The fourth day of the Afterfeast of the
Meeting of the Lord falls on February 6.
|
 Saint
Bucolus, Bishop of Smyrna disciple of the holy Apostle and Evangelist
John the Theologian,
became the first Bishop of
Smyrna (Asia Minor) .
By the grace of God, St Bucolus converted many of the pagans
to Christ
and baptized them.
As a wise and experienced guide, he defended his flock from
the
darkness of heresy.
He died in peace between the years 100-105.
He entrusted his flock to St
Polycarp
(February 23), one of the Apostolic Fathers
also a disciple of the holy Apostle John the Theologian.
At the grave of St Bucolus grew a myrtle tree, which healed
the sick.
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265 St. Antholian
martyr w/companions
Also called Anatolianus, a martyr. He is mentioned by St. Gregory of Tours as one of the
martyrs of Auvergne, France,
in the reign of Emperor Valerian.
Antholian's companions were Sts. Cassius,
Maximus, Liminius, and Victorinus.
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Sts. Saturninus,
Theophilus, & Revocata
Martyrs put to death sometime during the Roman persecutions.
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4th v. Theodoulia The
Holy Martyress name means
servant of the Eternal One martyred for faith
Lived in the city of Anazarua (Asia Minor) during the reign
of the Roman emperors Diocletian (284-305) and Maximian (305-311). The
governor of the city, Pelagios, was a very cruel man. His servants
sought out Christians throughout the entire region and brought them to
him for trial, at which they had read to them the imperial edict, and
were demanded to worship idols. One time they brought to him a
Christian woman named Theodoulia. (She feared not so much the tortures,
as that she might be defiled by the pagans, and so she had offered them
much gold. But the servants would not take the gold, and so they led
her off to trial before the governor). Pelagios asked her name and he
ordered her to worship the pagan gods; in case of her refusal he
threatened her with cruel tortures. Saint Theodoulia answered: "I am a
Christian. My very name means servant of the Eternal One, and so people
call me Theodoulia. I worship the One True God and will not worship a
mere stone".
Pelagios became furious and he gave orders to begin the
tortures. The Lord granted Theodoulia His help, and she did not sense
any pain. Pelagios however ascribed this to the workings of the gods,
which it seemed had spared Theodoulia in the hope, that she would turn
to them.
Saint Theodoulia said to the governor: "Where art thine
gods, which do spare me, show me them, that I might offer up honour to
them". They brought her into the temple of the ["deified" deceased
Roman emperor] Adrian, whom they esteemed as a mighty god. The saint
however, in praying to the One True God, only but blew a breath at the
idol, and it crumbled down into dust. Seeing this, Pelagios was
atremble with fright. If a report about the destruction of the idol
were to reach the emperor, he himself would be thrown for devouring by
wild beasts. He fell down sobbing at the feet of Saint Theodoulia,
begging her to restore the idol from its dust, and promising for this
to accept Christianity.
The saint made fervent prayer to the Lord Jesus Christ, and
the idol, whole and intact, again stood in its place. The governor
Pelagios however not only did not fulfill his promise to become a
Christian, but with an even greater fury instead he began anew to
torture the martyress. At the time of these torments a certain fellow
named Helladios came up to the governor, and looking at the captives,
he asked to be given the maiden Theodoulia, promising to make her
worship the pagan gods, doing this because he wanted to ingratiate
himself with the city governor and receive honours.
Helladios subjected Saint
Theodoulia to harsh torments, exceeding in cruelty even Pelagios
himself. The saint however prayed to God, that He might send down on
her the ability to persevere. She immediately received help from God
and was healed. The tormentor was awestruck, and Saint Theodoulia
turned to him with words of admonition. "Become thou a Christian, --
she said to him, -- to attain instead to honours eternal in the Kingdom
of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who shalt judge both the living and the dead
and render to each according to his deeds". Thus by her prayers and her
precepts Saint Theodoulia led Helladios to the knowledge of truth; he
believed in Christ and confessed the True God in front of the governor.
For this he also accepted the crown of martyrdom. They cut off his head
with a sword, and threw his body into the sea.
Saint Theodoulia was thrown into a blazing oven, but she
remained unharmed. After this they stretched her on a sort of
frying-pan, they poured on boiling tar, wax and oil, but the red-hot
plate shattered into pieces, and the fire scorched many people,
including the city governor Pelagios, who indeed died a death of
fright, but Saint Theodoulia again remained unharmed.
In view of such a miracle with such an extraordinary result,
many of the people believed in Christ, among which were the respected
citizens Makarios and Euagrios. The pagans all the more fiercely
continued to torture Christians. They fired up an oven and threw into
it Saint Theodoulia, Makarios, Euagrios and many others who believed in
Christ. With prayer on their lips they all accepted a martyr's death
and were translated into life immortal.
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Saints Christina and
Callista
sisters who once were Christians, but fearing torture, they
renounced
Christ and began to lead impious lives. The governor ordered them to
persuade St Dorothy to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods, but just the
reverse happened. St Dorothy convinced them that the mercy of God is
granted to all who repent, so they corrected themselves and returned to
Christ. The tormentors tied them back to back and burned them in a vat
of tar. Sts Christina and Callista atoned for their sin of apostasy
through martyrdom, receiving not only forgiveness, but crowns of
victory from God.
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 300 St. Dorothy
martyred
in Caesarea, Cappadocia (now Armenia) angel with 3 roses & 3 apples
Converted Theophilus
According to her apochryphal tradition, she was a resident
of Caesarea,
Cappadocia, who when she refused to sacrifice to the gods during
Emperor Diocletian's
persecution of the Christians, was tortured by the governor and ordered
executed. On the way to the place of execution, she met a young lawyer,
Theophilus, who mockingly asked her to send him fruits from "the
garden" she had joyously announced she would soon be in.
When she knelt for her execution, she prayed, and an angel
with a
basket of three roses and three apples, which she sent to Theophilus,
telling him she would meet him in the garden.
Theophilus was converted to Christianity and later was
martyred.
Dorothy of Caesarea VM (RM) (also known as Dora,
Dorothea) Born
in Caesarea, Cappadocia (now Armenia); died there, c. 300. The
story of Saint Dorothy as it has come to us is legendary. When the
young maiden, Dorothy, was imprisoned as a Christian during the
persecutions of Diocletian, she converted two apostate women warders
sent to seduce her. This enraged Fabricius, the governor of Caesarea,
who sentenced her to death. On the way to execution, Dorothy was
cruelly baited by a lawyer named
Theophilus for refusing to marry or to worship idols. He mockingly
asked her to send him back some fruit and flowers from the garden she
had joyously announced she would soon be in. As she knelt for her
beheading and prayed, a child (or an angel) miraculously appeared with
a basket of golden apples and roses. She took a napkin and placed in it
three roses and three apples. Then she begged a child to take them to
Theophilus and tell him she would meet him in the garden. When he saw
these gifts he himself was converted to Christianity and later he, too,
suffered martyrdom. Before being killed, Dorothy was stretched on a
rack. It is recorded that she was then still smiling, as she remembered
the warders she had converted.
The Holy Martyr Dorothy, the
Martyrs Christina, Callista and the Martyr Theophilus lived in Caesarea
of Cappadocia and suffered under the emperor Diocletian in either the
year 288 or 300.
St Dorothy was a pious
Christian maiden, distinguished by her great
beauty, humility, prudence, and God-given wisdom, which astonished
many. Arrested upon orders of the governor Sapricius, she steadfastly
confessed her faith in Christ and was subjected to tortures.
