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The Lives of Saints are from:
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https://oca.org
https://orthochristian.com
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The Saints of Christ are always alive and near to us like Prophet Moses in Luke 9:30.
Prophet Moses died (Deuteronomy 34:5-8) but he is alive and appeared in glorious splendor:
"Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus" (Luke 9:30).
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Iona Martyrs
12 January
Died 750. Thirty-eight monks cruelly martyred in Iona, Scotland
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Saints Confessors Zosimus the Hermit and Athanasius the Commentarisius (Superintendent of Prisoners), Anchorites, of Cilicia
January 4
The Monk Confessor Zosimus came from Cilicia and was an inhabitant of the wilderness. During a time of persecution against Christians under the emperor Diocletian (284-305) Saint Zosimus was seized and subjected to fierce torture for the Faith, but by the power of God he was preserved unharmed.
Having beheld such a miracle of God, the prison warden named Athanasius believed in Christ and was baptized. Saints Zosimus and Athanasius were released and went into the wilderness where they lived in the crevice of a mountain until their death.
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Saint Finnian Lobhar (the Leper), Abbot (Finan) in Ireland (+560) - 16 March
Born at Bregia, Leinster, Ireland; died February 2, c. 560. Little is authentically known about Saint Finnian because the records of his life are conflicting. He is said to have been the son of Conail and descendent of Alild, king of Munster. He may have been a disciple of Saint Columba (f.d. June 9) (or perhaps he was trained at one of Columba's foundations); others, that he was a disciple of Saint Brendan (f.d. May 16). He was ordained by Bishop Fathlad, and may have been consecrated by him.
Finnian built a church that is believed to have been at Innisfallen in County Kerry and so is considered by some scholars to have been the founder of that monastery. Later he lived at Clonmore Abbey in Leinster and then went to Swords near Dublin, where he was made abbot by Columba when he left. Another account has him abbot of Clonmore Monastery, where he was buried, for the last thirty years of his life.
Lobhar means "the Leper," a name he acquired when he reputedly assumed the disease of a leper to cure a young boy of an illness.
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Saint Nikephoros the Leper in Athens, Greece
January 4
Father Nikephoros (Nikēphóros - Nicholas Tzanakakis in the world) was born in 1890 in a mountainous village in Khania, in Sikari, Kastanohori to the west of the prefecture with a healthy climate, with beautiful forests, rich waters, gorges and caves. This village has a peculiarity that we do not often encounter: it is divided into eleven neighborhoods, which have also been named after the families who first settled there. So Saint Nikephoros was born in the neighborhood of Kostoyianides.
His parents were simple and pious villagers, who died when he was still a young child, leaving him as an orphan. So, at the age of thirteen, he left he left his home and his grandfather, who had undertaken to raise him, and he went to Chania to work there. He found work in a barber shop and began to learn a trade. It was then that he first showed signs of of Hansen’s disease, i.e. leprosy. The lepers were isolated on the island of Spinalonga because leprosy was a contagious disease and it was treated with fear and dismay.
Nicholas was sixteen years old when signs of the disease began to become more conspicuous, so he left on a boat to Egypt in order to avoid being confined to Spinalonga. He remained in Alexandria, working in a barber shop again, but the signs of the disease became more and more apparent, especially on his hands and face. That is why, through the intervention of a cleric, he went to Chios, where there was a church for lepers at that time, and the priest was Father Anthimos Vagianos, later Saint Anthimos (February 15).
Nicholas arrived in Chios in 1914 at the age of twenty-four. In the leper hospital of Chios, which was a complex with many homesteads, there was a chapel of Saint Lazarus, where the wonderworking icon of Panagia Ypakoe1 (Feb. 2) was kept. In this space, the course of virtues was opened for Nicholas. Within two years Saint Anthimos considered him ready for the angelic Schema and tonsured him with the name Nikephoros. The disease progressed and evolved in the absence of suitable drugs, causing many large lesions (a drug was found in 1947).
Father Nikephoros lived with unquestioning, genuine obedience to his Spiritual Father, and with austere fasting, working in the gardens. He also recorded the miracles of Saint Anthimos, which he had witnessed with his own eyes (many of these were related to the deliverance of those possessed by demons).
There was a special spiritual relationship between Saint Anthimos and the monk Nikephoros, who always remained close to him, as Father Theoklitos Dionysiatis writes in his book Saint Anthimos of Chios. Father Nikephoros prayed at night for hours on end making countless metanias, he did not quarrel with anyone, nor injure anyone's heart, and he was the master chanter of the temple. Because of his illness, however, he slowly lost his sight, and so he chanted the troparia and the Epistles from memory.
The Chios leprosarium was closed in 1957 and the remaining patients, together with Father Nikephoros, were sent to Saint Barbara’s home for lepers in Athens, in Aigaleo. At that time, Father Nikephoros was about 67 years old. His members and his eyes were completely altered and distorted by the disease.
There, Father Eumenios also lived there at the home for lepers. He also suffered from Hansen’s disease, but with the medication he received, he was completely cured. However, he decided to remain in the home for lepers for the rest of his life near his fellow sufferers, caring for them with much love. Thus he submitted to Father Nikephoros, to whom the Lord had given many gifts as a reward for his patience. A crowd of people gathered in the humble cell of the leper Nikephoros, in Saint Barbara in Aigaleo to obtain his prayers. Here are some testimonies of those who met him:
“While he was prostrate with wounds and pains, he did not complain, but he showed great patience.”
“He had the charisma of consoling those who were sad. His eyes were permanently irritated, and he had limited sight. He also had stiffness in his hands and paralysis in his lower limbs. Nonetheless, he endured all of this in the sweetest, meek, smiling, delightful way, and he was also pleasant and lovable.”
“His face, which was eaten away by the marks of his illness, and his wounds, shone. It was a joy for those who saw this destitute and seemingly feeble man saying, May His holy name be glorified.”
Father Nikephoros reposed on January 4, 1964 at the age of 74. After three years, his holy relics were exhumed and found to be fragrant. Father Eumenios and other believers reported many cases where miracles occurred by calling on Saint Nikephoros to intercede with God.
The life of Saint Nikephoros was a brilliant example and model for everyone. He was pleasing to God because he had endured so much. For this reason, we have many testimonies that our saint received from the Holy Spirit the gift of discernment as and a host of other charisms. We should note that most of the miracles are recorded, and today the saint gives generous help to anyone in need. Surely there will be many more miracles which not have not yet been made manifest.
