(Celebrated January 17).

Anthony, the founder of monasticism, was born in Egypt in the year 251 of very pious parents. As a youth, he loathed the burden of studying and found his classmates uninteresting. His education was therefore limited. He did, however, attend church faithfully with his parents and observed the services intensely, trying to enrich his spiritual growth. Progress in itself did not interest him, for he was completely satisfied with what he had.

After the death of his parents, Anthony lived with his sister, and between his 18th and 20th birthdays, he took care of family affairs. During this time he also studied the lives and miracles of the Saints. One day he attended the liturgy and heard the words of Jesus to the wealthy young man, "If thou wilt be perfect, go sell all that thou hast, give it to the poor and come follow me…"

So impressed was he by these words that he immediately set forth to do as Christ had told the young man. He gave his three-hundred plots of farm land to the hungry and all his money to the poor. He entrusted his sister to a Christian home for virgins and he returned to his house, for at this time there were no monasteries. Those who wanted to meditate would build cells a short distance from the city and live there. This is what Anthony did.

An elderly man in a nearby village lived the life of a hermit. In order to support himself, he would handcraft articles and sell them. Because of his virtuosity, he was well liked by all his neighbors. Anthony followed the example set by this man — he prayed, meditated, and fasted in order to overcome the many temptations which are common to young men. He practiced self denial by remaining awake days at a time, eating once a day, sometimes once every two days, and sleeping on the ground. The philosophy behind his actions was that young men should torture their bodies as much as possible so that their resistance to physical and spiritual sickness would be higher.

At the age of thirty-five, Anthony went to the old hermit in the neighboring village. He asked him to accompany him in the desert, away from temptation and sin. The old man did not want to go because of his age and because it was not an accepted practice at that time. Anthony departed on his own. In the desert, he found a derelict fortress in which he barricaded himself. No one entered and he did not leave. A stream which ran within the old structure, and loaves of bread brought to him every six months and left outside the door, were the sum total of his sustenance. Many of Anthony’s friends would come to the fortress and remain outside. They would hear voices coming from within telling them to depart. However, they could not understand whose voices they were, since Anthony was the only one inside.

He remained there many years and many men came to him expressing a desire to follow his example, living the life of a hermit, and undergoing spiritual struggles. He taught his brothers to prefer their love for Christ over everything else. In time, this became the first monastery, established in 305 A.D. It is for this reason that Saint Anthony is generally known as the Father of Monasticism. From this one brotherhood, many more sprouted throughout the known world. Rules were soon established which were to be followed by all hermit monks.

During the time of the persecutions under the Emperor Maximian, Anthony and several other monks traveled to Alexandria to encourage and comfort the many suffering Christians. In 325, Saint Anthony and his monks helped defeat the Arian heretics at the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea.

Many miracles are attributed to this religious father.

A soldier named Martinianos arrived at the monastery with his daughter who was extremely ill. He asked Anthony to cure his daughter. The soldier was told that he was a sinner, but if he put his faith in Christ, his daughter would be cured. The father and Saint Anthony prayed together, and the girl was cured. News of the miracle spread and soon many more came and waited outside the monastery to be healed. His solitude now endangered, Anthony decided to leave for Upper Thevaeda where he was unknown. Taking some loaves of bread, he went to the sea hoping to find a ship. Suddenly, he heard a voice asking him where he was going. He responded by saying that the crowds were annoying him and that he was going to Upper Thevaeda. The voice told him that he would be annoyed at Thevaeda also. To find what he sought, he had to go to the outer wilderness. Just then, a band of Saracens passed by; overjoyed at having Anthony as their companion, they took him to the desert. The Saracens gave him some bread and left him on a mountain.

When his brothers discovered where he was, they brought him his necessities. Anthony pitied them, since they had to travel a great distance to bring him food; therefore, he asked them to bring him some seeds for planting. He cleared a field and planted the seeds which were watered by a near-by stream. The seeds yielded wheat, and thus, Anthony became self-supporting. Seeing that people were still coming to receive his blessing, he decided to also plant some greens with which to feed them.

Many wild animals came and drank from the stream, causing a great amount of damage to his crops in the process. Catching one of the animals, he said to it, "I have done you no harm, yet you keep coming here and ruining my crops; therefore, leave now and never return to this spot." After this, no animal came to drink from the stream.

Several monks came to the mountain asking Anthony to visit their monastery and preach to the other brothers. The Saint agreed, but on the way to the monastery, their water supply was exhausted. They were near death as Anthony lifted his hands and prayed to God. Miraculously, water sprang from the sand, and the monks were saved. After arriving at the monastery, he preached to the brothers about spiritual struggles and the rules of monasticism. While in this area, Anthony visited his sister, who had now become a nun, and then he returned to his mountain. Since his location was now disclosed, many monks came to hear Anthony’s words of wisdom and philosophy.

A ruler of Egypt, named Flonton suffered from epilepsy and almost complete blindness. Hearing of the miracles of Saint Anthony, Flonton decided to seek his help. Anthony told him to return home and he would be cured. When he arrived in Alexandria, his vision and epilepsy were indeed cured.

At another time, a girl from Tripoli had become extremely ill and paralyzed. Her parents, having heard of the Saint’s powers, took her to him. They were accompanied by several monks. When they arrived at the mountain, the monks went ahead to tell him of the girl’s arrival and sickness. Anthony told them to return to the girl for she had been cured by the mercy of Christ. The monks returned and found the girl in perfect health.

Anthony’s fame reached even to Constantinople. Constantine the Great and one of his sons would write letters to Anthony asking for his blessing and advice. He advised them to remember that Christ was the true King and that they should emulate Him; they should be philanthropists, help the poor, and rule their Empire justly.

It should be remembered that, Saint Anthony, as well as the other great workers of the Church, were only vehicles through which Christ would perform miracles. They themselves did not possess this holy ability, but were worthy enough to act as Christ’s agents.

Anthony died on January 17, 356 A.D. at the age of one-hundred and five. He instructed two of his monks to bury him secretly. This they did, and his resting place is still unknown.

From his history, the reader can understand the type of person that Saint Anthony was. From his youth to his death, he engaged in spiritual struggles and in this respect, he is considered the Father of Monasticism, an institution which had perpetuated our Orthodox Faith throughout its history.

(Celebrated December 4).

During the rule of Maximius, in the year 290 A.D., the governor in the Anatolian city of Heliopolis was Dioscuros. Dioscuros was a fairly wealthy man who was originally from the nearby village of Galassos. He had only one child, a very beautiful girl named Barbara. Her parents were extremely proud of her, not only because of her beauty, but for her virtuosity as well.

While still young, her parents took every precaution to protect her; therefore, they erected a fortress in which they placed Barbara so that people could not see her, as was the case with Saint Christina. They supplied her with all her needs; servants, food and clothing. When Barbara came of age, many military officers of Heliopolis asked her father for her hand in marriage, for they had heard of her great beauty and charm. He refused, however, to give his promise to anyone until he first conferred with his daughter. He went to the fortress and asked his daughter if she were willing to marry. Barbara immediately responded that if her father forced her to marry, she would commit suicide. When Dioscuros heard this, he left the fortress believing that in time, he could convince her to consent to marriage.

Dioscuros decided to add a bathing house to the fortress. He left the plans with the builders and instructed them to make sure that the new building was aesthetically constructed. He then departed for another city where he had some pressing business. During her father’s absence, Barbara had the opportunity to leave her living quarters and observe the erection of the bathing house. Upon discovering that the building was to have only two windows, she asked the builders why they did not add another window on the north side so that the pool would have more light. She was told that they were following her father’s orders. Barbara instructed them to install the third window and that she would assume the responsibility. The builders followed her directions.

Barbara watched the construction and was extremely pleased with the third window. Our All Merciful God, who knows everything before it occurs, was extremely pleased with Barbara’s innocence and filled her heart with the Holy Spirit and with the love of Christ. While standing by the pool of the bath house, Barbara made the sign of the cross on the marble with her finger. Miraculously, her finger chisled the cross so deeply into the marble, that it still exists today for all generations to see the power and glory of God. The pool also remains and is said to have the power to heal all those who have faith.

One day, returning from the bath house, Barbara noticed the false idols which her father worshipped and she spat on them. She returned to the fortress, fasting and praying that she would receive Divine Guidance.

When Dioscuror returned, he saw the third window in the bath house and wondered why the builders had constructed it. They informed him that his daughter had ordered the third window installed. He questioned his daughter as to why she had ordered the window’s construction. She told him that three windows made the bath house more beautiful. Dioscuros asked her if there was any particular reason for three. Barbara answered by saying, "Three Lights guide everyone who walks the earth." Dioscuros asked her how these three Lights could guide everyone. Making the sign of the cross with three fingers, she said, ‘This signifies the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and with these Lights the whole world is guided." These words angered her father and made him forget that Barbara was his daughter. He drew his sword and threatened to murder her. Terrified, she ran from him to a nearby mountain. Upon reaching the top, she raised her arms towards the heavens and prayed to God for help. Just then, the earth on which she stood parted and swallowed most of her body. In the meantime, her father, while searching for her, found two shepherds, whom he asked if they had seen his daughter. The first shepherd told him that they had not seen her so that the Saint might be spared. The other, however, pointed in the Saint’s direction. Divine Justice prevailed though, because all of the wicked shepherd’s sheep became the akanthis plants which surround the Saint’s gravesite.

After finding his daughter, Dioscuros forced her back to the fortress and locked her in a small room. Outside, he placed two guards. He then went to Marcius, the ruler of the city, and informed him that Barbara was a Christian. Shortly thereafter, Barbara was given to Marcius with her father’s damnation. Seeing that Barbara woud not sacrifice to the idols, Marcius ordered his soldiers to first strip the Saint and beat her with sticks, and then to rub the wounds with vinegar so that the pain would be even greater. This done, she vas imprisoned until her second trial. Towards midnight, a bright light appeared to Barbara and a voicetold her not to fear, for Christ was always with her. As soon as the words were spoken, all her wounds disappeared. A God-fearing woman, named Julia, was imprisoned with Barbara and had seen the miracle. She praised God with all her heart and decided to be a martyr for her Christian beliefs.

