufferings.
After this, St Thekla went with them preaching the Gospel in Antioch.
In this city she was pursued by a certain dignitary named Alexander,
who was captivated by her beauty. St Thekla refused his offer of
marriage, and so she was condemned to death for being a Christian.
Twice they set loose hungry wild animals upon her, but they would not
touch the holy virgin. Instead, they lay down meekly and licked her
feet.
The Providence of God preserved the holy martyr unharmed through all
her torments. Finally, they tied her to two oxen and began to chase
her with red-hot rods, but the strong cords broke asunder like
cobwebs, and the oxen ran off, leaving St Thekla unharmed. The people
began shouting, "Great is the God of the Christians!" The prefect
himself became terrified, realizing that the holy martyr was being
kept safe by the Almighty God, Whom she served. He then gave orders to
set free the servant of God Thekla.
With the blessing of the Apostle Paul, St Thekla then settled in a
desolate region of Isaurian Seleucia and dwelt there for many years,
constantly preaching the Word of God and healing the sick through her
prayer. St Thekla converted many pagans to Christ, and the Church
appropriately names her as "Equal- to-the-Apostles." Even a pagan
priest, trying to assault her purity and punished for his impudence,
was brought by her to holy Baptism. More than once the Enemy of the
race of man tried to destroy St Thekla through people blinded by sin,
but the power of God always preserved this faithful servant of Christ.
When St Thekla was already a ninety-year-old woman, pagan sorcerers
became incensed at her for treating the sick for free. They were
unable to comprehend that the saint was healing the sick by the power
of the grace of Christ, and they presumed that the virgin-goddess
Artemis was her special helper. Envious of St Thekla, they sent their
followers to defile her. When they came near her, St Thekla cried out
for help to Christ the Savior, and a rock split open and hid the holy
virgin, the bride of Christ. Thus did St Thekla offer up her holy soul
to the Lord.
The holy Church glorifies the Protomartyr Thekla as " the glory of
women and guide for the suffering, opening up the way through every
torment." From of old many churches were dedicated to her, one of
which was built at Constantinople by the holy Equal of the Apostles
Constantine (May 21). The Protomartyr Thekla, a prayerful intercessor
for ascetics, is also invoked during the tonsure of women into
monasticism.
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Venerable Nicander the Hermit of Pskov
Saint Nicander of Pskov (in Baptism Nikon) was born on 24 July 1507
into the peasant family of Philip and Anastasia in the village of
Videlebo in the Pskov lands.
>From childhood he dreamed of continuing the ascetic exploits of his
fellow villager, St Euphrosynus of Spasoeleazar, the original Pskov
wilderness-dweller (May 15). The first in Nikon's family to accept
monasticism was his older brother Arsenius. After the death of his
father, the seventeen-year-old Nikon was able to convince his mother
to dispose of the property and withdraw into a monastery, where she
lived until her own end.
After visiting the monasteries of Pskov, and having venerated at the
relics of St Euphrosynus and his disciple St Sava of Krypetsk (August
28), Nikon became firmly convinced of his calling to the solitary
life.
In order to have the possibility of reading the Word of God, Nikon was
employed as a worker for the Pskov resident Philip, who rewarded his
ardor by sending him to study with an experienced teacher. Seeing the
zeal of the youth, the Lord Himself directed him to the place of his
ascetic effort. Intensely praying in one of the Pskov churches, he
heard a voice from the altar commanding him to go to the wilderness
place which the Lord would point out through His servant Theodore. The
peasant Theodore led him off to the River Demyanka, between Pskov and
Porkhov. Afterwards, both Philip and Theodore, who helped St Nicander
attain his goal, were themselves to enter upon the path of
monasticism, and were tonsured at the Krypetsk monastery with the
names Philaret and Theodosius.
After several years of silence and severe ascetic deeds, emaciating
his flesh, Nikon went to the monastery founded by St Sava of Krypetsk.
The igumen, seeing his weakened body, would not agree to accept him at
once, fearing that the difficulties of monastic life would be too much
for him. Nikon fell down at the crypt of St Sava, and spoke to him as
if to one alive, entreating him to take him into his monastery. The
igumen relented and tonsured Nikon with the name Nicander.