Failing to break the will of the saint, the governor sent to
her two
women, the sisters Christina and Callista, who once were Christians,
but fearing torture, they renounced Christ and began to lead impious
lives. He ordered them to get St Dorothy to offer sacrifice to the
pagan gods, but just the reverse happened. St Dorothy convinced them
that the mercy of God is granted to all who repent, so they corrected
themselves and returned to Christ. The tormentors tied them back to
back and burned them in a vat of tar. Through martyrdom, Christina and
Callista atoned for their sin of apostasy, receiving from God not only
forgiveness, but crowns of victory.
St Dorothy was again subjected to tortures, but she gladly
endured them
and accepted the death sentence. She cried out with joy, thanking
Christ for calling her to Paradise and to the heavenly bridal chamber.
As they led the saint to execution Theophilus, one of the governor's
counselors, laughed and said to her, "Bride of Christ, send me an apple
and some roses from the Paradise of your Bridegroom." The martyr nodded
and said, "I shall do that."
At the place of execution, the saint requested a little time
to pray.
When she finished the prayer, an angel appeared before her in the form
of a handsome child presenting her three apples and three roses on a
pure linen cloth. The saint requested that these be given to
Theophilus, after which she was beheaded by the sword.
Having received the gracious gift, the recent mocker of
Christians was
shaken, and he confessed Christ as the true God. His friends were
astonished, and wondered whether he were joking, or perhaps mad. He
assured them he was not joking. Then they asked the reason for this
sudden change. He asked what month it was. "February," they replied.
"In the winter, Cappadocia is covered with ice and frost, and the trees
are bare of leaves. What do you think? From where do these apples and
flowers come?" After being subjected to cruel tortures, St Theophilus
was beheaded with a sword.
The relics of St Dorothy are in
Rome in the church dedicated to her, and her head is also at Rome, in a
church of the Mother of God at Trastevero.
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300 St.
Theophilus the
Lawyer Martyr
known as Theophilus Scholasticus "the Lawyer." He was beheaded at
Caesarea, in Cappadocia (in modern Turkey).
Theophilus is mentioned in the legend of St. Dorothy.
|
 312 The Holy
Martyr Julian skilled physician healed illnesses of the body also the
soul
a native of the Phoenician city
of Emesa, and he suffered
in the year 312 under the emperor Maximian.
When they led away the
holy Martyrs Bishop Silvanus, Deacon Luke and
the Reader Mocius (February 29) to be eaten by wild beasts, Julian
encouraged them and urged them not to fear death for the Lord.
He was also arrested and put to death. His head, hands and
feet were
pierced with long nails.
The Holy Martyr Julian was
a native of the Phoenician city of Emesa, and he suffered in the year
312 under the emperor Maximian. He was a skilled physician, and healed
illnesses not only of body but also of soul, and he converted many
people to faith in Christ the Saviour.
When they led away the holy Martyrs Bishop Sylvanus, Deacon
Luke and the Reader Mokios (Comm. 29 February) -- to be devoured by
wild beasts, Julian encouraged them and urged them not to fear death
for the Lord. For this he was also arrested and locked up in a narrow
cranny where they killed him, having pierced him in the head, hands and
feet with long nails.
|
 311 The Holy
Martyrs
Fausta, Evilasius and Maximus
suffered during the persecution against Christians by the emperor
Diocletian in the city of Cyzicus [Mezium], between 305-311.
St Fausta was raised by Christian parents. Orphaned at a young age, she
led a strict and virtuous life. Word that she was a Christian reached
the governor, and the saint was sent to the eighty-year-old pagan
priest Evilasius, who was ordered to turn the saint away from Christ.
The girl bravely confessed her faith and was subjected to many cruel
tortures. Strengthened by the Lord, she did not feel the pain. They
locked her up in a wooden trunk, but the torturers got tired of trying
to saw it and burn it in the fire. The holy martyr, and even the trunk,
remained unharmed, guarded by divine power.
The pagan priest Evilasius was
shaken by the evident and manifest power of God, he believed in the
Savior and confessed himself a Christian.
The eparch Maximus was sent to investigate the matter for
the emperor,
and he began to torture the old man who had come to believe in Christ.
Evilasius turned to St Fausta and asked her to pray for him, after
which he bravely endured the tortures.
They threw St Fausta to be eaten by vultures, but the creatures would
not touch her. The thirteen-year-old girl was pierced with nails driven
into her head and other parts of her body. Finally, they threw her into
a boiling cauldron with St Evilasius. During this time the martyrs
prayed for their torturers.
Seeing the faith and endurance of the saints, the eparch Maximus also
was converted to Christ, and prayed to God for the forgiveness of his
sins. Thrown into the same cauldron in which Sts Fausta and Evilasius
suffered, he shared with them the crown of martyrdom.
|
 The
Holy Virgin Martyrs Martha and Mary
sisters who lived in Asia Minor, and fervently desired to suffer for
the Lord Jesus Christ.
Once, a pagan military commander marched past their house. The sisters
went out to him and loudly declared that they were Christians. At first
the commander paid no attention to them, but they persistently shouted
after him, repeating their confession.
They were arrested together with their brother Lykarion. All three were
crucified, and during the execution their mother came to them,
encouraging them in their sufferings for Christ. The sisters were
pierced with spears, and Lykarion was beheaded by the sword.
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5th v. St.
Mun Bishop hermit nephew of St. Patrick
on an island in Lough Ree, Ireland. Mun was a nephew of St. Patrick.
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490 St. Mel
miraculously picking up a live fish from the ground nephew of St.
Patrick
He is said to have been the son of Conis and Darerca, the sister of St.
Patrick, whom he accompanied to Ireland and helped to evangelize in
that country. According to the Life of St. Brigid, he is said to have
had no fixed See, which might fit in his being a missionary.
St. Patrick himself built the
church at Ardagh and to this he appointed his nephew, Mel. Acting upon
the apostolic precept, he supported himself by working with his hands,
and what he gained beyond bare necessities, he gave to the poor.
For sometime, he lived with his aunt Lupait, but slanderous tongues
spread serious accusations against them, and St. Patrick himself came
to investigate their conduct. Mel was plowing when he arrived, but he
cleared himself of the charge by miraculously picking up a live fish
from the ground as if from a net. Lupait established her innocence by
carrying glowing coals without burning herself or her clothing. St.
Patrick was satisfied, but he told his nephew in future, to do his
fishing in the water and his plowing on the land, and he moreover,
enjoined them to avoid scandal by separating, living and praying far
apart.
Mel (Melchno) of Ardagh and Melchu BB MM (AC) Died c. 488-490.
According to untrustworthy legend, Mel and his brother
Melchu (plus Munis and Rioch) were sons among the 17 sons and two
daughters of Saint Patrick's sister, Darerca and her husband Conis.
While all of the children are reputed to have entered religious life,
Mel and Melchu, together with their brothers Muinis and Rioch,
accompanied Patrick to Ireland and joined him in his missionary work.
Patrick ordained Mel and Melchu bishops. Patrick is reputed to have
appointed Mel bishop of Ardagh, and Melchu to the see of Armagh (or
vice versa). There is some evidence that Melchu may have been a bishop
with no fixed see, who may hae succeeded his brother. Some scandal was
circulated about Mel, who lived with his Aunt Lipait but both cleared
themselves by miraculous means to Patrick, who ordered them to live
apart.
According to an ancient tradition, Mel professed Saint Brigid as a nun.
