Being the season of the celebration of St Calogero (with local commemorations over the next few weeks in Sicily), who icon was gifted to our community by Father Efraim and matushka Olympia, in Sicily, we are sharing the canon to the saint and beloved wonderworker of not only Sicilians, but Orthodox believers across Italy and the Italian diaspora.
One account, describes the saint fleeing to Sicily from the monophysite persecution of the Orthodox in Thrace.
Wandering around the island preaching and celebrating the Holy Mysteries, he found shelter in ancient tombs and volcanic caves, with his last abode being the cave on Monte Kronio where he died during the night between 17th and 18th June, 561. He was 95 years of age. The cave in which St Calogero had lived was subsequently made into a small church, and cells for monks were dug into the rock, in the same way that the first hermitage developed in Kiev.
Another account, believed to be an error based on mistranslation, describes him as an opponent of Arianism, who fled from North Africa to Sicily in the latter half of the fifth century to escape persecution, though there were also Arian heretics in Sicily. After missionary labours in the area of Fragalata, near Messina, he retreated to a cave on Monte Kronio to live a strict and ascetical eremtical life.
Despite their differences, both accounts agree that he was a refugee from persecution, a pillar of Orthodoxy surrounded by heresy, who did not simply teach a vague Faith, but the Truth of Orthodox Christology and the teachings of the Church.
Ode I, Irmos: O Thou who wast born of the Virgin, * drown I implore Thee, in the depth of dispassion * the triune nature of my soul, * as Thou didst the mighty strongholds of the warriors, * that in the mortality of my flesh * as on a timbrel * I may chant a hymn of victory.
Venerable Father, Calogero, pray to God for us.
Enlighten my spirit and my mind, O Saviour, to celebrate with hymns the ascetic Calogero, O Christ, who art the timeless Light, that through his intercession, I may be worthy to receive the forgiveness of my sins from thee.
Venerable Father, Calogero, pray to God for us.
Since thou hast been a healer of souls and bodies for those who come with faith to thy church, O wise and pious Calogero, quickly heal also the passions of my soul, accepting, O Father, the praises that I thy servant raise to thee.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Having left thy homeland of Chalcedon after having worked against the deadly and lawless cult, thou didst stop, O Father, in Sicily and, together with the prophet Gregory, didst began to teach the worship of the Divine Trinity in an Orthodox manner.
Both now and ever, unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Thou didst bear the Word of God in an incomprehensible way, just as He was pleased by first being begotten by Him; O Lady who knewest not wedlock, cease not to intercede for the world, that it may be freed from all manner of evil.
Ode 3, Irmos: From on high didst Thou willingly descend to earth, * O Thou Who art more exalted than every noetic principality, * and from the uttermost depths of Hades * thou didst raise up lowly human nature; * for there is none more holy than Thee, O Lover of mankind.
Venerable Father, Calogero, pray to God for us.
Let us make haste to compete in the cave, O brothers, and we will see wonders where the Saint was wont to withdraw and put the armies of the demons to flight; and for those who come, it overflows with remedies for ills.
Venerable Father, Calogero, pray to God for us.
Thy fame didst spread throughout the earth, O Calogero, all-admirable; indeed, thou didst abandon this corruptible world and, taking the Cross upon thy shoulders, didst strike down the Serpent, the source of evils; therefore, we celebrate thee with hymns.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
We pray ye, grant remedies for torrents, O most famous Gregory, most admirable Demetrius and Calogero with God-filled hearts, ye gloriously victorious martyrs, saints of God, our protectors.
Both now and ever, unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Having born God, thou art the harbour and the defence of thy servants, O All- Virgin Mother; therefore, I also, a useless servant, bow down before thee, O Lady: help me and deliver me from tribulations.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Sedalion, Tone I: Thou didst climb the mountain of contemplation and action with wisdom, O Most Blessed One, * and didst, therefore, continue to shine like the sun, in Sicily, * with the rays of miracles, O most admirable one;* therefore, today, celebrating thy radiant memory, * we praise thee with faith, O Calogero, * with a heart filled with God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Shake yourself, O soul, from the sleep of indolence * and light the resplendent lamp of penance, * coming forth from the agitation of this life * to the encounter of the Immortal Bridegroom, saying: * “Accept me and reject me not, O Word, * by the prayers of Her who bore Thee”.