St Nicander endured many temptations and woes on the path of
asceticism. Blessed Nicholas (February 28) while still at Pskov
predicted St Nicander's "wilderness sufferings." Through the prayers
of all the Pskov Saints and St Alexander of Svir (August 30 and April
17), who twice appeared to him, guiding and strengthening him, and
with the help of the grace of God, he overcame all the manifold snares
of the Evil One.
By the power of prayer the monk conquered the weakness of flesh, human
failings and diabolical apparitions. Once, robbers nearly killed him,
running off with the hermit's sole, very precious possessions, his
books and icons. Through the prayers of the saint, two of them, taking
fright at the sudden death of one of their comrades, repented of their
wicked deeds and received forgiveness from the Elder.
St Nicander did not long live at the Krypetsk monastery, and he
obtained a blessing to return to his own wilderness. Later, he came to
live at the Krypetsk monastery once again, where he fulfilled the
obediences of ecclesiarch and cellerer, and then he went into the
wilderness again and lived there in fasting and prayer, meditating on
the Word the God.
Once a year, during Great Lent, St Nicander came to the Damianov
monastery, where he made his confession and received the Holy
Mysteries of Christ. Eight years before his death he received the
Great Schema. Many people began to come to the monk "for benefit,"
since in the words of St John of the Ladder, "monastic life is a light
for all mankind." Believers turned to St Nicander for prayerful help,
since the Lord had bestown on him many gifts of grace.
The wilderness-dweller had regard for all the needs of the visitors
and even built lodging for them, "the guest-house at the oak," for
which he provided heat. The monk did not permit himself to show off
his spiritual gifts. Going secretly to his cell, people always heard
him praying with bitter tears. When he noticed there were people
nearby, he immediately began to pray, concealing from them the gift of
tears that he had received.
St Nicander to the end of his life remained a wilderness-dweller, but
he gave final instructions that after his death the place of his
ascetic efforts should not be forsaken, promising his protection to
the settlers of a future monastery. The saint gave final directions to
the deacon Peter of the Porkhov women's monastery to build a church at
his grave and transfer there the icon of the Annunciation of the Most
Holy Theotokos from the Tishanka church cemetery.
He foresaw his own death, predicting that he would die when enemies
invaded the fatherland, and foretelling this immanent assault. On
September 24, 1581, during an invasion by the army of the Polish king
Stephen Bathory, a certain peasant found the monk dead. He lay on his
cot with his hands crossed on his chest. From Pskov came clergy and
people who revered the monk, and among whom was also the deacon Peter,
and they performed the rite of Christian burial.
In 1584 at the place of St Nicander's ascetic deeds, sanctified by
almost half a century of prayer, a monastery was built, which they
began to call the Nikandrov wilderness-monastery. The builder of this
monastery was St Isaiah, who had been healed through prayer to the
saint.
The glorification of St Nicander occurred under Patriarch Joachim in
1696, and the feastdays in his memory were established for September
24, the day of his repose, and on the temple feast of the monastery,
the Annunciation to the Most Holy Theotokos. During a reconstruction
of the monastery cathedral church the relics of St Nicander were
discovered, concealed in a wall. June 29 is celebrated as the day of
the uncovering of his holy relics. At present, strong bonds of prayer
connect believers with St Nicander, who is deeply venerated in the
Pskov area.
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Martyr Galacteon of Vologda
Monkmartyr Galacteon of Vologda: Fearing the wrath of Tsar Ivan the
Terrible, kinsmen of the disgraced prince Ivan Ivanovich Belsky
secretly brought his seven-year-old son Gabriel to the city of
Staritsa. In the years of his growing up, and seeing the malice of the
Tsar towards his family, the young prince withdrew to Vologda and
lived with a shoemaker, from whom he learned the cobbler's craft. His
marriage did not last long, for his wife soon died, leaving Prince
Gabriel to raise his infant daughter.
