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Ukrainian Orthodoxy |
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Orthodoxie ukrainienne |
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AKATHIST
to the Holy Martyrs of North America
Submitted by Dr. Alexander Roman alex@unicorne.org
This akathist honours the eight Jesuit Martyrs of the 17th century who died in what is now Ontario and New York State during their missions to the native peoples.
Kontakion 1
To you, peerless Athletes and Martyrs of Christ, who brought His Gospel of salvation to the peoples of the New World, do we now sing a triumphal hymn of victory in your honor. Venerating your sufferings and praising your Apostolic witness and constancy in the face of all trials and tribulations for the sake of the Lord Jesus who chose you, sent you and glorified you with eternal crowns in His Kingdom, we sing:
Rejoice O Holy Martyrs of North America, Preachers of Christ Crucified, and our Miraculous Intercessors in Heaven!
Ikos 1
Anointing the ground of the New Land with the pouring forth of your sacred blood, you were shown to be spiritual tillers of hearts unto a rich harvest of souls brought to vibrant life in the Lord Jesus. Planting the seeds of Christian faith thereby, you became its first-fruits through your sharing in the Cross of Christ, the Tree of Life, that grew triumphantly over the places made spiritually fertile by your suffering and death. Awed by your constancy, we sing:
Rejoice Planters of the seeds of faith in the Lord Jesus!
Rejoice Servants of the Good Shepherd!
Rejoice Ploughmen feeding all with the goodness of the Untilled Wheat!
Rejoice for you nourish all on the Bread that came down from Heaven!
Rejoice for you built up the foundations of Christ's Church in the New Land!
Rejoice for you irrigated the dryness of souls with the sprinkling of your blood!
Rejoice for you made this land an altar for the sacrifice of yourselves!
Rejoice for you were shown to be new Apostles making disciples of new nations!
Rejoice for you heeded Christ's command to baptize in the Name of the Holy Trinity!
Rejoice for you dispel darkness and unbelief with prayer and fasting!
Rejoice for you were chosen and sent by the Lord Jesus!
Rejoice for you live forever in His Kingdom!
Rejoice O Holy Martyrs of North America, Preachers of Christ Crucified, and our Miraculous Intercessors in Heaven!
Kontakion 2
The Holy and Great Martyr, John de Brebeuf, was shown to be a new Apostle to the Ouendat people. Bedewed by the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, he proclaimed the Lord Jesus in many native tongues, living among the peoples called to membership in God's Kingdom, and bringing them to look to Christ as the Bright Daystar from on High. Accepted and loved by the people as "Echon," John transfigured native ways in the Light of Christ. Honouring such great Apostolic labors, we proclaim: Alleluia!
Ikos 2
Bound by oath to accept the gift of martyrdom if granted it by God, the Holy Martyr John lovingly embraced the stake prepared for his torture. Offering up his life to the Lord Jesus Who gave His Life for him, John continued preaching the Gospel as if not feeling the pain inflicted upon him. Kneeling in awe before his sufferings, we cry:
Rejoice Great Martyr of mighty Gitchee-Manitou!
Rejoice New long-suffering Job!
Rejoice Visionary and Partaker of the Cross of Jesus!
Rejoice suffering mock baptism by boiling water!
Rejoice enduring the stripping away and eating of your very flesh!
Rejoice bearer of white-hot axes around your shoulders!
Rejoice for your tongue is torn out in the vain hope of quelling your witness to Christ!
Rejoice for your wounds win victory over the wiles of the evil one!
Rejoice for your blood puts out the fires of passions and sinful unbelief!
Rejoice proclaiming that Jesus, their King, wishes to be born in their hearts!
Rejoice for the Son of God holds you steadfast!
Rejoice for wreaths of glory await you in His Kingdom!
Rejoice O Holy Martyrs of North America, Preachers of Christ Crucified, and our Miraculous Intercessors in Heaven!
Kontakion 3
Working at Sainte-Marie-Among-The-Hurons, the Hieromartyr Isaac established further missions in honour of St Joseph and the Holy Apostles. Captured by the Iroquois, Isaac bore the cleaving of his thumb and other tortures that he suffered in silence, praying unceasingly. Returning to France, his confreres fell in awe before the sight of his wounds endured for the greater glory of the Lord Jesus, hymning: Alleluia!