For a second time, the ruler ordered the Saint to be brought to trial. The court was amazed to see that there were no wounds on her body. Marcius refused to believe that she had been cured by the power of God and attributed the miracle to the false idols. Saint Barbara informed him that his gods had no power to perform such a miracle and that Christ, the Son of God, was responsible for her salvation. Outraged, the ruler ordered his soldiers to tear the Saint’s body with iron claws, to burn her with torches, and to hit her head with a spiked club.

Julia witnessed the torture. She felt so much sorrow for the Saint that she began to cry uncontrollably. When Marcius discovered that she was also a Christian, he ordered that she be hung beside the Saint to suffer the same tortures. As she was being tortured, she raised her eyes towards heaven and asked God to help her not to deny her beliefs in Him. Marcius then ordered his soldiers to cut of the martyr’s breasts. After this inhumane act was performed, Julia was taken back to prison.

Saint Barbara was stripped of her clothing to be marched throughout the city. Before this could be done, however, a group of cherubim appeared before the Saint. They dressed her in a brilliant gown and again healed her wounds. Seeing that he could not overcome the Saint with threats and tortures, Marcius ordered his soldiers to behead both Barbara and Julia.

Present at all these tortures was Dioscuros, the father of the Saint. He felt neither pain nor remorse for what he had done to his only child. When the ruler sentenced them to death, Dioscuros requested that he be permitted to perform the execution of his daughter. Barbara and Julia were taken to the mountain where Dioscuros had previously captured his daughter. He beheaded Saint Barbara and a soldier beheaded Saint Julia. This occurred on December 4, 290 A.D. For several seconds the earth shook. The earth then opened and swallowed the bodies of the two martyrs.

God was quick with Divine Retribution to Dioscuros, for as he was descending the mountain, a thunder storm arose. A bolt of lightning descended from the heavens and killed this bloodthirsty tyrant. A second bolt of lightning immediately descended and murdered Saint Julia’s executioner.

When Marcius heard of the events which occurred at the execution, he became psychologically distressed and soon afterwards died of his remorse.

(Celebrated January 1).

Saint Basil was born in the capital of Cappadocia, Caesarea, in the year 329 A.D. His parents, Basil and Emmelia, were respected, God-fearing people. Basil had three brothers; Peter, Gregory, and Nafcratin; and one sister named Macrina. Peter was the Archbishop of Sebastia, Gregory was the Bishop of Nyssa and Macrina became a Saint (her memory is celebrated on the 19th of July).

Saint Basil was raised by his paternal grandmother, Macrina, in the city of Neocaesarea on Pontus. She instilled in his heart a great love for Christ. Her family had been persecuted for many years under the Emperor Maximinus for their belief in Christianity. Basil returned to Caesarea where his father was a Christian priest and teacher. It was here that he began his education. He continued his studies in Constantinople where his professors were among the most respected in the world. Upon the advice of his rhetorical instructor, Libanius, Basil went to Athens to further his education.

In Athens he became very friendly with Saint Gregory the Theologian. Basil’s life there was a prime example of frugality, continence and wisdom. Most of his colleagues were pagans who did not measure up to his Christian virtues. With the help of Saint Gregory, he overcame these paganistic ideals.

Saint Basil excelled in all of his studies, especially in rhetoric. He studied the writings of all the Ancient Greek philosophers and used philosophy in his everyday life. The balance of his instruction included logic, mathematics, astronomy, and medicine. Even with all his other studies, Saint Basil never satisfied his desire for theological learning, something that was instilled in him from his childhood.

After finishing his studies he returned to Caesarea in 355 A.D. and involved himself with law and politics. But this was not for him and he soon embarked in the monastic way of life with the same fervor as his sister.

Basil had always wanted to visit the Holy Lands to study the lifestyles of other monks. He, therefore, journeyed through Egypt, Syria, and Mesopotamia, witnessing the devotion and love with which the monks treated their fellow man. He finally arrived in Jerusalem (358 A.D. — 360 A.D.) with a former teacher named Evoulos and together they worshipped at all of the shrines in the city. They were then baptized in the Jordan River by the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Maximos (at that time, Christians were not baptized until they were at least 30 years old).

He returned to Cappadocia and since he still wanted to lead a monastic life, he went to Pontus, where his family owned land. There he met his mother and sister. On this land, near the river Iris (today known as Turkisti Kailpak), his sister and other women, had built a monastery of which she was the abbess. A short distance from this monastery, Saint Basil built a small hut where he lived. Here he studied in depth the Holy Scriptures, prayed, fasted, and meditated. He dressed in rags and his only nourishment was water and stale bread. He slept on the ground and had no fire in the winter to keep him warm. Loving nature so, he endured anything it had to offer.

Saint Gregory the Theologian also shared Saint Basil’s monastic life. Many students from Asia and Greece came to study under these two great teachers. Since they had to accommodate so many people, the Saints tilled their land until they became self sufficient.

Saint Basil, having established his school, left thewilderness and journeyed to Antioch. Here he was ordained a deacon by the city’s Patriarch. Upon learning that his father was ill, he decided to go to Caesarea and ask for his blessing.

At that time, Eusebius was the Metropolitan of Caesarea. An angel appeared to him one night and told him that his successor was coming. The Metropolitan was to send representatives to the gates of the city to welcome him. When the envoys reached the gates, they saw Saint Basil and were impressed by his mere presence. He was taken to the Metropolitan who appointed him as head teacher of his Church. His duties included interpreting the Holy Scriptures. Shortly thereafter, Saint Basil was ordained into the priesthood.

Julian the Apostate was the ruler of the Byzantine Empire at that time. He was moving against the Persians. On his way, he stopped at Caesarea, where Saint Basil and many others went to greet the Emperor. He had been a student in Athens with Saint Basil. Julian asked Basil to present him with whatever the Saint usually ate. Basil immediately brought Julian three loaves of bread. The Emperor then ordered the people to go to their farms and cut fodder and present it to Saint Basil. The Saint told Julian that he had not asked for any gifts nor did he want the food that Julian was accustomed to eating. The Emperor, interpreting this as an insult, cursed Saint Basil for his remarks and for teaching Christianity. He warned him that when he returned from fighting the Persians, he would make the Saint pay for his commentary. With these words, Julian departed, but his threats were never to be fulfilled. Basil re-entered the city and warned his people of Julian’s anger. He told them not to be concerned with their property, but with the protection of their lives. They were to bring their money to one central spot and when Julian approached, they would offer it to him. This would hopefully calm him and persuade him to spare their lives. So the people gathered their gold, silver, and precious gems and brought them to Saint Basil who then placed them in the treasury. When he heard that Julian was returning, he summoned all the Christian families together. They fasted for three days and then went to the mountain of Didimos. On one of the peaks of this mountain was the Church of the Theotokos. They went to this church and prayed to Christ to save them. As they prayed, a cloud entered the church and on it they saw the figure of a Lady sitting on a throne. Just then, Basil envisioned Saint Mercourios, who dressed in armor, stood before the Lady (the Theotokos). She instructed the Saint to destroy Julian. The Theotokos then summoned Basil and gave him a book in which was contained the genesis of mankind and the world. The last word in the book was "save."

Saint Basil left the church with the other clergy and returned to Caesarea. There was a church here dedicated to Saint Mercourios who was martyred in 100 A.D. The body of the Saint rested in this church. When Saint Basil went to the coffin to pray, he found it empty. He asked the caretaker of the church if he knew what had happened to the holy body, but the caretaker knew nothing. Saint Basil then realized that his vision was very real. Several hours afterwards, he heard of Julian’s death. He ran to the mountain and told the awaiting Christians the news. They rejoiced and praised both God and Saint Mercourios.

Saint Basil told his people to return to the city where he would return their money. The Christians shouted saying, "If we would have given it to the impious Julian, why should we not give it to the King of Heaven who saved us." Saint Basil admired them for their generosity and told them to take one-third of what they had given. The remainder would be used to build orphanages, hospitals, and homes for the poor and aged.

Saint Basil did not remain long with the Bishop of Caesarea, for the Bishop became envious of the people’s love for Basil. Since Basil was a peace loving man, he left Caesarea, so that a dispute between the people and the Bishop would not arise. From Caesarea he went to Pontus to find Saint Gregory the Theologian.

In the year 363, the pious Iovianos ascended to the thrown of Byzantium. He died that same year and the Emperor Valens took his place. This Emperor believed in the Arian Heresy and tried to force his ideas on all the bishops of the Empire. He was determined to employ any and every means to accomplish his task. When the Bishop Eusebius and the people of Caesarea heard this, they sent a delegation to Saint Basil asking him to return. They felt that his presence would afford them protection from this unorthodox dogma. Saints Basil and Gregory went to Caesarea and espoused the idea of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church in that city.

Saint Basil’s main attack was to reinforce the people’s belief that Christ was the Son of God, created before all ages. The Emperor stopped all economic aid to Caesarea in order to force the city to accept the teachings of Arius. The rich helped the poor to survive these lean times by keeping their warehouses open. This was done in accordance with Saint Basil’s instructions.

In 370 A.D., Bishop Eusebius died and the bishops of Cappadocia elected Saint Basil to take his place. He was an exemplary Bishop for he worked with his people and taught them how to lead a true Christian life. He gave of his body and soul so that his people’s beliefs would become stronger. No one could criticize him for his work, for he was extremely dedicated. Countless citizens became very philanthropic and aided the poor because of his teachings. This generosity was not confined to Caesarea, but extended to all the cities of Cappadocia.