During the rite, he inadvertently read over her the episcopal
consecration, and that Saint Macaille protested. The ever serene Mel,
however, was convinced that it happened according to the will of God
and insisted that the consecration should stand.
Nothing is definitely known about these saints; however, Mel has a
strong cultus at Longford, where he was the first abbot-bishop of a
richly endowed monastery that flourished for centuries. The cathedral
of Longford is dedicated to Mel, as is a college. The crozier believed
to have belonged to Saint Mel is now kept at Saint Mel's College in a
darkened bronze reliquary that was once decorated with gilt and colored
stones. It was found in the 19th century at Ardagh near the old
cathedral of Saint Mel.
The various sources are rather confusing. It is possible that Mel was
bishop of Armagh and/or that Melchu and Mel are the same person
(Attwater2, Benedictines, Coulson, Curtayne2, D'Arcy, Delaney, Farmer,
Healy, Henry2, Montague, Ryan).
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600 Saints
Barsanuphius the Great and John {clairvoyance} the Prophet lived in
asceticism at the monastery of Abba Seridus in Palestine
lived during the sixth century during the reign of the
emperor
Justinian I (483-565). They lived in asceticism at the monastery of
Abba Seridus in Palestine, near the city of Gaza.
St Barsanuphius was born in Egypt (the year of his birth is
unknown).
From his youth, he began to lead an ascetic life. Arriving at the
cenobitic monastery of Abba Seridus, he built a small cell outside the
monastery. Here he lived in solitude. Later, St John, disciple of
St Barsanuphius, lived in this cell for eighteen years until his death.
St John imitated his teacher in silence, ascetic deeds and in virtue.
Because of his gift of clairvoyance, he was known as "the
Prophet." After a certain time, St Barsanuphius built another
cell near the monastery. At the beginning of his solitude, the
monastery sent him only three loaves of bread per week. He dwelt for
fifty years in work and ascetic deeds.
When Patriarch Eustochios of Jerusalem heard about the
ascetical life
of St Barsanuphius, it seemed unbelievable to him. He wanted to see
Barsanuphius for himself, so he and his companions tried to dig under
the wall, and to enter the monk's cell from beneath. Those attempting
to enter were almost burned by flames suddenly bursting forth from the
cell.
In his hermitage St Barsanuphius
devoted himeself entirely to prayer, and he attained a high degree of
spiritual perfection.
We have manuscript
accounts about the life, the deeds and talents of
Sts Barsanuphius and John. During the lifetime of St Paisius
Velichkovsky (November 15), they were translated into the Moldavian and
Slavonic languages. The publication of these manuscripts, and also
their translation into the Russian language, was done in the nineteenth
century by the Elders of Optina's Entry of the Theotokos Monastery.
The precepts of Sts Barsanuphius and John clearly show the
degree of
their moral perfection, and their love for people, but contain scant
facts about their lives. We do not know exactly when St Barsanuphius
died. Some sources say the year of his death was 563, others say more
cautiously before the year 600.
After spending a long time in seclusion, St Barsanuphius
thereafter and
until the death of St John the Prophet began to serve others by
instructing them on the path to salvation, as Abba Dorotheus (June 5)
testifies. St Barsanuphius replied to questioners through St John,
sometimes instructing him to give the answers, or even through Abba
Seridus (August 13), who wrote down the saint's answers.
In the answers of Sts Barsanuphius and John the Prophet, who
were
guides in the spiritual life not only for their contemporaries, but
also for succeeding generations, it is clearly possible to see the
monks' gradual spiritual ascent "from strength to strength." By
deeds of fasting, silence, guarding the heart, and unceasing prayer, St
Barsanuphius attained the heights of humility, reasoning and fiery
love. The Lord gave him the gifts of discernment, clairvoyance, and
wonderworking. By the power of his prayers, he was able to free the
souls of people from sins. Sometimes, he took the sins of others upon
himself.
The venerable one knew the
dispositions of hearts, therefore he gave
advice according to the spiritual state of each person. In the Name of
the Lord he raised the dead, he cast out demons, and healed incurable
illnesses. Things that he blessed received divine power and grace (for
example, kukol or furrow-weed took away a monk's headache). Even the
name of Abba Barsanuphius, when invoked mentally, gave help to those
who called upon it.
Through the prayers of St Barsanuphius, God sent rain upon
the earth,
withdrawing His wrath from the multitudes of the people. The saint's
predictions always came true. Thus, he predicted that a certain monk,
the Elder Euthymius the Silent, would be placed with him in a single
grave, which indeed came to pass.St Barsanuphius acquired these gifts
after many years of patiently enduring great temptations and illness.
Besides the Orthodox ascetic Barsanuphius the Great, there
was another
Barsanuphius, a Monophysite heretic. Sophronius, Patriarch of
Jerusalem, anathematized him in his "Confession of Faith," sent to the
Sixth Ecumenical Council).
We do not know when St Barsanuphius arrived at the monastery
of Abba
Seridus, nor anything about the home and family of St John the Prophet.
Following the instructions of St Barsanuphius, John attained the
heights of perfection, and became like his teacher in all things. Out
of humility, he sent those who came to him with questions to Abba
Barsanuphius.
St John foresaw and predicted many things, even his own
death a week
after the death of Abba Seridus. Abba Elian, the young igumen of this
monastery, begged John to remain with him for two more weeks, in order
to teach him the Rule and how to govern the monastery. St John
fulfilled his request and died after two weeks.
St Barsanuphius the Great
survived his disciple and friend, but embraced complete silence and
refused to give answers to anyone.
These two ascetics have
left the soul-profiting book, GUIDANCE TOWARD
SPIRITUAL LIFE: ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS OF DISCIPLES by the Holy
Monastic Fathers Barsanuphius and John as their spiritual legacy. This
book was known to many saints who lived at a later time, as evidenced
by the wrings of St Theodore the Studite (November 11 and January 26),
the hieromonk Nikon Chernogorets (+ 1060), St Simeon the New Theologian
(March 12), and other Orthodox ascetics and writers.
|
676 St. Amand
great
missionary a father of monasticism in ancient Belgium
This great missionary was born in lower Poitou about the year 584. At
the age of twenty, he retired to a small monastery in the island of
Yeu, near that of Re. He had not been there more than a year when his
father discovered him and tried to persuade him to return home. When he
threatened to disinherit him, the saint cheerfully replied, "Christ is
my only inheritance."
Amand afterward went to Tours, where he was ordained, and then to
Bourges, where he lived fifteen years under the direction of bishop St.
Austregisilus in a cell
near the cathedral.
After a pilgrimage to Rome,
he returned to France and was
consecrated bishop in 629 without any fixed See, receiving a general
commission to teach the Faith to the heathens.
He preached the gospel in Flanders and northern France, with a brief
excursion to the Slavs in Carinthia and perhaps, to Gascony. He
reproved King Dagobert I for his crimes and accordingly, was banished.
But Dagobert soon recalled him, and asked him to baptize his newborn
son Sigebert, afterwards to become a king and a saint.
The people about Ghent were
so ferociously hostile that no preacher dared venture among them. This
moved Amand to attempt that mission, in the course of which he was
sometimes beaten and thrown into the river.
He persevered, however, and in the end people came in crowds droves to
be baptized.
As well as being a great missionary, St. Amand was a father of
monasticism in ancient Belgium, and a score of monasteries claimed him
as founder. He found houses at Elnone (Saint-Amand-les-Eaux), near
Tournai, which became his headquarters, St. Peters on Mont-Blendin at
Ghent, but probably not St. Bavo's there as well; Nivells, for nuns,
with Blessed Ida and St. Gertrude, Barisis-au-Bois, and
probably three more.