Ikos 3
O Holy Martyr Isaac, you were shown to be like your namesake of old for you too were sent into the wilderness to become a sacrifice pleasing to God. You feared not to return to the land of your captors, but hurried to bring them the Gospel knowing that the Lord called them to His Kingdom as well. Marveling at all you endured for Christ, we sing:
Rejoice Founder of new missions!
Rejoice Colleague of the Apostles!
Rejoice Filial son of St Joseph!
Rejoice suffering the gauntlet of torture!
Rejoice accepting wounds on your hands that bore the Cup of Salvation!
Rejoice enduring indignities for the sake of the Lord!
Rejoice Father and Guide of St Rene Goupil!
Rejoice Teacher of St John de la Lande!
Rejoice their exemplar of suffering undertaken freely for Christ!
Rejoice Ambassador of Christ to the Iroquois!
Rejoice for you are their special Apostle!
Rejoice suffering servant of the Cornerstone that was rejected!
Rejoice O Holy Martyrs of North America, Preachers of Christ Crucified, and our Miraculous Intercessors in Heaven!
Kontakion 4
Gabriel Lalement appeared too weak physically to attend the rigors of the Mission of Huronia, but he drew great strength from within by the Holy Spirit. Voluntarily joining the Great Hieromartyr, John de Brebeuf, on his final mission to the village of St Louis, Gabriel was offered an opportunity by his mentor to escape the coming suffering. Kneeling before him, he asked for and received permission to drink of the Cup that Jesus drank for our salvation, crying: Alleluia!
Ikos 4
Enduring all that the Great Martyr John de Brebeuf suffered, the stake of your torture seemed to you to be, instead, like a trampoline, O Holy Gabriel, from which your soul would spring from earth to Heaven! Praising your long-suffering in silence for Him Who, like the sheep before its shearers, remained silent, we sing:
Rejoice for your weakness was made strong in the Lord!
Rejoice for you accompanied John de Brebeuf on missions - and to Heaven!
Rejoice for you received his blessing to obtain eternal glory!
Rejoice Tower of Strength!
Rejoice Unmovable wall of fortitude!
Rejoice for by your endurance the evil one is vanquished!
Rejoice bearing all things for the Lord for many hours!
Rejoice for you saw that the torture stake pointed upward to Heaven!
Rejoice for they drink your blood as they seek the Source of your strength!
Rejoice for the Archangel Gabriel came to take your soul to God's Kingdom!
Rejoice for you put to flight the wiles of paganism!
Rejoice for you have been found worthy to live with the Fleshless Angelic Powers!
Rejoice O Holy Martyrs of North America, Preachers of Christ Crucified, and our Miraculous Intercessors in Heaven!
Kontakion 5
The holy martyr Anthony Daniel labored much in the Vineyard of Christ among the native people of Huronia and became the first among teachers in the ways of the Gospel of the Lord. Praising God unceasingly, he tied his prayer-book around his neck in testimony of his constant love for the liturgy of the Church, even in the midst of heavy portages and other necessary manual work. Awed by Anthony's love of God with both his mind and heart, we sing: Alleluia!
Ikos 5
Witnessing the violent destruction of innocents at the mission of St Joseph at Tenaustaye, O Holy Martyr Anthony, you counseled the Christians there to remain steadfast in their faith in Christ. You then appeared before the merciless ones in your priestly robes to bring their wrath on yourself to the safe escape of many. Shot through innumerable times, your body was thrown into the flames of your burning chapel. Bowing before your sacrifice, we sing:
Rejoice O Holy Teacher of students eager to learn the Mind of Christ!
Rejoice Educator in the ways of God!
Rejoice Mentor of the Law of the Lord!
Rejoice Protector of the flock entrusted to you!
Rejoice Holy Pelican giving of yourself so that others might live!
Rejoice first fortifying yourself with Holy Communion before your sacrifice!
Rejoice for you appeared before the merciless ones as Christ's great witness!
Rejoice for you drew on yourself all their hatred and anger!
Rejoice for like Christ in the Garden, you aided the escape of His new disciples!
Rejoice for you were enrobed in your own martyric blood!
Rejoice for you ascended to heaven on clouds of fiery smoke as upon a ladder!
Rejoice for the burning of your relics united many souls with God in Heaven!
Rejoice O Holy Martyrs of North America, Preachers of Christ Crucified, and our Miraculous Intercessors in Heaven!