God granted Saint Basil the power to perform miracles. After the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Saint Iakovos, Christ’s brother, wrote several prayers for the priests to use in the Agape Services. Saint Climus, a student of Saint Peter’s, also wrote prayers to be used for the services. The liturgy became extremely long, and the Christian participants became very weary, since many of the prayers were repetitious. Saint Basil, wanting to remedy this situation, prayed to God for guidance to accomplish the task. After many days of prayer, fasting, and meditation, Saint Basil saw a vision. In the vision, Christ descended from Heaven with his Apostles and performed the liturgy. The liturgy was not chanted with the prayers of Saints Iakovos and Climus, but with other prayers and hymns. It was these prayers and hymns that Saint Basil used to write the Divine Liturgy. His Liturgy is heard ten times a year: the Feast Day of Saint Basil; Epiphany Day; the first five Sundays of the Great Lent; Holy Thursday; Holy Saturday; and Christmas Eve. The Liturgy we hear the remaining days of the year is the Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom. His Liturgy is that of Saint Basil’s with several revisions.

A widow once owed money to one of the noblemen of Caesarea. She went to Saint Basil asking that he tell the nobleman to stop pressuring her for the payment. Saint Basil wrote a letter to the nobleman requesting that he be generous and pity the poor widow. She delivered the letter to the creditor, but he responded by saying that it was Imperial money that she owed. Saint Basil wrote another letter to the nobleman, telling him to put himself in the widow’s place. It was as though this letter was to be a prophecy, for the creditor was soon ordered by the Emperor to travel from city to city, to repay the many unjust payments which he had accepted. The nobleman wrote a letter asking the Saint to pray for him. The same day that Saint Basil prayed, the Emperor pardoned the nobleman for his crimes. He paid the woman twice the amount she had owed him.

At another time, a famine fell upon the area of Caesarea and many people were dying of hunger. Saint Basil made a plea to the rich of the city to help during this time of disaster. They brought all their goods to a general warehouse and Saint Basil personally distributed the food among the people until the famine ended.

Saint Basil did not confine his teachings to the people of Cappadocia. He tried to save the souls of orthodox Christians throughout the world. He realized that from Illirium to Egypt, there was great unrest in the Church. This unrest was caused by those believing in the Arian heresy, resentment of the Emperor, and by the indifference of the bishops of that area to their people. Because he wanted to stop this unrest, Basil began conferring by mail with the Bishop of Alexandria, Saint Athanasius the Great. He asked the Bishop to try in every way possible to calm the people and to settle their disputes. Saint Basil made the same request of the Bishop of Antioch. A letter was also sent to the Bishop of Rome warning him, that by Imperial Rule, any bishops who believed in the Arian heresy were elected, their churches were being turned over to the heretics.

Valens the Emperor, divided Cappadocia into two sections which were called Old and New Cappadocia. Caesarea remained the capital of Old Cappadocia while the city of Tyana became the capital of New Cappadocia. Saint Basil’s district was thus cut in half and another bishop took charge of New Cappadocia, one who believed in Arianism. The Emperor’s purpose in doing this was to bring more churches under the Arian philosophy. In addition, every attempt had been made to make Saint Basil accept the beliefs of Arius, but they continuously failed. The Emperor’s attempt came when he sent Modestos, the General of Cappadocia (372), to make Saint Basil accept the Arian Heresy or else exile him from Caesarea. Modestos tried to alter Saint Basil’s beliefs, but the Saint flatly refused and told him that he did not fear torture, exile, or death.

The Emperor himself came to Caesarea and Modestos told him of Saint Basil’s refusal. They both admired the Saint for his steadfastness. On Epiphany Day, the Emperor and his entourage went to the church in which Saint Basil was performing the liturgy. They were amazed at the size and piety of the congregation. The Emperor was so overwhelmed, that he approached the entrance to the sanctuary and offered a gift. Neither Saint Basil nor any of the priests, however, would accept a gift from an Arian heretic. The Emperor left in humiliation. Valens later returned to the church but this time he walked into the sanctuary to talk to Saint Basil. He was so moved by the Saint’s rhetoric, that he gave the best plots of land which he owned in Cappadocia, to the poor farmers of Caesarea.

The Emperor’s wife, Domnici, also believed in the teachings of Arius. She persuaded her husband to have Saint Basil exiled from the Empire. Saint Basil was told of the Emperor’s decision and prepared to leave. That night Domnici had terrible nightmares and was unable to sleep. Her son, Galatus, became ill with a high fever and her doctors could not cure him. The Empress realized that she was being punished for her sins against the orthodox Church and Saint Basil. Both monarchs prayed to God to save them from this peril. The Saint was summoned to the palace and as soon as he had entered the gates, Galatus’ fever dropped. He told the monarchs that if they would have their child baptized by an orthodox priest he would be completely cured. The Emperor refused.

Those believing in Arianism again convinced the Emperor to pressure Saint Basil to reconsider. The Saint again refused. The Emperor began to write the document ordering the Saint’s exile, but the paper on which he wrote crumbled. This happened three times and then the Emperor’s hand began to shake. He realized that this was a sign from God and thus Saint Basil was not exiled.

The governor of Caesarea had, at the time, become extremely ill. He asked Saint Basil to visit him. As the Saint approached, the governor was immediately cured. Another governor of the area had a close friend who was a judge. This judge wanted to marry a respectable widow of Caesarea. So that she would not be forced to do this, the widow went to Saint Basil to seek his protection. When the governor was told that the Saint was protecting this woman, he became furious. He sent his guards to arrest the Saint as though he were a common criminal. The governor found Saint Basil guilty of rebellion and ordered that he be tortured. When the people heard this, they gathered what ever weapons were available and assembled at the palace. Seeing the mob assembling, the governor realized that his life was in danger. He quickly ran to Saint Basil and begged for his forgiveness. The Saint pardoned the governor for his sins and dispersed the crowd.

Saint Ephraim the Syrian, was living in the desert as a monk, but had heard of the miracles and teachings of Saint Basil. He prayed to God to tell him what type of person Saint Basil was. Just then a pillar of fire rose from the ground towards heaven and Saint Ephraim heard a voice saying, "Ephraim, Saint Basil is like this pillar of fire that you see." Thus, Ephraim hired an interpreter, who spoke both Greek and Syrian, and journeyed to Caesarea. The two monks arrived in Caesarea and went to the church where Saint Basil was performing the liturgy. When Ephraim saw the Saint in his robes, he was not impressed and his interpreter remarked that they had traveled all this distance for nothing. Saint Basil, through the Holy Ghost, realized what was happening. He called one of his deacons and told him that he would find two monks in the church, one tall and thin and the other dark. He was instructed to bring them to the sanctuary so that Saint Basil could talk to them. The deacon made his way through the crowd and found the two monks. He gave them Saint Basil’s message, but Saint Ephraim told the deacon that they were strangers in Caesarea, and since no one knew them, he was mistaken. The deacon returned to Saint Basil and explained what had occurred. Saint Basil again sent the deacon to deliver his message. The deacon told the two monks once again that the bishop wanted to see them. Saint Ephraim suddenly realized the magnitude of Saint Basil’s wisdom and that he was comparable to the pillar of fire. After the liturgy, Saint Basil and Saint Ephraim had a deep theological discussion. Saint Ephraim then disclosed the purpose of his visit. He told Saint Basil that he wanted to speak Greek so that he might spread the Word of God to more nonbelievers. He believed that whatever Saint Basil prayed for, God granted. He, therefore, asked Saint Basil to pray to God and ask Him to allow Saint Ephraim to speak Greek. Both Saints prayed for many hours. Saint Basil then turned to Saint Ephraim and told him to speak in the Greek language, which Saint Ephraim did. Conversely, Saint Basil spoke in Syrian. Saint Ephraim was ordained into the priesthood by Saint Basil and the interpreter was ordained a deacon. They remained in Caesarea for three days and then returned to the desert.

Some time later, the priests of Nicaea who believed in the Arian Heresy went to the Emperor and convinced him to give them sole jurisdiction over the churches in Nicaea. The orthodox Christians begged Saint Basil to go to the Emperor and persuade him to change his decision. Saint Basil went to the Emperor and told him that he had done an injustice to the orthodox Christians of Nicaea. The Emperor told the Saint that he would allow him to go to Nicaea and do what he thought would be just. He warned him, however, not to be partial to the orthodox Christians, since then he would be committing an injustice to the Arians. The Emperor gave a letter of introduction to the Saint and the holy man went to Nicaea. He called a general meeting of Christians and Arians and presented them with a proposal for the governing of the Church. The doors of their cathedral were to be locked and the Arians were to pray for them to be opened. If they failed, the Christians would also pray. If both factions failed, the Arians would be given rule of the Church. Both sides agreed to the terms of the proposal. The Arians proceeded to pray for three days, but to no avail. Then Saint Basil took the Christians to the Church of Saint Diomedes to pray. They prayed the entire night and then went in front of the Cathedral. Saint Basil said, "Blessed is the God of the Christians, now and forever and unto ages of ages." Suddenly, the locks on the doors fell off and the doors swung open. The Christians entered the cathedral and Saint Basil performed the Liturgy. And so, Saint Basil saved the Christians of Nicaea from the rule of the Arian Heresy.

A rich widow, who had lived impiously all of her life, decided to repent for her sins. Being afraid and ashamed to tell her sins, she wrote them all on a piece of paper which she folded and sealed. She then went to Saint Basil, placed the letter at his feet and begged him to forgive her for her sins. Saint Basil asked her why she was crying. She replied that she was a sinful woman who wanted to be forgiven for her sins, but begged that he not open the sealed paper. Saint Basil took the list, held it towards heaven and said, "It is Your grace that will forgive this woman, Oh Master." With the paper in his hand, he went into the sanctuary and prayed. When he had finished praying he returned the list to her. She unfolded the paper and found that all her writing had vanished except for the last sin. She fell at the Saint’s feet and begged him to pray to God to forgive her for that last sin. The Saint responded by saying, "Stand up, my widow, for I also am a man and have sinned and need forgiveness. Go to the desert and find Saint Ephraim, if you want your last sin forgiven."