1 The name of the icon honors the obedience of the Theotokos to God’s will for her to give birth to His Son, so by her obedience people would also obey His will. The Greek word Υπακοή means “obedience.“
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Saint Enda, Abbot of Arranmore, Father of Irish Monasticism (+6th ce.)
21 March
Born in Meath; died at Killeany, Ireland, c. 530 or 590; feast day formerly on March 16.
In the 6th century, the wild rock called Aran, off the coast of Galway, was an isle of saints, and among them was Saint Enda, the patriarch of Irish monasticism. He was an Irish prince, son of Conall Derg of Oriel (Ergall) in Ulster. Legend has it that the soldier Enda was converted by his sister, Saint Fanchea (f.d. January 1), abbess of Kill-Aine. He renounced his dreams of conquest and decided to marry one of the girls in his sister's convent. When his intended bride died suddenly, he surrendered his throne and a life of worldly glory to become a monk. He made a pilgrimage to Rome and was ordained there. These stories told of the early life of Saint Enda and his sister are unreliable, but the rest is not. More authentic "vitae" survive at Tighlaghearny at Inishmore, where he was buried.
It is said that Enda learned the principles of monastic life at Rosnat in Britain, which was probably Saint David's foundation in Pembrokeshire or Saint Ninian's (f.d. September 16) in Galloway. Returning to Ireland, Enda built churches at Drogheda, and a monastery in the Boyne valley. It is uncertain how much of Enda's rule was an adaptation of that of Rosnat.
Thereafter (about 484) he begged his brother-in-law, the King Oengus (Aengus) of Munster, to give him the wild and barren isle of Aran (Aranmore) in Galway Bay. Oengus wanted to give him a fertile plot in the Golden Vale, but Aran more suited Enda's ideal for religious life. On Aran he established the monastery of Killeaney, which is regarded as the first Irish monastery in the strict sense, `the capital of the Ireland of the saints.' There they lived a hard life of manual labour, prayer, fasting, and study of the Scriptures. It is said that no fire was ever allowed to warm the cold stone cells even if "cold could be felt by those hearts so glowing with love of God."
Enda divided the island into ten parts, in each of which he built a monastery, and under his severe rule Aran became a burning light of sanctity for centuries in Western Europe. Sheep now huddle and shiver in the storm under the ruins of old walls where once men lived and prayed. This was the chosen home of a group of poor and devoted men under Saint Enda. He taught them to love the hard rock, the dripping cave, and the barren earth swept by the western gales. They were men of the cave, and also men of the Cross, who, remembering that their Lord was born in a manger and had nowhere to lay His head, followed the same hard way.
Their coming produced excitement, and the Galway fishermen were kept busy rowing their small boats filled with curious sightseers across the intervening sea, for the fame of Aran-More spread far and wide. Enda's disciples were a noble band. There was Saint Ciaran of Clonmacnoise (f.d. September 9), who came there first as a youth to grind corn, and would have remained there for life but for Enda's insistence that his true work lay elsewhere, reluctant though he was to part with him. When he departed, the monks of Aran lined the shore as he knelt for the last time to receive Enda's blessing, and watched with wistful eyes the boat that bore him from them. In his going, they declared, their island had lost its flower and strength.
Another was Saint Finnian (f.d. September 10), who left Aran and founded the monastery of Moville (where Saint Columba spent part of his youth) and who afterwards became bishop of Lucca in Tuscany, Italy. Among them also was Saint Brendan the Voyager, Saint Columba of Iona, Jarlath of Tuam (f.d. June 6), and Carthach the Elder (f.d. March 5) These and many others formed a great and valiant company who first learned in Aran the many ways of God, and who from that rocky sanctuary carried the light of the Gospel into a pagan world.
The very wildness of Aran made it richer and dearer to those who lived there. They loved those islands which as a necklace of pearls, God has set upon the bosom of the sea, and all the more because they had been the scene of heathen worship. There were three islands altogether, with lovely Irish names: Inishmore, Inishmain, and Inisheen.
On the largest stood Saint Enda's well and altar, and the round tower of the church where the bell was sounded which gave the signal that Saint Enda had taken his place at the altar. At the tolling of the bell the service of the Mass began in all the churches of the island.
O, Aran, cried Columba in ecstasy, the Rome of the pilgrims! He never forgot his spiritual home which lay in the western sun and her pure earth sanctified by so many memories. Indeed, he said, so bright was her glory that the angels of God came down to worship in the churches of Aran (Attwater, Attwater2, Benedictines, D'Arcy, Delaney78, Encyclopaedia, Farmer, Gill, Healy, Husenbeth, Kenney, Montague).
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Saint Euthymius and twelve other Monks, martyred at Vatopedi
January 4
The Monk Martyr Euthymius, Igumen of the Vatopedi Monastery on Mount Athos, and twelve other monks suffered martyrdom for denouncing the Latinizing Patriarchs Michael Paleologos (1261-1281) and John Bekkos (1275-1282) as heretics. Saint Euthymius was drowned in the sea, and the monks were hanged.
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Saint Patrick, Enlightener of Ireland (+461)
17 March
Born in Scotland (?), c. 385-390; died at Saul, Strangford Lough, Ireland, c. 461.
I was like a stone lying in the deep mire; and He that is mighty came, and in His mercy lifted me up, and verily raised me aloft and placed me on the top of the wall. --Saint Patrick
The historical Patrick is much more attractive than the Patrick of legend. It is unclear exactly where Patricius Magonus Sucatus (Patrick) was born--somewhere in the west between the mouth of the Severn and the Clyde--but this most popular Irish saint was probably born in Scotland of British origin, perhaps in a village called "Bannavem Taberniae." (Other possibilities are in Gaul or at Kilpatrick near Dumbarton, Scotland.) His father, Calpurnius, was a deacon and a civil official, a town councillor, and his grandfather was a Christian priest.
About 405, when Patrick was in his teens (14-16), he was captured by Irish raiders and became a slave in Ireland. There in Ballymena (or Slemish) in Antrim (or Mayo), Patrick first learned to pray intensely while tending his master's sheep in contrast with his early years in Britain when he knew not the true God and did not heed clerical admonitions for our salvation. After six years, he was told in a dream that he should be ready for a courageous effort that would take him back to his homeland.