It is said, though possibly apocryphal, that in 646 he was chosen
bishop of Maestricht, but that three years later, he resigned that See
to St. Remaclus and returned to the missions which he had always had
most at heart. He continued his labors among the heathens until a great
age, when, broken with infirmities, he retired to Elnone. There he
governed as Abbot for four years, spending his time in preparing for
the death which came to him at last soon after 676. That St. Amand was
one of the most imposing figures of the Merovingian epoch, is disputed
by no serious historian; he was not unknown in England, and the
pre-Reformation chapel of the Eyston family at east Hendred in
Birkshire is dedicated in his honor.
|
750 St. Relindis
Benedictine abbess
also called Renule. She was educated with her sister Herlindis in the
Benedictine house of Valenciennes, France, and after his death of
Herlindis, she was named by St. Boniface to succeed her as abbess of
Maaseyk, Belgium.
|
808 St. Tanco
Irish
Benedictine abbot bishop martyred by pagans
also called Tancho and Tatta. Tanco became a monk and served as abbot
of the Benedictine abbey of Amalbarich, Saxony, Germany. Successful as
a missionary in Cleves and Flanders, Belgium, he was named bishop of
Werden, Germany. He was stabbed to death by a mob of pagans for
destroying their pagan statues, and is venerated as a martyr.
|
 891 Saint
Photius, Patriarch of Constantinople, "the Church's far-gleaming
beacon,"
lived during the ninth century, and came from a family of
zealous
Christians. His father Sergius died as a martyr in defense of holy
icons.
St Photius received an excellent education and, since his
family was
related to the imperial house, he occupied the position of first state
secretary in the Senate. His contemporaries said of him: "He so
distinguished himself with knowledge in almost all the secular
sciences, that it rightfully might be possible to take into account the
glory of his age and compare it with the ancients."
Michael, the young successor to the throne, and St Cyril,
the future
Enlightener of the Slavs, were taught by him. His deep Christian piety
protected St Photius from being seduced by the charms of court life.
With all his soul, he yearned for monasticism.
In 857 Bardas, who ruled with Emperor Michael, deposed
Patriarch
Ignatius (October 23) from the See of Constantinople. The bishops,
knowing the piety and extensive knowledge of Photius, informed the
emperor that he was a man worthy to occupy the archpastoral throne. St
Photius accepted the proposal with humility. He passed through all the
clerical ranks in six days. On the day of the Nativity of Christ, he
was consecrated bishop and elevated to the patriarchal throne.
Soon, however, discord arose within the Church, stirred up
by the
removal of Patriarch Ignatius from office. The Synod of 861 was called
to end the unrest, at which the deposition of Ignatius and the
installation of Photius as patriarch were confirmed.
Pope Nicholas I, whose envoys were present at this council,
hoped that
by recognizing Photius as patriarch he could subordinate him to his
power. When the new patriarch proved unsubmissive, Nicholas
anathematized Photius at a Roman council.
In 864, Bulgaria voluntarily
converted to Christianity. The Bulgarian prince Boris was
baptized by Patriarch Photius himself. Later, St Photius sent an
archbishop and priests to baptize the Bulgarian people. In 865, Sts Cyril and Methodius were sent
to preach Christ in the Slavonic language.
However, the partisans of
the Pope incited the Bulgarians against the Orthodox missionaries.
The calamitous situation
in Bulgaria developed because an invasion by
the Germans forced them to seek help in the West, and the Bulgarian
prince requested the Pope to send his bishops. When they arrived in
Bulgaria, the papal legates began to substitute Latin teachings and
customs in place of Orthodox belief and practice. St Photius, as a firm
defender of truth and denouncer of falsehood, wrote an encyclical
informing the Eastern bishops of the Pope's actions, indicating that
the departure of the Roman Church from Orthodoxy was not only in
ritual, but also in its confession of faith. A council was convened,
censuring the arrogance of the West.
In 867, Basil the Macedonian
seized the imperial throne, after murdering the emperor Michael. St
Photius denounced the murderer and would not permit him to partake of
the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Therefore, he was removed from the
patriarchal throne and locked in a monastery under guard, and Patriarch
Ignatius was restored to his position.
The Synod of 869 met to
investigate the conduct of St Photius. This
council took place with the participation of papal legates, who
demanded that the participants sign a document (Libellus) condemning
Photius and recognizing the primacy of the Pope.
Eastern bishops would not agree to this, and argued with the
legates.
Summoned to the council, St Photius met all the accusations of the
legates with a dignified silence. Only when the judges asked him
whether he wished to repent did he reply, "Why do you consider
yourselves judges?" After long disputes, the opponents of Photius were
victorious. Although their judgment was baseless, they anathematized
Patriarch Photius and the bishops defending him.
The saint was sent to
prison for seven years, and by his own testimony, he thanked the Lord
for patiently enduring His judges.
During this time the Latin
clergy were expelled from Bulgaria, and
Patriarch Ignatius sent his bishops there.
In 879, two years after the death of Patriarch Ignatius,
another
council was summoned (many consider it the Eighth Ecumenical Council),
and again St Photius was acknowledged as the lawful archpastor of the
Church of Constantinople.
Pope John VIII, who knew Photius personally, declared
through his
envoys that the former papal decisions about Photius were annulled.
The council acknowledged the unalterable character of the
Nicean-Constantinople Creed, rejecting the Latin distortion
("filioque"), and acknowledging the independence and equality of both
thrones and both churches (Western and Eastern).
The council decided to abolish
Latin usages and rituals in the Bulgarian church introduced by the
Roman clergy, who ended their activities there.
Under Emperor Basil's
successor, Leo, St Photius again endured false
denunciations, and was accused of speaking against the emperor.
Again deposed from his See in
886, the saint completed the course of his life in 891. He was buried
at the monastery of Eremia.
The Orthodox Church
venerates St Photius as a "pillar and foundation of
the Church," an "inspired guide of the Orthodox," and a wise
theologian.
He left behind several works,
exposing the errors of the Latins, refuting soul-destroying heresies,
explicating Holy Scripture, and exploring many aspects of the Faith.
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The Eletsk-Chernigov
(Chernigov Spruce Tree) Icon of the Mother of God
Appeared on a spruce-fir tree near Chernigov in the year 1060, during
the time of the Chernigov prince Svyatoslav Yaroslavich, as was
recorded in the Synodikon of the Chernigov bishop Zosima Prokopovich
(1655-1657). The icon was placed in a church, built in honour of the
Eletsk-Spruce Icon of the Mother of God. The Monk Antonii (Anthony; +
1073, Comm. 10 July), while asceticising on the Boldina Heights in the
years 1068-1069), had given his blessing to found a monastery at this
place. In 1238 the monastery was pillaged by the Tatars (Mongols), but
the icon was hidden inside the monastery walls. In the year 1470 the
Kiev prince Simeon Olel'kovich restored the monastery, and they again
placed the icon in church. The ultimate fate of the icon is unclear.
