Category Archives: Saints

The Translation of the Relics of St Nicholas

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Dear brothers and sisters: Christ is Risen!

Greetings in the feast of the translation of the relics of St Nicholas from Lycea to Bari.

S prazdnikom!

In the eleventh century the Byzantine Empire was going through some terrible times. The Turks put an end to its influence in Asia Minor, they destroyed cities and villages, they murdered the inhabitants, and they accompanied their cruel outrage with the desecration of churches, holy relics, icons and books. The Mussulmen also attempted to destroy the relics of Saint Nicholas, deeply venerated by the whole Christian world.

In the year 792 the caliph Aaron Al’-Rashid sent Khumeid at the head of a fleet to pillage the island of Rhodes. Having lain waste this island, Khumeid set off to Myra in Lycia with the intent to rob the tomb of Saint Nicholas. But instead he robbed another tomb standing alongside the crypt of the saint. Just as they succeeded in committing this sacrilege, a terrible storm lifted upon the sea and almost all the ships were shattered into pieces.

The desecration of holy things shocked not only Eastern, but also Western Christians. Christians in Italy were particularly apprehensive for the relics of Saint Nicholas, and among them were many Greeks. The inhabitants of the city of Bari, located on the shores of the Adriatic Sea, decided to save the relics of Saint Nicholas.

In the year 1087 merchants from Bari and Venice went to Antioch to trade. Both these and others also proposed to take up the relics of Saint Nicholas and transport them to Italy on the return trip. In this plan the men of Bari commissioned the Venetians to land them at Myra. At first two men were sent in, who in returning reported that in the city all was quiet. In the church where the glorified relics rested, they encountered only four monks. Immediately forty-seven men, having armed themselves, set out for the church of Saint Nicholas. The guards, suspecting nothing, showed them the raised platform, beneath which the tomb of the saint was concealed, and where they anointed foreigners with myrrh from the relics of the saint.

At this time the monks told them about an appearance of Saint Nicholas that evening to a certain Elder. In this vision Saint Nicholas ordered the careful preservation of his relics. This account encouraged the barons, they saw an avowal for them in this vision and, as it were, a decree from the saint. In order to facilitate their activity, they revealed their intent to the monks and offered them money, 300 gold coins. The guards refused the money and wanted to warn the inhabitants about the misfortune threatening them. But the newcomers bound them and put their own guards at the doorway.

They took apart the church platform above the tomb with the relics. In this effort the youth Matthew was excessive in his zeal, wanting to find the relics of Saint Nicholas as quickly as possible. In his impatience he broke the cover and the barons saw that the sarcophagus was filled with fragrant holy myrrh. The compatriots of the barons, the priests Luppus and Drogus, offered a litany, after which the break made by Matthew began to flow with myrrh from the saint’s sarcophagus. This occurred on April 20, 1087.

Seeing the absence of a container chest, the priest Drogus wrapped the relics in the cloth, and in the company of the barons he carried them to the ship. The monks, having been set free, alerted the city with the sad news about the abduction of the relics of the Wonderworker Nicholas by foreigners. A crowd of people gathered at the shore, but it was too late.

On May 8 the ships arrived in Bari, and soon the joyous news made the rounds of all the city. On the following day, May 9, 1087, they solemnly transported the relics of Saint Nicholas into the church of Saint Stephen, not far from the sea. The solemn bearing of the relics was accompanied by numerous healings of the sick, which inspired still greater reverence for God’s saint. A year afterwards, a church was built in the name of Saint Nicholas and consecrated by Pope Urban II.

This event, connected with the transfer of the relics of Saint Nicholas, evoked a particular veneration for the Wonderworker Nicholas and was marked by the establishment of a special Feast day on May 9. At first the Feast day of the Transfer of the Relics of Saint Nicholas was observed only by the people of the city of Bari. It was not adopted in the other lands of the Christian East and West, despite the fact that the transfer of the relics was widely known. This circumstance is explained by the custom in the Middle Ages of venerating primarily the relics of local saints. Moreover, the Greek Church did not establish the celebration of this remembrance, since they regarded the loss of the relics of Saint Nicholas as a sad event.

The Russian Orthodox Church celebration of the memory of the Transfer of the Relics of Saint Nicholas from Myra in Lycia to Bari in Italy on May 9 was established soon after the year 1087, on the basis of an already established veneration by the Russian people of the great saint of God, brought from Greece simultaneously with the acceptance of Christianity. The glorious accounts of the miracles performed by the saint on both land and sea, were widely known to the Russian people. Their boundless power and abundance testify to the help of the great saint of God for suffering mankind. The image of Saint Nicholas, a mighty wonderworker and benefactor, became especially dear to the heart of the Russian people, since it inspired deep faith and hope for his intercession. The faith of the Russian people in the abundant aid of God’s saint was marked by numerous miracles.

A significant body of literature was compiled about him very early in Russian writings. Accounts of the miracles of Saint Nicholas done in the Russian land were recorded at an early date. Soon after the Transfer of the Relics of Saint Nicholas from Myra to Bari, a Russian version of his Life and an account of the Transfer of his holy relics were written by a contemporary to this event. Earlier still, an encomium to the Wonderworker was written. Each week on Thursday, the Russian Orthodox Church honours his memory in particular.

Numerous churches and monasteries were built in honour of Saint Nicholas, and Russian people are wont to name their children after him at Baptism. In Russia are preserved numerous wonderworking icons of the saint. Most renowned among them are the icons of Mozhaisk, Zaraisk, Volokolamsk, Ugreshsk and Ratny. There was no house or temple in the Russian land in which there was not an icon of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker.

The significance of the intercession of the great saint of God is expressed by the ancient compiler of the Life, in the words of whom Saint Nicholas “did work many glorious miracles both on land and on sea, aiding those downtrodden in misfortune and rescuing the drowning, carrying to dry land from the depths of the sea, raising up others from corruption and bringing them home, liberating from chains and imprisonment, averting felling by the sword and freeing from death, and granting healing to many; sight to the blind, walking to the lame, hearing to the deaf, and speech to the mute. He brought riches to many suffering in abject poverty and want, he provided the hungry food, and for each in their need he appeared a ready helper, an avid defender and speedy intercessor and protector, and such as appeal to him he doth help and deliver from adversity. Both the East and the West know of this great Wonderworker, and all the ends of the earth know his miracle-working.”

The Canon of the Saint, in Tone VIII

Ode I, Irmos: O ye people, let us send up a hymn unto our wondrous God, Who freed Israel from bondage, singing and crying out a hymn of victory unto Thee Who alone art Master.

Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.

Accept Thou the song of my lips, O Christ my Benefactor, and cleanse Thou my tongue, being not mindful of my manifold sins; that I may extol in song the honourable life of Thy hierarch, in memory of the translation of his relics.

Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.

Having received the gift of working miracles, and crowns of patience, and being adorned with thy hierarchal office, do thou beseech God, O our Father, that He grant remission of transgressions to us who glorify the translation of thy relics.

Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.

O Father, shepherd of the flock of Christ, thou art sent to other sheep, of the Latin tongue, that thou mayest astonish all with thy wonders and lead them to Christ. O blessed one, pray thou unceasingly on our behalf.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

The heathen nations formerly far removed have drawn nigh unto God through thy birthgiving, O Theotokos; and, deified and set free from the ancient curse by thy blood, I have been given rebirth by thee.

Another Canon to the Holy Hierarch, in Tone IV—

Irmos: I will open my mouth, and with the Spirit will it be filled; and I shall utter discourse unto the Queen and Mother, and shall appear, keeping splendid festival; and, rejoicing, I will hymn her wonders.

Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.

Illumine my soul and heart, I pray thee, O Bestower of light and Fashioner of creation. Grant unto me the gift of praising in song Thy most honoured favourite, by whom do Thou deliver the world from misfortune.

Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.

Illumine my soul and heart, I pray thee, O Bestower of light and Fashioner of creation. Grant unto me the gift of praising in song Thy most honoured favourite, by whom do Thou deliver the world from misfortune.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Having acquired heavenly wisdom, thou didst invest it as a talent entrusted to thee; for, having set at nought the guile of those opposed to God, thou didst enlighten the people with divine instruction.

Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

From a Maiden is the Infant born, pre-eternal of origin and preserved in perfection, Whom thou didst preach in two Natures and in one Hypostasis, O divinely blessed one.

Ode III, Irmos: O Lord, Fashioner of the vault of heaven and Creator of the Church: establish me in Thy love, O Summit of desire, confirmation of the faithful, Who alone lovest mankind.

Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.

Guileless in manner and meek in demeanour, possessed of an angelic life, O divinely blessed Nicholas: cease thou never to pray to Him Who loveth mankind, on behalf of us all.

Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.

What city doth not have thee as a helper, O blessed one? What soul uttereth not thy name? And what place dost thou not visit in spirit, astounding all with thy wonders, O Nicholas?

Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.

Though the city of Bari hath received thy body, yet thy spirit dwelleth in the heavenly Jerusalem, where thou exultest with the prophets, apostles and holy hierarchs, praying on our behalf to Him Who alone loveth mankind.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Beg thou enlightenment for me who am engulfed in darkness because of my many sins, O all-pure Lady who gavest birth to the Light of the whole world; and drive far from me the gloom of the passions, O divinely blessed one.

Canon II, Irmos: O Theotokos, thou living and abundant fountain: in thy divine glory establish those who hymn thee and spiritually form themselves into a choir; and vouchsafe unto them crowns of glory.

Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.

The grieving have found great consolation; they that are in darkness have acquired the light; and those assailed by sorrows have in thee received deliverance from evils, O most sacred father.

Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.

The grieving have found great consolation; they that are in darkness have acquired the light; and those assailed by sorrows have in thee received deliverance from evils, O most sacred father.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

O holy hierarch Nicholas, who wast the mouth of God: thou hast delivered men from the maw of the diabolic wolf, O glorious one, and hast borne them to the Creator as a gift, granting healing unto all.

Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O most pure Mother of God: the Word Who chose for Himself a servant, the hierarch Nicholas, as a teacher of His people, did will to be born of thee alone in the flesh, in manner past all recounting.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Sessional Hymn, Tone I: Spec. Mel. “Thy tomb, O Saviour…”: The translation of thy precious relics is for us an occasion of splendid celebration, O Nicholas, holy hierarch of the Lord whom we piously praise, joyously honouring thee, the light of the never-setting Sun, thou adornment of the faithful. (Twice)

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Tone VIII: As the Master and Fashioner of all things passed by, * He encountered along the way a blind man who was seated there * and who mourned aloud, saying: * All my life I have beheld neither the sun shining forth * nor laid eyes on the bright luminescence of the moon. * Yet since Thou wast born of an immaculate Virgin so as to fill all with light, * do Thou now fill me with Thy light, in that Thou art compassionate. * And thus I shall adore Thee and cry: * Sovereign Master, Christ my God, forgive me my sins, ** in Thine abundant compassion, O Thou only Lover of mankind.

Ode IV, Canon I, Irmos: Thou didst mount Thy steeds, Thine apostles, O Lord, and didst take their bridles in Thy hands; and Thy chariot hath become salvation for those who chant with faith: Glory to Thy power, O Lord!

Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.

Enlighten my heart and dispel from it the gloom of sin, O holy hierarch who art illumined by the light of the Most High, that I may joyously hymn the holy translation of thy relics.

Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.

Having ascended the ladder of the virtues, O blessed one, thou wast revealed to all the world as a wonder-worker, O Nicholas; wherefore, the people of Bari removed thy holy relics from Myra.

Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.

Faithful priests rejoice in thee, and Christ-loving princes call upon thee as an ally in battle; and we, unworthy though we are, exhort thee to pray to God on our behalf, O Nicholas.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

The depth of thy mystery doth astound the ranks of the angels, O Theotokos, and thine icon doth cast the demons into confusion; and honouring thee as the Mother of God, we bow down before it.

Canon II, Irmos: Perceiving the inscrutable counsel of God — the Incarnation of Thee, the Most High, from the Virgin — the Prophet Habbakuk cried aloud: Glory to Thy power, O Lord!

Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.

O herald of God, through partaking of the primal light of God, thou wast shown to be a secondary luminary, enlightening with thy splendour them that are in darkness, in that thou art a lover of virtue, soaring aloft in glory.

Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.

O herald of God, through partaking of the primal light of God, thou wast shown to be a secondary luminary, enlightening with thy splendour them that are in darkness, in that thou art a lover of virtue, soaring aloft in glory.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Deliver thy flock from the tempests of sins, from waves of tribulation and hostility, guiding us ever to the calm haven by thy saving prayers.

Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

He to Whom thou gavest birth in an ineffable manner is by nature the unutterable Light of the Most High, Who is rich in mercy, and hath enriched us, impoverished as we are, with the gifts of God.

Ode V, Canon I, Irmos: O Christ God, Bestower of light, Who didst dispel the primeval darkness of the abyss: disperse the gloom of my soul, and grant me the light of Thy commandments, O Word, that, rising early, I may glorify Thee.

Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.

Thy cathedra was in Myra, but thy body was transported to Bari; yet in spirit thou dwellest with the apostles in heaven, in that thou art their successor. With them pray for us who hymn the translation of thy relics.

Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.

O hope of all Christians and great defender of the oppressed, healer of the afflicted, consolation of the grieving and intercessor before the Lord for the human race: beg thou peace for our land, and save us from the incursions of the aliens.

Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.

Through thine intercessions, O Nicholas, do thou enliven my soul which hath drowned because of its many passions and hath been slain by the fall; and guide it to repentance, that I may glorify the translation of thy relics with all the faithful.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

O Virgin, thou dost nourish as a babe Him Whom the myriads of angels and multitudes of the seraphim fear, and before Whom all reason-endowed creatures tremble; and, beholding Him in thine arms, we ever worship Him, as is meet.

Canon II, Irmos: All things are filled with awe at thy divine glory; for thou, O Virgin who hast not known wedlock, didst contain within thy womb Him Who is God over all, and gavest birth to the timeless Son, granting peace unto all who hymn thee.

Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.

Having acquired beautiful feet through the working of many wonders, thou didst bring glad tidings of good things to all. Freeing all from the ancient enmity by thy divine teaching, save us, O sacred hierarch.

Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.

Having acquired beautiful feet through the working of many wonders, thou didst bring glad tidings of good things to all. Freeing all from the ancient enmity by thy divine teaching, save us, O sacred hierarch.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Embarking upon the crest of the sea by God’s will, thou didst arrive at the city of Bari, having traversed the deep with many pious men, O blessed Nicholas.

Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

We truly glorify thee, O Virgin Mother of God, as the shield of the faithful, crying out to thee as did the angel: Rejoice, thou who art blessed and full of grace, awesome rumour and report, wondrous place of rest for the Master of all creation!

Ode VI, Canon I, Irmos: As Thou didst deliver the prophet from the uttermost abyss, O Christ God, in that Thou lovest mankind deliver me from my sins, and direct my life, I beseech Thee.

Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.

Health of body and cleansing of soul do we receive abundantly from thy divine church as from a pool, O holy hierarch Nicholas; for through grace wonders pour forth upon them that trust in thee with faith unfeigned.

Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.

As thou art the most glorious favourite of Christ, O father, deliver thy servants, who honour the translation of thy holy relics, from all manner of danger, from grievous misfortunes and the sorrows that beset us.

Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.

Blighted by the frost of sin and driven by the wind of life, let me be warmed by thy prayers, gazing upon the likeness of thy divine image; for thou art a second sun, O father Nicholas, thou servant of Christ.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

The earthly mind cannot comprehend heavenly mysteries; neither can a creature attain to knowledge of the Creator: for the birth of the Lord from the Virgin passeth man’s understanding. And entreating her with faith, we shall receive remission of sins.

Canon II, Irmos: Celebrating this divine and most honoured festival of the Mother of God, come, ye divinely wise, let us clap our hands and glorify God Who was born of her.

Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.

Save us by thy guidance, O Nicholas, preacher and teacher of the nations, who hast led to salvation the people of God Who appeared in the flesh for the benefit of many.

Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.

Save us by thy guidance, O Nicholas, preacher and teacher of the nations, who hast led to salvation the people of God Who appeared in the flesh for the benefit of many.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

O thou who didst have the sea as thy way and the waters as thy paths: beseech the Lord, that we may navigate the sea of life unharmed, and may reach the heavenly kingdom by the waters of our tears.

Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Thou art the portal of the King of the heavens and the temple of His glory, O all-hymned Virgin. Open thou the gates of mercy, and lead us into the abode of heavenly glory by thy supplications.

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, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Kontakion, in Tone III: Spec. Mel.: “Today the ­Virgin…”: Thy relics have moved like a star, from the East unto the West, O holy hierarch Nicholas; and the sea hath been sanctified by thy passage. The city of Bari receiveth grace through thee, for thou hast been shown forth for us as a wonder-worker: illustrious, most wondrous and merciful.

Ikos: Let us now praise with hymns the holy hierarch, pastor and teacher of the people of Myra, that by his entreaties we may be enlightened. For he is shown to be wholly pure, incorrupt of spirit, bringing unto Christ an unblemished sacrifice, pure and well-pleasing unto God, in that he is a hierarch pure of both body and soul. Wherefore, he is truly an intercessor and champion for the Church, and a wonder-worker: illustrious, most-wondrous and merciful.

Ode VII, Canon I, Irmos: On the plain of Dura the tyrant once built a furnace to torment the God-bearers; and therein the three youths chanted hymns unto the one God, and sang, all three together, saying: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.

Today the angels of God rejoice and a multitude of demons lamenteth; for He hath delivered the people from temptation and hath driven away the spirits of darkness. Wherefore, thou, O Nicholas, art worthily called victor; for which cause we chant unto the Lord: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.

They that are taken with the grief of sickness, who are heavy laden with divers afflictions, hasten to thy shrine with faith, and, having received thy mercy, depart in haste, joyfully chanting unto the Lord: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.

The assemblies of the people stand before thee, O blessed one, and the teachers of the Church rejoice in thee. Kings glorify thee as their defender; and we entreat thee, O Nicholas: Save us who chant unto the Lord: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

O how can I chant unto my Saviour, Whom even the angels praise with trembling? But do thou, O Mother, direct me, and by thy compassion move the mercy of thy Son to have pity on us who set our hope on thee. As thou dost beseech Him in our behalf, deliver us from torment.

Canon II, Irmos: The divinely wise youths worshipped not a creation rather than the Creator, but, manfully trampling the threat of the fire underfoot, they rejoice, chanting: Blessed art Thou, the all-hymned God of our fathers!

Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.

By thy word grant healing to the whole human soul which, like salt, hath lost its savour through the vanity of things; and teach us to chant unto the Lord: O all-hymned Lord and God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.

By thy word grant healing to the whole human soul which, like salt, hath lost its savour through the vanity of things; and teach us to chant unto the Lord: O all-hymned Lord and God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

O most glorious are the wonders thou hast wrought! For thou healest infirmities and deliverest from misfortunes, commanding all to chant unto the Lord: O all-hymned God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O pure Theotokos, thou art the defender and rampart of our lowliness, and we, thy servants, ever cry unto the Lord: O all-hymned God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Ode VIII, Canon I, Irmos: O ye angels and heavens, bless, hymn and exalt supremely praise Him Who sitteth upon the throne of glory and as God is glorified unceasingly forever!

Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.

The angels of the heavens accept thee as a minister, and the prophets greet thee as a fellow servant. The Lord Himself receiveth thee. And we sinners ask thee for mercy.

Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.

Great is the authority given thee by God, O Nicholas: the sea is subject to thee; the winds obey thee; and the nations, beholding thy most glorious wonders, submit themselves to thee.

Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.

O Saviour, Thou hast shown Thy holy hierarch Nicholas to be more glorious than Moses, delivering from all tribulation the New Israel, the Christian people.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

In that thou art the Mother of God, ask for us remission of sins, O Lady, and stretch forth thy hand unto me, who am sunk in the abyss of despair, that, raised up by hope, I may exalt thee supremely for all ages.

Canon II, Irmos: The birthgiving of the Theotokos saved the pious children in the furnace – then in figure, but now in deed – and it moveth all the world to chant to Thee: Hymn ye the Lord and exalt Him supremely for all ages!

Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.

Thou didst grow as a sweet-smelling flower in the land of Myra, O glorious one, wafting gifts of healing like fragrant perfume upon all that praise thee and sing: O ye works, chant unto the Lord and exalt Him supremely for all ages!

Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.

Thou didst grow as a sweet-smelling flower in the land of Myra, O glorious one, wafting gifts of healing like fragrant perfume upon all that praise thee and sing: O ye works, chant unto the Lord and exalt Him supremely for all ages!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Having poured out the sweetness of God’s grace like oil from the Mount of Olives, thou didst have in the sea a path made safe by the grace of the Lord, to Whom we sweetly cry: O ye works, chant unto the Lord and exalt Him supremely for all ages!

Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Thou gavest birth, yet remainest ever Virgin, to the astonishment of the choirs above; for thou didst bear the Word, Who was man unaltered by His divinity, and to Whom we sing: O ye works, chant unto the Lord and exalt Him ­supremely for all ages!

Ode IX, Canon I, Irmos: Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, Who hath exalted the horn of salvation for us in the house of David His child, wherein the Dayspring from on high hath visited us, and directed us to the path of peace.

Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.

Blessed be the Lord our God, for He hath glorified His holy hierarch throughout all lands, who gusheth forth streams of wonders, who worketh healing in all the lands of Myra and of the Latins, who visiteth us with mercy.

Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.

Blessed be the Lord our God, for He hath glorified His holy hierarch throughout all lands, who gusheth forth streams of wonders, who worketh healing in all the lands of Myra and of the Latins, who visiteth us with mercy.

Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.

Thou didst fall into an honourable sleep and didst permit thy body to go to Bari for the good of all; for by thy supplications thou art an ever-vigilant defender for all that call upon thee with

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

At a loss for words, I am unable to praise thee fittingly, who art higher than the heavenly hosts and more honourable than all creation, who gavest birth to God the Creator in the flesh. Entreat Him, O Theotokos, to have mercy upon us on the day of judgment.

Canon II, Irmos: Let every mortal leap for joy, enlightened by the Spirit; and let the nature of the incorporeal intelligences keep festival, honouring the sacred feast of the Mother of God, and let them cry aloud: Rejoice, O most blessed Theotokos, pure Ever-virgin!

Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.

Thy memorial is for us an occasion of festivity this day. The choir of the apostles, the assembly of martyrs and the spirits of the righteous rejoice; and we, the faithful, glorify thee with hymns, crying aloud: O holy hierarch of Christ, deliver us from all sorrows!

Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us.

Thy memorial is for us an occasion of festivity this day. The choir of the apostles, the assembly of martyrs and the spirits of the righteous rejoice; and we, the faithful, glorify thee with hymns, crying aloud: O holy hierarch of Christ, deliver us from all sorrows!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Thy most glorious memory hath shown forth upon us, illumining the faithful with splendour, O wise Nicholas, holy hierarch of Christ. Wherefore, we beseech thee: be thou mindful of us all, and deliver us from all the temptations of the adversary by thine intercessions.

Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Mortify our carnal passions and lusts, O pure Theotokos; still the tempest of our passions; calm the tumult of our thoughts; and strengthen the hearts of them that honour thee as their defender, O most pure and blessed one.

Troparion, Tone IV: The day of splendid solemnity is come; the city of Bari rejoiceth, and with it the whole world doth exult with hymns and spiritual songs. For today is the sacred feast of the translation of the precious and much-healing relics of the hierarch Nicholas the wonder-worker. For like the never-setting Sun, he shineth with brilliant beams of light, driving away the darkness of temptations and misfortunes from them that cry out with faith: Save us, O Nicholas, for thou art our intercessor!

The Canon to St Athanasius the Great

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The Canon of the Holy Hierarch, the Acrostic Whereof  Is: “Athanasius was the boast of the Orthodox”, the Composition of Theophanes, Tone VIII

Ode I, Irmos: The staff of Moses, once working a wonder, striking the sea in the form of the Cross and dividing it, drowned the mounted tyrant Pharaoh, and saved Israel who fled on foot, chanting a hymn unto God.

Holy Father Athanasius, pray to God for us.

To Athanasius do I offer praise, lauding him as a doer of good; and I offer yet higher laudation unto God, by Whom men are given the right-praiseworthy gift of virtue, of which he became the animate image and seal.

Holy Father Athanasius, pray to God for us.

Thou wast full of divine wisdom, O blessed one, and shining in thine angelic life more than the sun, thou hast surpassed the laws of our praise; yet accept praise from us, O venerable father, even though it is not worthy of thee.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

We fittingly weave a hymn on the glorious day of thy commemoration, O Athanasius; yet, lacking greater hymns fit for thee, we ask that thou forgive us, and that the abundant grace of the Spirit be given us through thee.

Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Thou gavest birth to the divine Word of the Father, Him Who before was incorporeal yet became incarnate for our sake, O most immaculate one, thou boast of virgins, vessel of purity and temple of purity, O Mistress of the world, Bride of God.

Ode III, Irmos: O Christ, Who in the beginning established the heavens in wisdom and founded the earth upon the waters, make me steadfast upon the rock of Thy commandments; for none is holy as Thee, O Thou Who lovest mankind.

Holy Father Athanasius, pray to God for us.

Having purified thy soul and body of all defilement, O Athanasius, thou wast shown to be worthy of God; wherefore, the fullness of the Trinity rested within thee, O initiate of the sacred mysteries of God, who art most rich.

Holy Father Athanasius, pray to God for us.

As thou didst desire, the grace of the Comforter, finding thy soul cleansed of the passions, manifestly showed forth its actions therein, O father, and set thee before the world as an all-radiant lamp.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

To hierarchs thou hast shown thyself to be a rule of hierarchy and a pattern of the active life; and thy lucid discourse was shown to be a model of vision, and doctrine to be the limit of thy theology, O all-wise one.

Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Thou wast shown to be more exalted than the cherubim and the seraphim, O Theotokos; for thou alone didst receive the infinite God in thy womb, O undefiled one. Wherefore, all of us, the faithful, bless thee with hymns, O pure one.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. 

Sessional Hymn, Tone VIII, Spec. Mel. “Of the wisdom…”: Having learned the wisdom of the Word and cast down the deception of Arius, thou didst preach the Orthodox Faith to the world; for thou didst explain that Christ the Word, our life, is truly consubstantial with the Father. Wherefore, with oneness of mind the Church doth glorify the consubstantial Trinity in one Godhead, O God-bearing Athanasius. Entreat Christ God, that He grant remission of offenses unto those who with love honor thy holy memory. Twice

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Sessional Hymn, Tone VIII: At Mid-Feast Thou didst stand in the Temple’s court * in a god-befitting manner * and didst cry aloud: * Let him who doth suffer thirst now draw nigh unto Me and drink. * He that drinketh of the sacred water that I shall give, * from within shall the springs of My teachings issue forth. * Whosoever doth believe that the Divine Father hath sent Me, * and that I came forth from Him, * with Me he shall be glorified. * Therefore, we cry unto Thee: * Glory be to Thee, O Christ God, * Who dost cause the streams of Thy great love for mankind, * to abundantly well forth unto us, Thy servants.

Ode IV, Irmos: Thou art my strength, O Lord, Thou art my power; Thou art my God, Thou art my joy, Who, without leaving the bosom of the Father, hast visited our lowliness. Wherefore, with the Prophet Habbakuk I cry unto Thee: Glory to Thy power, O Thou Who lovest mankind!

Holy Father Athanasius, pray to God for us.

From on high the Spirit of Christ breathed upon thee the life-bearing breath which of old divinely entered the upper chamber and filled the disciples; and it showed thee, O father, to be a thirteenth apostle proclaiming the Orthodox Faith.

Holy Father Athanasius, pray to God for us.