He ran away from his owner and travelled 200 miles to the coast. His initial request for free passage on a ship was turned down, but he prayed, and the sailors called him back. The ship on which he escaped was taking dogs to Gaul (France). At some point he returned to his family in Britain, then seems to have studied at the monastery of Lerins on the Cote d'Azur from 412 to 415.
He received some kind of training for the priesthood in either Britain or Gaul, possibly in Auxerre, including study of the Latin Bible, but his learning was not of a high standard, and he was to regret this always. He spent the next 15 years at Auxerre were he became a disciple of Saint Germanus (f.d. July 31) and was possibly ordained about 417. Germanus is also said to have consecrated him bishop. [This is incorrect - Patrick was consecrated bishop by St Maxim of Turin during the time he was returning from Rome to Auxerre].
Heric of Auxerre wrote in the 5th century:
Since the glory of the father shines in the training of the children, of the many sons in Christ whom St. Germain is believed to have had as disciples in religion, let it suffice to make mention here, very briefly, of one most famous, Patrick, the special Apostle of the Irish nation, as the record of his work proves. Subject to that most holy discipleship for 18 years, he drank in no little knowledge in Holy Scripture from the stream of so great a well-spring. Germain sent him, accompanied by Segetius, his priest, to Celestine, Pope of Rome, approved of by whose judgement, supported by whose authority, and strengthened by whose blessing, he went on his way to Ireland.
The cultus of Patrick began in France, long before Sucat received the noble title of Patricius, which was immediately before his departure for Ireland about 431. The centre of this cultus is a few miles west of Tours, on the Loire, around the town of Saint- Patrice, which is named after him. The strong, persistent legend is that Patrick not only spent the twenty years after his escape from slavery there, but that it was his home. The local people firmly believe that Patrick was the nephew of Saint Martin of Tours (f.d. November 11) and that he became a monk in his uncle's great Marmoutier Abbey.
Patrick's cultus there reverts to the writing, Les Fleurs de Saint-Patrice, which relates that Patrick was sent from the abbey to preach the Gospel in the area of Brehemont-sur-Loire. He went fishing one day and had a tremendous catch. The local fishermen were upset and forced him to flee. He reached a shelter on the north bank where he slept under a blackthorn bush. When he awoke the bush was covered with flowers. Because this was Christmas day, the incident was considered a miracle, which recurred each Christmas until the bush was destroyed in World War I. The phenomenon was evaluated many times and verified by various observers, including official organisations. He is now the patron of the fishermen on the Loire and, according to a modern French scholar, the patron of almost every other occupation in the neighbourhood. There is a grotto dedicated to him at Marmoutier, which contains a stone bed, alleged to have been his. It is said that in visions he heard voices in the wood of Focault or that he dreamed of Ireland and determined to return to the land of his slavery as a missionary in the footsteps of Saint Palladius (f.d. July 6). In that dream or vision he heard a cry from many people together come back and walk once more among us, and he read a writing in which this cry was named 'the voice of the Irish.'
In his Confessio Patrick writes: It was not my grace, but God who overcometh in me, so that I came to the heathen Irish to preach the Gospel . . . to a people newly come to belief which the Lord took from the ends of the earth. Saint Germanus consecrated him bishop about 432, and sent him to Ireland to succeed Saint Palladius (f.d. July 6). the first bishop, who had died earlier that year. There was some opposition to Patrick's appointment, probably from Britain, but Patrick made his way to Ireland about 435.
He set up his see at Armagh about 444 and organised the church into territorial sees, as elsewhere in the West and East. While Patrick encouraged the Irish to become monks and nuns, it is not certain that he was a monk himself; it is even less likely that in his time the monastery became the principal unit of the Irish Church, although it was in later periods. The choice of Armagh may have been determined by the presence of a powerful king. There Patrick had a school and presumably a small "familia" in residence; from this base he made his missionary journeys. There seems to have been little contact with the Palladian Christianity of the southeast.
There is no reliable account of his work in Ireland, where he had been a captive. Legends include the stories that he drove snakes from Ireland, and that he described the mystery of the Trinity to Laoghaire, high king of Ireland, by referring to the shamrock, and that he singlehandedly--an impossible task--converted Ireland. Nevertheless, Saint Patrick established the Church throughout Ireland on lasting foundations: he travelled throughout the country preaching, teaching, building churches, opening schools and monasteries, converting chiefs and bards, and everywhere supporting his preaching with miracles.
At Tara in Meath he is said to have confronted King Laoghaire on the Celtic Feast of Tara which coincided with Easter Eve. On that day the fires were quenched throughout the country. The penalty for infringing the superstitious custom by kindling a fire was death. Nevertheless, Patrick kindled the light of the Paschal fire on the hill of Slane (the fire of Christ never to be extinguished in Ireland). When Laoghaire and his men went to apprehend the violator of their sacred night, they were treated to a sermon that confounded the Druids into silence, and gained a hearing for Patrick as a man of power. During the course of the sermon, Patrick picked up a shamrock to use it as a symbol of the triune God.
Patrick converted the king's daughters Saints Ethenea and Fidelmia (f.d. January 11). He threw down the idol of Crom Cruach in Leitrim. Patrick wrote that he daily expected to be violently killed or enslaved again.
He gathered many followers, including Saint Benignus (f.d. November 9), who would become his successor. That was one of his chief concerns, as it always is for the missionary Church: the raising up of native clergy.
He wrote: It was most needful that we should spread our nets, so that a great multitude and a throng should be taken for God. . . . Most needful that everywhere there should be clergy to baptize and exhort a people poor and needy, as the Lord in the Gospel warns and teaches, saying: Go ye therefore now, and teach all nations. And again: Go ye therefore into the whole world and preach the Gospel to every creature. And again: This Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a testimony to all nations.
In his writings and preaching, Patrick revealed a scale of values. He was chiefly concerned with abolishing paganism, idolatry, and sun-worship. He made no distinction of classes in his preaching and was himself ready for imprisonment or death for following Christ. In his use of Scripture and eschatological expectations, he was typical of the 5th-century bishop. One of the traits which he retained as an old man was a consciousness of his being an unlearned exile and former slave and fugitive, who learned to trust God completely.