After receiving Saint Basil’s blessing, she went to the desert seeking Saint Efraim. The widow found the Saint and placed the letter at his feet, telling him that Saint Basil had sent her. She explained that Saint Basil had prayed and her other sins had been forgiven, but the last one was not. Saint Ephraim was to pray for the forgiveness of that one. The Saint refused, saying that he who had prayed for the forgiveness of her many sins could also pray for the forgiveness of the last. He told her to return quickly to Saint Basil, for he was about to die. When she arrived in Caesarea, she found that Saint Basil had died and many hundreds of people surrounded his coffin. She pushed her way through the crowd and put the letter on the Saint’s body. Crying out, she asked Saint Basil to hear and forgive her. One of the clergy, wanting to see what this terrible sin was, looked at the paper. He found it completely blank and asked the woman why she was hysterical. After she herself saw the paper, she fell on the Saint’s coffin and thanked him for his mercy. The woman lived piously many years after this and died in peace.

Prior to this event, Saint Basil had become very friendly with a rich Jewish doctor of Caesarea named Joseph. He was excellent in his profession and was able to tell whether a patient would live or die simply by feeling his pulse. Saint Basil had tried many times to convert his friend to Christianity, but Joseph retained his ancestors’ beliefs.

The Saint had a premonition of his death, and therefore, asked Joseph to come to his home. When the physician arrived, Saint Basil asked him, "When will I die, Joseph?" The doctor felt the Saint’s pulse and said, "You will die before morning, Your Eminence." Saint Basil continued, "If I live until tomorrow, what will you do?" Joseph responded, "If you don’t die, you will defy all natural laws. I will then seek baptism as a Christian." Saint Basil prayed, after Joseph left, and asked God to let him live until the next day for two reasons. The first was that the widow mentioned earlier was returning from the desert. Secondly, he wanted Joseph to convert to Christianity. His prayers were answered. The next morning, he sent for Joseph, who thought he was going to confirm the Saint’s death. When he arrived and found the Saint alive, he was shocked. He felt his pulse, but there was none. Joseph fell at the Saint’s feet and confessed his belief in Christ. Saint Basil took Joseph and his entire household, and baptized them. He also renamed the physician John. After the baptism, he explained the Christian religion’s teachings to them. Saint Basil then turned to John and said, "When shall I die, my friend?" John replied, "When you are ready, Your Eminence." Saint Basil closed his eyes and died on the first day of January in the year 379 A.D. John fell at the Saint’s feet and cried, "I believe that you would not have died now, if you did not wish to." Saint Basil the Great’s funeral took place the next day. Thousands of people attended, not only Christians, but Jews and idolaters as well. They mourned the loss of the greatest man of their time. Saint Gregory the Theologian, then Patriarch of Constantinople, wrote Saint Basil’s eulogy. Two years afterwards, he went to Caesarea, and in tears, read it at the Saint’s grave.

Saint Basil taught his people to be generous. He would send his representatives throughout Caesarea to collect contributions for less fortunate people. With this money he also helped areas which suffered from natural catastrophies, such as famines, earthquakes, and floods. It was this Saint who instituted collection trays in the Church so that he could help the poor. The people believed in the teachings of Saint Basil to such a degree, that they collected food to contribute to worthy causes. To follow Saint Basil one had to have will power, for Saint Basil taught that most music, theaters, and amusements were sinful and were in opposition to the spiritual good of the individual.

Saint Basil also established many institutions to take care of his people. Hospitals, orphanages, and old age homes were built in Caesarea and other areas of Cappadocia. These institutions were called "Vasileias" in his honor.

The Liturgy he so tediously wrote has come to us, virtually unchanged. The miracles which he performed serve as pillars of faith and inspiration to Orthodox Christians all over the world. Was it not fitting, then that our Church should honor Saint Basil by also naming him ‘The Great"?

On New Year’s Day, it is traditional for Greek Orthodox families to gather together and cut the New Year’s bread or vasilopeta, named after Saint Basil the Great. Saint Basil constantly taught that the rich should distribute their bread and money among the poor. From this teaching, the vasilopeta is made on his Feast Day and a coin is placed in it. It is believed that good luck befalls the person whose piece of bread contains the coin.

(Celebrated November 25).

In the proud megalopolis of Alexandria, during the time of the unbelieving ruler Maxentius (286-305, who was a co-Emperor of Diocletian) lived the daughter of the former king Constantos. Her name was Catherine and she was beautiful, statuesque, and unequaled in kindness.

Being tutored by the Greeks, she was familiar with the famous poets and philosophers of that time: Homer, Virgil, Aristotle, and Plato. Not only was she learned in the teachings of the great philosophers but also the works of the physicians Hippocrates, Erasistratus, and Galen. Rhetoric and logic were her forte; and her knowledge of many languages made all who met her wonder with amazement at the wisdom this woman possessed.

The richest men of the land sought her hand in marriage, for she was an heiress to the throne. Her mother and relatives, fearing that her father’s kingship would come to fall on some unworthy individual, counseled her to marry as soon as possible. Catherine, however, desired to retain her virginity, thereby achieving one of the highest philosophical goals of that time. She refused all proposals. Nevertheless, she was continually harassed by suitors despite her requests to be left alone. She subsequently decreed that the man she would wed must be "young and equal to her in the four virtues that were attributed to her." Further, she explained that she would "never wed a man who was illiterate or belittled in her presence." The four virtues which had to be equaled were: compassion, wealth, wisdom and beauty. A shortcoming in any of these areas would deem the individual unworthy of her hand.

The suitors were bewildered. Among them, only the son of the Roman emperor possessed equal compassion and wealth, falling short in the categories of wisdom and beauty. Being confused and somewhat frightened, the young girl’s mother departed with her daughter to seek the advice of a saintly hermit who lived hidden in the outskirts of the city. The holy man patiently listened to the girl’s story and immediately sought to make her aware of the Heavenly King, Christ. He said to her, "I know of a magnificent man who surpasses you in all ways. His greatness and beauty shadow the very sun. His wisdom governs all consciousness. His wealth is given unto all the nations of the earth and never diminishes, but is rather everlasting. His compassion is unequaled."

Catherine, thinking that the hermit was speaking of some earthly man, was overcome with amazement. The hermit in turn, assured her that he spoke the truth about this individual without exaggeration. The bewildered girl asked the hermit, "Whose son is this wondrous person?"

"He has no earthly father," answered the hermit. "He was born of nature and a very holy and majestic Virgin, who is Queen of Heaven and Earth and is worshipped by the very angels."

"And is it possible for me to see this young man of which you speak so highly?" the princess asked.

"If you do as I instruct you will be able to gaze upon this everlasting and illustrious man."

Looking into the eyes of the old man, Catherine retorted, "I see you as knowledgeable and reverent, old hermit. I believe, therefore, that you do not lie to me. Instruct me as you will."

The hermit gave the young woman an old icon of the Virgin Mary, in which the Holy Mother held the infant Jesus. "This is the Most Virgin Mother of the one I spoke to you so wondrously. Take Her to your home and into your room. Pray to Her throughout the night, that She will find you worthy of beholding Her Son. I believe that if you approach Her with faith, She will permit you to see Him, Whom your soul seeks."

Taking the holy icon, the girl returned to the palace and that night she locked herself in her room as the hermit had instructed. Weary from her praying and the day’s travel, she soon fell into deep sleep. She dreamt of the Queen of the Angels as She appeared in the icon, holding the Holy Child who shone more brightly than the very sun. The Child, however, kept his head turned towards His Mother and away from the longing gaze of the princess.

Suddenly, the Holy Mother spoke. "My Son, look at Your beautiful and reverent servant, Catherine."

"She is ugly and unbelieving, and I will not suffer to look upon her."

"But is she not among the wisest, the wealthiest, and fairest of all the cities of the world?" implored the Virgin.

"Mother, I say to You, that as long as she is in this state of mind, she is unknowledgeable, trite, and I will not let her see Me."

Again, the Virgin Mother begged, "Do not deny Your own flesh and blood, My Son, but instruct her as to what she must do so that she might one day gaze upon Your light and grace."

"Let her return to the old man who gave her the icon," He replied, "and let her do as he bids and she will then see Me and gain hope and comfort."

Seeing all this, the girl awoke immediately, with several other women, set out for the hermit’s cave. Upon reaching his abode, she fell crying, kissing the old man’s feet. She told him of all that had occurred and implored him to instruct her to what she had to do.

The old man immediately began to instruct her in the mysteries of Christianity. He began with the Old Testament and continued through Christ’s ascention into Heaven. He told her of the damnation of Hell and of the glory of Heaven. So, in a short time Catherine discovered the cost of faith.

When her belief was total and unquestioning, she was baptized and instructed to pray to the Holy Virgin. This she did throughout the day and night. She fasted and cried unceasingly until finally she slept. Again she dreamt of the Mother and Child, only this time, the Holy Infant gazed admiringly at Catherine.

The Holy Mother asked her Son if He was not proud of the virgin girl. He answered, "Where she was poor, she is now wealthy; where she was ignorant, she is now wise; where she was proud, she is now compassionate. She is worthy and I accept her as My bride."

Hearing this, Catherine cried out, "Holy Bishop, I am not worthy of seeing Your everlasting light. Help me to become so worthy."

Here the Holy Queen interceded and taking Catherine by the hand said, "Give her, My Son, a ring as a token of betrothal."

Christ placed a beautiful golden ring on the girl’s finger, saying, ‘Today, I make you My bride, and for ages unto all ages. Hold this joining sacred and never take unto yourself another bridegroom."

In the meantime, the infamous Emperor Maxentius, jealous of the popularity of the new Christian religion, sent an edict throughout his kingdom. The edict stated that all those who supported his reign and worshipped his gods were to come to the palace to pay hommage to the dieties. All others were threatened with many ills and dangers. Within a week, many had entered Alexandria, bringing with them hundreds of beasts for slaughter as tribute to the gods. Soon thecity was full of the cries of the dying animals.

Seeing all this, Catherine was troubled by the fact that the people ran to trade their souls for their lives by denying the only true faith. She, therefore, hurried with a few servants to the area of the sacrifice. To her disgust, she saw only death and destruction in the name of the gods. All who saw her at the "religious" slaughter, hence stopped their killing and gazed at her beauty. She immediately sought the Emperor. At first, she pleaded with him to stop the wanton destruction. Then she became staunch.