Burning greatly with divine zeal, thou didst aid the council in Nicæa; and even before thou wast made a hierarch thou didst preach that Christ the Word is consubstantial with the Father. Wherefore, Christ made thee a chief shepherd and disciple.

Holy Father Athanasius, pray to God for us.

Entrusted by divine providence with the task of nurturing the Church, O Athanasius, like a scythe thou didst cut down all the spiritually harmful blasphemies of the heretics, severing them at the root; and, watering the seed of the Word, thou didst cultivate it, O wise one.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Arius’ severing of Father from Son and Sabellius’ confusion between Them, which proceed from immeasurable evil unto the dishonor of God Who is equally worshipped, were utterly consumed by thy fiery tongue, O Athanasius, and all heretical blasphemies with them.

Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

After the first Adam, Thou didst become the new Adam; coming after our first mother, Thou art the Deliverer and Savior of all; and after death, Thou art the true Life immortal. Wherefore, acknowledging her who gave thee birth to be the Theotokos, we call her, the pure one, blessed, as is meet.

Ode V, Irmos: Wherefore hast Thou turned Thy face from me, O Light never-waning? And why hath a strange darkness covered me, wretch that I am? But turn me, and guide my steps to the light of Thy commandments, I pray.

Holy Father Athanasius, pray to God for us.

Having Christ speaking within the melodious instrument of thy tongue, O father Athanasius, with thy writing thou didst put to shame the heresy of idols, guiding the lost and turning them to the true God.

Holy Father Athanasius, pray to God for us.

All pernicious heresies didst thou denounce with thy discourses and writings, O blessed father, dispelling from the whole world all manner of falsehood with thy wise demonstrations, and indisputably making clear the Orthodox Faith.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

The Church of Christ truly calleth thee a great teacher of wise teachers, O father Athanasius, and hath numbered with the apostles thee who dost elucidate the unsullied word of the Faith.

Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Having acquired maternal boldness before thy Son, O most pure one, disdain not to take thought for us as thy kin, we pray; for thee alone do we Christians set before the Master to obtain cleansing of His mercy.

Ode VI, Irmos: Cleanse me, O Savior, for many are my transgressions; and lead me up from the abyss of evils, I pray, for to Thee have I cried, and Thou hast hearkened to me, O God of my salvation.

Holy Father Athanasius, pray to God for us.

Apollinarius, showing himself to be the sower of alien seed, preaching that the incarnation of Christ was that of an earthly Word and mind, was strongly denounced by thee as mindless and perverted, O all-blessed one.

Holy Father Athanasius, pray to God for us.

The power of Thy divinely inspired words hath, like the voice of thunder, manifestly smote the ears of the heretics and made their faces dark, O thou who art pleasing to God.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Everyone doth marvel, as is meet, at thy wise writings, which suitably make reference to offshoots of heresy yet to be, which, foreseeing, thou dost refute prophetically.

Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

The only-begotten Son, the God of my salvation, Who before time began was invisible, in latter times became the Firstborn of the day, becoming visible in the flesh through thee, O Mother of God.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Kontakion, Tone II, Spec. Mel. “Of thy blood…”: Planting Orthodox doctrines, thou didst cut down the thorns of heresy, increasing the seed of the Faith with the rain of the Spirit, O venerable one; wherefore, we hymn thee, O Athanasius.

Ikos: Pouring forth the torrents of the divine teaching of thy discourses upon the world, thou gavest drink to the souls of the faithful, O Athanasius, and didst drown the proponents of heresy like Egyptians of old, giving us the divinely inscribed law of Orthodoxy, that we may worship the Trinity in one Godhead. Therewith hast thou preserved us, delivering us from the invisible foe; wherefore, we hymn thee, O Athanasius.

Ode VII, Irmos: Once, in Babylon, the fire stood in awe of the condescension of God; wherefore, the youths, dancing with joyous step in the furnace, as in a meadow, chanted: Blessed art Thou, O God of our fathers!

Holy Father Athanasius, pray to God for us.

Having preached in Orthodox manner that the Word, the only-begotten Son, is equally worshipped and equally enthroned with the Father, O father, namesake of immortality, thou didst likewise teach that He is equally enthroned and consubstantial with the Spirit.

Holy Father Athanasius, pray to God for us.

The father of ungodliness, seeing thee to be a sacred teacher and preacher of the three-Sunned Light, who proclaimed the Orthodox Faith even unto the ends of the earth, raised up persecutions against thee.

Holy Father Athanasius, pray to God for us.

The countless tribulations thou didst endure when contending for piety, O blessed one, were like radiant crowns; for thou wast as adamant to those who beat thee, and like a magnet didst thou draw all to thee.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Strange and alien dogmas didst thou drive from the Church of Christ, theologizing concerning the hypostases of the Trinity and the unity of the Godhead, whom thou didst hymn, chanting: Blessed is the God of our fathers!

Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

As thou alone art the one who, without knowing wedlock, gave birth in time to the Timeless One, the Word Who before was incorporeal, O Virgin, we chant to Him together, crying: Blessed is the God of our ­fathers!

Ode VIII, Irmos: Madly did the Chaldæan tyrant heat the furnace sevenfold for the pious ones; but, beholding them saved by a higher Power, he cried out to the Creator and Deliverer: Ye children, bless; ye priests, hymn; ye people, exalt Him supremely for all ages!

Holy Father Athanasius, pray to God for us.

O Athanasius, right glorious adornment of hierarchs, pillar of light, foundation of the Church, champion of the Trinity, golden clarion of theology, famed recorder of the laws of the monastic life, thou dost celebrate with us, bringing priests to perfection and leading the faithful to Christ forever.

Holy Father Athanasius, pray to God for us.

Thou wast truly the namesake of immortality, for in thy discourse thou didst transcend active things; and overcoming tangible things in thy discourse and through the fame of thy life, in both thou didst pass all bounds. Wherefore, shining forth with immutable virtue, thou hast acquired an immortal memory forever.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

O God-pleasing initiate of the mysteries of heaven, thou didst show forth a most splendid episcopacy in thy valiant sufferings: thou didst dispel falsehood by thy frequent banishment for the Trinity, Whom preaching thou dost cry: Worship the Father, bless the Son, and hymn the Spirit for all ages!

Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Thou wast a vessel of the never-waning Light, O all-pure one, for He hath been a light to those in darkness and shadow, illumining all things with the grace of divine knowledge. Him do we unceasingly hymn, O ye faithful, for all ages.

Ode IX, Irmos: Heaven was stricken with awe, and the ends of the earth were amazed, that God hath appeared in the flesh, and that thy womb became more spacious than the heavens. Wherefore, the ranks of men and angels magnify thee as the Theotokos.

Holy Father Athanasius, pray to God for us.

Thou didst shine forth like lightning, O father, and thy sound poured forth like thunder on all upon whom the sun doth look; for thou didst receive true inspiration from the heavens above. Wherefore, let not the grave cause thy memory to be extinguished, O Athanasius.

Holy Father Athanasius, pray to God for us.

Illumined now most brightly with the thrice radiant light of the threefold Sun, like a mirror thou dost reveal effulgence to those who hymn thee, shining from on high like the sun. O blessed one, do that which we beseech of thee, whether it be great or insignificant.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Chanting, we entreat thee earnestly: pray thou for the Church, that through the Cross victories may be granted to Orthodox Christians, strength given to the Orthodox Faith against the heresies of the enemy, salvation to us, and peace to the world on the day of thy commemoration, O Athanasius.

Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O intercessor for all Christians, all-immaculate Virgin Mother of God, in that thou art merciful deliver from tribulations and perils thine oppressed servants who have suffered the wounds of cruel scourgings, and heal thou those on whom painful stripes have been inflicted.

Troparion, Tone III: Thou wast a pillar of Orthodoxy, strengthening the Church with divine dogmas, O sacred hierarch Athanasius; for, preaching the Son as consubstantial with the Father, thou didst put Arius to shame. O venerable father, entreat Christ God, that He grant us great mercy.

St Athanasius the Great: 2/15 May

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Saint Athanasius the Great, Archbishop of Alexandria, was a great Father of the Church and a pillar of Orthodoxy. He was born around the year 297 in the city of Alexandria into a family of pious Christians. He received a fine secular education, but he acquired more knowledge by diligent study of the Holy Scripture. In his childhood, the future hierarch Athanasius became known to Saint Alexander the Patriarch of Alexandria (May 29). A group of children, which included Athanasius, were playing at the seashore. The Christian children decided to baptize their pagan playmates.

The young Athanasius, whom the children designated as “bishop”, performed the Baptism, precisely repeating the words he heard in church during this sacrament. Patriarch Alexander observed all this from a window. He then commanded that the children and their parents be brought to him. He conversed with them for a long while, and determined that the Baptism performed by the children was done according to the Church order. He acknowledged the Baptism as real and sealed it with the sacrament of Chrismation. From this moment, the Patriarch looked after the spiritual upbringing of Athanasius and in time brought him into the clergy, at first as a reader, and then he ordained him as a deacon.

It was as a deacon that Saint Athanasius accompanied Patriarch Alexander to the First Ecumenical Council at Nicea in the year 325. At the Council, Saint Athanasius refuted of the heresy of Arius. His speech met with the approval of the Orthodox Fathers of the Council, but the Arians, those openly and those secretly so, came to hate Athanasius and persecuted him for the rest of his life.

After the death of holy Patriarch Alexander, Saint Athanasius was unanimously chosen as his successor in the See of Alexandria. He refused, accounting himself unworthy, but at the insistence of all the Orthodox populace that it was in agreement, he was consecrated bishop when he was twenty-eight, and installed as the archpastor of the Alexandrian Church. Saint Athanasius guided the Church for forty-seven years, and during this time he endured persecution and grief from his antagonists. Several times he was expelled from Alexandria and hid himself from the Arians in desolate places, since they repeatedly tried to kill him. Saint Athanasius spent more than twenty years in exile, returned to his flock, and then was banished again.

There was a time when he remained as the only Orthodox bishop in the area, a moment when all the other bishops had fallen into heresy. At the false councils of Arian bishops he was deposed as bishop. Despite being persecuted for many years, the saint continued to defend the purity of the Orthodox Faith, and he wrote countless letters and tracts against the Arian heresy.

When Julian the Apostate (361-363) began a persecution against Christians, his wrath first fell upon Saint Athanasius, whom he considered a great pillar of Orthodoxy. Julian intended to kill the saint in order to strike Christianity a grievous blow, but he soon perished himself. Mortally wounded by an arrow during a battle, he cried out with despair: “You have conquered, O Galilean.” After Julian’s death, Saint Athanasius guided the Alexandrian Church for seven years and died in 373, at the age of seventy-six.

Numerous works of Saint Athanasius have been preserved; four Orations against the Arian heresy; also an Epistle to Epictetus, bishop of the Church of Corinth, on the divine and human natures in Jesus Christ; four Epistles to Serapion, Bishop of Thmuis, about the Holy Spirit and His Equality with the Father and the Son, directed against the heresy of Macedonius.

Other apologetic works in defense of Orthodoxy have been preserved, among which is the Letter to the Emperor Constantius. Saint Athanasius wrote commentaries on Holy Scripture, and books of a moral and didactic character, as well as a biography of Saint Anthony the Great (January 17), with whom Saint Athanasius was very close. Saint John Chrysostom advised every Orthodox Christian to read this Life.

Source: The Orthodox Church in America

The Canon to St Mark the Evangelist

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Ode I, Irmos: Thy victorious right arm, * in a manner befitting God, * hath been glorified in strength, O Immortal One; * for in its infinite strength it shattered the enemy, * fashioning anew a path for the Israelites through the deep.

Holy, glorious, all-praised, Apostle and Evangelist, Mark, pray to God for us.

O blessed one, who like a skilful fisherman hast drawn men forth from the deep of transgressions with thy net, illumine my soul with radiant splendours, and grant that I may praise thy memory as is meet, O divinely revealed evangelist Mark.

Holy, glorious, all-praised, Apostle and Evangelist, Mark, pray to God for us.

The pre-eternal and supremely perfect God, Who with the Father is equally beginningless, appeared on earth incarnate as a man, and showed thee forth, O blessed one, as His fellow-labourer in grace and His most wise servant, who art strengthened by His power.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Thou wast a disciple of the most wise Peter, and was greatly enriched thereby, O all-glorious Mark, showing thyself to be an initiate of the divine mysteries, and one who followed in his glorious footsteps.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

The Angel of Great Counsel, having assumed flesh, manifested Himself to the world through the Virgin Mother, and showed thee forth, O father Mark, as a disciple adorned with virtues, a divine herald proclaiming His words.

Ode III, Irmos: Thou alone knowest the weakness of human nature * and in compassion hast assumed its form; * do Thou gird me with power from on high, * that I may cry unto Thee: * Holy is the animate temple of Thine ineffable glory, O Lover of mankind!

Holy, glorious, all-praised, Apostle and Evangelist, Mark, pray to God for us.

Thy friend Mark, O Christ, proclaiming Thee, the hypostatic Wisdom, hath thereby enlightened the whole world O Lord, with thine abundantly splendid rays, O Lover of mankind.

Holy, glorious, all-praised, Apostle and Evangelist, Mark, pray to God for us.

O Christ, Who lovest mankind, Thine eyewitness Mark, having received an ever- flowing stream of wisdom resounding like a river, hath watered the ends of the earth with the light of divine knowledge, truly revealing Thy prophecy.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Manifestly following Peter, O wise one, as his disciple thou didst copy the Gospel, receiving from him the light of theology and clearly proclaiming the coming of God in the flesh, O apostle.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Thou didst cause the temples of the demons to quake, O Thou Who wast aforetime borne to Egypt in the Virgin’s arms, and thither Thou didst send Mark, that all might know of Thy divine mystery and that Thou hadst become man.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Sessional Hymn of the evangelist, in Tone I: Spec. Mel.: “Thy tomb, O Saviour …”: Having ascended to the summit of virtue, O divine Mark, as a godly preacher thou hast thundered down upon us the great mysteries of the dogmas of salvation. Wherefore in faith we entreat thee, O most blessed one; free us from every sorrow, offence and misfortune.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Seedless was thy conception, and transcending understanding was thy childbirth, O immaculate Virgin Mother; an awesome deed, an exceeding great wonder, honoured by the angels and glorified by mortal men, O Lady and Maiden.