There was some contact with the pope. He visited Rome in 442 and 444. As the first real organiser of the Irish Church, Patrick is called the Apostle of Ireland. According to the Annals of Ulster, the Cathedral Church of Armagh was founded in 444, and the see became a centre of education and administration. Patrick organised the Church into territorial sees, raised the standard of scholarship (encouraging the teaching of Latin), and worked to bring Ireland into a closer relationship with the Western Church.
His writings show what solid doctrine he must have taught his listeners. His Confessio (his autobiography, perhaps written as an apology against his detractors), the "Lorica" (or "Breastplate"), and the "Letter to the Soldiers of Coroticus," protesting British slave trading and the slaughter of a group of Irish Christians by Coroticus's raiding Christian Welshmen, are the first surely identified literature of the British or Celtic Church.
What stands out in his writings is Patrick's sense of being called by God to the work he had undertaken, and his determination and modesty in carrying it out: I, Patrick, a sinner, am the most ignorant and of least account among the faithful, despised by many. . . . I owe it to God's grace that so many people should through me be born again to him.
The Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland by the Four Masters state that by the year 438 Christianity had made such progress in Ireland that the laws were changed to agree with the Gospel. That means that in 6 years a 60 year old man was able to so change the country that even the laws were amended. St. Patrick had no printing press, no finances, few helpers and Ireland had no Roman roads to travel on. See http://www.ireland-now.com/heritage/myths/histofpatrick.html
There are many places in Ireland associated with S. Patrick but none more than Croagh Patrick in County Mayo where he spent the forty days of Lent in 441 and saw devils as flocks of black birds and was sustained by the angels of God appearing as white birds filling the sky. On the last Sunday in July the age-long annual pilgrimage draws thousands to scale the mountain.
The National Museum at Dublin has his bell and tooth, presumably from the shrine at Downpatrick, where he was originally entombed with Saints Brigid and Columba. St Patrick's Church in Belfast claims to possess an enshrined arm.
The high veneration in which the Irish hold Patrick is evidenced by the common salutation, May God, Mary, and Patrick bless you. His name occurs widely in prayers and blessings throughout Ireland. Among the oldest devotions of Ireland is the prayer used by travellers invoking Patrick's protection, "An Mhairbhne Phaidriac" or "The Elegy of Patrick." He is alleged to have promised prosperity to those who seek his intercession on his feast day, which marks the end of winter. A particularly lovely legend is that the Peace of Christ will reign over all Ireland when the Palm and the Shamrock meet, which means when St. Patrick's Day fall on Palm Sunday.
We are told that often Patrick baptized hundreds on a single day. He would come to a place, a crowd would gather, and when he told them about the true God, the people would cry out from all sides that they wanted to become Christians. Then they would move to the nearest water to be baptized.
On such a day Aengus, a prince of Munster, was baptized. When Patrick had finished preaching, Aengus was longing with all his heart to become a Christian. The crowd surrounded the two because Aengus was such an important person. Patrick got out his book and began to look for the place of the baptismal rite but his crosier got in the way.
As you know, the bishop's crosier often has a spike at the bottom end, probably to allow the bishop to set it into the ground to free his hands. So, when Patrick fumbled searching for the right spot in the book so that he could baptize Aengus, he absent-mindedly stuck his crosier into the ground just beside him--and accidentally through the foot of poor Aengus!
Patrick, concentrating on the sacrament, never noticed what he had done and proceeded with the baptism. The prince never cried out, nor moaned; he simply went very white. When Patrick turned to take up his crosier and was horrified to find that he had driven it through the prince's foot!
But why didn't you say something? Your foot is bleeding and you'll be lame. . . . Poor Patrick was very unhappy to have hurt another.
Then Aengus said in a low voice that he thought having a spike driven through his foot was part of the ceremony. He added something that must have brought joy to the whole court of heaven and blessings on Ireland:
Christ, he said slowly, shed His blood for me, and I am glad to suffer a little pain at baptism to be like Our Lord (Curtayne).
In art, Saint Patrick is represented as a bishop driving snakes before him or trampling upon them. At times he may be shown (1) preaching with a serpent around the foot of his pastoral staff; (2) holding a shamrock; (3) with a fire before him; or (4) with a pen and book, devils at his feet, and seraphim above him (Roeder, White). He is patron of Ireland and especially venerated at Lerins (Roeder, White).
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Saint New Martyr Onuphrius of Hilandar (Mount Athos)
January 4
The New Martyr Onuphrius, in the world Matthew, was born in Bulgaria in Gabrovo in the Trnovo diocese. Matthew became angry with his parents one day, and said he wished to become a Moslem. Unfortunately, he was overheard by the Hagarenes, who wished to take him away. He regretted these words as soon as he uttered them, and he went to Athos to the Hilandar monastery as soon as he came of age. There he became a monk with the name Manassas.
Tormented by his conscience, Manassas decided to suffer for Christ. Therefore, he asked the blessing of his Elder Nikēphóros to pursue the path of martyrdom. The Elder tonsured him a schemamonk with the name Onuphrius. After four months of intense prayer, fasting, and spiritual struggle, he went with Gregory of the Peloponnesos to the island of Chios. There the Monk Martyr Onuphrius openly confessed the Christian Faith, for which he was seized and subjected to cruel tortures.
After the torture they beheaded him and threw him into the sea. He died in 1818 at the age of thirty-two.
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Saint Gerald of Mayo, Ireland (+731) - 13 March
Born in Northumbria, England; died in Galway, Ireland, 732. Saint Gerald became a monk at Lindisfarne and probably followed Saint Colman to Innisbofin Island, Galway, Ireland, when the Celtic liturgical practices were displaced in Northumbria.
He became a monk, then abbot, of the abbey known as Mayo of the Saxons, which Colman founded for the English following a quarrel between the English and Irish monks. The abbey flourished and was so well known for the erudition of its monks that Blessed Alcuin (f.d. May 19) corresponded with its abbot and monks. He lived to a great age and may have witnessed the introduction of Roman observances into his abbey. Gerald is sometimes said to have been consecrated bishop, but this is uncertain.
He is believed to have founded the abbeys of Elytheria, or Tempul-Gerald in Connaught, as well as Teaghna-Saxon, and a convent that he put under the care of his sister Segretia. He was buried at Mayo, where a church dedicated to God under his patronage remains to this day.
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Saint Brannock, Abbot in Wales (6th ce.)
