Bože! independent catholic ideas, identity & theology
Calendar
Paul the Confessor
Paul was the secretary, and later (in around AD 337) successor to Alexander Archbishop Constantinople. He came to office at a very turbulent time in the battle between the Arian and “orthodox” parties. This meant that like Athanasius, Paul was elected, deposed, exiled, restored, and deposed again, before being murdered (AD 350) while celebrating liturgy [...]
Hermas of the 70
St. Hermas was one of the 70 sent by the Lord (Lk 10:1-16) to spread the Gospel. He later became a bishop in Philipopoulis. The popular text of Shepherd of Hermas is traditionally attributed to him. Tweet
Nikander & Hermias
Nikander was ordained bishop of Myra by Titus. They brought many people to the faith before being denounced to Libianus, count of the city of Myra. Both men were sealed alive in a tomb for their faith. Tweet
Neonila, Terence & Their Seven Children
During the Decian persecutions (AD 249-250) this Syrian family held fast to the faith, they were tortured, and eventually beheaded. Not much else is known of them. We often seek more interesting details, sometimes however, it is worth remembering that many of the “saints” are just believers. That is to say – that’s what they [...]
Frumentius of Axum – Apostle to Ethiopia
Frumentius was a Phonecian,early in the fourth century he accompanied his uncle to Abyssinia by ship. The crew was massacred in port, and the young Frumentius became a slave in the court of the King of Axum. Frumentius gained the king’s favour, and when he died Frumentius gained his freedom. The widowed Queen however, asked [...]
Demetrius
Demetrius was the son of a Christian noble family. The Emperor Maximian took a liking to him and made him a Duke. That was until he discovered that his new protoge was a Christian. Whereupon he had him imprisioned in a bath house during a local festival (presumably to deal with the matter after the [...]
Benjamin the Deacon
A Persian he was among those beaten, and incarcerated during the persecution of Christians in the early 5th century that followed the indiscretion of one Bishop Abbas (who burned down a Fire Temple and refused to replace it) nearly 40 years before. Benjamin was offered his freedom from prison on condition that he never spoke [...]
Symeon the New Theologian
Monk, teacher, author, Symeon was an 11th century monk, and abbot in Constantionple. Tweet
Andronicus & Athanasia
Husband and wife, they became ascetics late in life moving from Antioch to the Egyptian desert. They died at the beginning of the sixth century. Troparion Tone 1 You made the wilderness your dwelling place, O God Bearing father Andronicus; you became an angel in the flesh and a wonderworker. Through fasts, vigil and prayer, [...]
Pelagia
A wealthy acress from Antioch she lived a life of wreckless luxury. Upon her conversion she retired to Jerusalem where she lived as a recluse – passing herself off as a man called Pelagius. She quickly achieved such transcendence and sanctity that upon her death her tomb became a place of pilgrimage. Pelagia is not [...]
3.5 in 4
OK, so this morning I was struck by something as I quickly scanned the recent weeks of the Calendar project. Roughly – throughout the past four months – that is one quarter of the year – there have been on average only 3.5 commemorations per month of female saints! Obviously this is not “scientific” – [...]
Sergius & Bacchus
High ranking military officials Sergius & Bacchus were inseperable. They went from strength to strength in every thing they put their hand to which caused a great deal of envy among their contemporaries. It was this jealousy that drove one to denounce the two martyrs to the Emperor during a pagan festival. As Christians they [...]
St Thomas
“Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst [...]
Charitina of Lithuania
A Lithuanian princess, in a largely pagan land, Charitina sought refuge in Novgorod from the religious and civil strife in her homeland. There she became a nun, abandoned her royal priviledge, and lived a life of simplicity. Charitina eventually became abbess of her convent, Ss. Peter & Paul in Novgorod. She died in AD 1281. [...]
Cyprian & Justina
Cyprian was a pagan priest and magician. Besotted with her beauty, Cyprian used all of his “magical” skill to lure her to him. However, he got more than he bargained for – touched by grace, he embraced the faith, and was baptised by Anthimus, then bishop of Antioch. He burned all of his magical texts, [...]
Dionysios Areopagate
A learned Athenian who converted after hearing Paul teach (Acts 17:19-34) and later became the second bishop of the city. On the Divine Names, is attributed to Dionysios – though there are reasons to think this is a problematic attribution. Dionysios is said to have been martyred at the close of the first century. Tweet
Chariton the Confessor
Born in Iconum around AD274, Chariton was arrested around AD313 for his faith in Christ, tortured, and condemned to death, only to be later released by Constantine. Chariton travelled to Palestine where he became a monk, and founded three monastaries at Pharan, Takwa, and Jericho. He died in AD350. Tweet
Anthimus the Georgian
Craftsman, Scholar, Missionary, Educator While still a young man, Anthimus was taken by the invading Ottomans as a slave from his native Georgia to Constantinople. Anthimus became a skilled craftsman, linguist, and printer. He eventually escaped, and took refuge with the Ecumenical Patriarch. He was ordained probably in the last decade of the 1600s in [...]
John The Theologian
Writer of the fourth Gospel, John was originally a disciple of the Forerunner. John was one of Jesus’ “inner circle” often refered to as the apostle “Jesus loved”. John was the one whom Jesus entrusted with the care of his mother at the crucifixion. According to legend John was exiled to Patmos by Domition, returning [...]
Sergius of Radonezh
Sergius came from a noble family. After the death of his parents he and his brother became monks building a small hermitage in the wilderness. Sergius’ older brother was not suited to the isolation of this style of monasticism and went to live in a monastary in Moscow. Sergius was not a learned man, but [...]
St Peter the Aleut
Peter was a native of Alaska, and was only a young man when he was brutally martyred (eviscerated) by the Roman Catholic authorities of San Francisco for not renouncing his Orthodox faith. We often see in hagiography the brutality of martyrdom, a Christian endures at the hands of a non-Christian. What makes this so shocking [...]
Julius Mar Alvarez – Confessor
Born in Goa, of Portuguese family, Mar Alvarez began his pastoral career as a Roman Catholic priest. However, the deteriorating situation with the Padroado (the confused system of Papal privilege and royal patronage governing the church in Portuguese India since the 14th century) lead Mar Alvarez to convert to Orthodoxy. Mar Alvarez was consecrated by [...]
Phocas of Sinope
Phocas was bishop of Sinope during the early second century. He was known for his holiness, and martyred in Pontus during the reign of the Emperor Trajan having been burned to death in a bath house. So, was the bath house set on fire because Phocas was inside, or was it an accident? Tweet
Eumenios Bishop of Gortyna
Eumenios was a pious bishop who started out in Crete, and travelled to Rome, then to Thebes in Egypt. He died at a very old age, and his relics were returned to Greece. So not wanting to discount the value of St. Eumenios – but for the purposes of our project – his commemoration will [...]