According to one tradition, a descendant of the Chernigov princes,
Baryatinsky, carried off the icon to Moscow in the year 1579, when
Chernigov fell into the hands of the Polish king Stefan Bathory. In
1687 a somehow-related prince Daniil Baryatinsky was returning from a
campaign in the Crimea. At Kharkov he fell seriously ill and before his
death he bestowed the Eletsk Icon to the Kharkov Uspenie (Dormition),
being nearby it while on campaign. According to another tradition, the
icon vanished from the monastery during its sacking in the XVII Century
by the forces of Sigismund III. In 1676 prince Konstantin Ostrozhsky
presented the Eletsk monastery a copy of the Eletsk Icon of the Mother
of God, brought from Vladimir by the Kozel brothers. Archimandrite
Ioannikii (Golyatovsky) was at this time restoring the monastery and he
described numerous miracles from this icon in his book, "Skorbnitsa"
(or "Sokrovischnitsa", i.e. "Consoler" or "Treasury"), published in
1676 in Northern Novgorod. There is still another Eletsk Icon of the
Mother of God that is known of, likewise appearing in the year 1060. It
received its name in that it appeared in the city of Elets, in a
cathedral church in honour of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God.
The feastday of this icon was set under 11 January.
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 1120 Saint
Arsenius of
Ikaltoi Under his influence, some of the Armenian Monophysite bishops
inclined towards an acceptance of Orthodoxy
descended from the Georgian princely line of the Vachnadze. According
to certain sources, he was born in Kakhetia (Eastern Georgia) in the
village of Ikaltoi. Raised by devout parents, St Arsenius distinguished
himself from childhood by his love for church services and prayer. He
received religious education at the Constantinople academy, where he
studied not only theology, but also the natural sciences.
At the completion of academy he entered the monastic state and lived in
one of the Georgian monasteries of the Black Hill (near Antioch) under
the guidance of St Ephraim Mtsira (January 18). Here St Arsenius
zealously occupied himself with theological and translating activity,
investigating the causes of the separation of the non-Chalcedonian
churches from Orthodoxy.
St Arsenius translated into the Georgian language the "Great Nomocanon"
of St Photius, Patriarch of Constantinople (857-867, 887-886), the
"Golden Nectar" of St John of Damascus, and also a collection of
translated works in the "Dogmatikon" with commentaries, directed
against various heretical teachings. After the death of his teacher, St
Arsenius returned to Constantinople and continued his teaching
activities.
St Arsenius gained fame for his instructive encyclopedia (theology,
philosophy, philology, logic, physics, anatomy, poetics). Upon the
invitation of the Georgian emperor David III the Restorer (1089-1125),
he returned to Georgia in the year 1114, and for a while he taught at
the Gerat academy (Western Georgia). Then St Arsenius participated in
the founding of the Ikaltoi academy (where he was born in Kakhetia, in
the village of Ikaltoi, at the monastery of the Icon of the Savior
not-Made-by-Hands, during the years 1114-1120). At this academy,
according to Tradition, he taught the great Georgian poet Shota
Rustaveli.
St Arsenius was one of the
initiators and an active participant of a church council in the
Armenian city of Ano.
Under his influence,
some of the
Armenian Monophysite bishops inclined towards an acceptance of Orthodoxy.
For many years St Arsenius was priest for the holy emperor David III
the Restorer, and by his wise counsel contributed immensely to the
enlightenment of the Georgian Church. His astute intelligence and
spiritual wisdom, the purity and righteousness of his life, are
esteemed holy by the Georgian Orthodox Church. The memory of St
Arsenius of Ikaltoi is celebrated on February 6, the day of his blessed
repose.
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1207
Bl. Diego De Avezedo
Bishop Cistercian visit led to the founding of the Dominicans
Blessed Diego De Avezedo was sent to escort the fiance' of Prince
Ferdinand. When he arrived, she had died, so he accompanied St. Dominic which ultimately led to the
founding of the Dominicans. He died on December 30, 1207. He was
Bishop of Osma, Spain.
Blessed Diego de Azevedo, OSB Cist. B (PC) (also known as
Didacus) Died December 30, 1207. A member of the clergy
attached to the cathedral at Osma, Old Castile
(Spain). He became provost and obtained a canonry for Saint Dominic Guzmán and in 1201
was named bishop of Osma. In 1206, he was sent by King Alfonso IX of
Castile to the Marches (Italy) to escort back to Spain the bride-to-be
of Prince Ferdinand. On arrival, Diego found the girl dead.
He then went to Rome, taking with him a member of his party, Saint
Dominic, a visit that ultimately led to the founding of the Dominicans.
In the same year Diego joined the Cistercians at Cîteaux in order
to join the crusade against the Albigensians in Languedoc. He returned
to Osma late in 1207 and died there. He has always been styled a beatus
or saint by the Cistercians (Benedictines, Delaney).
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|
1597 St. Francis
Nagasaki a Japanese physician 1/26 crucified
from Miako He became a physician and later was converted to Catholicism
by the Franciscan missionaries in Japan.
He became a Franciscan tertiary, served as a catechist, and was one of
the twenty-six Catholics crucified for their Faith near Nagasaki on
February 5 during the persecution of Christians by the Taiko, Toyotomi
Hideyoshi. They were all canonized as the martyrs of Japan in 1862. He
is also known as Francis of Miako.
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1597 Philip of
Jesus
martyred in Japan patron of Mexico City OFM M (RM)
(also known
as Philip de las Casas. Born in Mexico City, Mexico, May 1, 1571; died
in Nagasaki, Japan, 1597; beatified by Pope Urban VIII; canonized by
Pope Pius IX in 1862; feast day formerly February 5. The life of Saint
Philip points again to the importance of the domestic church--the
family. Early in life Saint Philip ignored the pious teachings of his
immigrant Spanish family, but eventually he entered the Reformed
Franciscan Convent of Santa Barbara at Puebla, Mexico--and soon exited
the novitiate in 1589. Grieved at the inconstancy of his son, Philip's
father sent him on a business trip to the Philippines.
Like many of us, Philip sought to escape God's love in worldly
pleasures but the Hound of Heaven tracked him down. Gaining courage by
prayer, Philip was again able to follow his vocation, joined the
convent of Our Lady of the Angels in Manila in 1590, and took his vows
in 1594. The richest cargo Philip could have sent back to Mexico
couldn't have pleased his father more than the message that Philip had
been professed a friar. Alonso de las Casas obtained directions from
the commissary of the order that Philip should be sent to Mexico to be
ordained a priest.
He embarked with other religious on the Saint Philip in July 1596 but
storms shipwrecked them in Japan. Amid the storm, Philip saw over Japan
a white cross, in the shape used in that country, which after a time
became blood-red, and remained so for some time. It was an omen of his
coming victory.
The ship's captain sent Philip and two others to the emperor to gain
permission for them to continue their voyage, but they could not obtain
an audience. He then continued to the Franciscan house in Macao to see
if they could apply pressure. In the meantime, the pilot of the Saint
Philip had excited the emperor's fears of Christians, causing him to
contemplate their extermination.
In December, officers seized a number of the Franciscan fathers,
including Philip, three Jesuits, and several of their young pupils.
When Philip had that they were to die, he responded with joy. His left
ear was cut off, and he offered the first fruit of his blood to God for
the salvation of Japan.
The martyrs were taken to Nagasaki, where crosses had been erected on a
high hill. When Philip was led to the one on which he was to die, he
knelt down, clasped it, and exclaimed, "O happy ship! O happy galleon
for Philip, lost for my gain! Loss--no loss for me, but the greatest of
all gain!" He was bound to the cross, but the footrest under him gave
way, so that he was strangled by the cords that bound him. While
repeating the name of Jesus, he was the first of the group to die.
Philip was 25. Miracles attested the power before God of these first
martyrs of Japan (Benedictines, Butler, Delaney).