7 January
6th century. Saint Brannock appears to have migrated from southern Wales into Devon, and to have founded a monastery at Braunton, near Barnstaple in Devonshire, where William Worcestre and Leland say he was buried. The traditions concerning him are sometimes uncertain. Some hagiographers identify him as the 6th-century Welsh missionary Saint Brynach (Bernach or Bernacus). Because there are two separate feasts at Exeter on April and January 7 for the respective saints, it is unlikely that they are the same person
https://celticsaints.org/2022/0107a.html
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Saints Holy Fathers of the Shio-Mgvime Monastery in Georgia
January 4
The Thirteen Syrian fathers arrived in Georgia in the 6th century, having received a blessing for their journey from the Most Holy Theotokos. They settled on Zedazeni Mountain, living an ascetic life of prayer and fasting. Their spiritual leader, Ioane, then sent them to perform good works throughout various regions of Georgia. The founding of many monasteries and the revival of monastic life in Georgia today are linked to the names of the Thirteen Syrian Fathers.
Saint Ioane sent one of his disciples, Shio, the son of a God-fearing Antiochian nobleman, to take up his abode in the nearby Sarkineti Mountains. By the grace of God, a dove brought food to Saint Shio in the deserted highlands where he labored.
A certain ruler, Evagre of Tsikhedidi, would often go hunting in the area where Saint Shio lived. On one of his excursions he happened upon venerable Shio and was so awed by his wondrous way of life that he decided to remain there with him. Saint Evagre gave up all his possessions and was found worthy to be appointed abbot at the time of Saint Shio’s death.
Saint Ioane remained on Zedazeni Mountain with only one disciple, the holy deacon Ilia. Fr. Ilia was a great consolation to Saint Ioane in his infirmities. Saint Ilia was also a great ascetic in his own right, laboring in prayer, fasting, and mortification of the flesh.
The mountain on which they lived was completely lacking water. Saint Ilia labored in the sweat of his brow carrying water from the Aragvi River, which flows around the foot of Zedazeni Mountain. Seeing the great ascetic labors of his disciple, Saint Ioane besought God with tears that He would supply them with a spring of water on top of this high mountain. God heard the prayer of His servant and a spring of delicious water began to flow.
Saint Ilia the Deacon often accompanied Saint Ioane on his travels. Fr. Ioane once took him to the monastery of Saint Shio, and Ilia the Deacon, as requested, presented Saint Ioane with a cup of wine in the refectory. The blessed Ioane made the sign of the Cross over the cup, raised it aloft, prayed to God, and left the cup suspended in the air. It remained where he had placed it, as if supported by an invisible hand.
One day Saint Ilia went to the spring to draw water. Glancing up he saw opposite him a bear of enormous size approaching the spring. Ilia was terrified and, leaving his bucket, turned and fled to the great schemamonk Ioane to tell him about the bear. Saint Ioane followed his disciple to the well and saw the bear drinking water. Saint Ioane meekly said, “Drink if you are thirsty and go away from here. But I tell you that henceforth, you and your kind shall never dare to cause any harm to anyone on this mountain.” Hearing the words of the saint and inclining its head like an obedient servant, the bear immediately left the spring. And to this day the animals continue to obey Saint Ioane’s command.
The holy deacon Ilia remained with Saint Ioane the rest of his life. The Georgian Apostolic Church beseeches the protection of the venerable Evagre, Ilia the Deacon, and all the blessed and pious elders who dwelt with the Thirteen Syrian Fathers and continued laboring in holiness to the end of their lives.
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St. Thomian, Bishop of Armagh, Ireland
10 January
Died c. 660. As archbishop of Armagh (623-660), Thomian wrote a letter to the Holy See regarding the paschal controversy.
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St. Boadin, hermit in France, from Ireland
11 January
Dates unknown. Boadin was another Irishman who migrated to France and became a Benedictine monk there. This may be a repeat of Brandan.
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Saint Symeon Metropolitan of Smolensk, Russia
January 4
Saint Symeon (Symeón) the future Metropolitan of Smolensk, was born in the city of Tobolsk in Siberia, and was a descendent of theMolyukov family of merchants.
His love for the monastic life led him to the Monastery of Saints Boris and Gleb in the city of Rostov. After his tonsure, he remained there for some time; and then, distinguished by his talents, he was chosen as Archimandrite of Nizhni Novgorod's Monastery of the Caves in 1672. There, because of his piety and activities for the improvement of the Monastery, he was noticed by the Church hierarchy. In 1674 he was transferred to Moscow as Superior of Andronikov Monastery, where he soon won the special favor of Tsar Alexei and his family.
Saint Symeon was consecrated as Archbishop of Smolensk in Moscow's Dormition Cathedral on April 9, 1676.
From 1612 to 1642 the Smolensk region was under Polish rule. The Catholics and Uniates violently seized Orthodox churches for Catholic and Uniate use in 1639; and so throughout Smolensk and Drohobuzh no Orthodox services were held in the counties.
After the capture of Smolensk by Tsar Alexei, Catholic spirit and Polish morals did not yield their influence at once. A great effort was required to restore Orthodoxy, which had been trampled on by heresies and weapons. Saint Symeon spent twenty-three years toiling in his See.
In a special presentation to the Tsar, Archbishop Symeon reported that it was desirable to have a cathedral in Smolensk which would befit the greatness of Orthodoxy.
In 1676, a design for the construction of the cathedral was sent from Moscow, and the Tsar donated two thousand rubles, as well as the necessary materials.
The foundation of the Dormition Cathedral was laid on August 2, 1677, but the Saint would not complete this undertaking. The consecration of the temple only took place in 1772.
With the blessing of the archpastor, churches were built in other cities of the diocese. Thus, Trinity cathedral was built at Vyazma, and construction of the Dormition church was begun in the city of Krasny.
Metropolitan Symeon participated in Patriarch Nikon's burial in 1681, and received from the Tsar a precious mitre from the patriarchal sacristy.
At the end of the year, he took part in the work of the territorial Council and in the meetings of the local Council, at which it was decided to establish a metropolis in Smolensk and a vicariate in Vyazma and Bryansk.
After the death of Tsar Alexei, who was Saint Symeon's patron, he was deprived of his white klobuk as the result of intrigues, and was exiled to repentance in the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, where he spent two years. Meanwhile, the schism in the Smolensk diocese intensified. Returning from imprisonment, the Archbishop continued his intensive work for the improvement of his diocese. He met repeatedly with Tsar Peter I in Smolensk, but history is silent about whether those meetings were beneficial or not.