"You are fools," she cried, "believing in idols that hold no promise. They ask for much and offer nothing in return. You have denied the meaning and sacredness of all life.

"There is only one God — the Undying God who has sacrificed Himself for all mankind. Because of Him life exists, kings reign, the people permit themselves to be governed, and the ideas of man take form.

"He does not ask for sacrifices of ignorant animals. His only demand is that you observe His Holy Commandments."

The King was at a loss. He stood silent for a longtime. Finally, he told Catherine that only after the sacrifice was completed would he speak to her; and thus he summoned her to the palace that evening.

"Who are you, and what God do you speak of?" Maxentius demanded.

"I am Catherine, daughter of your king, Constantos, and bride of the Lord Christ."

The Emperor was stunned by her appearance and carriage. He exclaimed that she was not mortal, but one of the gods themselves. Catherine explained that she was not of the demonic creatures he worshipped. She was the true God’s creation, made in His image from the dust of the Earth.

Maxentius warned her not to speak disrespectfully of his gods, lest they punish her terribly.

With a cold stare, Catherine spoke, "You know not what you say when you dare compare your satanic creations with the true God. His name is the only one to be held in reverence, unless you would have His power demonstrated."

Seeing the Saint’s freedom in speaking, Maxentius did not want to appear as though he feared her or succumbed to her logic, and said, "A king should not have to match wits with a woman. I will have my counsellors confer with you, and you will soon recognize the symptoms of your illness and realize the truth in the dogmas of the gods."

The Princess was detained under guard at the palace while the Emperor sent a request throughout his land that the wisest and most learned of all the Greek scholars should attend his court. He made his request in the name of the messenger god, Hermes, saying that their presence was required to cure certain ill thinkings of an otherwise wise woman. Their success could bring them great renown and reward.

And thus, one hundred and fifty of the greatest minds of that era ventured to Alexandria. Maxentius welcomed them and gave them his instructions. "Prepare yourselves to do mental battle with an extremely intelligent woman. Combine your efforts for she is no ordinary human being. Prove her claims are all false and make her appear foolish. Do this and you will have rewards beyond your wildest expectation. Fail and you shall die the most horrifying deaths ever devised."

The scholars, overconfident and greedy, assured the Emperor with glib tongues that this would be no contest and that victory was his. Overjoyed, the Emperor sent for Catherine. Before her summoning, however, the Saint was visited by the Archangel Michael and he said to her, "Fear not, spokesman of Christ, for He will give you the strength to conquer. And because of you, many will believe before you receive the eternal crown of martyrdom."

Coming before the scholarly gathering, she was asked if she realized that she had blasphemed those gods which the ancient poets had labled as most holy. Her answer was that she did realize this but went on to reveal the gross weaknesses of all these gods and the strength of the one God.

So stirring was her rhetoric presentation, that the scholars were dumbfounded and speechless. Shocked, Maxentius ordered them to contradict her words. "We cannot argue ‘with the truth," they replied. The Emperor was outraged and ordered that a great fire be built in the city and that all the scholars should be burned. They, in turn, fell on their knees, begging the Saint to intervene for them to God and to ask for their forgiveness. She replied that it was good that they left the darkness for the True Light and sought baptism. She blessed them all with the sign of the cross.

The one hundred and fifty were thrown into the flames on November 17, but miraculously none were harmed. Praising the Lord, they fled the city and returned to their lands where they spread the word of Christ.

Then with slyness and flattery Maxentius attempted to convince Catherine to make sacrifices. He went so far as to offer her half his kingdom if she denounced the Lord Christ. She refused, saying that she was already wed and that she sought the crown of martyrdom more than any earthly crown. Again, he pleaded that she not make him defame her very being and again she refused, saying, "To kill me would serve the purpose of my God, that purpose for which I was born. And many of your servants would you lose to the Word."

Immediately, she was stripped naked and whipped for two hours. Never before had the soldiers seen such courage as that with which she withstood the terrifying beating. She was then imprisoned and denied food for twelve days.

In the meantime, the Empress Augusta, had grown to admire the Saint greatly. While Maxentius traveled, his wife sought the aid of one of his generals, Porphyry, in order to see the Saint. For Augusta had dreamt that Catherine had given her a wreath of silver, saying, "The Lord sends this to you." The meeting was secretly arranged, and the Empress met Catherine one evening in the Saint’s jail cell. So lifted were this woman’s spirits, that she told Catherine that now she was ready to lose all her wealth and earthly objects.

The Saint said, "I admire you, Augusta, for I see a crown on thy brow and in three days the Holy Angels will offer it to you. Soon you will rule for all eternity with the true King."

Porphyry prepared the royal party to leave, but returned to the Saint saying that he and his two hundred soldiers desired to serve in the army of the Lord. The Saint took his hand, made the sign of the cross, blessing the entire contingent, and baptized them.

Christ did not forsake His servant during this time of strife. While the Saint was in her cell, a White Dove would fly through the high window bearing food. And He said to her, "Do not lose faith, for by your patience many will seek and find My Name. You are yet to be crowned."

The Emperor returned only to find the Saint alive and well. Thinking that the jailers were traitors, he ordered them killed. Catherine, however, explained that no human hand kept her alive. Only her faith and her Lord God sustained her. Maxentius again plied her with flattery and temptation, stating that he feared for her future.

"Do not concern yourself with my future, for it is set, and to a richer place I am destined to go. You would do better to think of all that will befall you if you do not seek to find the Truth and the Light."

Hoursasathen, a minister of the royal court, desired the good word of the Emperor, Maxentius. And so, he offered a suggestion to him.

Have your men build a machine made up of four wooden wheels: two rotating to the right, two rotating to the left. On the edges of these wheels, place sharp blades of iron. The woman should be bound and placed between the four wheels. Fear will overcome her and she will denounce her God, or she will be shred into little pieces and you will be rid of her."

The idea appealed to the monarch and in three days the machine was completed. Catherine was brought to the place of execution and to the ruler’s amazement she did not even flinch at the sight of the turning wheels. Instead, she spoke softly, "You know my beliefs, be quick in what you must do."

She was placed in the machine but as the wheels were turned, the moorings broke and the machine rolled wildly, killing many pagans. Catherine implored, "Why do you insist on fighting the Truth, senselessly testing the strength of God?"

The Emperor was outraged and turned his wrath towards Augusta who had wept during the Saint’s attempted execution. Her breasts were cut from her body and she was beheaded on November 23rd.

That night, Porphyry and his men secretly took the Empress’ body and buried it away from the Emperor and further mutilations. In the morning, Maxentius sought to punish all who took place in his wife’s execution since the body could not be found. The general came forth exclaiming, "We are soldiers of Christ." Insane with anger after hearing this, Maxentius beheaded the general and all his men on November 24th.

The next day, Saint Catherine was brought before Maxentius. He accused her of being the cause of his problems: that is, his wife’s unfaithfulness and his soldier’s dissertion.

"I should have executed you long ago, but I could not bring myself to destroy such wisdom and beauty. Save yourself. Sacrifice to the gods and your every wish shall be my command."

Again the woman refused. And so the Emperor ordered her executed. She was led out of the city, to the place of her death. A throng of wailing men and women followed the party, for they mourned the evident passing of such a lovely human being. They could not understand how she so stubbornly refused the Emperor’s generosity, or how she would end her life in the prime of youthfulness.

To their cries she replied, "Cease your mourning. Be happy, for I go to meet my Savior, my Great or, my Bridegroom, Jesus Christ. In Heaven, I shall reign with Him for endless ages. Cry for yourselves, for it is you who will suffer greatly those same endless ages."

When the company had reached the place of execution, Catherine knelt in prayer. She asked the Lord not to forsake her, nor to let her death be in vain. When she had finished, her head was severed. As if to honor this Saint even after death, milk miraculously poured forth from the wound instead of blood.

Her death occurred on November 25, circa 305 and her body was lifted by heavenly angels and taken to Mount Sinai. Her body was later discovered by a band of monks who built a monastery near the spot of the discovery. The relics of Saint Catherine are now enshrined in the Monastery of Saint Catherine on Mount Sinai.

(Celebrated May 21).

Before the Emperor Diocletian abandoned his throne, he divided the Roman Empire, which was rapidly declining, into a tetrarchy. The eastern part was ruled by himself, the western part by Maximilian, Galerius was overlord of the Balkan Peninsula, and Constantius Chlorus was ruler of Gaul. Constantius Chlorus was the husband of Saint Helen, a deeply religious woman from Misses in Macedonia and the father of a son, named Constantine. Constantine was born in the year 273 A.D. At the age of sixteen, he was educated in Britainy, his father’s kingdom. Because Saint Helen and many of the empire’s soldiers were Christians, Constantius did not persecute the Christians as did the other rulers. However, so that she would not be an obstacle to her husband’s progress, Saint Helen returned to upper Macedonia.

Constantine soon became an officer in the army and his travels brought him to the palace of Diocletian in Nicomedia, the capital of the Eastern Empire. It was here that Constantine saw many persecutions against the Christians (300-305 A.D.). During this time, many of the great Saints of our Church, such as Saint George, Saint Panteleimon, The Benevolent Saints of Alexandria, Saint Catherine, and many more, were martyred. Repulsed by all this, Constantine asked to be transferred to the Western Empire to visit his father who was ill. He was allowed to leave, but under guard, so that his superiors would be sure that he would not desert. He had actually been held hostage for his father’s good behavior.

Constantius Chlorus disapproved of Maximilian’s appointment of Maxentius as successor in the Western Empire. He, therefore, made Constantine temporary ruler of Gaul so that he could fight Maxentius. During the ensuing battle, Constantius died, but Constantine decided to resume the battle. He took two Christian legions, crossed the Alps, and entered Northern Italy.

Meanwhile, Galerius obsessed with the belief that he should be the supreme ruler of the Empire, led his legions to Salonika and prepared to attack Rome. On this journey, Galerius died.

This was to be a crucial period for Constantine, since he was going to fight against his own countrymen. As he prepared to cross the Moldavian Bridge, Constantine saw a bright cross in the sky enscribed with the words, "In this sign you shall conquer."