Ode IV, Irmos: Perceiving thee with prophetic eyes * as the mountain overshadowed by the grace of God, * Habbakuk proclaimed that the Holy One of Israel * would come forth from thee, * for our salvation and restoration.

Holy, glorious, all-praised, Apostle and Evangelist, Mark, pray to God for us.

Thy sound hath gone forth into all the earth, O most wise one, and the power of thy words manifestly extendeth to the ends of the world, like David splendidly preaching our salvation and renewal.

Holy, glorious, all-praised, Apostle and Evangelist, Mark, pray to God for us.

Like lightning Thy most wise apostle hath appeared to the world, O Saviour, announcing the joy of truth, illumined with the divine radiance of effulgence, unto our salvation and renewal.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Thy feet were adorned prophetically, for ineffably hast thou announced unto us the Peace that hath manifestly revealed Himself in the flesh to the ends of the world, unto our salvation and renewal.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

The Word sat upon the cloud of the Virgin and, in that He is merciful, He made foolish the counsels of Egypt and hath destroyed thoughts adverse to God through the teachings of the divine Mark, unto our salvation and renewal.

Ode V, Irmos: Thou hast shone upon us with the radiance * of Thy coming O Christ, * and illumined the ends of the world with Thy Cross, * enlighten with the light of thine understanding * the hearts of those who with right worship hymn Thee.

Holy, glorious, all-praised, Apostle and Evangelist, Mark, pray to God for us.

Thou didst let fall the sweetness of piety, the shower of thy divine words, casting light over all in bright beams, clearly revealed by the grace of the noetic Sun, O all-blessed and God-pleasing Mark.

Holy, glorious, all-praised, Apostle and Evangelist, Mark, pray to God for us.

From the house of the Lord thou didst pour forth a wellspring watering barren hearts abundantly with spiritual streams, teaching them to bring forth fruit instead of barrenness, O apostle.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Thou wast the son of the great Peter, and illumined by his teaching thou didst enlighten the souls who approached thee fervently, O blessed apostle, seer of God.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O Christ Who shone forth from the Father before all creation, and wast born of the Virgin as a man, Thou wast sent to the Egyptians. For them, O Wise One, Thou didst anoint Mark who hath taught them the mysteries of divine knowledge.

Ode VI, Irmos: The deepest abyss hath surrounded us, * and there is none to deliver us, * yea we have been counted as sheep for the slaughter; * save Thy people O our God, * for thou art the strength and restoration of the weak.

Holy, glorious, all-praised, Apostle and Evangelist, Mark, pray to God for us.

Thou didst set at naught the scorn of the wicked, O Lord, and didst put down their prideful arrogance, showing forth Thine apostle as a conqueror by Thy might, for Thou art the strength and restoration of the afflicted.

Holy, glorious, all-praised, Apostle and Evangelist, Mark, pray to God for us.

By thy words, O wise Mark, thou didst preach the Fashioner of creation, the Crown of hope wherewith we are now crowned, and which, to our glory, hath been wrought of the nature of the flesh.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

O glorious one, the pre-eminent Peter clearly instructed thee to mystically record the precious Gospel, showing thee to be a servant of divine grace, for thou didst shed the light of divine knowledge upon us.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Through the Virgin Mother of God didst Thou enlighten Egypt which aforetime was in darkness, entering it as an infant, O Lord; and Thou didst reprove its vanity through the teachings pf the divinely eloquent Mark, O Thou Who lovest mankind.

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, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Kontakion, in Tone II: Spec. Mel.: “Seeking the highest …”: Receiving from on high the grace of the Spirit, * thou didst destroy the snares of the orators, O apostle, * and, hunting all the nations, * thou didst lead them to thy Master, O all-glorious Mark, ** preaching the divine Gospel.

Ikos: A disciple of the pre-eminent apostle, with him thou didst preach Christ the Son of God, rendering steadfast upon the rock of truth those who were shaken by falsehood. Do thou also make me steadfast thereon, and set aright my steps, that, delivered from the snares of the enemy, I may glorify thee without faltering, for thou hast enlightened all, O wise Mark, preaching the divine Gospel.

Ode VII, Irmos: We the faithful perceive thee, O Theotokos, * to be a noetic furnace; * for as He, the supremely exalted One, * saved the three children, * so hath He wholly refashioned fallen humanity, in thy womb, * O Thou praised and supremely glorified God of our fathers.

Holy, glorious, all-praised, Apostle and Evangelist, Mark, pray to God for us.

Illumined with divine rays, thou dost mystically, by reflection, emit radiant beams, O most blessed Mark, for thou didst preach the Word incarnate, the Timeless One, the praised and supremely glorious God of our fathers.

Holy, glorious, all-praised, Apostle and Evangelist, Mark, pray to God for us.

O Maker of all, having armed thy divinely eloquent disciple with divinely effective power, Thou didst make of him a wonderworker, for he hath dispelled affliction and healed wounds, preaching Thee, the supremely praised and supremely glorious God.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Having as teacher the divine Peter, the first in rank among the choir of the apostles, thou didst show thyself to be like unto him, for thou didst bring order to all the fullness of the Church of the supremely praised and supremely glorious God of our fathers.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Following the saying of Isaiah, O most glorious one, thou didst thyself set up a pillar in Egypt: the scripture of thy Gospel, for Him Who, without seed, was born of the Mother of God, proclaiming our supremely praised and supremely glorious God.

Ode VIII, Irmos: In the furnace as in a fiery smelter * the Israelite children shone more brightly than gold * with the beauty of godliness, * as they exclaimed: Bless the Lord all ye works of the Lord, * hymn and supremely exalt Him throughout all ages.

Holy, glorious, all-praised, Apostle and Evangelist, Mark, pray to God for us.

Christ, the Word begotten of the Father before all ages, Who clothed Himself in human nature, didst thou preach, O glorious one; and thou didst cry aloud: O all ye works of the Lord, hymn and supremely exalt the Lord throughout all ages!

Holy, glorious, all-praised, Apostle and Evangelist, Mark, pray to God for us.

O glorious one, thou didst glorify Christ Who gaveth Himself as deliverance from our offence and passion and raised up the fallen; and thou didst cry: O all ye works of the Lord, hymn and supremely exalt the Lord throughout all ages!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Submitting to the most wise teaching of Peter, O Mark, thou didst most wisely commit to writing the precious Gospel for the faithful who cry aloud: O all ye works of the Lord, hymn and supremely exalt the Lord throughout all ages!

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Bearing Emmanuel as an infant, the Virgin stood before the Egyptians, to whom Mark is set like a radiant star, crying aloud: O all ye works of the Lord, hymn and supremely exalt the Lord throughout all ages!

Ode IX, Irmos: The Bush, which burnt without being consumed, * prefigured thy pure birthgiving, O Theotokos. * Wherefore, we now entreat Thee: * quench the raging furnace of temptations that beset us, * that we may unceasingly magnify Thee.

Holy, glorious, all-praised, Apostle and Evangelist, Mark, pray to God for us.

Having reached the ineffable wellspring of the three-sunned radiance O divinely revealed one, and most manifestly delighting in the divinity therein, which is beyond the mind of mortals, thou dost now unceasingly rejoice with the angels O most blessed one.

Holy, glorious, all-praised, Apostle and Evangelist, Mark, pray to God for us.

As one who was familiar with the teachings of Peter, and his godly preaching, thou dwellest now in the heavenly mansions with him, O most blessed and godly-spoken one, do thou pray for us O apostle Mark.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

The Light, thrice-radiantly joined and strangely unified, didst thou piously preach, a right worthy one, illumined by a ray of grace. Wherefore, we entreat thee: Ever offer supplication on our behalf.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

The honoured apostle Mark was given as a holy hierarch to the Egyptians, to whom the Lord of glory had also come, incarnate as a babe through the pure Virgin Mother of God; and Him do we magnify as is meet.

Troparion, in Tone III: O holy apostle and evangelist Mark, * entreat the Merciful God * that He grant remission of sins ** unto our souls.

Another Troparion, same tone: Thou wast an apostle of Christ who learned from the pre-eminent Peter, * and didst shine like the sun upon the lands of the Alexandrians, * being their adornment. * Through thee was Egypt freed from deception, O blessed one, * who as the Church’s pillar of fire dost illumine all with thy teaching of the Gospel. * Wherefore, honouring thy memory, we keep splendid festival, ** O divinely eloquent Mark, entreat God, that He grant unto our souls, remission of sins.

The Canon to the Holy Great-Martyr George

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As we celebrate the feast of the Holy Great-Martyr and Trophy-Bearer George, we congratulate our parishioners George and Georgiy, as well as sending greetings to Dedushka Georgiy, in Crimea, and to our brothers Reader George, Georgije (Joshua) our former parishioner Yury, to George Tattum-Smith and George Ioannou.

Congratulations, dear brothers.

May God grant you many years!

Canon I of the great martyr, the composition of Theophanes, in Tone II.

Ode I, Irmos: In the deep of old the infinite Power overwhelmed Pharaoh’s whole army. * But the Incarnate Word annihilated pernicious sin. * Exceedingly glorious is the Lord, * for gloriously hath He been glorified.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Standing, most radiant, before the precious throne of Him Who hath dominion over all, by thy supplications and intercessions preserve those who call upon thee with fervent faith and love, O martyr of Christ, crown-bearer George.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Thou wast a noble field of Christ, O George, cultivated by the acts of thy martyrdom, and the Judge of the contest hath laid thee up in the treasuries of heaven as most glorious riches, in that thou didst contend most excellently.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Called to struggles, O George, thou didst strive steadfastly and with endurance, O most blessed George, and having cast down the bold array of the tyrants, thou hast become an advocate for all who call upon thee.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Thou hast now received the blessed life which is hidden in Christ, for which thou didst contend, even to the shedding of thy blood, O George. Pray thou, that those who hymn thee be saved from every evil circumstances, O passion-bearer.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Thou wast a noetic heaven, O Mother of God, containing within thy womb the heavenly Word by Whom all things – heaven and earth, and those things that are above them – came into being. Wherefore, pray thou with boldness, that He save those who hymn thee.

Another Irmos: The people of Israel passed dry-shod across the watery deep of the Red Sea * and beholding the riders and captains of the enemy * swallowed by the waters, they cried out for joy: * ‘Let us chant unto our God, for He hath been glorified.’

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Thou hast finished the course of sacred sufferings, and, arriving in the heaven, hast been shown to be an incorrupt crown-bearer, O George, revealing thyself to be a right flourishing traveller; and thou joinest chorus with the angels, chanting: Let us sing unto our God, for He hath been glorified!

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Thou hast finished the course of sacred sufferings, and, arriving in the heaven, hast been shown to be an incorrupt crown-bearer, O George, revealing thyself to be a right flourishing traveller; and thou joinest chorus with the angels, chanting: Let us sing unto our God, for He hath been glorified!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

While thou wast still in pain, thou wast shown to the heavenly choirs of the incorporeal beings to pour forth a torrent of blessings, O George, and didst amaze the ranks of mortals with thy divine sufferings. And dancing with them, thou criest out: Let us sing unto our God, for He hath been glorified!

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

 The staff of Aaron which budded forth prefigured thee, the most pure one from the root of Jesse, who for the world produced a Flower: God incarnate. Cease thou never to entreat Him on behalf of us who flee to thee, O Ever- Virgin.

Ode III, Irmos: The desert of the barren Church of the nations * blossomed like a lily * at Thy coming, O Lord, * therein hath my heart been established.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Resplendent in the crown of suffering, O glorious and blessed one, entreat God our Redeemer, that He deliver from all necessity those who piously call upon thee.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Illumined with rich effulgence, O most wise one, from us who praise thee with faith drive far away dark grief and the gloom of the passions.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Made steadfast by hope and love, and fortified by faith, O George, strengthened by the power of Christ thou didst cast down the delusion of the idols.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

O most pure one, thou gavest birth in the flesh to the Incorporeal One Who hath enlightened the ends of the earth, and Who before all things is co-unoriginate with the Father. Wherefore, we the faithful honour thee, the Theotokos.

Canon II, Irmos: Likened to a barren woman * the Church from among the nations hath given birth, * and the assembly abundant in children, hath grown weak. * Let us cry out to our wondrous God: * Holy art Thou, O Lord!

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Thou didst quietly distribute thy wealth to the poor, O George, and, having anointed thyself with the oil of love as an athlete, thou didst with body and soul vanquish the tyrant.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Thou didst quietly distribute thy wealth to the poor, O George, and, having anointed thyself with the oil of love as an athlete, thou didst with body and soul vanquish the tyrant.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Made steadfast by grace, and consumed with the fire of zeal, thou wast not visible to those who interrogated thee, nor wast thou found by those who sought thee, O George, being angered for Christ’s sake at the delusion of the idols.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

As thou bearest in thine arms and feedest at thy breast Him Who feedeth every creature, O Theotokos Mary, worshiping Him we proclaim: Pray thou to Him, O pure one, on behalf of us all!

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Sessional Hymn of the great martyr, in Tone VIII: Spec. Mel.: “Of the Wisdom …”: Manfully contending in every manner of piety, O martyr, casting down the delusion of impiety thou didst trample the arrogance of the enemy underfoot; and ever burning with divine desire, thou didst quench the ungodly savagery of the tyrants. Wherefore, thou hast fittingly received a crown as the reward for thy torments, and grantest healings unto those who have recourse to thee with faith. O passion-bearer George, entreat Christ God, that He grant forgiveness of sins unto those who celebrate thy holy memory with love.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Sessional Hymn in the same tone & melody: Having distributed thine earthly riches to the poor on earth, O wise martyr, through thy labours thou hast inherited heavenly riches; for, armed with the precious Cross as with a breast-plate, thou didst thereby put the arrogance of the tyrants to shame. Wherefore, by thy supplications thou grantest divine gifts and the benefactions of healings unto those who petition thee. O passion-bearer George, entreat Christ God, that He grant forgiveness of transgressions unto those who celebrate thy holy memory with love.