Ode 4, Irmos: He who sitteth in glory upon the throne of the Godhead, * Jesus the true God, * is come in a swift cloud * and with His sinless hands he hath saved those who cry: * Glory to Thy power, O Christ.
Venerable Father, Calogero, pray to God for us.
As the persecution suggested by the impious depravity broke out in the territory of Chalcedon, the hierarch Gregory gathered the servants of the Holy Trinity; and boarding a ship, they escaped secretly to an island.
Venerable Father, Calogero, pray to God for us.
The great Saint Gregory, being a hierarch, having taken with him the famous deacon of the church Demetrius and many other saints, including our Calogero, sailed forth joyfully.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Not to escape suffering – never - but to announce to everyone the power of the Trinity, they landed together at Lilybaeum and separated to begin preaching.
Both now and ever, unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O Virgin who didst not know wedlock, fortress and boast of those who praise thee, save the faithful who beseech thee, and free them from all misery, O thou who, according to His good pleasure, hast brought forth God in the flesh.
Ode 5, Irmos: Now I shall arise said God prophetically, * now I shall be glorified, now I shall be exalted, * elevating fallen human nature, * which I received from the Virgin, * to the noetic light of My divinity.
Venerable Father, Calogero, pray to God for us.
Calogero, the inflexible and great ascetic, didst dwell in a cave, and purifying that den of demons with prayer, by the power of the Cross he drove them into the depths of hell.
Venerable Father, Calogero, pray to God for us.
Even today the saint shines upon all the faithful brighter than the sun, increasing the healing for those who come to his sanctuary with faith, and celebrate his splendid and holy feast.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Remember in thy prayers, O holy Father Calogero, all the faithful who celebrate thy praise-worthy memory, and free them from the plague, from impending dangers, from punishments and siege.
Both now and ever, unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Behold the miseries and great tribulations of us, thy servants, O all-good Mother of God, and immediately beseech thy Son to free us from the servitude of the children of Ishmael.
Ode 6, Irmos: I have reached the depths of the sea * and the tempest of my many sins hath engulfed me; * but do Thou raise up my life from the abyss * O Greatly-Merciful One.
Venerable Father, Calogero, pray to God for us.
Through continence, O Father, thou didst mortify the passions of the flesh; emulating the zeal of the divine Elijah, thou didst cast out and rout with firmness and might of soul the spiritual perversion of Jezebel.
Venerable Father, Calogero, pray to God for us.
The prophet David, the ancestor of God, already sang in ancient times: “Behold, wandering, I have fled away”; and thou, O Father, having faithfully imitated him also, thou didst land on the island.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Incline to us who celebrate thy glorious memory, and seeing our oppression, thy soul filled with God, make supplication to Him who is the All-Merciful God, to free us from the assaults of the enemies.
Both now and ever, unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O most-praised Lady, O Virgin, who didst give birth to God, as He was well pleased, beseech Him to grant forgiveness of sins to those who praise thee.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Kontakion. Tone IV: Celebrating today the sacred memory of Calogero with songs, * we give glory to Christ,* to him who grantest him the grace of miracles to heal infirmities.
Ikos (read, not chanted): You, O God-bearers, truly grant us a flood of remedies day by day, O hierarch Gregory, and Demetrius, most celebrated invincible martyrs of Christ; whilst your companion Calogero, emulating the Lord in love, truly offers healing to the sick, quickly interceding together with you for our flock.
Ode 7, Irmos: The three youths in Babylon, * regarded the tyrant’s command as foolishness, * and cried aloud in the midst of the flame: * Blessed art Thou, O Lord God of our fathers!
Venerable Father, Calogero, pray to God for us.
How can I, miserable and sorrowful, celebrate thee with hymns, O blessed Calogero? But, do thou welcome this hymn from me, thine unworthy servant, and also him who is its author.
Venerable Father, Calogero, pray to God for us.
Taking up the Cross of Jesus upon thy shoulders as a weapon, thou, O Glorious Calogero, didst overthrow the error of the godless; and now, by thy power, cast out demons, O ever-memorable one.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
We who with faith celebrate thy holy, radiant and celebrated feast, shout to Christ: “Blessed are Thou, Lord, who dost glorify Thy saints!”.
Both now and ever, unto the ages of ages. Amen.