Constantine entered into the battle and was eventually victorious. Maxentius, along with many of his soldiers drowned in the Tiber River. Proceeding to Rome, Constantine entered into the battle and was welcomed as the great emancipator, and crowned Emperor of the Western and Middle Roman Empires. His brother-in-law, Licinius, defeated Maximinus and became ruler of the Eastern Roman Empire. In 313, the Emperors issued the Edict of Milan, which guaranteed religious tolerance. This Edict stopped the persecutions. This was the first time the rights of the Christian religion were fully recognized. Shortly thereafter, however, Licinius decided that if he aided the idolaters and again restored paganism as the official religion, he might become Emperor of the entire Empire. He stationed himself in the city of Andrianopolis with the advent of renewed persecutions. Constantine engaged Licinius in battle and won. Thus, Constantine became sole ruler of the entire Roman Empire. He showed a great tolerance for Christianity, primarily because of his mother, Saint Helen, and because of the sign he had seen in the sky prior to his battle with Maxentius.

Saint Helen, at the age of eighty, decided to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Lands. Her mission was to discover the Cross on which Christ was crucified. She saw the place where she would find the cross in her dream. When she arrived at Golgotha, she found the sweetly fragrant Basil plant and excavated that spot. As the story goes, Saint Helen found all three crosses, but she did not know which one was Christ’s. They took the crosses to a hospital and held them one by one, over the sick. When Christ’s cross was held over the patients, they were cured immediately. Saint Helen not only found the Holy Cross, but also Christ’s tomb. She built many churches at the spots where the major events in Christ’s life took place.

Constantine, meanwhile, had developed the greatest army and navy ever known to the world at that time. For strategic reasons, he transferred the capital of the Roman Empire from Rome to Byzantium. Byzantium was a city located on the Bospherus Sea and was founded by the Greek merchant, Byzus, in 657 B.C. Constantine dedicated the city to the Mother of God, the Theotokos. During this time, the Church was in a turmoil over the Arian Heresy. This was a philosophy taught by a bishop of Alexandria, named Arius, and stated that Christ was a creation of God and not the Son of God. Thus, Christ existed only after his birth by the Theotokos. To settle this dispute, Constantine summoned the First Ecumenical Council in the city of Nicaea in the year 325. There were 318 bishops, priests, monks and laymen in attendance and they declared that the teachings of Arius were false. In addition, this body wrote the first seven articles of the Nicaean Creed.

Constantine gave large sums of money for philanthropic institutions and built several churches. In 330 A.D., he renamed his capital Constantinople. Later, he went to Nicomedia where he confessed his sins and was baptized. Upon his death in Nicomedia on May 21, 336, the Byzantine Empire was again divided into three sections with each of his three sons governing one section.

History has designated Constantine as the Great, our Church has designated him and his mother, Helen, as Saints and rates them as equals to the Apostles.

(Celebrated November 1).

Much has been written about these Benevolent Saints. The three best known stories however, are somewhat conflicting.

The first of these is that Saints Cosmas and Damianos were from Rome. They lived during the reign of Carinius and were doctors by profession. Curing both people and animals, these men were also teachers of the Christian religion. When Carinius heard about these men, he invited them to his palace. The doctors came to the palace and told him about Christ being the True God. The ruler was so impressed that he became a Christian. The event which convinced the Emperor to become a Christian was a miracle performed by these Saints. The Emperor had threatened to punish them if they did not pray to the idol which was in the palace. Suddenly, the head of this idol was reversed. With the help of God, the Saints turned the head again to its previous position. This not only converted the Emperor, but also all who were present and saw the miracle.

The man who had taught them their profession, envied them for their great success. He and some of his students conspired against Cosmas and Damianos. They took the Saints to a high mountain to collect herbs to be used for healing. Here they stoned them to death. Their Feast Day is celebrated on July 1st.

The second story claims that these Saints were from Arabia. They were excellent doctors and would go to cities and villages, not only curing the sick, but also preaching about the true God. They arrived in Lycaea, in a village named Egas. The village was ruled by a man called Losion. He was disturbed with their teachings of Christianity and warned them to stop. The Saints refused. He took them and tied rocks around their necks and threw them into the sea. An angel was sent by God to their rescue. Losion intending to kill these physicians, then placed them in a blazing furnace. Once again they were saved. Losion tried again. This time he nailed them to a cross and beheaded them. They died on the 16th of October. This is the second Feast Day of the Saints.

The third story of these Saints is the one most widely accepted by our Church today. Cosmas and Damianos were brothers and doctors by profession. They were known as Benevolent because they would cure people but would not accept any form of payment for their work. This story states that Saints Cosmas and Damianos were from Asia Minor, from an area known as Cilicia and from a very rich family. Their father, at first, was a pagan, however, later became a Christian. He died when the boys were very young and left them to the protection of their mother, Theodoti. She was a Christian woman, very devout in her beliefs, and very virtuous. Her main goal was to educate her sons and this she succeeded in doing. Cosmas and Damianos were educated as physicians and immediately afterwards began their philanthropic task of curing people. As they healed their patients, they always spread the word of Christ. They cured their patients with herbs, and with the help of the Theotokos. They were extremely humble — not only did they not accept payment for their cures, but their material wealth consisted of the barest necessities. The people did not call them by their names, Cosmas and Damianos, but called them "Anargeri" of "Benevolent." They were so charitable, they cured animals as well as people. The Holy Doctors cured rich and poor alike. They lived in a stable with sheep and it was in this same stable that acquaintances and strangers came to be cured.

The Doctors cured all kinds of illnesses; however, they did not believe that these people were cured by their treatments, but by the Grace of God. They had studied the books of Hippocrates and many other doctors of antiquity, but none of these men could cure paralysis or resurrect people from the dead. The Saints, with the help of God, were able to do both. It was because of their miraculous curing power that many people with all kinds of illnesses would come to them to be cured of physical and mental ailments.

Saints Cosmas and Damianos traveled a great deal and it was in the town of Ferenen of Asia Minor that Saint Damianos died. Many hundreds of Christians attended his funeral and mourned this great man. A few days later, Saint Cosmas, the older brother, died and was buried next to his brother, Damianos.

There was once a nobleman who had become ill with a then incurable sickness — - prostatism. He had spent all his money to find a cure, but none could be found. After consulting with all of the doctors in the area, he remembered Saints Cosmas and Damianos and asked his friends and relatives to take him to their church. The Saints appearing to him, told him to take hair from Cosmas, burn it, crumble it, place it in some water and then drink it. This puzzled the man since he did not know where the Saint’s body was entombed. A few days before the nobleman had gone to the church, a woman had brought a lamb to be slaughtered on the Saints’ Feast Day. The lamb remained there so long that the caretakers of the church decided to name it Cosmas. On the Feast Day, a short time before the lamb was to be slaughtered, the nobleman arrived at the church. The animal stood before the nobleman, bleeting in a loud tone. When the priest arrived at the church and saw this, he asked what was wrong with Cosmas. Hearing what the priest had called the lamb, the nobleman then realized that it was from this Cosmas that he was to cut the hair. He did as the Saints had instructed and was immediately cured.

At another time, a God-fearing man in Anatolia suffered from his youth with an incurable stomach ailment. Seeing that no man could cure him, he turned to God for help and went to the Church of Saints Cosmas and Damianos. After staying a few days and seeing no improvement in his condition, he decided to go home thinking that it was not God’s will that he should be cured. The night before he was to leave, a man appeared to him in his dream. This man told him not to be in such a hurry to return home, but to wait until the following Sunday and he would see the Glory of God and that of the Benevolent Saints. Sunday came and in his usual manner, the man knelt before the icon of the Saints and prayed. Toward twilight, he saw the image of Saint Cosmas leave the icon. The image walked around the church and visited the sick people who were there. The ill man did not look up. The Saint had passed him the first time; however, he hoped that he would notice him on his return. Unfortunately this did not happen. The image was returning to the icon when the man fell at its feet and begged to be cured. Handing him a sweet, the Saint told the man to eat it. After eating the pastry, he fell at the Saint’s feet again and asked him to prevent the illness from returning. The Saint did the sign of the cross over the man and told him that the ill ness would not return; however, the Saint told him that he was never to eat legumes again. The reason for this instruction is not explained.

This man was also suffering from a toothache which in those times could be cured only by painful extraction of the decayed tooth. The man asked the Saint to cure him of this also, however, this request was denied. Man, by nature, the Saint explained, was meant to suffer those small ailments as a payment for his sins. The man left the church thanking God and Saints Cosmas and Damianos for his good health.

This is the history of the Benevolent Doctors, Saints Cosmas and Damianos. They are models of selfless devotion to the cause of human betterment.

(Celebrated July 24).

In the year 200 A.D., a girl was born unto the wealthy family of Orfanos, the Emperor’s general. Her name was Christina, and as she grew older, she developed into a very beautiful woman. Orfanos, seeing that his daughter was so attractive, built a tower in which Christina was hidden, away from the prying eyes of the common folk. She was provided with food and servants and the tower was filled with idols — for her parents were pagans.

Christina’s beauty was matched only by her intelligence. She looked around and saw how perfect everything was. The trees, the streams, the rocks, and the sky were pieces of art in themselves. No Olympian gods could have created all this and she wondered about the true creator. God, seeing the innocence and wisdom of this girl, sent an angel to answer her questions. Thus, the Saint learned of the true religion and the one, true God.

One day, her parents came to the tower to see their child. They asked her if she had worshipped the gods which had given her such beauty. She told her parents that she had not and would not worship the fake and indifferent gods that they held in such esteem. She also described her God to them and explained that he was comprised of the Holy Trinity: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Her father begged her to worship their gods instead of these three Gods. She explained to him that they were not three Gods, but three parts of the same essence.