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1597 St. Paul Miki and Companions: Nagasaki, Japan, is familiar to
Americans as the city on which the
second atomic bomb was dropped, killing hundreds of thousands. Three
and a half centuries before, 26 martyrs of Japan were crucified on a
hill, now known as the Holy Mountain, overlooking Nagasaki.
February 6, 2010
Among them were priests, brothers and laymen, Franciscans, Jesuits and
members of the Secular Franciscan Order; there were catechists,
doctors, simple artisans and servants, old men and innocent
children—all united in a common faith and love for Jesus and his Church.
Brother Paul Miki, a Jesuit and a native of Japan, has become the best
known among the martyrs of Japan. While hanging upon a cross Paul Miki
preached to the people gathered for the execution: “The sentence of
judgment says these men came to Japan from the Philippines, but I did
not come from any other country. I am a true Japanese. The only reason
for my being killed is that I have taught the doctrine of Christ. I
certainly did teach the doctrine of Christ. I thank God it is for this
reason I die. I believe that I am telling only the truth before I die.
I know you believe me and I want to say to you all once again: Ask
Christ to help you to become happy. I obey Christ. After Christ’s
example I forgive my persecutors. I do not hate them. I ask God to have
pity on all, and I hope my blood will fall on my fellow men as a
fruitful rain.”
When missionaries returned to Japan in the 1860s, at first they found
no trace of Christianity. But after establishing themselves they found
that thousands of Christians lived around Nagasaki and that they had
secretly preserved the faith. Beatified in 1627, the martyrs of Japan
were finally canonized in 1862.
Comment: Today a new
era has come for the Church in Japan. Although the number of Catholics
is not large, the Church is respected and has total religious freedom.
The spread of Christianity in the Far East is slow and difficult. Faith
such as that of the 26 martyrs is needed today as much as in
1597. Quote: “Since Jesus, the Son of God, showed his love
by laying down his life for us, no one has greater love than they who
lay down their lives for him and for their sisters and brothers (see 1
John 3:16; John 15:13). Some Christians have been called from the
beginning, and will always be called, to give this greatest testimony
of love to everyone, especially to persecutors. Martyrdom makes
disciples like their master, who willingly accepted death for the
salvation of the world, and through it they are made like him by the
shedding of blood. Therefore, the Church considers it the highest gift
and as the supreme test of love. And while it is given to few, all,
however, must be prepared to confess Christ before humanity and to
follow him along the way of the cross amid the persecutions which the
Church never lacks” (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 42, Austin
Flannery translation).
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1597 Martyrs of
Japan Died at Nagasaki miracles attributed to them
(RM)
beatified in 1627; canonized in 1862; feast day formerly February 5.
Francis, a carpenter who
was arrested while watching the executions and
then crucified; Gabriel, the
nineteen year old son of the Franciscan's
porter; Leo Kinuya, a
twenty-eight year old carpenter from Miyako; Diego Kisai (or Kizayemon),
temporal coadjutor of the Jesuits; Joachim
Sakakibara, cook for the Franciscans at Osaka; Peter Sukejiro, sent by
a Jesuit priest to help the prisoners, who was then arrested; Cosmas
Takeya from Owari, who had preached in Osaka; and Ventura from Miyako,
who had been baptized by the Jesuits, gave up his Catholicism on the
death of his father, became a bonze, and was brought back to the Church
by the Franciscans. They were all canonized as the Martyrs of Japan in
1862.
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1597 St. James
Kisai
Jesuit martyr in Japan native
he entered the Society of Jesus and worked as a catechist
until his
execution by crucifixion at the age of sixty four.
Christianity was probably first brought to Japan in 1549 by
the much
beloved Saint Francis Xavier.
When he left Japan after a stay of a few years, there were about 2,000
converts. Within the next 50 years the community grew even larger. It
is said that by 1587 there were over 200,000 Christians, which caused
the feudal lord, Toyotomi
Hideyoshi, ruler of Japan in the name of the emperor,
consternation which grew into anger. In 1587, he ordered all
missionaries to leave within six months.
Some obeyed, but many remained behind in disguise.
As noted in the story of Philip
de
las Casas, this persecution was touched off by the irresponsible
bragging of a Spanish sea captain in 1596 meeting the already provoked
Hideyoshi, who was furious at the success of the Christian
missionaries. The sailor had remarked that the object of the
missionaries was to ease the conquest of Japan by Portugal or Spain.
Of the numerous Christian martyrs in Japan the canonization
of this
group of 26 has been completed. Six of them were European Franciscan
missionaries led by the Spanish Saint
Peter Baptist.
Among the others were a Japanese Jesuit priest, Saint Paul
Miki, and a
Korean layman, Saint Leo Karasumaru. There were also 18 Japanese
laymen, of whom three were young acolytes.
Of these martyrs, 24 had been brought to Miyako, where only
a part of
their left ears were cut off by mitigation of the sentence which called
for the severing of both ears and nose. Thereafter, they were led
through various towns, their cheeks stained with blood, in order to
cause other Christians to apostatize. (The severed ears were displayed
in still other towns to terrify others.) When they arrived at the place
of execution on a hill in Nagasaki, they were allowed to make their
confession to two Jesuits.
They were killed simultaneously by a sort of crucifixion.
First they
were bound or chained to crosses on the ground, with an iron collar
around their necks. The crosses were then planted in a row about four
feet apart and each saint was and then stabbed with a spear by his own
executioner. Their blood and garments were procured by Christians, and
miracles were attributed to them. The rest of the missionaries were
deported, except for another 28 priests who stayed behind in disguise.
From their canonization until the revision of the Roman
calendar in
1970, their feast was celebrated only in Japan and by the Franciscans
and Jesuits. Now they are remembered universally as the first martyrs
of the Far East. Others, not yet canonized, were martyred in 1617,
1622, 1624, 1629, and 1632. This group includes:
Antony Deynan, born at
Nagasaki, was a 13-year-old altar boy and a
Franciscan tertiary a member of the Third Order of St. Francis.
Arrested by the Japanese authorities, he was crucified. He was
beatified in 1627 and canonized in 1862.
Bonaventure of Miyako (Meaco), OFM Tert., a Japanese native
who became
a Franciscan tertiary and catechist. (He may only have been beatified
and isn't included in the group of 26 who were canonized).
Caius Francis, OFM Tert., was a Japanese soldier who had
only recently
been baptized and received as a Franciscan tertiary. He insisted on
being arrested with the friars.
Cosmas Takeya (Tachegia, Zaquira), OFM Tert., a lay
Franciscan from
Owari, Japan, who served the Franciscan missionaries as interpreter and
preached in Osaka.
Diego (James) Kisai (Kizayemon), SJ, a Japanese layman who
was the
temporal coadjutor of the Jesuits and a catechist in Osaka. Like John
Gotto, he was admitted to the Society of Jesus while he was imprisoned,
just before his death at age 64.
Francis Blanco, OFM, a native of Monterey, Galicia, Spain.
He studied
in Salamanca, and was professed as a Franciscan at Vallalpando. He
first labored as a missionary at Churubusco, Mexico, and in 1594, he
migrated from Manila to Japan.
Francis of Miyako (of Nagasaki), OFM Tert., was a Japanese
physician
from Miyako, who later in life was converted to Catholicism by the
Franciscan missionaries in Japan and became a tertiary and lay
catechist.
Francis of Saint Michael, OFM, was born at Parilla (near
Valladolid),
Spain. He joined the Franciscans as a lay brother and was sent from the
Philippines to Japan as a missionary. He was arrested in Osaka with his
companion Saint Peter Baptist, in 1596, and awaited execution the
following year.