The adversities of his earthly life strengthened in him the intent to
devote himself to God. Having sought out a place at the River Sodima,
he dug a pit and made his cell near a church named for the Most Holy
Trinity. After being tonsured with the name Galacteon, he began to
labor in fasting and prayer. The ascetic did not give up his cobbler's
trade, and the money which he received from the work was divided into
three portions. One part he dedicated to God, another portion he gave
to the poor, and the third part he kept for his own needs.
Advancing in spiritual life, St Galacteon secluded himself in his
cell, chaining himself to the wall. God-fearing Christians gave him
food through a small window. The ascetic rested little, on his knees
and holding on to the chain, and he ate only dry bread and water. In
the cell of St Galacteon was nothing but the old matting with which he
covered himself.
People soon began to come to the hermit for spiritual guidance. He
received both the rich and the poor, and his words were filled with
spiritual power. He consoled the grieving and brought the proud to
their senses. In prayer St Galacteon achieved a special spiritual
grace.
Once, when the Vologda region had gone a long time without rain,
Bishop Anthony came to the church of the Holy Trinity with a church
procession and sent a request to the hermit to come and pray with
everyone for deliverance from the common woe. St Galacteon obediently
left his cell and prayed in the church, and the Lord sent abundant
rain upon the parched earth.
The ascetic had a revelation from God about impending misfortunes of
Vologda. He emerged from his cell in his chains, went to an earthen
hut and declared, "Our sins have brought the Poles and Lithuanians
upon us. Let there be fasting and prayer, and preparations to build a
temple in honor of the Icon of the Mother of God of the Sign (November
27), so that the Heavenly Queen might deliver Vologda from the wrath
of God as She did before Novgorod."
One of those present, Nechai Proskurov, said, "He is concerned not for
us, but for himself; he only wants to have a church near him. And what
will become of the temple when you die, Elder?"
St Galacteon answered gravely, "Wrath is approaching Vologda. As for
me, there at my place God is glorified, and there also a monastery
will be built." He also said that the Trinity church built by Nechai
would be burned and the house of Nechai laid waste. Passing the church
dedicated to St Demetrius of Priluki (February 11), he said, "The
Wonderworker Demetrius has prayed to the Savior for the city, but they
insult him. Around his church they set up shops and hawk their wares.
This church will be destroyed."
The prophecy of the righteous one was soon fulfilled. In September
1612 the Polish and Lithuanians stormed into Vologda, and they killed
many of the inhabitants. They defiled and plundered the churches of
God, and they set afire the city and its surroundings. As St Galacteon
predicted, the house and church built by Nechai were burned, as was
also the city church named for St Demetrius.
St Galacteon was murdered by the invaders on September 24, 1612. Pious
Christians buried the body of hosiomartyr in his cell. Over the place
of his burial miraculous healings began to occur. In the time of
Bishop Barlaam (1627-1645), a church was built in honor of the Sign
Icon of the Mother of God over the relics of the hosiomartyr
Galacteon, and a monastery was founded. With the blessing of
Archbishop Marcellus (1645-1663), a cathedral church was built at the
monastery in honor of the Holy Spirit, and the monastery took its name
from this church.
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Venerable Copres of Palestine
Saint Copres was found as a newborn infant by monks of the monastery
of St Theodosius in Palestine. He lay upon a dung-hill (in Greek
"kopria"), where his mother left him during an invasion of the
Hagarenes (Moslems).
The monks took the infant, named him Copres, fed him goat's milk and
raised him in their monastery. St Copres later accepted monastic
tonsure and spent his whole life in his monastery. Having attained to
an high degree of virtue and the gift of wonderworking, St Copres died
peacefully the age of ninety.
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Venerable Abramius the Abbot of Mirozh, Pskov
No information available at this time.
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St Vladislav of Serbia
Holy King Vladislav of Serbia was the son of holy King Stephen, and he
reigned for seven years. He was noted for his virtue and charity
towards the poor, the vagrant and the misfortunate, and he built a
monastery at Milesheva, where he died in 1239 and was buried.