Ode IV, Irmos: From a Virgin didst Thou come forth, not as an ambassador, * nor as an Angel, * but the very Lord himself incarnate, * and didst save me, the whole man; * wherefore I cry unto Thee: * Glory to Thy power, O Lord!

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

O most blessed George, we hymn thy struggles, whereby thou didst break asunder the worship of the idols; and thou didst set at naught all the delusion of the demons, O most glorious one.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Still thou the turbulence of perils and misfortunes, O right wondrous one, and dispel from those who hymn thee as a warrior of Christ every evil assault of the demons.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Thou hast shone forth like a radiant star, O George, driving away dark delusion with valour of spirit and steadfastness of faith, and saving those who hymn thee.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

O Virgin, thou gavest birth to Him Who is in essence salvation, saving mankind in the richness of His goodness and his essential kindness, and restoring His image which had become corrupt.

Another Irmos: I have heard, O Christ, truly most glorious report of Thee, * how being God immortal, * Thou didst assume the likeness of a mortal man, * yet remained what Thou wast before. * Wherefore, I glorify Thy power.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

The utterance of the words of thy wisdom, which transcended the human mind, struck the tyrants with awe before their tribunal, O George, and Christ God was acknowledged by those who knew Him not.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

With the word of the faith of Christ, O all-wise George, thou didst demolish the philosophers’ weaving of vile myths, and thou didst mock their gods as passion-ridden creatures, O champion of the Trinity.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

The tyrants who heard the report of thy words were put to shame, for, mocking their gods, thou didst show them to be objects of derision, preaching Christ God, Who was crucified in the flesh and hath abolished soul-destroying delusion.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

We glorify thee, O most pure one, the only Theotokos, the true Ever-Virgin, whom the bush which was mingled with fire without being consumed prefigured for Moses the God-beholder.

Ode V, Irmos: O Christ my Saviour, the enlightenment of those lying in the darkness of sin. * I rise early to hymn Thee O King of Peace, * enlighten me with Thy radiance, * for I know no other God than Thee.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

As thou hast the boldness of a martyr before the Master, earnestly beseech salvation for those who hymn thee, doing away with their spiritual ailments by thine entreaties, O passion-bearing martyr, most blessed George.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

As thou joinest chorus with the choirs of angels and martyrs, O crown-bearer, and sharest in immortal and blessed glory, rescue those who have recourse to thy protection from threefold waves and tempest.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Deliver us from all necessity, O Christ, in that Thou art merciful, dispelling the multifarious turmoil of sin and misfortune, and accepting the supplications of George Thy favourite.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Thou didst repay the debt of our first mother Eve, O Mother of God; for thou didst wrap in flesh the Saviour of the world Who was born of thee. Wherefore, we all call thee blessed, O joyous and all-immaculate Virgin.

Another Irmos: Do Thou O Lord send down upon us * Thine enlightenment, and free us * from the gloom of transgression, O Good One, * granting us Thy peace.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Wrestling like an athlete and manfully contending against the causes of divers deceptions, O George, naked to the world thou didst strip away the might of the cruel prince of this world.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Wrestling like an athlete and manfully contending against the causes of divers deceptions, O George, naked to the world thou didst strip away the might of the cruel prince of this world.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Protected by the weapon of the Cross, O George, with the hope of faith and mighty love thou didst blunt the sharp edges of all the weaponry of the cruel adversary.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

The womb of the virgin put to shame the understanding of the tyrants; for a child received the deadly sting of an adder in his hand, but George, casting down the prideful one who fell away from God, hath humbled him beneath the feet of the faithful.

Ode VI, Irmos: Whirled about in the abyss of sin, * I appeal to the unfathomable abyss of Thy compassion: * Raise me up from corruption, O God.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Transcending nature, all telling and understanding are the brave deeds of thy valour, which are unceasingly hymned, O most blessed martyr George.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

In that thou art a converser with the army of heaven, and beholdest the revelation of God insofar as thou canst attain thereto, O blessed one, save those who honour thee with faith.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Inclining toward God in every way, and receiving the effulgence of miracles, O most blessed George, thou dost distribute gifts to those in need.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

I now flee to thee, O most pure one. Save and preserve me by the supplications; for thou canst do all things whatsoever thou desirest, in that thou art the Mother of the Almighty.

Another Irmos: Prefiguring Thy three-day burial * Prophet Jonah praying in the belly of the sea-monster cried aloud: * Deliver me from corruption * O Jesus Thou King of hosts.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Thou didst cry out to the Creator with boldness, O George: “Give not thy servant over to the iniquitous, but grant me the strength to destroy their arrogance!”

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Scorning the vessels of the torturers, O George, of thine own will thou didst manfully hasten to the contest, and hast been crowned by Christ God with the honours of victory.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

The deceitful tyrants, their threats turned to wonder during the testing of thy virtue, O George, marvelled at Christ, the Bestower of life, Whom thou didst preach.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. 

Of old the serpent deceived me and made me subject to death through my first mother Eve; but now, O pure one, He Who created me hath through thee called me back from corruption.

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, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Kontakion of the great martyr, in Tone IV: Spec. Mel.: “Having been lifted up …”: Having been cultivated by God, * thou didst show thyself to be a most honourable husbandman of piety, * gathering to thyself the sheaves of the virtues; * for, having sown in tears, thou reapest in gladness, * and having suffered in the shedding of thy blood, * thou hast received Christ. * And by thy supplications, * O holy one, ** thou grantest forgiveness of sins unto all.

Ikos: Desiring Christ the King, Who laid down His life for the life of the world, the warrior hastened to die for Him, and, possessing great and divine zeal in his heart, he brought himself to Him. With faith, then, let us all hymn the divine George as a fervent intercessor, a glorious servant of Christ, who manifestly emulated his Master and respondeth to everyone who approacheth him; for he doth ever hasten to entreat the Saviour, that He grant forgiveness of sins unto all.

Ode VII, Irmos: The godless order of the lawless tyrant * fanned the roaring flame; * but Christ bedewed the God-fearing children with the Spirit, * therefore He is greatly blessed and highly exalted.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Emulating thy Master, O glorious martyr, thou didst willingly hasten to the struggle, and having received the victory hast become the guardian of the Church of Christ. Do thou ever preserve it by thine intercession.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

As an invincible martyr, as an athlete, as an unvanquished champion of the Faith, O all-wise George, be thou now an unshakable pillar far those who praise thee, protecting them by thy supplications.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Having wisely cultivated the divine seed, thou hast multiplied it, watering it with the torrents of thy blood, with the urgency of thy pangs and divers wounds, whereby thou didst put down the savagery of the tyrants.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Thou didst remain a virgin even after giving birth, for thou gavest birth to God Who feedeth all creatures in His ineffable mercy, and Who in His great loving-kindness became a man, O pure one. Him do thou entreat, that our souls be saved.

Another Irmos: Of old the Children of Abraham in Babylon * trampled down the flame of the furnace, * crying aloud with hymns: * O God of our Fathers, blessed art Thou.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Seeing the delusion of idolatry prevailing, O George, burning with the zeal of piety thou didst give thyself over to struggles.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Thou wast shown to preach the persecuted Faith, O George, and, denouncing the darkness of delusion, thou didst say: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Thou didst cut off falsehood at the root, didst cultivate great faith by piety, O George, and didst rejoice, saying: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Thou art more exalted than all creatures, O Theotokos, in that thou gavest birth to the Creator and Lord. Wherefore, I cry to thee: O blessed one, the Lord of hosts is with thee!

ODE VIII, Irmos: In Babylon, the activity of the fire was once divided, * for, by the command of God it consumed the Chaldeans, * but bedewed the faithful, who chant: * Bless ye the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

By thy supplications, O crown-bearer George, bring a halt to the torrent of cruel sufferings and misfortunes, tumultuous evil circumstances, attacks of pain, the wiles of the demons and the assaults of the ungodly.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Wholly illumined with purity by the light of the Trinity, O blessed dweller in heaven, as an invincible martyr, a champion of piety and a divinely crowned victor, by thy supplications save those who honour thee.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Adorned in every way with the noetic crown and diadem of the kingdom, dignified with a sceptre and arrayed in a royal robe empurpled in thy blood, O blessed one, thou reignest with the King of hosts.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

O Virgin Mother, thou gavest birth to Him Who was begotten timelessly of the Father, Who shone forth before time began and hath created all things, visible and invisible. Wherefore, we and all the terrestrial nations glorify thee, the Theotokos

Another Irmos: Rejoicing in their condemnation by the tyrant * for not worshiping all his abominable gods, * but only the living God, * the children braved the fire; and, bedewed by the Angel, * they chanted the hymn: * Hymn the Lord, all ye works, * and supremely exalt Him throughout all ages!

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Strengthened by the Spirit, thou didst spurn the instruments of pain, for thou wouldst not offer praise to deaf idols, but only to Christ God, having acquired roving faith in Him, O George; and thou didst say: Hymn the Lord, all ye works, and supremely exalt Him throughout all ages!

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Seeking after no transitory beauty, rejoicing in the hope of divine life, O George, thou didst undergo divers afflictions; and paying no heed to thy terrible dismemberment, with steadfastness of soul thou didst say: Hymn the Lord, all ye works, and supremely exalt Him throughout all ages!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. 

Seeing thy body cut apart by instruments of bronze and dismembered limb by limb with sharp knives, alive in spirit thou didst say: “These present tortures are for the glory which is to come, O ye unworthy! Hymn the Lord, all ye works, and supremely exalt Him throughout all ages!”

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. 

The Lord of all, Who formed thee from the rib of Adam, became incarnate of thy virginity; and, hymning Him, we cry: All ye works, bless and hymn the Lord, and supremely exalt Him throughout all ages!

Ode IX, Irmos: The Son of the unoriginate Father, God and Lord, * hath appeared to us incarnate of a Virgin, * to enlighten those in darkness, * and to gather the dispersed; * therefore the all-hymned Theotokos do we magnify.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Unceasingly entreat the Lord for us who hymn thee, O blessed one, as a martyr of Christ who vanquished the tyrant, as an expeller of evils spirits, a tireless guardian, a helper unashamed.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

The Master of all hath richly rewarded thee for thy sufferings, O thrice-blessed one; and, standing before him with the boldness of a martyr, preserve those who call upon thee with gladness.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

The earth covered thee, but heaven received thee and manifestly opened unto thee the gates of paradise, O athlete; and joyously dancing and leaping up therein, by thy supplications preserve those who hymn thee with faith.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

The tabernacle of the witness, wherein were the tablets of the law, the jar of manna and the golden ark, prefigured thee, O most pure one; for like it, O Theotokos, thou didst contain the unoriginate Word, incarnate, within thy womb.

Another Irmos: O pure Theotokos, thou art our boast, * thou who wast born of earthborn mortals * yet hast given birth unto the Creator: * wherefore, we magnify thee * as the Sovereign Lady of all creation.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Priests hymn, kings praise and the people utter laudation to thy sufferings, O martyr George; wherefore, we all call thee blessed.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us. 

Priests hymn, kings praise and the people utter laudation to thy sufferings, O martyr George; wherefore, we all call thee blessed.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. 

All the hosts of heaven hymned thy struggles; for, sacrificing thyself, thou wast well pleasing to God, O martyr George. Wherefore, we all call thee blessed.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. 

Rejoice, O pure Theotokos our boast, who sprang forth from mortal parents and gavest birth to the Creator! Thee do we magnify as her who hath dominion over creation.

Troparion, Tone IV: As a liberator of captives, * a helper of the poor, * and a physician of the infirm, O champion of kings, * victorious great martyr George, ** entreat Christ God, that our souls be saved.

St Varus – Intercessor for Those Who Have Died Outside the Church

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The Life of the Holy Marytyr Varus and the Seven Christian Teachers Who Were with Him
From Orthodox Life Vol. 44, No5 – October 1994

During the reign of the impious Maximian, the Emperor of the Romans, there lived in Egypt a brave soldier named Varus, who secretly served the King of Heaven. Out of fear he hid his faith in the true God for a time, but later, he revealed it before both heaven and earth and became a spectacle before angels and men.

At that time Maximian raised up a persecution against the Christians and issued a decree in every province of his empire commanding that those Christians who would not sacrifice to the gods be put to death. When this ordinance was published in the land of Egypt, the blood of Christians was shed mercilessly; all who worshipped the Creator and not things created were subjected to various torments. Varus, a secret Christian, visited by night the faithful who were held in prison for their confession of Christ, bribing the guards with gold to permit him to enter the cells in which they were held. He bound up the wounds of the holy martyrs and washed their blood, gave them to eat, kissed their stripes, and prayed them to beseech Christ to have mercy on him.

It happened that there were seven teachers of the Christians, desert-dwellers, that were brought before the Prince of Egypt.

When the Prince questioned them, he found them to be firm in the faith. Having subjected them to flogging, he had them cast bound into prison.

When Varus learned of this, he hastened by night to the dungeon where the saints were being held. After he had given much gold to the guards, he was permitted to visit the saints. Varus loosed their hands and removed their feet from the stocks that held them and then placed food before them. He besought them to eat, for they had remained hungry for eight days since they had been left in prison with no food. He fell at their feet and kissed them, and he praised them for their sufferings, saying, “Blessed are you, O good and faithful servants of the Lord! You shall enter into the joy of your Lord, for you have resisted unto blood (Heb. 12:4). Blessed are you, O good strugglers; the right hand of the Most High has woven crowns for you in Heaven. You have run with patience the race that is set before you (Heb. 12:1), and I know for certain that tomorrow your sufferings shall come to an end. Blessed are you, O passion-bearers of Christ; the Kingdom of Heaven is open unto you, for you suffer with Christ, Who suffered for our sake, as the Apostle says, If so be that we suffer with him, we shall also be glorified with him(Rom. 8:17). I beseech you, O holy servants of God, pray for me to Christ that He have mercy upon me, for it is my desire to suffer for Him, but I have not the strength to do so. I fear the cruel torments I see you have undergone.”