The next day, her father returned to worship the idols, but found them missing. He questioned the servants as to the whereabouts of the idols. They told him that his daughter had smashed them and instructed them to throw the pieces out of the window. Orfanos was infuriated, and murdered every servant. He had his daughter beaten by twelve men until they fell from exhaustion. The Saint cursed her father for his beliefs. He, in turn, then tied a chain around her neck and placed her in prison. He returned to his home enraged and in despair. Discovering how her daughter had been tortured, the Saint’s mother, crying, went to the prison. She begged Christina to abide by her father’s wishes for she could not bear to lose her only child. The Saint refused.

In the morning, Christina was hung by her hair and her body was raked with sharp instruments. The Saint took a piece of the skin which had been torn off her body and threw it in her father’s face. She yelled, "You want to eat my body away, oh heir to eternal damnation, so here it is," This inhumane father then ordered that a wheel be brought to him. He tied Christina to it and lit a fire underneath it to torture his daughter even more. The Saint began to pray and as she prayed, the flames flew out from under the wheel and burnt many of the idolaters who were watching. Orfanos imprisoned her again without food, hoping to starve her to death. Christ did not forsake his servant for He sent three angels to feed the Saint and heal her wounds. The entire time she was in prison, she praised God for his mercy.

That evening, Orfanos sent his servants to the prison and had them tie a boulder around his daughter’s neck. Christina was then thrown into the river, however, she was saved by three angels of the Lord. The boulder sank to the bottom, but the Saint walked on the water. As she stood on the water, a bright cloud hovered over her. She heard a voice telling her that Christ was speaking to her. Christina was then baptized and returned to the shore. The angels placed her next to her father’s palace. When he came out the next morning, he found his daughter praying. He was ready to torture the servants for not carrying out his instructions, but Christina explained what had happened. He took her back to prison and planned to behead his only daughter the next day. That night Orfanos died.

The Saint remained in prison, unharmed for several weeks. A new ruler, Dios, came to take Orfanos’ place. Seeing that he could not change her mind, Dios ordered the Saint boiled in oil. The Saint was boiled for hours, but it had no effect on her. To shame her, he had her head shaved and then marched her nude through the city. When the soldiers returned her to the palace, she was again placed in prison. She was brought before the ruler the next day and Dios asked her if she would worship the god of the sky, meaning Apollo. Christina agreed to worship the God of the sky and was taken to the Tern pie of Apollo. After praying, she commanded the idol of Apollo to move forty meters outside of the temple. The idol began to move and stopped in the place that the Saint had designated. Since Dios would still not acknowledge the strength of God, she prayed that the statue would fall, and it did. Dios died from his sorrow. The man who temporarily replaced him had the Saint imprisoned. Within a few days another ruler was elected, named Julius. Seeing that she was a devout Christian and would not change her faith, he decided to execute her. He ordered that poisonous snakes be placed in her cell. Instead of biting, the beasts licked her feet. When the keeper entered the cell, the creatures immediately killed him. Christina ordered the serpents to leave the city without harming anyone else. The Saint then prayed to Christ to resurrect the dead man and her prayers were answered. The man praised God and Saint Christina. Julius ordered his soldiers to cut off the Saint’s breasts and throw her back in prison.

Many women came to her cell trying to comfort the Saint. However, she needed no comforting for she knew that she had suffered for Christ and that He was with her. Many of the pagan women who came to see her were converted to Christianity. The next day, she was taken before Julius. He asked her if she was ready to sacrifice to the gods. If she refused he would execute her. Christina responded, "Today you too shall die and go to eternal damnation." Julius became furious and had the Saint’s tongue cut out. The Saint took her tongue and threw it in Julius’ face. He was immediately blinded. A voice came from the Saint’s mouth saying, "Julius, because you have cut out a tongue which worships the Master you have lost your sight." The blinded ruler ordered two of his soldiers to murder Christina. They stabbed her in the heart and in her side.

She died on Thursday, the 24th day of July. Julius died the same day after suffering a great amount of pain. One of the Saint’s relatives built a church in her honor and placed her holy body in it.

(Celebrated January 31).

These two Saints, Cyrus and John lived circa 292 A.D.

Saint Cyrus was a physician from Alexandria. When he cured people, he would tell them that if they wanted to remain in good health, they should resist temptation. Many sicknesses, he believed, were caused by a person’s sins. He did not cure people by the use of medicine, but in the name of Christ and by reading from the Holy Scriptures. In this manner he converted many idolaters to Christianity and strengthened the beliefs of those of his patients who were already Christians. The rulers at that time ordered that Cyrus be brought to trial for his treasonous teachings against the Roman Empire. Afraid of the outcome, Cyrus left Alexandria and went to a monastery located near the Persian Gulf. He became a monk and remained there. He reached such a high degree of virtue, that he could perform miracles simply by making the sign of the cross. In this way he could cure all types of maladies.

A soldier by profession, John was from a city called Edessa, located in Mesopotamia. He went to Jerusalem and heard of the miracles which had been attributed to Saint Cyrus. Arriving in Alexandria, he inquired about the Saint and was informed of his whereabouts. He then proceeded to the monastery where he also became a monk.

During this time, the persecutions against the Christians were taking place. A woman named Athanasia and her three daughters — Theodotis, 15, Theoktistis, 13, and Eudoxia, 11 — were imprisoned and tortured because of their Christian belief. They were imprisoned by the ruler of Syria who was named Syrianos. Cyrus and John heard of this and fearing that these women would yield to the tortures, decided to go and aid them. They realized that doing this would mean their own deaths. Their intent was to talk to these women and strengthen their faith.

Syrianos heard of the arrival of the two monks and ordered them to appear in court. He said to them, "Do you also believe in this man called Christ? You must denounce your belief in Him and sacrifice to the gods. If you fail to do this, you will be subjected to horrible tortures." They responded by saying, "We are not in need of your honors, nor do we fear your tortures. We believe that Christ is the true God."

When Syrianos heard this, he was angered and ordered that the three women be brought to witness the tortures. Cyrus and John, were beaten and their hair was burned off. Afterwards, vinegar and salt were rubbed over their wounds so that the pain would be even greater. The Saints underwent these tortures with great courage, which the onlookers admired.

Syrianos then had the women tortured in the same manner. They also faced the tortures with great courage. Seeing that these women persisted in their beliefs, Syrianos had them beheaded. Again, with promises and threats, he tried to convert Cyrus and John to idolatry (to have two monks denounce Christ would have been a great victory for paganism). Being unsuccessful, he had them beheaded also on January the 31st. Some pious people took their bodies and buried them in the Church of the Evangelist Mark. When Theodosi us the Great became Emperor of the Byzantine Empire, the Saints’ bodies were exhumed with honor and taken to Constantinople.

On this day, the memory of Athanasia and her three daughters is also commemorated.

Cyrus and John are considered Benevolent because they asked for no payment from the people they cured. They can also be considered Benevolent because they went of their own accord to protect Athanasia and her daughters when they refused to denounce Christ. They accepted no payments for their healings, because they prefered to be rewarded in the Kingdom of Heaven.

(Celebrated October 26).

Three-hundred years after the birth of Christ, Maximilian became Emperor of Rome and married the daughter of Diocletian. So impious was Maximilian, that he would execute anyone who mentioned the name of Christ to him. Many Christians would voluntarily go to him and confess their belief in Christianity and their love for Christ so that they could martyr in his name. One of these Christians was Saint Demetrios.

Demetrios was born in Salonika, Greece, in the year 270 A.D. His parents were very rich and respected in Macedonia. He was honored for his goodness and innocence, but more so for his appearance, for Demetrios was a very handsome young man. When he matured, he was taught the ways of a gentleman and an athlete, since these were very important studies at the time. Demetrios was well known for his strength, and for his good deeds in battle. He was so well noted for these, that Maximilian invited Demetrios to the palace to make him head of the armies of Thessaly.

Before Maximilian bestowed this honor upon him, Demetrios had pretended to be an idolater. Afterwards, however, he no longer hid the fact that he was a Christian. He made this known by teaching the Words of God and Christ. His teaching was not done secretly, but openly so that everyone would hear him. His major accomplishment was to plant the seed of respect in the souls of those he taught. He told them that man was made by God and that man was placed in Paradise to be happy and content; however, the devil made man disobey the will of God and this was why he was exiled from Paradise. God, to save mankind, sent his only begotten Son to Earth. Christ was born to the Virgin Mary and was a perfect man; He was crucified and resurrected; He ascended into Heaven and would come again to judge the living and the dead. This was the message of Saint Demetrios.

Demetrios found many people who believed his teachings. Many of the Greeks who heard him destroyed the idols which they worshipped; however, he considered his efforts worthless if he could not convince the people of Salonika to accept Christianity as their religion. The enemies of Demetrios were disturbed by his teachings because they saw Christianity growing; therefore, they would do anything to stop him. The best way to accomplish this, they decided, was to have Demetrios murdered.

Maximilian, returning to Rome after suppressing the spread of Christianity in the Roman Empire, stopped in Salonika. The enemies of Demetrios found this to bean opportunity to accomplish their evil deed. They told Maximilian about Demetrios’ teachings and that many Greeks in Salonika were converting to Christianity because of these teachings. Maximilian was grieved by what he had heard and asked that Demetrios be brought before him. Demetrios was found sitting on a rock teaching Christ’s words. He was seized and taken to Maximilian. Demetrios was willing to die for Christ and feared neither the men who accused him of treason nor Maximilian.

Demetrios was questioned about his beliefs and upon finding that he loved Christ more than Maximilian, the ruler decided to torture him. The Emperor hoped that Demetrios would change his ideas and had him imprisoned. Demetrios was taken from the palace and locked in the old palace bath in Salonika. While in this room, the Saint saw a large scorpion in front of him. The scorpion was preparing to sting when Demetrios made the sign of the cross and stepped on it. After this, an angel of the Lord appeared holding a golden wreath and said to Demetrios, "Hail Demetrios, soldier of Christ. Have courage and conquer your enemies." The angel then placed the golden wreath on the head of Demetrios. He was filled with happiness and sorrow-happiness because of the event which had taken place and sorrow because he had not died for the Savior.