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Venerable Dorothy of Kashin
Saint Dorothy of Kashin was born in 1549 of a noble family. No
information has come down to us about her name before she became a
nun, or the place of her birth. From the age of twelve, she lived in a
climate of civil unrest, and the area was subject to rebellion,
invasion, and plague.
Later, she was married to Theodore Ladygin, and they lived north of
Moscow in the region where the city of Kashin is located. They had a
son named Michael. Dorothy's husband was killed at the beginning of
the seventeenth century defending the city in a battle against Polish
and Lithuanian invaders. She was close to sixty years old at that
time.
After suffering this terrible loss, St Dorothy decided to leave the
world and enter the women's monastery of the Meeting of the Lord in
Kashin. In this same monastery were the relics of St Anna of Kashin
(October 2). The monastery had been sacked along with the city, so
conditions there were anything but easy.
St Dorothy built a small cell in the ruins, and there she engaged in
ascetical struggles. She found the Korsun icon of the Mother of God
(October 9) in the debris and kept it in her cell. This icon later
became known for its miracles.
She did not move to another monastery when she grew older, but
preferred to remain in the semi-wilderness around Kashin. She tried to
help those who were suffering during this time, encouraging and
consoling them. Whatever money she had left after her husband's death
was used to restore the monastery, or to benefit the poor.
St Dorothy had once lived in luxury, but now she was reduced to
poverty, enduring every affliction and sorrow with great patience. She
prayed continually for her husband, her monastery, and the city of
Kashin.
Once the danger had passed, the other nuns started coming back to the
monastery. St Dorothy's holy and virtuous life also inspired other
women to become nuns. They all wanted her as their abbess, but St
Dorothy refused this office, preferring to live as a humble nun. For
the rest of her life, however, she was an example to the sisters.
In 1615, St Dorothy received the Great Schema and increased her
spiritual efforts. She fell asleep in the Lord when she was about
eighty on September 24, 1629 after living in the monastery for more
than twenty years.
She was buried on the north side of the monastery church. A white
memorial stone was placed over her grave, and the inscription was
clearly legible until the twentieth century. Many miracles have taken
place at her grave for those who entreat her with faith.
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Venerable Silouan of Mt. Athos
No information available at this time.
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Icon of the Mother of God "Mirozh"
The Mirozh Icon appeared at the Mirozh monastery in the year 1198. But
later, during the reign of Ivan the Terrible, at a time when a plague
raged at Pskov, an ancient report tells how tears flowed from both
eyes of the icon. Many benefits and healings for man occured from the
icon of the Mother of God."
The Mirozh Icon is an "Orans" ("Praying") type. On either side of the
Most Holy Theotokos stand the Pskov Saints: on the right, the holy
Prince Dovmont-Timothy (May 20); on the left, his wife, the holy nun
Martha, in the world named Maria Dimitrievna (November 8, 1300). Tsar
Ivan Vasilievich took away the wonderworking icon from Pskov, but at
the monastery an exact copy remained: the so-called "Great Panagia"
from the Savior-Mirozh monastery.
On September 24, 1567, on the Feast of St Abraham at the Mirozh
monastery there occurred a miraculous sign from an ancient icon of the
Most Holy Theotokos. The celebration of the Mirozh Icon of the Sign
was established in that same year, with the blessing of Archbishop
Pimen of Novgorod and Pskov. A special service to this icon was
composed, and was published in the 1666 MENAION.
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Icon of the Mother of God of "The Myrtle Tree"
The Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos "Of the Myrtle Tree"
(Myrtidiotissa) is in the monastery church of Myrtides on the Greek
island of Kythera. It derives its name from the fact that it was found
in a myrtle bush in the fourteenth century.
At that time, a shepherd was tending his sheep in a deserted valley
which was filled with myrtle bushes. On September 24, forty days after
the Dormition, the Mother of God appeared to him and told him to seek
her icon which had been brought to that place many years before.
The shepherd fell to the ground in amazement, praying to the
Theotokos. As soon as he got up and turned around, he saw the icon in
the branches of a myrtle bush. Weeping for joy, he brought the icon
home and told his friends and relatives about how he had found it.