Gabriel de Duisco, OFM Tert., the 19-year-old son of the
Franciscans'
native porter.
Gundisalvus (Gonsalo) Garcia, OFM, born at Bassein near
Bombay, India, in 1556 of
Portuguese
parents, although some claim that his parents were Indian converts who
took Portuguese names. He first served the Jesuits as a catechist, then
opened a flourishing business in Japan, and in 1591 joined the
Franciscans as a lay brother in Manila, the Philippines. He returned to
Japan as an interpreter to Saint
Peter Baptist.
Joachim Sakakibara (Saccachibara), OFM Tert., the Japanese
lay cook
(another source says the physician) for the Franciscans at Osaka, who
also served as a catechist.
John Soan de Goto, SJ, a 19-year-old native Japanese who was
admitted to the Jesuits in prison shortly before his martyrdom. Prior
to that he was a temporal-coadjutor of the Society of Jesus and
catechist at Osaka.
John Kisaka (Kimoia), OFM Tert., a Japanese silk-weaver,
born at
Miyako. He was baptized and received into the third order shortly
before his crucifixion.
Leo Karasumaru (Carasuma), a native
of Korea, a pagan
priest prior to his conversion to Christianity. He was baptized by the
Jesuits in Japan in 1589. He became the first Korean Franciscan tertiary
and was the chief catechist for the friars. With him was crucified his
brother Paul Ibaraki and their 12-year-old nephew Louis Ibaraki.
Louis Ibaraki (Ibarki) the
12-year-old nephew of Paul Ibaraki and Leo
Karasumaru, who served as acolyte for the Franciscans.
Martin Loynaz (de Aguirre) of the Ascension, OFM, a native
of Vergara
near Pamplona, Spain. He studied in Alcala and became a Franciscan in
1586. He first worked as a missionary in Mexico, then Manila in the
Philippines, and finally in Japan where the Church was converting
hundreds in all regions. Christianity was tolerated in Japan at the
time, and Martin was able to preach and instruct his Japanese
parishioners. Within the Japanese government, however, many counseled
opposition to the Christian faith, which they believed was but a
prelude to a European invasion. Toyotomi Hideyoshi, at that time the
power in Japan, was finally convinced that Christianity was a threat to
Japanese peace and independence, and decided to rid his country of all
foreign influence. He instituted a persecution that involved thousands,
including the European missionaries. Martin was arrested with
twentyfive of his converts. They were crucified on February 25,
1597, near Nagasaki. All of the Martyrs of Japan were canonized in 1862.
Matthias of Miyako Martyr of Japan, OFM Tert., a Japanese
native,
became a Franciscan tertiary. Matthias was not listed by Toyotomi
Hideyoshi as one of the twenty-six Christians to be slain as examples;
however, he took the place of one of the designated martyrs and was
crucified with St. Peter Baptist and companions in Nagasaki. Matthias
was canonized in 1862.
Michael Cozaki was a Japanese catechist and hospital nurse
to the
Franciscan missionaries. He was martyred with his own son, Thomas.
Paul Ibaraki (Yuanki, Yuaniqui), OFM Tert., was the brother
of Leo
Karasumaru and a lay tertiary, interpreter, and catechist.
Paul Miki, SJ (born 1562, died at age 33), son of a Japanese
military
leader, was born at Tounucumada, Japan, was educated at the Jesuit
college at Anziquiama, joined the Jesuits in 1580, and became known for
his eloquent preaching. His last sermon was delivered from the cross on
which he was martyred.
St. Paul Miki
He was crucified on Februay 5 with twenty-five other
Catholics during
the persecution of Christians under the Taiko, Toyotomi Hideyoshi,
ruler of Japan in the name of the emperor.
Paul Suzuki, OFM Tert. (born 1563), a native of Owari,
Japan, was
baptized by the Jesuits in 1584, became a Franciscan tertiary, and was
an outstanding catechist until he, too, was crucified near Nagasaki.
1597 Peter Baptist, OFM, (born 1545) was a
native of Avila,
Spain. He joined
the Franciscans in 1567, worked as a missionary in Mexico, was sent to
the Philippines in 1583, and on to Japan in 1593, where he served as
commissary for the Franciscans. He had the gift of working miracles and
is considered the leader of the Franciscan martyrs.
Peter Sukejiro (Xukexico),
OFM Tert., a Japanese Franciscan
tertiary
who served as a catechist, house servant, and sacristan to the
Franciscan missionaries. He was sent by a Jesuit priest to help the
prisoners, and was then arrested.
Philip
de las Casas, OFM.
Thomas Cozaki (Kasaki),
a 15-year-old Japanese native, who
served as
acolyte and was martyred with his
father, Michael.
Thomas Xico (Dauki),
OFM Tert., a Japanese Franciscan
tertiary,
catechist, and interpreter to the missionaries.
Ventura, a Japanese
layman from Miyako, who had been
baptized by the
Jesuits, gave up his Catholicism on the death of his father, became a
bonze, and was brought back to the Church by the Franciscans (Attwater,
Benedictines, Delaney, Encyclopedia, Farmer, Husenbeth, Walsh, White).
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1696 Sainted Theodosii (Feodosii), Archbishop of
Chernigov
Born at the beginning of the decade of the thirties of the XVII Century
in Podol'sk governance. He was descended from an old court-nobility
lineage, the Polonitsky-Uglitsky's. His parents were the priest Nikita
and Maria. The piety prevailing within the family of the future saint
contributed greatly to the spiritual growth of the boy. From childhood
he distinguished himself with his gentleness and disposition towards
prayer. The innate abilities of the youth came to light in the
Kievo-Bratsk college at the Kiev Theophany monastery. This was a time
of an extensive flourishing of the college (the end of the 1640's),
when its rectors were the archimandrite Innokentii (Gizel'), and later
the hegumen and afterwards archbishop of Chernigov, Lazar (Baranovich).
Among its instructors were: the priestmonk Epiphanii (Slavinetsky), the
priestmonk Arsenii (Satanovsky), the Belorus bishop Theodosii
(Baevsky), the hegumen Theodosii (Saphonovich) and Meletii Dzik -- all
these were indeed men of enlightenment for those times. The comrades of
Saint Theodosii at the college were themselves to become future
outstanding pastors: Simeon Polotsky, Ioannikii Golyatovsky, Antonii
Radivillovsky, Varlaam Yasninsky. The Kievo-Bratsk Theophany school was
at this time the chief centre in the struggle of Orthodoxy against the
assaults of Catholic clergy, and Jesuits and Uniates.
The vocation of Saint
Theodosii to the monastic life ultimately formed during his years of
study: he devoted all his free time to prayer, meditation on God and
the reading of Sacred Scripture.
It might be surmised, that the saint did not finish the full
course of the college studies, since the school ceased its activity for
several years following the devastating of Podolia by the Poles. The
saint all his life had deep regard for the Kievo-Bratsk monastery that
had educated him. In the Synodikon of the Kievo-Vydubitsk monastery is
the following remark about Saint Theodosii: "He was a man of fine
intellect and generous to the Kiev Bratsk monastery".
Upon receiving his education, the future hierarch accepted
monastic tonsure at the Kievo-Pechersk Lavra with the name Theodosii,
in honour of the Monk Theodosii (Feodosii) of Pechersk (Comm. 3 May)
(worldly name unknown).
