Commemorated on August 1 The origin of this Feast is explained in the Greek Horologion of 1897: “Because of the illnesses which occur during the month of August, it was customary at Constantinople to carry the Precious Wood of the Cross in procession throughout the city for its sanctification, and to deliver it from sickness.” On the eve … [Read more…]
Commemorated on July 18 Saint Barbara died with Saint Elizabeth on July 5, 1918, the day after the murder of Tsar Nicholas and his family. The two nuns were thrown into a mineshaft, and grenades were tossed in after them. Saint Elizabeth remained alive for several hours, and could be heard singing hymns. The bodies of … [Read more…]
Commemorated on July 18 Saint Elizabeth was the older sister of Tsarina Alexandra, and was married to the Grand Duke Sergius, the governor of Moscow. She converted to Orthodoxy from Protestantism of her own free will, and organized women from all levels of society to help the soldiers at the front and in the hospitals. Grand … [Read more…]
Commemorated on July 13 St. Mildred was the daughter of King Merewald of Magonset and his wife, St. Ermenburga, and sister of Sts. Milburga and Milgith. At an early age, her mother sent her to be educated by an abbess at Chelles in France, where many English ladies were trained to a saintly life. A … [Read more…]
Saint Paul felt special affection for the Christians of Philippi, as we see in Philippians 4: 10-23. Their church was the first he established in Europe, and they generously supported his ministry. He wrote his letter to them while awaiting trial in a Roman prison, yet joy and gratitude shine through his words. The first … [Read more…]