The saints replied, “Beloved, no one who is fearful can attain perfection, nor can he who does not sow reap. Likewise, a man who is unwilling to suffer receives no crown. Remember the words written in the Gospel: Whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I deny before My Father which is inHeaven (Matt. 10:33). If you fear passing torments, you shall not escape those which are eternal. If you fear to confess Christ on earth, you shall not be sated with the vision of His countenance in Heaven. Therefore, come, O brother, and tread with us the path of martyrdom, which leads to theMaster Who looks down upon our struggles. Suffer together with us, for you will not soon find again a company like ours.

When he heard these things, Varus’ heart was set afire with love for God, and he wished to endure torment for Jesus Christ. He passed the entire night at prayer with the holy martyrs and hearkened unto their teaching gladly.

When the morning was come, the Prince’s servants came to the prison to bring the holy martyrs before the tribunal. As they entered the dungeon, they saw Varus seated with the prisoners, hearing their words with compunction of heart. They were astonished, and they asked, “What is your business here, Varus? Have you lost your mind, giving heed to the myths of which these wicked men tell? Have you no fear that someone will speak of this to the Prince or one of the nobles? You shall lose both your military rank and your life!”

Varus replied, “He who tells the Prince of me is my benefactor. Know that if you choose to make accusation against me, I am ready to die for Christ with the other Christians here.”

The servants were thus put to silence. They took six of the martyrs from the prison, but the seventh they left, for he had weakened so from his wounds that he died and departed unto the Lord, leaving his place to be filled by Varus, who was to complete his suffering. The saints were led bound before the Prince, who sat proudly upon his tribunal and sought to compel them to sacrifice to the idols.

When they would not consent, they were stripped and beaten mercilessly upon the wounds they had already received. Thus were wounds added to their wounds and stripes to their stripes, but they endured their suffering as though it were nothing and said only, “We are Christians.”

Then the Prince asked, “Were there not seven of these men? Now there are but six. Where is the seventh?”

At that very moment Saint Varus entered and said, “I am the seventh. He of whom you spoke has already finished his course and gone to Christ, leaving me to complete his sufferings. I am prepared to render to you whatever he owed you. I wish to take his place among these noble martyrs who suffer for Christ, for I am a Christian.”

When the Prince heard this, he asked his attendants, “Who is this man?”

They replied, “It is the soldier Varus, the commander of the band of Tyanis.”

The Prince was perplexed and said to Varus, “What demon has led you to surrender yourself to perdition? Why do you choose to forsake your military rank and the honours that await you and bring evil upon yourself?”

The blessed Varus answered, “I prefer the Bread which is come down from heaven and the chalice of the divine and most precious blood of my Lord to your honours and esteem. I count nothing more dear than my Christ: not your regard, my rank, great honours, nor yet life itself. To suffer for Christ I count as the greatest honour and to lose all things for His sake as gain.”

The Prince then cast his angry glance upon the six holy martyrs and said, “This is your work, you impious deceivers! It is you who have beguiled this soldier of the Emperor, depriving him of his senses by your sorcery! I swear to you by my great gods that I shall put you to death even before I do the same to him and thus revenge the dishonour you have shown our gods. You are unworthy to remain among the living, for you blaspheme the gods and lead others into wicked error.”

The saints replied, “We have not beguiled Varus but have rather delivered him from deception. We have not caused him to lose his mind but have restored him to his senses. God has vouchsafed him strength and boldness for the struggle, that together with us he might prevail over your feeble might and that of your gods. In but a short time you shall behold his soldierly courage, for we have enrolled him in the host of the angels. Is it your boast that you shall destroy us? Know that it is our desire to lay down our lives for the Lord of all.”

The Prince said, “I will immediately have you cut in pieces if you do not fall down and worship the gods of Egypt!”

The saints answered, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish (Jer. 10:11).

Wishing to move the Prince to yet greater anger, the blessed Varus said, “The fool shall speak foolish things, says the Prophet Isaiah. Lo, our bodies lie stretched out before you. Do with them as you would.”

Greatly angered, the Prince commanded that Varus be suspended from a tree, that he might put him to torture. To the six saints he said, “We shall see who will prevail over whom: you over us as you suffer torment or we over you as we inflict our tortures. Of a truth I say to you that if you by your patience prevail over me, I will renounce my gods and believe in your Christ.”

The saints replied, “Try your strength against one of us, and if you can overcome him, you may hope to prevail over the others.”

As they began to torment Varus, he said to the holy martyrs, “O holy passion-bearers! Bless me, who am your servant, that I may share your lot. Entreat the Master Christ for me that He grant me patience, for He knows that our flesh is infirm. The spirit indeed is willing, it is written, but the flesh is weak (Matt. 26:41).”

The saints lifted up their eyes unto Heaven and prayed fervently for Varus as the servants began to beat his whole body with rods and staves. As the saint was being beaten, the Prince said, “Now tell us, Varus, what profit your Christ brings you.”

Varus bravely replied, “More than you receive from your gods.”

The saints cried out to Varus, “Take courage, Varus, and may your heart be strengthened, for Christ invisibly stands before you and strengthens you!”

Answered Varus, “Truly, I perceive the help of my Christ, for these torments seem as nothing to me.”

Then they scraped his sides with iron claws, after which he was hung upside-down from the tree. They tore the skin from his back, cut his flesh with razors, and thrashed him with switches until he burst open and his bowels fell to the ground. When the holy martyrs saw his inward parts fall out, they wept. The persecutor beheld the martyrs weeping, and he cried out with a great voice, “Lo, you are defeated! You have been brought low, and you weep from fear of torment! What more is necessary for you to acknowledge that Christ cannot deliver you out of our hands and for you to forsake Him and worship our gods?”

The saints answered, “You are a beast and not a man! We are not defeated but shall yet prevail by the power of Jesus, Who strengthens us. We do not weep because we fear torment but out of natural love for our brother, whom you wish to slay in a beastly manner. In spirit we rejoice for him, for a crown has already been prepared for the noble sufferer.”

The Prince then commanded that they be led back to prison. As Varus saw the saints being returned to the dungeon, he cried out to them from the tree from which he was suspended and was being tortured, saying, “My teachers! Pray for me one last time unto Christ, for I am about to depart from my body. I thank you for you have made me to inherit life eternal.”

Saint Varus endured torture for five hours and then in suffering surrendered his honorable and holy soul into the hands of the Lord. Thinking that he was yet alive, the torturers continued to beat and torment his corpse. When they saw that he was already dead, they were amazed, and in accordance with the persecutor’s command, they cast him out of the city in the place where the carcasses of beasts were left to be devoured by dogs.

There was a widow living in that city named Cleopatra, who was born in Palestine. Her husband, an officer, had died in Egypt, and she had a son named John, who was still a little boy. When Saint Varus was tortured, she looked on from afar upon his sufferings, sighing and beating her breast, for she was a Christian. When the martyr’s corpse was cast out of the city, she arose by night, took certain of her servants, and went to remove the long-suffering body of Saint Varus. She brought it to her home, where she dug a grave for it in her room.

The next morning, the Prince had the other martyrs brought forth from the prison, and after he had tortured them for a long time, they were beheaded. They were also cast out of the city without burial, but their corpses were taken by night and committed to the earth by secret Christians.

Every day Cleopatra censed and lit candles before the grave of Saint Varus, whom she regarded as her great intercessor and mediator before God. When, after some years, the persecution died down, she began to consider how she might return to the land of her birth, and she wondered how it would be possible for her to take with her the relics of Saint Varus.

She decided to send a gift to the Prince, which was taken to him by a messenger, who said to him on her behalf, “My husband was an officer and died here in the Emperor’s service. He has still not received final burial, for it is not seemly that an officer and man of rank be buried in a foreign land. I, who am a widow and a stranger in this country, wish to return to my homeland to live with my kindred. Therefore, my lord, permit me to take the remains of my beloved husband to the land of my birth, that I may give them a fitting burial together with my forebears, for I wish to remain with my spouse even after I die.”

The woman sent this message that the Christians might not think that it was the relics of the holy martyr she was removing from the city, for she was afraid that they would prevent her from taking that sacred treasure. The Prince accepted her gift and granted her request, but she took the remains of Saint Varus rather than those of her husband. Like a vine she brought them out of Egypt (cf. Ps. 79:8) into Palestine to her village of Edras, which was near Tabor, and she buried them there with her fathers.

Every day she went to his grave, censed it, and lit candles there. When the other Christians who lived there saw this, they began to go with her to where the saint lay. They brought with them their sick, who received healing at Saint Varus’ grave through his prayers. Soon all the Christians in the parts that lay round about learned of Saint Varus, and they began to come with faith to his tomb.

When Cleopatra saw how the Christians gathered to pray at the grave of the saint, she determined to build a church dedicated to him. Soon its erection was begun. By that time her son had reached manhood, and Cleopatra desired that he receive a position in the imperial army. Through the intercession of certain mediators she requested that her son be commissioned an officer, and her entreaty was granted.

Her son received from the Emperor his appointment to the army and the emblems of his rank while the church was being constructed, but Cleopatra said, “My son shall not begin to serve the Emperor in the army until the house of God is completed. It is my intention that he be here to help transfer the saint’s relics to the church. After this is done, he may depart to serve the Emperor.”

When the church was completed, Cleopatra summoned bishops, priests, and monks, removed the precious relics of the holy martyr from their grave, and had them placed on a very costly bier. She laid her son’s military belt and uniform upon the relics, that they might be sanctified by the saint’s remains. She prayed to Saint Varus fervently that he be her son’s protector, and all the bishops and priests present bestowed their blessing upon the young man. A multitude of Christian people without number had gathered there as well, and accompanied by them, Cleopatra and her son carried the bier and the relics to the church. The church was consecrated, and the remains of thesaint were placed beneath the altar. Then the Divine Liturgy was served.

Cleopatra fell down before the relics of Saint Varus and prayed thus: “I beseech thee, 0 passion-bearer of Christ: Ask God for that which is profitable for me and for mine only son. I do not dare ask for anything more than what the Lord Himself wisheth, for He knoweth what is needful for us. May His good and perfect will be done in us!”

After the service was completed, a great banquet was set before those present at which Cleopatra and her son served the guests.

Cleopatra instructed her son to eat nothing until the evening, when the meal was finished and only then to partake of that which remained. As the youth was serving, he suddenly took ill, and he went to lie down upon his bed.

When all the guests had arisen from the meal, Cleopatra called for her son, that he might share with her what food remained. But John was unable even to reply, for he was burning with a great fever. When Cleopatra saw how ill her son was, she said, “As the Lord lives, I will not put food into my mouth until I learn what is to become of my child!”

She sat down beside him and sought to cool the fire of his fever; but her own womb burned still more than did his body, and her heart ached for her only son. At midnight the youth died, leaving his mother to weep inconsolably. As she lamented bitterly, she hastened to the Church of Saint Varus, and she fell down before his sepulchre and cried out, “O servant of God! Is this how thou hast rewarded me for the great labours I endured on thy behalf? Is this the succour which thou providest me, who forsook my husband on thine account and have placed my hope in thee? Thou hast permitted mine only son to die; thou hast deprived me of mine only consolation and hast taken from me the light of mine eyes! Who shall now feed me in mine old age? Who shall close mine eyes when I die? Who shall commit my body to the grave? It had been better for me to die than to behold my beloved son perish in his youth like a flower before its time. Either give me back my son as once Elisha returned the son of the Shunamite woman (cf. IV Kings, ch. 4) or take me hence without delay, for I can endure this bitter sorrow no longer.”

Cleopatra remained weeping by the grave of the saint and then fell asleep for a short while from weariness and grief. As she slept, she beheld Saint Varus in a dream. He held her son by the hand, and they both shone like the sun. Their vesture was whiter than snow, and they were girded with golden belts; upon their heads were crowns of unspeakable beauty.

Seeing this, the blessed Cleopatra fell down before them, but Saint Varus lifted her up and said, “O woman, why do you cry unto me? Do you imagine that I have forgotten the good works you did on my behalf in Egypt and along the way to this place? Do you suppose that I felt nothing when you removed my body from amid the carcasses of beasts, placing it in a coffin? Have I not always hearkened to your prayers? I make entreaty for you at all times unto God. I have prayed first of all for your relatives, with whom you buried me, that their sins be remitted them, and now I have enrolled your son in the army of the King of Heaven. Did you not beseech me here at my grave that I ask God to grant you and your son whatever is in accordance with His will and is to your benefit? Therefore, I have prayed unto the good God, and in His ineffable kindness He has deigned to number your son among the host of Heaven. Lo, you see that your son now stands near the Lord’s throne. If you wish, take him and send him to serve a mortal and earthly king since you do not desire that he should serve the heavenly and eternal King.”

The youth, who sat beside Varus and embraced him, exclaimed, “No, my lord! Pay no heed to my mother, neither permit me to be returned to the world, which is full of falsehood and every iniquity, and from which you delivered me when you came to me. Do not deprive me, O father, of a portion with the saints and a dwelling place among them.”

Then the youth turned to his mother and said, “Why do you lament for me thus, mother? I have been enrolled in the host of Christ the King and have been permitted to stand before Him with the angels. Why do you now ask that I be removed from the kingdom and brought to abasement?”

When the blessed Cleopatra saw that her son’s appearance was like that of an angel, she said, “Take me with you that we may be together.”

Saint Varus said, “In this place you are with us. Go in peace, and after a time, when the Lord commands, we shall come and take you.