As thou knowest, O Saviour, by Thy will Thou alone wast borne ineffably from the Virgin; through her well-received prayers, free from all evil those who worship Thee with faith.
Ode 8, Irmos: O almighty Redeemer of all, * having descended and bedewed the children * in the midst of the flame, * Thou didst teach them to sing: * All ye works bless and hymn the Lord.
Venerable Father, Calogero, pray to God for us.
Thou didst imitate well, O holy one, the ancient father Abraham; by thy deeds, having left thy homeland and living in a cave in Sicily, thou didst ceaselessly bless the Lord.
Venerable Father, Calogero, pray to God for us.
O Blessed One, thou didst make all friends of the teachings of God, both by illuminating them faithfully with the light of faith, and by teaching them to sing the psalm: “All ye works, bless and praise the Lord”.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
By thy constancy, O most admirable Calogero, thou didst gain the trophy; entrusting thy spirit into the hands of God ceaselessly chanting: “Bless and praise ye the Lord”.
Both now and ever, unto the ages of ages. Amen.
The prophecies of the prophets, O Mother of God, were fulfilled; for thou wert a mountain, a throne, and glorious: the Impassable Door, through which only He who is our God didst enter and leave.
Ode 9, Irmos: The ineffable hidden mystery of God hath been revealed in thee, * O most pure Virgin; * for in His tender compassion * God become incarnate of thee. * Wherefore, we magnify thee as the Theotokos.
Venerable Father, Calogero, pray to God for us.
By the might of God, the absolute ruler of the universe, thou didst overthrew the power of the Adversary, O wise Father; therefore thou, O glorious one, having received a diadem upon thy head, dost continue to enjoy rest.
Venerable Father, Calogero, pray to God for us.
Turn Thy gaze, O Lord, from heaven and behold at the humiliation of us Thy servants; by the prayers of Thy Saint, make low the pride of the enemies and speedily grant us peace.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Beseech, O Saint Calogero, that invincible strength against the passions to always be given to those who sing thy praises and to all who with faith draw nigh thy temple, as also to the Orthodox sovereigns.
Both now and ever, unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Thou are the sole desire and sweetness for those who worship Thee with faith, O All-Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit; who art exalted with hymns in the Unity of divinity, save us all.
Troparion, Tone 8. By the streams of thy tears, thou didst make the soil of the desert fertile * and with thy deep groans didst make thy labours to bear fruit an hundredfold; * and thou didst became a beacon for the whole world, * radiating light by miracles, O Calogero, our Father;* intercede with Christ-God to save our souls.
Prayer: O great Saint of God, O glorious and venerable father, Calogero, we rejoice with thee in the glory thou enjoyest both in heaven and on earth, as the reward for thy virtue and the graces with which the Lord hath enriched thee, working great miracles through thine intercession: in giving sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, speech to the dumb, and health to all manner of the sick; and we beseech thy help and swift intercession for those who are sick and suffering.
Look down from the glory that is above, upon us who are humble and weak, burdened with our many sins, and who ask thy help and consolation; for thou, art our protector, thou art our guide and defence.
And, as thou didst hearken to the multitude of poor who didst resort unto thee, so hearken unto our prayers. Incline to us thy loving kindness, and help us to fulfil God’s commandments without stain; to keep the Orthodox Faith firmly; to approach God in heartfelt contrition for all our sins; to make progress in Christian devotion and to be worthy of thy prayers before God.
Receive us under thy paternal care, and as in the world thou didst cast the devil from the bodies of a multitude of people, so do thou now cast out sin from our hearts.
Hearken unto us, who pray to thee in faith and love, and despise not us who seek thee as our defender. Now, and at the hour of our departure, help us and defend us by thy prayers from the wicked assaults of the devil, lest evil powers should have dominion over us; but let us be granted, by thy help, to inherit the blessedness of the heavenly mansions.
For we place our hope in thee, O kind-hearted father: be thou indeed our guide to salvation, and bring us to the unwaning light of eternal life, by thy good intercession before the throne of the Most Holy Trinity, so that we may glorify and hymn with all the Saints, the Name worthy of adoration, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
We bless thee, O venerable father Calogero, and we honour thy holy memory, thou instructor of monastics and converser with the angels.
Ублажаем тя, преподобне отче Калогере, и чтим святую память твою, наставниче монахов, и собеседниче Ангелов.