In 1695, burdened with old age, the Hierarch began to ask for retirement. However, it was decided to wait until a worthy successor could be found. Saint Symeon, who was renowned for the holiness of his life, reposed on the night of January 4, 1699.
The Saint was buried in Smolensk's Trinity Cathedral. Later, his tomb became the resting place of his successors: Sylvester II (Chernitsky), Sylvester III (Kraisky), and Dorótheos (Korotkevich), until the revolution, pious citizens of Smolensk often visited his tomb. Many people revered Metropolitan Symeon as a Saint, and had panikhidas served for the repose of his soul. They also received healing from their sicknesses, according to their faith.1
Thus, in 1840, by the Saint's prayers, the gravely ill landowner Bogdanovich, who had been treated in Russia for many years, was healed after the tomb (which had fallen into disrepair) was reopened. In 1880, after panikhidas were served for the deceased hierarchs, the son of the tradesman V. Prokhorov was healed.
The Saint's relics were moved to the city cemetery in the 1930s. On March 17, 1996, Metropolitan Symeon's relics were solemnly reburied in Smolensk's Dormition Cathedral. Saint Symeon was canonized as a local Saint of the Novosibirsk diocese; and in 1984 he was also glorified at the Synaxis of the Siberian Saints.
Saint Symeon is also commemorated on June 10 (Synaxis of the Siberian Saints), and on the Sunday before July 28 (Synaxis of the Smolensk Saints). The holy Hierarch Symeon should not be confused with Prince Symeon of Vyazma, who suffered martyrdom on December 21, 1406.
oca.org
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Saint Blathmac of Iona, Scotland (+835)
As Ireland was too far to be effected by the persecutions of Roman emperors in the early centuries and was also to far to be effected by the later Islamic invasions, combined with the fact that the conversion from paganism within Ireland was rapid and peaceful, there are not very many Irish saints who were martyrs. Saint Blathmac is an exception to this as he was bravely martyred in a Viking raid.
There had been multiple Viking raids on Iona in the early 9th century causing many of the monks, including the abbot, to move to Kells in Ireland. Saint Blathmac had been an abbot of a different monastery on Ireland but moved to Iona. He was the acting abbot in the abscence of the abbot who was residing in Kells for safety. Anticipating another Viking attack, Saint Blathmac had the relics of Saint Columba of Iona moved to a hidden location.
Just after finishing the Liturgy on the island, the Vikings did attack. They demanded that Saint Blathmac reveal the location of the relics. He boldly refused them and was martyred. Miracles were reported at the site of Saint Blathmac’s grave.
An interesting fact is that the most complete account of the above was written only shortly after the events by Walafrid Strabo, a German monk. He was the abbot of Reichenau Island which is in southern Germany and has many written works to his name on theology, lives of saints and poetry. A common misconception is that Iona, or even worse Ireland in general, was remote, inaccessible, and cut-off from the larger Christian world on the continent of Europe. Although there are many more examples to disprove this idea, the fact that a poetic account of Saint Blathmac’s martyrdom was written by Walafrid Strabo would be one such piece of evidence.
https://irishortodoxa.wordpress.com/2022/05/31/8th-century-irish-saints/
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Eve of the Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
January 5
The fourth day of the Forefeast of Theophany falls on January 5. If January 5th falls on a weekday, the following order is observed:
Vespers on the evening of the 4th, then Matins. The First Hour is not read after Matins.
On the 5th we read the Royal Hours, followed by Vespers and the Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great.
If the Eve of Theophany falls on Saturday:
The Royal Hours are read on Friday, but there is no Liturgy. Vespers on the evening of the 4th, followed by Matins. The Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom is celebrated on Saturday morning.
If the Eve of Theophany falls on a Sunday:
The Royal Hours are read on Friday, but there is no Liturgy. Vigil is served on Saturday evening, and the Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom is celebrated on Sunday.
There are thirteen readings at Vespers on the Eve of Theophany, and the entrance is made with the Gospel. There is fasting today, whatever day of the week it may be.
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Saint Nathalan, Bishop of Aberdeenshire, Scotland (+7th ce.)
8 January
Born of a noble family at the beginning of the 7th C. on the East Coast of Scotland. Nathalan decided to show his devotion to God by spending his life cultivating the earth. As a result, he grew vegetables enough to feed people in times of famine. He preserved Scotland from Pelagianism. He resided at Tullicht, now in the Diocese of Aberdeen of which he became Bishop. He built churches in Tullicht, Bothelim and Hill. He reposed in the late 7th C. and was buried in the Church at Tullicht. His name appears in the Aberdeen Breviary.
https://celticsaints.org/2022/0108g.html
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Saint Kentigerna of Loch Lomond, Scotland, from Ireland (+734)
7 January
Died on Inch Cailleach, Scotland, c. 733-734. Kentigerna was the mother of Saint Fillan and the daughter of Kelly (Cellach), prince of Leinster. She married a neighbouring prince, who was the father of Fillan. After her husband's death, she left Ireland with her missionary brother Saint Comghan and her son to lead the life of a recluse on the island of Inch Cailleach (or Inchebroida, according to some), in Loch Lomond, Scotland, where a church is dedicated in her name. Kentigerna is listed in the Aberdeen Breviary.
https://celticsaints.org/2022/0107b.html
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Hieromartyr Theopemptus, Bishop of Nicomedia, and Martyr Theonas
January 5
The Holy Martyrs Theopemptus and Theonas suffered in Nicomedia in the year 303. Saint Theopemptus was bishop in Nicomedia in the time of Diocletian. Speaking out against idolatry, he defended the faith in Christ. Because of this, he became one of the first victims of the Diocletian persecution.
The saint refused to obey the emperor’s order to worship an idol of Apollo. Saint Theopemptus was thrown into a red-hot furnace, but by the power of God he remained alive. The emperor came to the furnace by night with a detachment of soldiers, and there he saw the saint alive and praying to God. Ascribing the miracle to magic, Diocletian thought to exhaust Saint Theopemptus by depriving him of food and drink for twenty-two days, but the martyr was preserved by the will of God.
