Saint Volodymyr le Grand b
Ukrainian Orthodoxy
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Orthodoxie ukrainienne

The Radiant Beauty of the Saints

Fr. Anthony Coniaris has written: "...[W]hen a saint gets to heaven, he will be surprised by three things. First, he
will be surprised to see many he did not think would be there. Second, he will be surprised that some are not there
whom he expected to see. Third, he will be surprised that he himself is there."

The veneration of Saints and prayerful requests for their help in our daily walk are essential components of Orthodox
Christian spirituality. The following meditations are gleaned and edited from various published sources and passed
through the filter of this sinner's personal experience and pastoral work. He offers them for the encouragement and
edification of fellow-sojourners on the way to the Kingdom - which has already manifested through these glorified
Brothers and Sisters of ours and which is yet to come

  • It seems quite appropriate to preface a meditation on the life of a Saint with a quote from the particular Servant of God who is the subject of that meditation. Try as I might I could find no quotation to attribute to the Saint whom the Orthodox Church commemorates on September 3 (which is August 21 on the Julian Calendar): St. Thaddeus, Apostle of the Seventy. English | Ukrainian

  • Today July 9 (which is June 26 according to the Julian Calendar) we celebrate the memory of a Man of God who is remembered for saying something quite different.  It is Saint John, Bishop of the Goths who laboured in the Lord’s Vineyard in the eighth century at a time when the Eastern Church was assailed by the controversy over Icons. English | Ukrainian

  • Today July 2 (which is June 19 according to the Julian Calendar) we celebrate the memory of a wonderful Man of God, the Holy Apostle Jude, who was – according to Orthodox hagiographical sources – the “stepbrother” of our Lord, being the son of Joseph and Salome, his wife. . . .English | Ukrainian

  • "I mostly feed and quench my thirst on the sweet words of God": Venerable Onuphrius the Great English | Ukrainian

  • The Sunday following Pentecost is dedicated to All Saints, both those who are known to us, and those – a huge number - who are known only to God. English | Ukrainian

  • On the Seventh Sunday after Pascha the Holy Church commemorates the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council.  This Council was convened by St. Constantine, Equal-to-the-Apostles, the Emperor of Rome who stopped all persecution of the Faith of Christ and made it the faith of his Empire. English | Ukrainian

  • On May 14/27 the Orthodox Church commemorates the one of its great multitude of monastic saints, a man with a unique title given to him because of the consistency and dependability of his words. It is St. Isidore Tverdyslov – “Constant of Word” - who reposed in the Lord in 1474. English | Ukrainian

  • Today (May 8/21) the Orthodox Church commemorates the Beloved Disciple, St. John (his name means “God is gracious”) the Theologian. English | Ukrainian

  • Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia: “Do away with every wickedness beginning with me.” English | Ukrainian

  • Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George English | Ukrainian

  • Hieromartyr Simeon the Bishop in Persia, and those with him: “When you ask me to renounce my God and abandon my faith, it is not proper for me to bow to you!” English | Ukrainian

  • Horse or Donkey: The Entry of Our Lord into Jerusalem English | Ukrainian

  • An Image of Repentance – St. Mary of Egypt English | Ukrainian

  • “Praise and Love Him!” – St. John of the Ladder
    English | Ukrainian

  • His Holy Hands: St. Nicephorus the Patriarch of Constantinople English |  Ukrainian

  • “To the Heights! To the Heights!” – St. Gregory Palamas English | Ukrainian

  • Holy Defenders of Icons: Sts. Procopius and Basil of the Decapolis and Theodore and Theophan the Branded English | Ukrainian

  • A Sicilian Orthodox Luminary: St. Leo Bishop of Catania English \ Ukrainian

  • Three Hypostases, a Single Nature: St. Meletius, Archbishop of Antioch English | Ukrainian

  • An Apple and Some Roses: Virgin-Martyr Dorothea and Her Companions English / Ukrainian

  • The Three Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom English / Ukrainian