Kontakion 6
Born into great wealth in the city of Paris, the holy martyr Charles Garnier spurned the passions and sensuous life of Old France and dedicated himself, instead, to the spread of the Gospel among the peoples of New France. Constant in prayer and preaching, many of his hearers could see his Guardian Angel, the "beautiful being," standing next to him, advising him concerning the things of God. Suffering all manner of deprivation, Charles nevertheless glorified God for sending him to Huronia, to his "paradise." And we sing out in praise crying: Alleluia!
Ikos 6
It was at the Mission of St John at Etharita in the Blue Mountains that the merciless ones attacked your flock and people, O Holy Martyr Saint Charles. Baptizing as many catechumens as you could, you shared their anguish in the midst of suffering and death. Shot down yourself, you rose to attend a woman in her final throes when you received two tomahawk blows to the head before completing your self-oblation to the Lord. As we stand in that same field near the Pretty River, we sing:
Rejoice Holy Charles, living Angel inspiring all!
Rejoice for you brought many to Christ on the wings of your prayers!
Rejoice great ascetic in the New Thebaid of the North!
Rejoice leaving father and mother to follow Christ Jesus!
Rejoice spurning the deceptions of this world for the glory of the next!
Rejoice for you took hold of the Plough of Christ without looking back!
Rejoice offering baptism and the gift of eternal life to those who were perishing!
Rejoice filled with courage in the midst of the fires of death!
Rejoice for you encouraged all to stand fast in the faith of Christ!
Rejoice Holy Martyr wounded by muskets!
Rejoice for your charity toward others was stronger than death!
Rejoice for you fell under axes as a missionary of the Tree of Life - the Cross!
Rejoice O Holy Martyrs of North America, Preachers of Christ Crucified and our Miraculous Intercessors in Heaven!
Kontakion 7
It was a constant, living martyrdom endured by the Martyr Noel Chabanel as he worked among the native peoples he was sent to serve. Despite great struggles with himself, he could not master their languages, nor adapt to their ways. Yes, despite this, St Noel bound himself by vow to remain with the people until the end of his days, working with St Charles Garnier among the Tobacco Nation in the 12 missions of the Holy Apostles in the Blue Mountains. Awed by Noel's voluntary, daily martyrdom to self, we cry: Alleluia!
Ikos 7
Returning to your missions one evening, O Holy Martyr Noel, you heard the cries of agony of the victims of the merciless ones ahead of you. Following the Nottawasaga River by way of escape, your companion tomahawked you and cast your body into the water, making Georgian Bay your Shrine for all time. Listening to the gentle wind in the pines there as we meditate on your sufferings, we sing:
Rejoice Saint Noel who suffered a daily martyrdom for Christ!
Rejoice for you endured inner agony in silence!
Rejoice the love of God compelled you to remain with Him in the wilderness!
Rejoice Rock of Fortitude amidst the Blue Mountains!
Rejoice for you made flow the Streams of Living Waters to a parched people!
Rejoice for you call everyone to the Holy Mountain of the Lord!
Rejoice for he with whom you ate at table, the same has turned his heel against you!
Rejoice you turned this way and that for helpers, but found none!
Rejoice for you were found worthy to suffer death for Christ!
Rejoice for your body has sanctified the waters of the Nottawasaga and Georgian Bay!
Rejoice for your martyrdom has made the Eternal Waters flow within many!
Rejoice for like Christ in the Jordan, you brought enlightenment to many!
Rejoice O Holy Martyrs of North America, Preachers of Christ Crucified and our Miraculous Intercessors in Heaven!
Kontakion 8
The Martyr Rene Goupil offered himself to serve the servants of God in the missions of New France and toiled as a physician. Joining himself to St Isaac Jogues on his way to the House of the Most Holy Mother of God in Huronia, his entire group was captured by the merciless ones and taken to their country in the south. Enduring great hardship and torture, Rene gave himself up to ceaseless prayer in which he found the grace and the strength to withstand all trials and tribulations. Calling to mind his long-suffering endurance for the Lord Jesus, we cry: Alleluia!
Ikos 8
O Holy Martyr Rene, while in captivity with St Isaac Jogues, you befriended the grandson of a native chieftain whom you blessed with the Sign of the Cross. Believing that you put some sort of "curse" on him, the chieftain ordered you to be killed. As you walked along the shore in prayer, the merciless ones followed behind you and struck you down. St Isaac first venerated your relics as those of a martyr who died for the Sign of the Precious Cross of our Lord, God and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Raising high the Cross as the Standard of our salvation, we sing:
Rejoice Saint Rene, physician who witnessed to Christ, the great Physician of our souls!