When he awoke the next morning, the shepherd found the icon missing,
and thought that perhaps someone had stolen it during the night. With
a heavy heart, he led his sheep back to the spot where he had found
the icon. To his amazement, he saw the icon once again in the branches
of the myrtle bush. Glorifying God, the man took the icon home with
him once more. The next morning, it had disappeared just as it had
before. When this happened a third time, the shepherd realized that
the Mother of God wanted her icon to remain where it had first
appeared.
A small church was built to house the icon, and was called "Of the
Myrtle Tree," after the icon. The building was replaced and enlarged
over the years, and many miracles took place there.
At the end of the sixteenth century Theodore Koumprianos, a descendant
of the shepherd who found the icon, lived in the village of
Kousoumari. He was a paralytic, and had an unshakeable faith that the
Mother of God would heal him. Each year on September 24 he sent a
family member to the church to light candles for him. One year he
asked to be carried there by his family so that he might venerate the
icon himself. During the Vigil, a great noise was heard coming from
the direction of the sea. People fled the church, thinking that
pirates were attacking. The paralytic remained in the church by
himself, entreating the Mother of God for protection. Suddenly, he
heard a voice from the icon telling him to get up and flee. He stood
up, and then walked out of the church. Soon he was able to run and
catch up with his relatives, who rejoiced upon seeing this miracle. As
it turned out, there was no pirate attack, and the noise was regarded
as a sign of God's providence so that the paralytic could remain alone
in church with the icon. Since that time the Koumprianos family has
celebrated the icon's Feast Day with a special reverence, since
Theodore had been healed on that day.
Some of the other miracles associated with the Most Holy Theotokos and
her icon "Of the Myrtle Tree" include protection of the island from
the plague, ending the barrenness of a Jewish woman from Alexandria,
saving people from death, and many other great wonders.
Pilgrims come to venerate the icon on the Feast of the Dormition
(August 15), and also on the day of its discovery (September 24).
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Venerable Simon of Serbia
No information available at this time.
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Venerable David of Serbia
Saint David, a nephew of holy King Stephen, in the world had the name
Demetrius. He built a monastery at Brodarova, at the River Lima, and
there he receivedmonastic tonsure with the name David and lived an
ascetical life to the end of his days.
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Holy King Stephen of Serbia
Holy King Stephen of Serbia was the first ruler of Serbia to be
crowned as king. His father was St Stephen Nemanya (February 13). King
Stephen died in 1224, accepting monastic tonsure with the name Simeon
before his death. He was buried in the Studenitsa monastery.
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St Abraham of Mirozh
Saint Abraham of Mirozh was the builder and first igumen of the Pskov
Savior-Transfiguration monastery on the banks of the River Velika, at
the confluence into it of the River Mirozha. The Mirozh monastery was
founded in about the year 1156, in the time of Svyatopolk Mstislavich,
by both St Abraham and by St Niphon, Bishop of Novgorod (April 8), a
brother of the holy Prince Vsevolod-Gabriel (February 11).
This monastery, the most ancient in Pskov, was the first seed of
monasticism transported to the Pskov soil from Kiev. On a chalice of
St Niphon is inscribed: "Holy Bishop Niphon ... enthroned, he built
many holy monasteries and churches with the approval of Prince
Vsevolod of Pskov, and upon the death of Prince Vsevolod he came ...
to Pskov and constructed ... the church of the Transfiguration of the
Lord, and a monastery of fame and beauty, and gathered brethren and
established an igumen."
Towards the end of the nineteenth century, when the Transfiguration
cathedral was remodeled, beautiful frescoes of the twelfth century
were discovered, and which now receive universal renown. St Niphon
also built a similar church at Ladoga, dedicated to St Clement of
Rome, but today only the foundations have been preserved.
There is little information about the life of St Abraham, since the
monastery was inside the city walls and it was often laid waste, and
served as quarters for enemy soldiers. The saint died on September 24,
1158. His relics lay beneath a crypt of the cathedral church in honor
of the Transfiguration of the Lord in the monastery he built.
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