  • St. Paulinus the Merciful, Bishop of Nola “By the merits of the woman, Thou didst compensate for the hesitations of the man..” English | Ukrainian

  • “I Admired Your Courage”: St. Anthony the Great On January 30 (January 17 – Julian Calendar) we celebrate the memory of St. Anthony of Egypt. He was born in 251 in the village of Coma near the Thebaid desert. His parents died while he was about twenty, leaving him in charge of his young sister.English | Ukrainian

  • Divine Darkness: St. Gregory of Nyssa English ¸/ Ukrainian

  • Straw Touching Fire: St. John the Forerunner English / Ukrainian

  • The Ancestors of God The Sunday after the Lord’s Nativity is always dedicated to “the Ancestors” of God as they are called: Joseph the Betrothed, David the King and James the Brother of the Lord. More | Ukrainian

  • St. Dionysius of Zakynthos English | Ukrainian

  • St. Spiridon of Tremithus English | Ukrainian

  • St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in LyciaSt.  English | Ukrainian

  • Monkmartyr Stephen the New of Mount St. Auxentius English | Ukrainian

  • The Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos English | Ukrainian

  • Holy and All-Praised Apostle Philip
    English | Ukrainian

  • Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers English | Ukrainian

  • The Great Martyr Paraskeva of Iconium She lived during the third century in a rich and pious family. The parents of the saint especially reverenced Friday, the day of the Passion of the Lord, and therefore they called their daughter Paraskeva, since the word “Paraskeve” is Greek for “Friday”. More

  • On October 2, we commemorate the repose of the Rightbelieving Kniaz’ Ihor of Kyiv and Chernihiv. He was killed by a mob as a result of internecine struggles for the throne of Kyiv. More

  • On September 24 (12 Julian) the Church calendar commemorated St. Theodora of Alexandria. This was a lady who lost her peace of soul when she was seduced into committing adultery. More

