Bože! A Grace Catholic Project
Posts Tagged ‘Calendar’
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 [...]
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 [...]
Sophia & Her Daughters, Faith, Hope & Charity
Sophia and her daughters lived in Italy in the second century, her teenaged daughters were tortured and beheaded for confessing the faith. Sophia mourned at their grave for three days before dying of grief. I hate to say it but I think this one is more shrouded by myth and tradition than most. The point [...]
Euphemia the Great Martyr
Euphemia was a virgin of Chalcedon who was martyred in the early fourth century (accounts differ it was either AD 307, or AD 303). It is said, that at the council of Chalcedon (which debated . . . OK fought) over the interrelationship of the two natures in Christ, Euphemia played an important role. The [...]
Exaltation of the Cross
Today we celebrate the two fold recovery of the cross. Firstly when St. Helen found the cross under the temple of Aphrodite (built by Hadrian over the site of Golgotha) in AD 324. There were all three crosses, that of Christ and the two thieves. According to tradition, St. Helen was at a loss as [...]
Autonomos Bishop of Italy, Martyr
Originally a bishop in Italy, Autonomos fled persecution and landed in Bithynia. He converted many there – and was martyred while celebrating liturgy by a pack of pagans. Tweet
Euphrosynos The Cook
Euphrosynos was a 9th century monk. He came from a poor background, and so was “coarse” by the standards of the other monks. Because of his “coarseness” Euphrosynos worked in the monastary kitchens. The monks teased and tormented him horribly because of his lack of education – themselves forgetting the radical egalitarianism of the monastic [...]
Menodora, Netrodora, Nymphodora
These three sisters lived as ascetics on a mountain. Many of the ill and infirm in the region were being healed by their prayers. The local governor was not terribly keen on this effective marketing strategy, and had the women summoned, and demanded that they abandon the faith. Naturally they refused, and were tortured and [...]
Ancestors of Christ: Joachim & Anna
Joachim & Anna were the parents of the Theotokos (according to legend), today we commemorate their memories, as well as the memory of all the ancestors of Christ (see Mt. 1) Tweet
Nativity of the Theotokos
The Protoevangelion, a second century apocryphal text which has been treated as though it were part of the canon of scripture since at least the third century, provides us with much of the biographical information we have on the early life of the Theotokos – her later life is recorded in another, later source called [...]
Sozon
Sozon was a shepherd – born a pagan he converted, and soon taught, and converted others in his region. Sozon once entered the temple of Artemis, cut off the hand of the gold statue, broke that up into pieces, and distributed the gold to the poor. When he saw that others were being unjustly accused [...]
Zacharias & Elizabeth Parents of John the Forerunner
Zacharias was a priest and a prophet – many early church writers also associate him with the Zacharias who was killed between the altar and the temple (Mt. 23.35). Elizabeth too was a prophetess. When Herod ordered the slaughter of the innocents – she hid the Forerunner somehwere in the desert. Tweet
Babylas Bishop of Antioch
Babylas, succeeded Zebennus as bishop of Antioch around AD237. There are a number of rather fun legends about him. Eusebius (EH 6.34) recounts how the emperor Philip (believed to be a Christian) attempted to join the Paschal celebrations one year during Babylas’ reign – but was prevented until he had first confessed his sins; the [...]
Anthimos Bishop of Nicomedia
His church having been burned to the ground (presumably by Pagans or government officials), killing many inside it, Anthimos took refuge in a nearby village in order to continue to care for his remaining flock. The Emperor Maximian sent a contingent to find him. When they did eventually come upon him – not knowing who [...]
Mammas the Shepherd
Mammas was born in Prison, in Ceasarea, Cappadocia. His parents Theodotus and Rufina were confessors, arrested and imprisoned for their open confession of Christianity. Mammas’ father prayed that the Lord would take him so that he would not be subject to torture – both he and Rufina died in prison. Mammas was born prematurely, and [...]
Alexander, John & Paul
These three were bishops of Constantinople prior to 381 when the See was officially recognised as a Patriarchate. Alexander attended the council of Nicea in AD 325, and witnessed the most unfortunate death of Arius (from a severe, haemorragic prolapse) which is attributed as an answer to Alexander’s prayer the day before to prevent Arius’ [...]