After saying this, the saint became invisible. When Cleopatra awoke, her heart was filled with ineffable happiness and joy, and she related her dream to the priests. They buried her son beside the sepulchre of Saint Varus, and Cleopatra wept no more but rather rejoiced in the Lord. Later she distributed her possessions among the needy and renounced the world. She lived beside the Church of Saint Varus, serving God in prayer and fasting by day and night.

Every Sunday as she prayed, Saint Varus appeared to her in great glory with her son. After she had lived in this God-pleasing manner for seven years, the blessed Cleopatra reposed. Her body was placed in the Church of Saint Varus near her son John, and her holy soul took up its abode in the heavens, together with Saint Varus and John. There it now stands in the presence of God, to Whom be glory unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Translated by Father Thomas Maretta

From the Slavonic Menologion of

St. Demetrius of Rostov

 

Through the Prayers of St Varus…

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At this time of Paschal memorial services, as at other times, we turn to the intercessions of the Holy Great-Martyr Varus of Alexandria to intercede for our loved ones who have died outside the Holy Orthodox, Catholic, Apostolic Church, having great trust in his intercessions through the Lord’s great mercy.

O glorious Varus, in God thou art able by thy divinely acceptable supplications to obtain and pour forth mercies upon those who have been utterly separated therefrom. For there is but one Father of compassions and lovingkindness, and as Master all things are possible for Him. Unfailingly beseech Him, O athlete, that He forgive and have mercy on NN., whom we remember.

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Sessional hymn, in Tone V: Pray thou for the whole world, O great-martyr, and cease not to ask mercy for all sinners who have in divers ways grievously offended the Master and continue to offend him, who by mortal works have utterly done themselves to death and acquired nought, since they have wrought evil. And intercede also, O passion-bearer, for our departed kinfolk, NN., beginning as is possible; and cease not to pray and fall down before the Lord Who hath mercy on all, that He forgive and have mercy on those who sit in darkness and are embittered with exceeding great bitterness.

Glory…,

Another sessional hymn, in Tone III: O great Varus, dweller in everlasting joy and namesake of heavenly rest: With boldness thou darest to remember before the Lord the redeeming qualities of our forebears; for even though we cannot place thee in their graves, yet do we beseech thee to add thy prayers to our earnest supplications that they be granted pity. Wherefore, fall down and pray, for the Master will not reject thine intercession, but, inclined by His infinite goodness, will send deliverance and great mercy upon those who are embittered with exceeding great bitterness.

Now and ever…,

Theotokion, in the same tone: O all-radiant Lady, who art hymned above all and art continually magnified by the heavenly hosts, Mother of the King of all: Since thy glory and greatness are increased where and when He desireth, when thou helpest sinners and coverest the whole world with thy supplications, O Mistress, increase the majesty of thy sublimity, and by thy fervent supplications deliver from grievous torments our unbelieving and unbaptized kinfolk and NN., who are commemorated with them; and grant them deliverance and great mercy.

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Prayer to the Holy Martyr St. Varus for Those Who Have Died Outside the Faith
O Holy, wondrous Martyr Varus, who, burning with zeal for the Heavenly King, didst confess Him before thy torturers and didst greatly suffer for Him!
Now the Church doth venerate thee, as one glorified with the glory of heaven by Christ the Lord, Who granted thee the abundant grace to approach Him boldly.
And now, standing before Him together with the Angels, rejoicing on high, beholding the Most Holy Trinity clearly, and enjoying the Uncreated Light, remember the suffering of our relatives who have died outside the Faith, and accept our pleas, and as thou didst intercede for the unbelieving ancestors of Cleopatra and didst free them from eternal suffering, remember those who have died unbaptized and have been buried in an ungodly manner, and pray earnestly that they may be delivered from eternal darkness, that we may all, with one mouth and one heart, praise the Most Merciful Creator unto the ages of ages. Amen.

St Martin the Confessor, Pope of Rome: Life and Canon

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ST. MARTIN THE CONFESSOR THE POPE OF ROME

Commemorated on April 14/27

Saint Martin the Confessor, Pope of Rome, was a native of the Tuscany region of Italy. He received a fine education and entered into the clergy of the Roman Church. After the death of Pope Theodore I (642-649), Martin was chosen to succeed him.

At this time the peace of the Church was disturbed by the Monothelite heresy (the false doctrine that in Christ there is only one will. He has a divine, and a human will). The endless disputes of the Monothelites with the Orthodox took place in all levels of the population. Even the emperor Constans (641-668) and Patriarch Paul of Constantinople (641-654) were adherents of the Monothelite heresy. The emperor Constans II published the heretical “Pattern of Faith” (Typos), obligatory for all the population. In it all further disputes were forbidden.

The heretical “Pattern of Faith” was received at Rome in the year 649. Saint Martin, a firm supporter of Orthodoxy, convened the Lateran Council at Rome to condemn the Monothelite heresy. At the same time Saint Martin sent a letter to Patriarch Paul, persuading him to return to the Orthodox confession of faith. The enraged emperor ordered the military commander Olympius to bring Saint Martin to trial. But Olympius feared the clergy and the people of Rome who had descended upon the Council, and he sent a soldier to murder the holy hierarch. When the assassin approached Saint Martin, he was blinded. The terrified Olympius fled to Sicily and was soon killed in battle.

In 654 the emperor sent another military commander, Theodore, to Rome. He accused Saint Martin of being in secret correspondence with the enemies of the Empire, the Saracens, and of blaspheming the Most Holy Theotokos, and of uncanonically assuming the papal throne.

Despite the proofs offered by the Roman clergy and laity of Saint Martin’s innocence, the military commander Theodore with a detachment of soldiers seized Saint Martin by night and took him to Naxos, one of the Cyclades islands in the Aegean Sea. Saint Martin spent an entire year on this almost unpopulated island, suffering deprivation and abuse from the guards. Then they sent the exhausted confessor to Constantinople for trial.

They carried the sick man on a stretcher, but the judges callously ordered him to stand up and answer their questions. The soldiers propped up the saint, who was weakened by illness. False witnesses came forward slandering the saint and accusing him of treasonous relations with the Saracens. The biased judges did not even bother to hear the saint’s defense. In sorrow he said, “The Lord knows what a great kindness you would show me if you would deliver me quickly over to death.”

After such a trial they brought the saint out in tattered clothes to a jeering crowd. They shouted, “Anathema to Pope Martin!” But those who knew the holy Pope was suffering unjustly, withdrew in tears. Finally the sentence was announced: Saint Martin was to be deposed from his rank and executed. They bound the half-naked saint with chains and dragged him to prison, where they locked him up with thieves. These were more merciful to the saint than the heretics.

In the midst of all this the emperor went to the dying Patriarch Paul and told him of the trial of Saint Martin. He turned away from the emperor and said, “Woe is me! This is another reason for my judgment.” He asked that Saint Martin’s torments be stopped. The emperor again sent a notary and other persons to the saint in prison to interrogate him. The saint answered, “Even if they cripple me, I will not have relations with the Church of Constantinople while it remains in its evil doctrines.” The torturers were astonished at the confessor’s boldness, and they commuted his death sentence to exile at Cherson in the Crimea.

There the saint died, exhausted by sickness, hunger and deprivations on September 16, 655. He was buried outside the city in the Blachernae church of the Most Holy Theotokos, and later the relics of the holy confessor Martin were transferred to Rome.

The Monothelite heresy was condemned at the Sixth Ecumenical Council in 680.

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Troparion, Tone 3: Thou didst strengthen the Church with true doctrine, / O wise hierarch Martin, / declaring the two natures of Christ, / putting heresy to shame. / Entreat the Lord to grant us His great mercy.

Kontakion, Tone 8: O High Priest and teacher of the mysteries, / thou didst pour forth streams of doctrine, / expounding the true doctrine of the two natures and wills of Christ. / Intercede for those who cry: “Rejoice, O blessed Father Martin.”

The Orthodox Church in America

20 апреля 2017 г.

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Canon of the holy hierarch, the composition of Joseph, in Tone VIII.

Ode I, Irmos: Irmos: That which had been hewn down divided the undivided, * and land unseen was seen by the sun; * water engulfed the cruel enemy, * and Israel traversed the impassable, chanting a hymn: * Let us sing unto the Lord, * for gloriously hath He been glorified!

Holy Father, Martin the Confessor, pray to God for us.

Thou didst endure many sufferings for Christ God, O Martin, and now hast departed unto the life which is devoid of pain, having struggled well; wherefore, ease thou the cruel pangs of my soul, that, enlightened by thy supplications, I may chant unto thee.

Holy Father, Martin the Confessor, pray to God for us.

Thou didst teach that Christ is transcendent God, One of the adored Trinity, of two natures, two wills and two activities; and all who do not worship Him thus thou didst cast forth, O blessed and most sacred Martin.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Adorned with true understanding and faith, O Martin, thou didst openly denounce those who were mindless and inclined to irrationality, reasoning that there is but one will in Christ; and, rejoicing, thou didst cry out: Let us chant unto the Lord, for gloriously hath He been glorified!

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

He Who is invisible in His divine nature became a visible Babe through thee, becoming man and truly possessing two wills and activities within one Hypostasis. Him do thou entreat, O most immaculate one, that He save all who hymn thee with love.

Ode III, Irmos: Thy fear, O Lord, do Thou plant * in the hearts of Thy servants * and be Thou the confirmation of us * who in truth call upon Thee.

Holy Father, Martin the Confessor, pray to God for us.

Full of divine zeal, O all-blessed Martin, thou didst convoke a council of priests confirming the doctrine of the Church.

Holy Father, Martin the Confessor, pray to God for us.

In the midst of the council thou didst anathematize Pyrrhus, Sergius, Theodore and Cyrus, and all heretics who uttered foolish things like them, O father.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Exiled from Rome by force, like the sun thou didst make a circuit, shedding thy radiant beams and illumining all the Orthodox, O venerable one.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O all-holy maiden, in a manner past all telling thou hast given birth to Him. Who is equally worshipped and co-enthroned with the Father, and Who possesseth two activities and two wills.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Sessional Hymn, Tone IV: Spec. Mel. “Having been lifted up …”: Adorned with sacred confessions, and having completed a martyric life, O wise Martin, hastening to the heavens thou hast been crowned by God with a never-fading wreath. Wherefore, we celebrate thy holy memory, crying aloud: Remember us, O sacred and blessed one, as thou standest before Christ!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Theotokion, Tone IV: O Theotokosfleeing to thy divine protection after God, * I humbly fall down and beseech thee: * Have mercy, O most pure one, * for my sins have submerged my being, * and trembling O Sovereign Lady, I fear the torments to come, * O pure one, entreat thy Son, ** that I may be delivered from them.

Stavrotheotokion (replaces the Theotokion on Wednesdays and Fridays): She who in latter times gave birth to Thee in the flesh, * O Christ Who wast begotten of the beginningless Father, * when she saw Thee hanging upon the Cross, cried out: * “Woe is me, O Jesus most beloved! * How is it that Thou Who art worshipped as God by the angels, * art now crucified by iniquitous men? ** I hymn Thee, O Long-suffering One!”Continue reading →

The Canon to St Basil the Confessor

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Canon of the Hierarch, in Tone VIII

Ode I, Irmos: Having passed through the water as upon dry land, * and having escaped the malice of the Egyptians, * the Israelites cried aloud: * Unto our God and Redeemer let us sing.

Holy Father, Basil the Confessor, pray to God for us.

The indescribable and thrice radiant Light hath shone forth upon thee in the unshakable kingdom of heaven, O father, and the gladness of the righteous hath received thee.

Holy Father, Basil the Confessor, pray to God for us.

The gates of Eden have been opened unto thee, O right glorious one; thou hast joined the holy hierarchs and been numbered among the Church of the firstborn.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Having suffered lawfully and preserved thy priesthood pure to the end, thou hast been deemed worthy to rejoice with the priests of heaven.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Having united Himself hypostatically to the flesh, and having received it from thee, O Mother of God, the Creator of all ineffably issued forth and was well pleased to draw nigh unto mankind.

Ode III, Irmos: O Lord, thou art the confirmation of those who flee to Thee, * Thou art the Light of those in darkness, * and my spirit doth hymn Thee.

Holy Father, Basil the Confessor, pray to God for us.

Thy right wondrous and most glorious memory doth gladden the assemblies of the Orthodox with joy.

Holy Father, Basil the Confessor, pray to God for us.

Shedding the cloud and breaking the bonds of the body, O venerable one, thou didst draw nigh unto God

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

As one elect, O venerable one, thou didst receive a blessed end and the delight of the chosen, as is meet.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Having thee as my helper, O most pure Mother of God, I am not ashamed; and having thee as mine intercessor, I am delivered from mine enemies.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Sessional Hymn, Tone III: Spec. Mel. “Of the divine faith …”: A great sun hath shone forth upon the whole world in thy virtues, and thou hast enlightened the companies of the faithful with radiance and the splendors of miracles, destroying the darkness of the passions. O Basil our father, entreat Christ God, that He grant us great mercy.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Theotokion, Tone III: Thou wast the divine tabernacle of the Word, * O only all-pure Virgin Mother * who surpassed the angels in purity. * By the divine waters of thy supplications * cleanse me who, more than all others, * have become dust, defiled by carnal transgressions; ** and grant me great mercy, O pure one.

Stavrotheotokion (replaces the Theotokion on Wednesdays and Fridays): The unblemished ewe-lamb of the Word, * the incorrupt Virgin Mother, * beholding Him Who sprang forth from her without pain * suspended upon the Cross, cried out, maternally lamenting: * “Woe is me, O my Child! * How is it that Thou dost suffer willingly, * desiring to redeem mankind ** from the indignity of the passions?

Ode IV, Irmos: O Lord, I have heard the mystery of Thy dispensation; * I have considered Thy works, * and I have glorified Thy Divinity.

Holy Father, Basil the Confessor, pray to God for us.

Making entreaty to God, O father, for thou didst cast down the haughty thinking of wicked heresy, gladdening the Church.