  • On September 10 (which corresponds to August 28 on the Julian Calendar) we celebrate the life of a remarkable Saint, Moses the Black. A slave who was cast out by his master in Egypt for theft and possible murder, Moses eventually became one of the Desert Fathers, 49 of whose sayings are preserved in the famous “Apophthegmata Patrum” (Sayings of the Fathers), which offer perceptive and insightful counsel on walking the spiritual life.
    English and Ukrainian
  • On October 19 (corresponds to October 6 on the Julian Calendar) we celebrate the memory of the Apostle Thomas. English and Ukrainian
  • St. Lucian, Presbyter of Antioch
  • There are a number of Hilarions commemorated on November 3 (corresponds to October 21on the Julian Calendar). One of them is the Venerable Hilarion of the Kyiv Caves, who is usually identified with the first Ukrainian Metropolitan of Kyiv (all the previous ones since the Baptism of Rus’ in 988 had been Greeks) who was enthroned in 1051 in the splendid new Cathedral of Holy Wisdom (Sophia) and most likely reposed in 1053.
  • On October 29 (corresponds to November 11 New style) we celebrate the memory of the first of the them, the Venerable (the title of a monastic Saint) Martyr Anastasia the Roman. She is called that to distinguish her from the other Anastasia who glorified the Lord by martyrdom in the fourth century in the city of Sirmium (today it is Sremska Mitrovica in Serbia).
  • On November 19 (which is November 6 on the Julian Calendar) we celebrate the memory of a Bishop whose life was marked by controversy, suffering, exile and finally martyrdom at the hands of those who opposed his orthodox faith.
  • On November 26 (which is November 13 on the Julian Calendar) we celebrate the memory of a great luminary of the Church. It is John Chrysostom ...
  • Last Sunday we meditated upon the life of the great luminary of the Church, St. John Chrysostom. Today, December 3 (which is November 20 on the Julian Calendar) we celebrate the memory of his disciple, St. Proclus, who received consecration to the diaconate and priesthood from his hands.
  • Hieromartyr Clement the Pope of Rome (101)
  • Barbara (we commemorate her on December 4, which is December 17 on the Gregorian Calendar) lived and suffered during the reign of the Roman emperor Maximian (305-311).
  • Very close to Christmas, on December 20, which is January 2 on the Gregorian Calendar, we commemorate an Apostolic Father, St. Ignatius the Godbearer, disciple of St. John the Theologian. 
  • On the Sunday after the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord, God and Saviour Jesus Christ, we commemorate the Righteous Elder Joseph the Betrothed, to whom Ukrainian carols lovingly refer by the title “the Righteous Joseph” (“Pravednyi Yosyf”) or “the elderly Joseph” )”Yosyk Satren’kyi”).
  • The Beauty of God's People
  • “He sought to see who Jesus was” Holy Apostle Zaccheus (1st century)
  • “Lord, as You will and as You know, have mercy on me.” Saint Macarius the Great of Egypt
  • “We must never admit evil thoughts that fill us with sorrow and hatred…” Venerable Euthymius the Great
  • “Enter into yourself, dwell within your heart, for God is there.” Venerable Ephraim the Syrian
  • “A sheep of the flock of Christ, teaching by humility.” On February 18 (corresponds to February 5 according to the Julian Calendar) we commemorate the repose in 1696 of St. Theodosius, Archbishop of Chernihiv.
  • On February 24 (which is February 11 on the Julian Calendar) we celebrate the memory of a  saint beloved by humans and animals, the Hieromartyr Blaise (Blasius), Bishop of Sebaste. He ministered to his flock during the reign of the Roman emperors Diocletian (284-305) and Licinius (307-324), who were fierce persecutors of Christians.
  • St. Leo, the first Pope of Rome to be called “the Great”, was born in the lovely hill country of Tuscany in Italy. He was consecrated to the throne of Rome in 440.
  • St. John of the Ladder On the Fourth Sunday of the Great Fast the Orthodox Church commemorates a Holy Father born in the 6th century in Constantinople who became a monk around the age of 16 and laboured in the spirit in a Monastery on Mount Sinai.
  • St. Mary of Egypt On the Fifth Sunday of the Great Fast the Orthodox Church commemorates a woman who after 17 years of licentious living in Alexandria in Egypt, found the grace of repentance in Jerusalem at the Church of the Holy Resurrection and spent nearly 50 years in the desert beyond the Jordan in spiritual labour and rejoicing.
  • A Letter from Afghanistan from Deacon Anthony Perkins
  • Often the Church Calendar besides the names of the Saints lists also Holy Icons, especially those of the Mother of God. The Orthodox Church has a special reverence for Icons for our Church experienced a most trying time of persecution of iconodules (those who venerated Icons) in the age of iconoclasm which lasted from 725 to 842. The veneration of Icons was confirmed in the Orthodox Church based on its teaching on the Incarnation of the Son of God, the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity.
  • St. Photena, the Smaritan Woman
  • St. Celidonius the Blind Man
  • St. Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus
  • Equal-to-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine and his mother, Helena
  • St. John "the Russian" (Ukrainian)
  • St. John the New Martyr of Suchava

  • On December 9 (November 26 Julian Calendar) we celebrate the memory of another of the marvelous Saints offered to Christ by the people of Ukraine. It is that of St. Innocent, the first Bishop of Irkutsk in Siberia.

  • On December 18 (December 5 Julian Calendar) we celebrate the memory of a great monastic Saint who struggled to follow the way of Christ in the land where our Lord ministered. A special link to the Lord’s Nativity to which we are drawing near may be found in the fact that the Monastery he founded, the Mar Saba Lavra, continues to function to this day just under 15 kilometers from Bethlehem where Jesus was born.

  • St. Winifred of Holywell, Wales

    Holy and Glorious Great Martyr Demetrius the Myrrh-streamer of Thessalonica

    Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Abercius, Bishop and Wonder Worker of Hierapolis

    Panteleimon the Great Martyr and Healer (305)

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