The Kiev metropolitan Dionysii (Balaban) made him archdeacon
of the Kiev Sophia cathedral, and then appointed him administrator of
the metropolitan cathedral house. But soon he left Kiev and resettled
at the distant Krutitsk monastery (in Chernigov diocese), near the
locale Baturino, which was famed for its strict monastic life. He was
consecrated there to the dignity of priestmonk. In the year 1662 Saint
Theodosii was appointed hegumen of the Korsunsk monastery in Kiev
diocese, and in the year 1664 -- was made head of the ancient
Kievo-Vydubitsk monastery. This monastery shortly before had fallen
into the hands of the Uniates and was in complete ruin. But thanks to
the energy and initiative of Saint Theodosii, the Vydubitsk Mikhailovsk
monastery was quickly restored. He concerned himself in particular
about the order of churchly property. He formed an excellent choir,
which was famed not only in Little Russia, but also in Moscow, where
Saint Theodosii in 1685 sent his singers. And concerning himself over
the spiritual growth of the monastery inhabitants, being himself a
strict ascetic, in 1680 the holy hegumen made on the island of
Mikhailovschina, not far from the monastery, a small skete-monastery
for brethren wishing solitude. He appointed there to organise and
administrate it one of the most zealous monks of his monastery -- the
priestmonk Job (Opalinsky).
In his role as hegumen of
the Kievo-Vydubitsk monastery, Saint Theodosii had to live through some
quite difficult days. He was accused together with other hegumens by
Methodii, bishop of Mstislavsk and Orshansk, of betraying the Russian
governance in a supposed correspondence with those treasonous to
Russia. On 20 September 1668 Saint Theodosii had occasion to give an
explanation in the matter. And on 17 November 1668 the slander
unraveled, and Saint Theodosii together with the other hegumens
received a pardon. His Grace Lazar (Baranovich) esteemed the high
spiritual qualities of Saint Theodosii and befriended him. He called
him "a sheep of the flock of Christ, teaching by humility", and he
prophetically expressed the wish, that the name of Saint Theodosii
might be inscribed in Heaven. When His Grace Lazar in 1689 became locum
tenens of the Kiev metropolitan see, he appointed Saint Theodosii as
his vicar in Kiev, while he himself remained at Chernigov. In his
capacity as vicar of the locum tenens of the Kiev metropolitan see,
Saint Theodosii had an active role in many a churchly event. In 1685 he
participated with the right of a decisive vote in the selection of
bishop Gedeon (Chetverinsky) as metropolitan of Kiev, and he was sent
to Moscow with news of this event together with the Pereyaslavl'
hegumen Ieronim (Jerome) (Dubin). In Moscow both representatives were
received with honour and esteem. And indeed, the result of this
delegation was the re-uniting of the Kiev metropolitan see with the
Russian Orthodox Church.
In 1688 Saint Theodosii was appointed archimandrite of the
Chernigov Eletsk monastery, replacing the deceased archimandrite
Ioannikii (Golyatovsky). And from the time all the activity of the
saint transferred over from Kiev to Chernigov. This appointment
comprised primarily, in accord with the wishes of His Grace Lazar, that
Saint Theodosii should spare no little toil over putting back the
Eletsk monastery in good order, since this monastery had not yet been
set aright after the expulsion of the Jesuits and Dominicans, and it
was very much in bad shape and disorder. Through the efforts of Saint
Theodosii, good results were achieved over the course of two or three
years, which then fully guaranteed its existence. The saint in his new
position also rendered all kinds of assistance to His Grace Lazar in
all kinds of important matters. He participated in composing a
conciliar reply to the Moscow Patriarch Ioakim in response to his
letters questioning the attitude of the Kiev metropolitan see to the
Council of Florence, and its judgement on the question of the
transformation of the Holy Gifts as accepted by this Florentine
Council. When the Patriarch proved to be unsatisfied by these answers,
there was dispatched to him at the beginning of 1689 the Baturinsk
hegumen Saint Dimitrii (Tuptalo) (the future metropolitan of Rostov).
Saint Theodosii journeyed with him in the capacity of representative of
His Grace Lazar. He was entrusted to present the Patriarch a letter of
reply and to clear up the misunderstandings. On 11 September 1692 Saint
Theodosii was solemnly ordained an archbishop in the Uspenie
(Dormition) cathdral of the Moscow Kremlin.
Little in the way of an
account of the governance by Saint Theodosii of the Chernigov diocese
has been preserved. The saint directed special attention to the rousing
and increase in the flock of a true Christian piety. With this end in
mind he concerned himself with the upkeep of the old and the building
of new monasteries and churches. At the very beginning of his
episcopate, with his blessing, there was established the Pecheniksk
women's monastery, and he himself consecrated the monastery church in
honour of the Uspenie (Dormition) of the MostHoly Mother of God. In
1694, with his blessing, there was founded the Liubetsk
skete-monastery, 2 versts from Liubech. In 1694 also the saint
consecrated at the Domnitsk men's monastery a temple in honour of the
Nativity of the MostHoly Mother of God. And in the Summer of 1695 he
consecrated a majestic temple in honour of the MostHoly Mother of God,
built on the summit of Boldinsk Hill, near the ancient Il'insk
monastery. Under Saint Theodosii may be noted an especial enthusiasm
and strengthening of monasticism in the Chernigov diocese. The saint
also devoted great attention to the clergy, and he was a strict
questioner in the selection of candidates for priesthood. He gave
especial patronage to the Chernigov clergy school, he invited learned
monks from Kiev, among whom was Saint John (Maksimovich), the future
metropolitan of Tobol'sk, but likewise an helper and successor of Saint
Theodosii in organising the Chernigov clergy school. Strict uprightness
in regard to clergy and flock, deep compassion, concern and Christian
love of peace were distinguishing features in the activity of Saint
Theodosii. To him often turned not only the Orthodox for aid and
advice, but even persons of other confessions.
But Saint Theodosii could not long sustain the Chernigov
flock. Sensing the approach of death, he summoned to him the
administrator of the Bryansk Svensk monastery, Saint John
(Maksimovich), and elevated him from priestmonk to archimandrite of the
Chernigov Eletsk monastery. In this new archimandrite he prepared
beforehand his successor. On 6 February 1696 Sainted Theodosii died and
was buried in the Chernigov Borisoglebsk cathedral church, beyond the
right kleros-choir, in a special crypt made for this. His successor
Sainted John (Maksimovich) later built over his grave a brick arch with
an eulogistic inscription in verse, in gratitude for a miraculous
healing from a grievous illness. The special granting of grace to which
Saint Theodosii attained, is testified to by his ascetic life and his
hidden help to all, who recourse to him in prayer.
The glorification of Saint
Theodosii occurred on 9 September 1896.
|
Mary
Mother of GOD 15
Promises of the
Virgin Mary to those who recite the
Rosary 
Saints of this Day February
06 Octávo Idus Februárii
Pope Pius XI 1922,
6 February-1939 10
February (1857 - 1939) Italian
scholar & pope 
Quote: Pope
Paul
VI’s 1969 
Benedict XVI met with Aram I Catholicos of Cilicia,
the highest authority of the Orthodox Church. The
Pope remembered the martyrs of the Armenian Church and the Armenian
genocide, without explicitly mentioning it, and denounced the
persecution of Christians in modern times. Benedict
XVI
As
we watch the
spectacle of the world
seeming to self-destruct before our eyes, we can’t help but be saddened
and even frightened by so much evil run rampant. Iraq, Lebanon,
Afghanistan, Somalia, North Korea—It is all a disaster of epic
proportions displayed in living color on our television screens.