Rejoice servant of the servants of the Lord in the missions of the New World!
Rejoice humble worker in the Vineyard of Jesus!
Rejoice friend of St Isaac Jogues!
Rejoice watchful colleague of the Apostle to the Iroquois!
Rejoice for you shared in his suffering for the Name of the Lord!
Rejoice fervent devotee of the Holy and Precious Cross of Christ!
Rejoice for you carved the Image of the Cross on many trees as a witness to the people!
Rejoice for you blessed a child with the Sign of the Cross, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven!
Rejoice Martyr for the Sign of the Cross!
Rejoice for your Holy Body was planted in the ground as a Sacred Seed of the Church!
Rejoice for St Isaac leads us all in honoring your memory!
Rejoice O Holy Martyrs of North America, Preachers of Christ Crucified and our Miraculous Intercessors in Heaven!
Kontakion 9
The young Martyr John de la Lande was only nineteen years of age when he accompanied St Isaac Jogues on his second mission to the Iroquois as an envoy of the French. Serving the missionaries as a Donne, St John performed many humble and necessary tasks while praying to the Lord unceasingly in his heart. Awed by the humility and dedication to God of one so young, we cry: Alleluia!
Ikos 9
O Holy Martyr John de la Lande, you replaced Rene Goupil at the side of your common Father, Isaac Jogues. Suffering with him the tortures of the merciless ones upon your capture, you stood fast in faith and courage. You went forth fearlessly in search of your martyred Father when you met an end similar to his. Bowing before one so young in age, but so mature in virtue and holiness, we sing:
Rejoice true Child of God!
Rejoice for Christ calls you to place you in the midst of His Disciples!
Rejoice for Christ calls us to be like you, His Child!
Rejoice for you shared in the suffering of St Isaac for the sake of the Lord Jesus!
Rejoice for you endured the tearing off of your nails!
Rejoice for you tasted the gauntlet!
Rejoice for your wounds heal a multitude of spiritual sores!
Rejoice for your humble labors convert a great many souls!
Rejoice for the Mother of God wraps you in the swaddling clothes of her favor!
Rejoice for you were fearless in standing by Isaac Jogues!
Rejoice for you went out to look for the slain shepherd!
Rejoice for, instead, you met the Divine Shepherd!
Rejoice O Holy Martyrs of North America, Preachers of Christ Crucified, and our Miraculous Intercessors in Heaven!
Kontakion 10
Many native people eagerly accepted Baptism at the hands of the Missionaries and Martyrs of the Lord Jesus in the New Land. Their example of faith and suffering inspired them to see the Presence of the Divine in them. The Holy Spirit was poured out on them and rose up among them many martyrs, confessors, missionaries and other workers of the Gospel. Praising God for raising up such a great and Native Cloud of Witnesses, we cry: Alleluia!
Ikos 10
O Holy Kateri Tekakwitha, you served God throughout your brief life and was found worthy to be your people's first miracle-working intercessor before the throne of Almighty God. Your people honour your relics to this day, praying for and receiving gifts of both spiritual and physical healing, for you have found favor with the Lord. We join with them in paying you tribute, and sing:
Rejoice First-Fruits of the Blood of the Martyrs!
Rejoice Vessel of the Holy Spirit!
Rejoice Pure Lily of the Mohawks!
Rejoice for you often escaped into the forest to adore the Tree of Life!
Rejoice for you prayed ceaselessly to the Lord Jesus!
Rejoice for the Mother of God was your mainstay!
Rejoice for you submitted to the Will of God!
Rejoice for you endured sickness as though it were a blessing!
Rejoice for Angels carry your soul to heaven!
Rejoice for Joseph Chiouatenhwa joins you in praying for us!
Rejoice for we experience the blessings of your prayers to this day!
Rejoice for the Holy Spirit works miracles through you!
Rejoice O Holy Martyrs of North America, Preachers of Christ Crucified, and our Miraculous Intercessors in Heaven!
Kontakion 11
Today the Mission Fort of the Martyrs stands proudly where it once was and your Shrine, O Holy Martyrs, has become a place of many miraculous cures, attesting to your enduring intercession. The many peoples of North America of a great multitude of cultures make their pilgrimages to you, their patron Saints, as you were newcomers in this land. Praising God for continuing your work to this present day, we sing: Alleluia!