The emperor brought the famous sorcerer Theonas to overcome Bishop Theopemptus’ supposed magical power. Theonas prepared a poison for Saint Theopemptus, put it into a little cake, and offered it to him to eat. The poison did no harm at all to Saint Theopemptus. Then Theonas tried an even stronger poison on the martyr. Seeing that Saint Theopemptus remained unharmed, he came to believe in Christ. They threw him into prison together with the holy bishop, who taught and baptized him, giving him the name Synesios (which means “full of understanding”).
At dawn Diocletian summoned Saint Theopemptus, and again tried to turn him to pagan impiety. Seeing that the bishop remained firm in his faith, he subjected him to many grievous tortures, after which the saint was beheaded. The holy martyr Theonas refused to offer sacrifice to idols, so he was buried alive in a deep ditch. This occurred at Nicomedia in the year 303.
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Saint Brynach the Irishman of Carn-Engyle, Wales (+5th ce.)
7 April
5th century. Brynach was an Irishman who settled in Wales, where he built a hermitage and a church at a place called Carn-Engyle (Mountain of Angels) overlooking the Nevern (Pembrokeshire). Traditionally, the place received its name because Brynach was in constant communication with the angels. His church became the principal church of the district. Some authors identify him with Saint Brannock of Braunton (f.d. January 7).
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St. Merinus the Hermit in Bangor, Ireland
6 January
6th century. A disciple of Dunawd of Bangor (Ireland), Merinus is the titular saint of churches in Wales and Brittany.
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Discovery of the Relics of the Saint Great Martyr Ephraim of Nea Makri, Greece
January 3
After Saint Ephraim (Ephraίm) suffered martyrdom on May 5,1426, he remained forgotten for nearly 500 years, hidden in the depths of silence and oblivion until January 3, 1950. By then a women’s monastery had sprung up on the site of the old monastery. The Igoumeness Makaria († April 23, 1999) was wandering through the ruins of the monastery, thinking of the martyrs whose bones had been scattered over that ground, and whose blood had watered the tree of Orthodoxy. She realized that this was a holy place, and she prayed that God would permit her to behold one of the Fathers who had lived there.
After some time, she seemed to sense an inner voice telling her to dig in a certain spot. She indicated the place to a workman whom she had hired to make repairs at the old monastery. The man was unwilling to dig there, for he wanted to dig somewhere else. Because the man was so insistent, Mother Makaria (Μακαρία) let him go where he wished. She prayed that the man would not be able to dig there, and so he struck rock. Although he tried to dig in three or four places, he met with the same results. Finally, he agreed to dig where the Igoumeness had first indicated.
In the ruins of an old cell, he cleared away the rubble and began to dig in an angry manner. The Igoumeness told him to slow down, for she did not want him to damage the body that she expected to find there. He mocked her because she expected to find the relics of a saint. When he reached the depth of six feet, however, he unearthed the head of the man of God. At that moment an ineffable fragrance filled the air. The workman turned pale and was unable to speak. Mother Makaria told him to go and leave her there by herself. She knelt and reverently kissed the body. As she cleared away more earth, she saw the sleeves of the Saint’s rasson. The cloth was thick and appeared to have been woven on a loom of an earlier time. She uncovered the rest of the body and began to remove the bones, which appeared to be those of a Martyr.
Mother Makaria was still in that holy place when evening fell, so she read the service of Vespers. Suddenly she heard footsteps coming from the grave, moving across the courtyard toward the door of the church. The footsteps were strong and steady, like those of a man of strong character. The nun was afraid to turn around and look, but then she heard a voice say, “How long are you going to leave me here?”
She saw a tall monk with small, round eyes, whose beard reached his chest. In his left hand was a bright light, and he gave a blessing with his right hand. Mother Makaria was filled with joy and her fear disappeared. “Forgive me,” she said, “I will take care of you tomorrow as soon as God makes the day dawn.” The Saint disappeared, and the Igoumeness continued to read Vespers.
In the morning after Matins, Mother Makaria cleaned the bones and placed them in a niche in the altar area of the church, lighting a candle before them. That night Saint Ephraim appeared to her in a dream. He thanked her for caring for his relics, then he said, “My name is Saint Ephraim.” From his own lips, she heard the story of his life and martyrdom.
Since Saint Ephraim glorified God during his life and by his death, the Lord granted him the grace of working miracles. Those who venerate his holy relics with faith and love have been healed of all kinds of illnesses and infirmities, and he is quick to answer the prayers of those who call upon him.
oca.org
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St. Faolan (Fillan), Abbot of Strathfillan, Scotland
9 January
Also 19 January. Son of Saint Kentigerna, Hermit of Loch Lomond. Monk. Hermit, living most of his life in prayer near the Saint Andrew Monastery. Built a church at Gledochart. For centuries after his death, the mentally ill were miraculously cured by being dipped in a fountain in the church.
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Saint Euthymius Takaishvili of Georgia
January 3
Saint Ekvtime (Euthymius) Takaishvili, called the “Man of God,” was born January 3, 1863, in the village of Likhauri, in the Ozurgeti district of Guria, to the noble family of Svimeon Takaishvili and Gituli Nakashidze. He was orphaned at a young age and raised by his uncle.
From early childhood Saint Ekvtime demonstrated a great passion for learning. Having completed his studies at the village grammar school, he enrolled at Kutaisi Classical High School. In 1883 he graduated with a silver medal and moved to Saint Petersburg to continue his studies in the department of history-philology at Saint Petersburg University. In 1887, having successfully completed his studies and earned a degree in history, Saint Ekvtime returned to Georgia and began working in the field of academia. His profound faith and love for God and his motherland determined his every step in this demanding and admirable profession.
In 1895, Ekvtime married Nino Poltoratskaya, daughter of the famous Tbilisi attorney Ivan Poltoratsky, who was himself a brother in-law and close friend of Saint Ilia Chavchavadze the Righteous. From the very beginning of his career Saint Ekvtime began to collect historical-archaeological and ethnographical materials from all over Georgia. His sphere of scholarly interests was broad, including historiography, archaeology, ethnography, epigraphy, numismatics, philology, folklore, linguistics, and art history. Above all, Saint Ekvtime strove to learn more about Georgian history and culture by applying the theories and methodologies of these various disciplines to his work.
In 1889, Saint Ekvtime established the Exarchate Museum of Georgia, in which were preserved ancient manuscripts, sacred objects, theological books, and copies of many important frescoes that had been removed from ancient churches. This museum played a major role in rediscovering the history of the Georgian Church.