Holy Father, Basil the Confessor, pray to God for us.

The Judge of the contest hath caused thee to dwell in the tabernacles of heaven, O father, accepting thy tireless opposition to those who fought against Him.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

For the sake of the Traditions preserved in the Church of God, thou didst endure exile; and, winning victories, thou didst repose.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O pure Virgin, entreat God Who was born of thee, that He grant forgiveness of sins to thy servants.

Ode V, Irmos: Rising early we cry to Thee, O Lord; * save us, for Thou art our God, * and we know none other besides Thee.

Holy Father, Basil the Confessor, pray to God for us.

The divine grace which abode within thee, O God-bearer, revealed thee to be a most faithful pastor of the Church.

Holy Father, Basil the Confessor, pray to God for us.

Having mortified the wisdom and passions of thy flesh, O glorious one, thou didst follow the Spirit of life.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Having achieved the end of thy life in chastity and righteousness, O divinely wise one, thou hast received reward for thy virtues.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

As a most holy temple, thou hast given birth to the Well-spring of dispassion, O all-immaculate Virgin Mother.

Ode VI, Irmos: Cleanse me, O Savior, * for many are mine iniquities; * lead me up from the abyss of evils I pray Thee, * for unto Thee have I cried, * and Thou hast hearkened unto me, * O God of my salvation.

Holy Father, Basil the Confessor, pray to God for us.

Illumined with the beauty of heavenly effulgence, O venerable one, thou didst leave thy seat on earth, and, as one most meek, received the incorruptible inheritance of those who are meek on earth.

Holy Father, Basil the Confessor, pray to God for us.

Mocking the deception of the blasphemous heretics, O right wondrous one, thou didst most diligently master the divine and pious understanding of Orthodoxy: and venerated the icon of the Savior.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Thy desire for God was fulfilled, O most glorious one, for thou didst divinely pass over to Him, rejoicing; and now thou dost behold the splendors and beauties of the saints, O father.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Mankind hath been delivered from mortality and corruption; for thou didst seedlessly give birth to the Bestower of life by nature, O all-immaculate Virgin, unto the benefit of those who praise thee with faith.

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, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Kontakion, Tone II: Spec. Mel. “Seeking in the highest …”: Illumined by the light of the Most High, O blessed father, * thou dost enlighten all who with love venerate thine honored suffering. * O sacred athlete Basil, ** entreat Christ God unceasingly on behalf of us all!

Ode VII, Irmos: The Hebrew children in the furnace * boldly trampled upon the flames, * changing the fire into dew, they cried aloud: * ‘Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, throughout the ages’.

Holy Father, Basil the Confessor, pray to God for us.

O the ineffable gladness which thou hast been deemed worthy to receive, O all- blessed one, living in immaterial light and chanting: Blessed art Thou, O Lord God, throughout the ages!

Holy Father, Basil the Confessor, pray to God for us.

Beautifully adorned with the crown of divine magnificence, O all-blessed one, thou hast joined chorus with the armies on high, crying out: Blessed art Thou, O Lord God, throughout the ages!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

As an initiate of the mysteries of the Trinity, a minister of the mysteries of heaven, render the Master merciful to those who cry aloud: Blessed art Thou, O Lord God, throughout the ages!

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Thou didst transform the ancient curse of Eve into a blessing, having given birth to the Son of God, to Whom we all cry: Blessed art Thou, O Lord God, throughout the ages.

Ode VIII, Irmos: By Thy grace the children became vanquishers * of both the tyrant and the flames, * carefully observing Thy commandments, * wherefore they cried aloud: * Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

Holy Father, Basil the Confessor, pray to God for us.

Delivered from the sorrows of life and grievous turmoil, O all-blessed one, thou didst receive joy and gladness past understanding, chanting: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord, supremely and exalt Him throughout the ages!

Holy Father, Basil the Confessor, pray to God for us.

Zealously opposing the blasphemies of the blasphemers with the doctrines of the Spirit, O father, thou didst easily break them asunder, O initiate of the mysteries, chanting: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord, and supremely exalt Him throughout the ages!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

How beautiful is the place wherein thou hast made thing abode, O thou who art manifest in sanctity! How comely the habitation where thou abidest, chanting: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord, and supremely exalt Him throughout the ages!

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

All of us, the faithful, have acquired thee as our intercessor, O most pure one, and, delivered from evils by thy supplications, we cry out to Christ: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord, and supremely exalt Him throughout the ages!

Ode IX, Irmos: Saved by thee, O pure Virgin, * we confess thee to be truly the Theotokos, * and together with the choirs of the bodiless hosts * thee do we magnify.

Holy Father, Basil the Confessor, pray to God for us.

Thou didst live a holy life, O father, and having pleased God by thy works, thou hast received the kingdom of heaven, O wise one.

Holy Father, Basil the Confessor, pray to God for us.

Having finished the race, having kept the Faith and accomplished the struggle, O Basil, thou hast received the crown of righteousness, rejoicing.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Thou didst receive a divine name, O most blessed one, and the complete fulfillment of thy desires; wherefore, cease thou never to pray now for thy flock.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Spurn not the torrent of my tears, O Virgin who hast given birth to Christ Who taketh away all tears from every face.

The Canon to St Antipas

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The Canon of the Holy Hieromartyr Antipas of Pergamum, the acrostic whereof is: “I honour Antipas, radiant among the martyrs”, the composition of Joseph, in Tone IV.

Ode I, Irmos: Through the deep of the Red Sea, * marched dry shod Israel of old, * and by Moses’ outstretched hands, * raised in the form of a cross, * the power of Amalek was routed in the wilderness.

Holy Hieromartyr, Antipas, pray to God for us.

Illumined by the radiance of the grace of the threefold Sun, O martyr Antipas, do thou illumine those who celebrate thy radiant feastday, delivering us from the darkness of the passions.

Holy Hieromartyr, Antipas, pray to God for us.

The Word of God showed thee to be a true witness of His sufferings, O all-wise one, who hast destroyed impiety and vanquished all the wickedness of the demons.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Having mortified the wisdom of thy flesh with much asceticism, thou wast arrayed in the sacred vesture of the divine priesthood; and didst offer the bloodless sacrifice of Him Who became mortal for thy sake.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

With the radiance of thy light illumine my heart, which is mired in the night of passions and temptations, O all-immaculate Maiden, who ineffably shone forth the Sun of righteousness upon all.

Ode III, Irmos: Thy Church, O Christ, rejoiceth in Thee crying aloud: * Thou, O Lord, art my strength, * my refuge and foundation.

Holy Hieromartyr, Antipas, pray to God for us.

Thou didst pour forth rivers of doctrine, giving drink to the faithful, and drying up the turbulent waters of polytheism.

Holy Hieromartyr, Antipas, pray to God for us.

Thou didst cut down the might of the persecutors by the might of Christ, O blessed one, and suffering patiently thou hast received the crown of martyrdom.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Thou didst enlighten those who worshiped demons to worship the true God Who, in the richness of His compassion, bore mortal flesh, O venerable one.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Thou hast given birth to the Redeemer Who hath delivered us all from the captivity of the enemy, O pure one. Wherefore, we piously glorify thee.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Sessional Hymn, in Tone III: Enkindled with the divine embers of the love of God, O martyr Antipas, thou didst quench the flame of ungodliness; and, thrust into a heated cauldron, thou didst depart into never-waning Light. O venerable father, entreat Christ God, that He grant us forgiveness of sins.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Theotokion, Tone III: Without separating Himself from the divine Essence when He took flesh in thy womb, the one Lord remained God though He had become a man; and even after thy birthgiving He preserved thee, His Virgin Mother, as immaculate as thou wast before giving birth. Him do thou earnestly beseech, that He grant us great mercy.

Ode IV, Irmos: Beholding Thee, the Sun of righteousness, * lifted up upon the cross, * the Church now standeth arrayed and doth worthily cry aloud: * Glory be to Thy power, O Lord.

Holy Hieromartyr, Antipas, pray to God for us.

The opposition of the most iniquitous ones did not shake the pillar of thy heart, O martyred passion-bearer; wherefore, aflame with zeal for the Faith, thou didst shown thyself to be mightier than fire.

Holy Hieromartyr, Antipas, pray to God for us.

Awakening those held fast by the slumber of impiety, O all-praised one, by the teachings of the Holy Spirit thou didst raise them up to the understanding of true knowledge.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Thou didst bring low the loftiness of the demons, yearning for God with exaltation, O Antipas, deified by divine ascents and known to be a God-seer.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Thou wast preserved after giving birth as thou wast before birthgiving, O incorrupt Virgin Mother; for thou hast given birth to the Creator of all, Who through thee voluntarily took upon Himself a human body.

Ode V, Irmos: Thou, O Lord, who camest into the world, * art my light, * a holy light turning from the darkness of ignorance * those who sing Thy praises in faith.

Holy Hieromartyr, Antipas, pray to God for us.

Thou didst ascend the mountain of the virtues, O blessed one, and noetically enter into the uttermost darkness, and there converse with God.

Holy Hieromartyr, Antipas, pray to God for us.

With the nets of thy words, O holy hierarch, thou didst draw forth from the abyss of ungodliness lost souls, and saved them by grace.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Thou gavest thy body over as food for the fire, O holy hierarch, richly receiving divine dew from God.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

The Lord, Who is supremely divine in godly form, having assumed my form, made His abode within thy womb, O all-immaculate one.

Ode VI, Irmos: The church crieth out unto Thee O Lord, * ‘I will sacrifice unto Thee with a voice of praise’ * having been cleansed of the blood of the demons’ * by the blood that for mercy’s sake flowed from Thy side.

Holy Hieromartyr, Antipas, pray to God for us.

Having crucified thy members by asceticism and struggled in fasting, O blessed Antipas, thou wast crowned with the struggles of martyrdom, which thou didst undergo with firmness of mind.

Holy Hieromartyr, Antipas, pray to God for us.

Thou didst stand before the tribunal, preaching the incarnation of Him Who abased Himself for thy sake, Who stood before the tribunal of Pilate and hath slain the enemy by the Cross, O passion-bearer.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

The Church, wherein thy patient body lieth, O blessed martyr, is a source of healing for the sick, emitting the divine effulgence of the gifts of the Spirit.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Holy is Jesus, O Virgin Maiden, Who made His abode within thy womb, and Who resteth in the saints and glorifieth those who glorify Him with true
faith.

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, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Kontakion, Tone IV: O most wise Antipas, the iniquitous consumed thee who tended well the sheep of God, with fire as a lamb of the flock of Christ the Chief Shepherd; and thou didst chant: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

Ode VII, Irmos: In the Persian furnace the youths and descendants of Abraham, * burning with a love of piety * rather than by a flame of fire, * cried aloud saying: * Blessed art Thou in the temple of Thy glory, O Lord.

Holy Hieromartyr, Antipas, pray to God for us.

Emulating the three young children, O wise Antipas, thou didst stand in the midst of a cruelly heated brass vessel as they did in the midst of a furnace, crying aloud: Blessed art Thou in the temple of Thy glory, O Lord!

Holy Hieromartyr, Antipas, pray to God for us.

That thou mightest be shown to be a partaker of the Light, enlightened by God thou didst pass through the darkness of the evil demons, crying aloud: Blessed art Thou, O God my Lord!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Through the activity of the Spirit, O martyr Antipas, thou dost assuage the divers sufferings of men, emulating the sufferings of Christ, and crying aloud: Blessed art Thou, O God my Lord!

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

The Word, Who with the Father is unoriginate, was truly incarnate of thy virginal blood, O Maiden, setting aright our broken state. Blessed art thou among women, O most immaculate Sovereign Lady!

Ode VIII, Irmos: Having spread his hands, Daniel closed the lions jaws * in their den; * while the zealously pious youths, * girded with virtue, * quenched the power of the fire and cried aloud: * Bless ye the Lord, all ye works of the Lord.

Holy Hieromartyr, Antipas, pray to God for us.

Now that thou beholdest the ultimate of good things, not in reflections or indistinct images, but face to face, transcending all shadows, thou dost cry out joyously to Him Who hath glorified thee: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

Holy Hieromartyr, Antipas, pray to God for us.

O most wise Antipas, the iniquitous consumed thee who tended well the sheep of God, with fire as a lamb of the flock of Christ the Chief Shepherd; and thou didst chant: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Thou didst set the feet of thy heart firmly upon the rock of the divine commandments, and the winds of cruel torments and the tempests of blandishments could not shake thee, O most wise Antipas, who chanted: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

As the Mother of the Creator of all, as the divine temple of the Almighty, as the unploughed ground which produced the uncultivated Grain, O Virgin Mother, preserve the faithful who cry: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

Ode IX, Irmos: A cornerstone not cut by hand O Virgin, * was cut from thee the unhewn mountain: * even Christ, Who hath joined together the disparate natures; * therefore rejoicing we magnify thee, * O Theotokos.

Holy Hieromartyr, Antipas, pray to God for us.

As a hierarch thou didst finish the sacred race, most sacredly reaching the end of thy most sacred life, O holy hierarch, and, rejoicing, thou didst run to Him Who was beloved of thee, O most sacred martyr Antipas.

Holy Hieromartyr, Antipas, pray to God for us.

Being comely in aspects of the virtues, O most sacred one, thou wast sanctified by the glory of martyrdom, and didst pass over to the comely Lord, O God-pleaser, now deified by communion with Him.

Holy Hieromartyr, Antipas, pray to God for us.

Aflame with love for the Lord, O martyr Antipas, thou didst eagerly enter the heated vessel, and being wholly consumed, O father, thou didst offer thyself to God as a pleasing sacrifice.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

The sacred shrine of thy sacred relics, O blessed one, poureth forth the myrrh of healings, dispelling the fetid passions and manifestly perfuming those who glorify thy memory.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Bearing in thine arms Christ Who beareth all things in His hand, O pure one, entreat Him as God and Master, that He take pity upon us who ever confess thee to be the pure Theotokos, O immaculate Lady.