Ikos 11
Your Blood, O Holy Martyrs, so abundantly shed for the Lord Jesus, has truly become the Seed of the Christian Faith and the Church! Your preaching resounds throughout the length and breadth of the New Land that you consecrated by your martyrdom. We too are blessed to venerate your Sacred Relics at your Shrine and receive, by the hands of your descendants in the Society of Jesus, the Grace of God through the Sacramental Mysteries and the preaching of the Gospel. Summoned by God to your Shrine, we sing:
Rejoice for I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go into the house of the Lord!"
Rejoice for our feet have been standing within your gates!
Rejoice because of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good!
Rejoice for the Lord has brought back the captivity of Zion!
Rejoice for those who sow in tears shall reap in joy!
Rejoice for he who goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall come again with his sheaves!
Rejoice for we have found a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob!
Rejoice for He has desired it for His resting-place forever!
Rejoice for there will He dwell and abundantly bless her provision!
Rejoice for He will clothe her priests with salvation!
Rejoice for her saints shall shout aloud for joy!
Rejoice for there the Lord commanded the blessing - Life forevermore!
Rejoice O Holy Martyrs of North America, Preachers of Christ Crucified, and our Miraculous Intercessors in Heaven!
Kontakion 12
The Choirs of Heaven salute you, O Holy Martyrs! Like the Prophet Elias, you too have labored much for the Glory of God before being taken up to heaven in the midst of fiery flames. All generations call to mind your witness and taste the goodness of the Lord by your intercession. Praising God Who has crowned you with the immortal crowns of glory as His witnesses and martyrs, we sing: Alleluia!
Ikos 12
All our works shall praise You, O Lord, and Your saints shall bless you! They shall speak of the glory of Your Kingdom and talk of Your power - to make known to the sons of men His mighty acts and the glorious majesty of His Kingdom. For the Lord upholds all who fall and raises up all who are bowed down. And we cry:
Rejoice O Holy Martyrs for God has glorified you with wreaths of unfading bloom!
Rejoice for you are led into the Bridal Chamber of Christ!
Rejoice for He Who covers the heaves with clouds raised you above them!
Rejoice for He Who prepares rain for the earth showers down graces at your prayers!
Rejoice for He Who makes grass to grow on the mountains richly nourishes His people through you!
Rejoice for by you He fills us with the Finest Wheat!
Rejoice for the Lord has given you your heart's desire!
Rejoice for He has set a crown of pure gold upon your heads!
Rejoice for honor and majesty are placed upon you!
Rejoice for in His salvation how greatly you rejoice!
Rejoice for He has not withheld the requests of your lips!
Rejoice for He has made you most blessed forever and exceedingly glad in His Presence!
Rejoice O Holy Martyrs of North America, Preachers of Christ Crucified, and our Miraculous Intercessors in Heaven!
Kontakion 13
O Holy Martyrs of the Lord Jesus in the New Land! You are true sons of St Ignatius who shed your blood for the spread of the Gospel to the greater Glory of God! Accept this our hymn of praise in your honor and in remembrance of your freely taking on the sweet Yoke of Christ for the building up of His Body that is the Holy Catholic Church. Pray for us to God as you stand before His Throne in the Heavenly Mansions and intercede for us in all our adversities and troubles, together with: the Most Holy Mother of God, Saint John the Baptist, Saint Joseph, the Holy Apostles, Saint Anne, St Ignatius Loyola, St Francis Xavier, St Therese of Lisieux, St Louis, Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, and all the Saints. Amen. (This Kontakion is recited three times)
Then are recited again Ikos 1 and Kontakion 1.
PRAYER TO THE HOLY MARTYRS
O Holy Martyrs of God: John, Isaac, Gabriel, Anthony, Charles, Noel, Rene and John! We ask you to receive our praise and to grant our petitions. Protect the Church whose foundations you planted in the New Land by means of your blood shed for Christ. Guide the pastors of the Church and especially bless your brothers in the Society of Jesus who carry on your work to this day. Protect your Shrine on the hill where you once prayed and awaited the coming of the canoes of New France. Inspire us to pray fervently with you there today as we ask for the coming of God's Grace into our souls by your intercession. Be at our side in finding new ways to witness to the Gospel of our Lord, God and Saviour Jesus Christ in our lives. We praise you, Holy Martyrs, and we glorify God Who has glorified you, His Servants and Martyrs, with Heavenly Crowns in His Kingdom. Amen.
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