In 1907, Saint Ekvtime founded the Society for Georgian History and Ethnography. Of the many expeditions organized by this society, the journey through Muslim (southwestern) Georgia was one of the most meaningful. Having witnessed firsthand the aftermath of the forced isolation and Islamization of this region, Saint Ekvtime and his fellow pilgrims acquired a greater love for the Faith of their forefathers and became more firmly established in their national identity. Though they no longer spoke the Georgian language, the residents of this region received the venerable Ekvtime with great respect, having sensed from his greeting and kindness that he had come from their far-off motherland.
There was not a single patriotic, social or cultural movement in Georgia during the first quarter of the 20th century in which Saint Ekvtime did not actively take part. Among his other important achievements, he was one of the nine professors who founded Tbilisi University in 1918. Saint Ekvtime also vigorously advocated the restoration of the autocephaly of the Georgian Orthodox Church.
On March 11, 1921, the Georgian government went into exile in France. The government archives and the nation’s spiritual and cultural treasures were also flown to France for protection from the Bolshevik danger. Saint Ekvtime was personally entrusted to keep the treasures safe, and he and his wife accompanied them on their flight to France. Saint Ekvtime bore the hardships of an emigrant’s life and the horrors of World War II with heroism, while boldly resisting the onslaught of European and American scholars and collectors and the claims of other Georgian emigrants to their “family relics.”
In 1931 Saint Ekvtime’s wife, Nino, his faithful friend and companion, died of starvation. The elderly widower himself often drew near to the brink of death from hunger, cold, and stress, but he never faltered in his duty before God and his motherland—he faithfully protected his nation’s treasures.
The perils were great for Saint Ekvtime and the treasures he protected: British and American museums sought to purchase the Georgian national artifacts; a certain Salome Dadiani, the widow of Count Okholevsky, declared herself the sole heir of the Georgian national treasure; during World War II the Nazis searched Saint Ekvtime’s apartment; even the French government claimed ownership of the Georgian treasures.
Finally, the Soviet victory over fascist Germany created conditions favorable for the return of the national treasures to Georgia. According to an agreement between Stalin and De Gaulle, the treasures and their faithful protector were loaded onto an American warplane and flown back to their motherland on April 11, 1945. When he finally stepped off the plane and set foot on Georgian soil, Saint Ekvtime bowed deeply and kissed the earth where he stood. Georgia greeted its long-lost son with great honor. The people overwhelmed Saint Ekvtime with attention and care, restored his university professorship, and recognized him as an active member of the Academy of Sciences. They healed the wounds that had been inflicted on his heart.
Exhausted by the separation from his motherland and the woes of emigration, Saint Ekvtime rejoined society with the last of his strength. But mankind’s enemy became envious of the victory of good over evil and rose up against Saint Ekvtime’s unshakable spirit. In 1951 the Chekists arrested his stepdaughter, Lydia Poltoratskaya. Saint Ekvtime, who by that time was seriously ill, was now left without his caregiver.
In 1952, without any reasonable explanation, Saint Ekvtime was forbidden to lecture at the university he himself had helped to found, and he was secretly placed under house arrest. The people who had reverently greeted him upon his return now trembled in fear of his persecution and imminent death. Many tried to visit and support Saint Ekvtime, but they were forbidden. On February 21, 1953, Saint Ekvtime died of a heart attack, and three days later a group of approximately forty mourners accompanied the virtuous prince to his eternal resting place.
On February 10, 1963, the centennial of Saint Ekvtime’s birth, his body was reburied at the Didube Pantheon in Tbilisi. When his grave was uncovered, it was revealed that not only his body, but even his clothing and footwear had remained incorrupt. Saint Ekvtime’s relics were moved once again, to the Pantheon at the Church of Saint Davit of Gareji on Mtatsminda, where they remain today.
The body of Nino Poltoratskaya-Takaishvili was brought from Leville (France) and buried next to Saint Ekvtime on February 22, 1987.
The Holy Synod of the Georgian Apostolic Orthodox Church canonized Saint Ekvtime on October 17, 2002, and joyously proclaimed him a “Man of God.”
oca.org
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St. Eigrad of Anglesey Island, Wales
6 January
6th century. Saint Eigrad, a brother of Saint Samson, was trained by Saint Illtyd, and founded a church in Anglesey.
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Saint Martyr Gordius at Caesarea, in Cappadocia
January 3
The Martyr Gordius was born at the end of the third century in the city of Caesarea of Cappadocia into a Christian family. When he came of age, he entered military service. Because of his valor and military skill, he was made a centurion. During the persecution of Christians at the beginning of the fourth century, he left the world and settled in the Sinai desert to prepare himself for the good deed of confessing the Name of Christ the Savior.
In the year 320, Gordius openly appeared before the prefect of a city where pagan games were being held, and identified himself as a Christian. He was arrested, suffered terrible torments, then was beheaded.
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St. Hywyn (Owen) of Aberdaron, Wales
6 January
Died after 516. Saint Hywyn was probably a companion of Saint Cadfan on his return journey from Brittany in 516 to Cornwall and Wales. He is said to have been the founder of Aberdaron in Carnarvonshire. Several churches in western England known as Saint Owen's or Saint Ewen's possibly have Hywyn for their titular saint.
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Holy Prophet Malachi
January 3
The Holy Prophet Malachi lived 400 years before the Birth of Christ, at the time of the return of the Jews from the Babylonian Captivity. Malachi was the last of the Old Testament prophets, therefore the holy Fathers call him “the seal of the prophets.”
Manifesting himself an image of spiritual goodness and piety, he astounded the nation and was called Malachi, i.e., an angel. His prophetic book is included in the Canon of the Old Testament. In it he upbraids the Jews, foretelling the coming of Jesus Christ and His Forerunner, and also the Last Judgment (Mal 3:1-5; 4:1-6).
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St. Melanius, Bishop of Rennes, France
6 January
Died c. 530. With Saint Remi, Melanius shares the title of Apostle of France. Melanius, a Breton by birth, was bishop of Rennes during the critical time when the Franks were overrunning Gaul. He is said to have almost completely succeeded in abolishing idolatry from his diocese and was highly revered by King Clovis. In art, Saint Melanius is depicted with a ship carrying his corpse sailing upstream. Sometimes the bishop stands on a devil or he is shown driving out the devil.
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