Since Maximilian believed in sacrifices to the gods and delighted sin bloodshed,, he decided to revive the ancient Greek tradition of the Pentathelon in Salonika. Lyaeus, an athletic giant, was the main contestant in these games. Lyaeus was extremely good in wrestling and had been victorious over many men. Maximilian decided to put Lyaeus against the Christians and called upon any Christian to fight thre giant as a representation of the Christian faith combating paganism. There was also a man in Salonika who was very young and handsome. His name was Nestor. Nestor was a good friend of Demetrios and was secretly a Christian. Seeing that Lyaeus was murdering many Christians and that Maximilian delighted in this, Nestor decided to fight the pagan giant. Nestor had another reason for fighting Lyaeus — he wanted to test the true strength of Christ. He secretly went to Demetrios’ cell, told him of his intentions, and asked Demetrios for his blessing so that he would have the strength to be victorious. Demetrios made the sign of the cross and prayed for Nestor. The Christian left the cell and went to the place where Lyaeus was wrestling. He asked Maximilian for his permission to fight the giant and it was granted. Nestor entered the arena drawing his dagger. Aiming carefully, he threw the dagger and hit Lyaeus in the heart. Maximilian asked Nestor what magic he had used to kill Lyaeus. The victor responded by saying that no magic was used, and that his strength was obtained from God. Maximilian was angered by this and ordered one of his guards, named Markius, to behead Nestor on the spot. Nestor was killed but the Church has not forgotten him, for Nestor was proclaimed a Saint for his sacrifice. His feast day is on October 27^th.

When Maximilian heard that it was through the help of Demetrios that Lyaeus was killed, he ordered Demetrios executed. The soldiers went forth and stabbed Demetrios numerous times with their spears. The first spear stabbed him in his right side, the same place where the soldiers pierced Christ when he was on the cross. A friend of Demetrios, named Loupos, was present at the execution of the Saint. He removed the Saint’s scarf, robe, and a ring from his right hand and dipped these in the Saint’s blood. It is believed that for this reason these relics later performed many miracles. When Maximilian heard of this, he sent soldiers to behead Loupos and he was executed at a place called Trivounalion. Some other Christians went and secretly buried the body of Saint Demetrios in the same spot where he was martyred.

After the death of Maximilian, the Christian ruler, Constantine, came to power. Constantine had a soldier serving him, named Leontion, who was taken ill in Salonika. He was in such pain that he preferred to die rather than suffering any more with his sickness. Many doctors examined him, but none could find a cure. Leontion knew where the body of Saint Demetrios was buried and immediately went to that place. Upon his arrival, he was immediately cured. Being thankful for the redemption of his health, he paid to have the Church of Saint Demetrios built over the grave in Salonika. This church is still in existence and the Saint’s body is enshrined here. When Leontion was ordered by Constantine to go to another part of the Empire, he wanted to take part of the body of Saint Demetrios with him so that he could build a church elsewhere dedicated to the Saint. Saint Demetrios appeared to Leontion and told him not to separate the body and Leontion obeyed. He did take the ring, robe, and scarf from the tomb and placed them in a chest. When he was ready to leave Salonika, the river Danube had swelled and Leontion could not cross. The Saint appeared to him in his sleep and told him that he would be able to cross the river the next day. He also instructed him to hold the chest in his hand, and he and all who were with him would cross the river safely, which in fact took place the next day. When he arrived at his destination, he built another church dedicated to Saint Demetrios.

During Constantine’s reign, there was a bishop in an African city, who left by boat for his destination of Alexandria. While on route, the ship was captured by pirates and all the passengers, including the bishop, were sold to barbarians. His master was a wicked man and made the bishop carry fertilizer to the vineyards and gardens. The bishop thought of the irony of his experience; where holy head pieces once rested, he was now carrying fertilizer. Day and night he prayed to God for his freedom from this slavery. One night, Saint Demetrios mounted on a large horse, appeared to the bishop; however, the bishop did not know the horseman. The Saint asked him why he was disturbed and the bishop told him of the events which had transpired. The Saint ordered that he mount the horse with him; however, the bishop told him that he could not since he was in chains. The Saint demanded that he get up and mount the horse, and the bishop did. Miraculously, they found themselves in front of the church in Salonika where the body of Saint Demetrios was buried. The bishop was directed to go to the house of Demetrios after he had recovered from his wounds. He asked where he could find this house and the Saint told him that all he need do was ask for the house of Demetrios, Duke of Salonika. He was told that he would be sent home when he came to this house. When the bishop recovered, he asked some people where he could find the house of the Duke of Salonika. They laughed at him and told him that there was no such place; however, some more learned people, realized that the Saint must have performed some miracle, since every year on that day the Saint helped enslaved people. They questioned the bishop about his story and his identity. The bishop told them about the events which had occurred. The people told him that they would take him to church so that he could see Demetrios. When the bishop got to the church, he recognized Saint Demetrios in the icon as the person who had saved him and fell on his knees in prayer and thanks. When the bishop of Salonika heard about these events, he gave the bishop enough money to return home. He returned safely to his province, and sold all his belongings so that he could build a church dedicated to Saint Demetrios. The church was completed, except for one thing — the pulpit. They pulpit was missing because a high quality marble could not be found which caused the bishop to be extremely depressed. At that time there was a nobleman in Constantinople building a Church dedicated to Saints Minas, Victor, and Vincent. This man had sent a ship to the East to bring back marble columns. The ship which was to carry the marble columns to Constantinople docked in the bishop’s home port. That night, Saint Demetrios appeared to the bishop and told him of the ship which was docked in the harbor and of the marble which it contained. He instructed the bishop to go to the dock and speak to the captain. The bishop told the captain that he had heard about the marble and desired to purchase a portion of it; however, the captain claimed that he had none. The bishop bitterly returned home, but that night the Saint appeared and told him to again ask for the marble. The bishop again asked the captain, but again the captain denied having any marble. The third night, the Saint instructed the bishop to tell the captain the following: that there was a great deal of marble on board the ship, of cream, blue, green, red, and white colored pieces. He was also to tell the captain that the marble was destined for Constantinople to complete a church dedicated to Saints Minas, Victor, and Vincent; however, the church had been finished due to the captain’s long absence and the nobleman’s acquisition of other marble. Therefore, the bishop would be doing the captain a favor by buying the marble and thus finishing his own church. The next morning the bishop went to the captain and told him everything as the Saint had instructed. Upon hearing the news, the captain donated the marble for his salvation. I n this manner, the church was completed by the bishop, praising God and Saint Demetrios.

There had occurred a famine in Thessaly. All of Thessaly was starving, especially the people of Salonika. A ship was being filled with wheat elsewhere and one night Saint Demetrios appeared to the ship’s owner asking him where he intended to take the wheat. The owner responded by saying that he was planning to take the shipment to Flagklan. The Saint told him that the grain should go to Salonika, because of the famine there and the owner could get any price he asked. The Saint gave him three gold pieces as down-payment and told him that the rest would be given to him upon delivery. Other ships would deliver wheat to Flagklan, but only this ship would pass Salonika on its route. On the way to Salonika, the ship encountered a fierce storm and was in danger of sinking; however, the Saint appeared in front of the ship and guided it to Salonika safely. The inhabitants ran to the docks and bought the wheat. The ship-owner told the people of his experiences and together they praised Demetrios, Protector of Salonika.

After the Saint’s death, God wanted him glorified throughout the world; therefore, he made a sweet smelling ointment arise from his tomb. This is the reason he is called myrovlitis or the "sweet scented." Many people still go to the tomb to receive this ointment, which replenishes itself. The ointment is capable of curing illnesses; thus people receive this with great faith. A hermit who lived on the nearby mountain of Solomon had heard about this ointment, but did not believe it. He believed that other Saints had martyred more than Demetrios and he could not accept the fact that God would honor Demetrios in such a manner. One night, in his dream, the hermit saw himself in Salonika in the Church of Saint Demetrios. In the church was a man who held the key to the tomb of the Saint. The hermit ordered him to open the tomb so that he could pay reverence to the Saint. After he had prayed, he noticed that the tomb was wet. The hermit turned to the caretaker and convinced him to dig underneath the tomb so that they could see where this ointment came from. They found a large coffin made of marble. Opening the coffin, they found the body of Saint Demetrios. From the wounds which had been made by the lances, came forth this sweet smelling ointment. So much ointment was flowing, that the caretaker became soaked with it. The hermit became so frightened that he would drown from the ointment that he yelled, "Saint Demetrios, help me." At that moment, the hermit awoke to find his body and clothing soaked from the holy ointment. Immediately, the hermit left the mountain and went to Salonika. There he spent several days in the Church of Saint Demetrios. Afterwards, he returned to the mountain believing that Saint Demetrios was the greatest Saint of the Church.

A lord named Marianos once lived in Aviona. He was taken ill, and from hour to hour, the doctors did not know whether he would live or die. No doctor could cure this man for his entire body had filled with leprosy. One night, Saint Demetrios appeared to this lord and told him that he could not be cured by any conventional methods. The only way he could be cured was to go to the tomb of Saint Demetrios and experience the strength of God. Marianos went to the tomb and that night Saint Demetrios appeared to him and rubbed his body with the ointment. Marianos was cured immediately.

The great ruler Justinian planned to take a piece of the Saint’s body for his own salvation. He wanted to place it in his newly built Cathedral of Constantinople, Agia Sophia (Holy Wisdom), in which he had other holy relics. Therefore, he sent some of his trusted men to go to Salonika and exhume the Saint’s body. The men went to Salonika offering gifts to the people and to the Saint. They told the inhabitants of their mission. The inhabitants responded by telling them that none of them had the nerve to do such a thing, but if they dared, they could exhume the body. Justinian’s men began to dig and when they were half way to the coffin, a huge flame rose from where they dug and nearly burned them. Then the men heard a voice telling them not to dig any further. The men fell face down and prayed to the Saint not to burn them. Some time later, the men arose and took some of the dirt from the tomb and gave it to Justinian, telling him of the miracle they had seen.

Because of these and many other miracles, each year many people would gather in Salonika to celebrate the feast of Saint Demetrios and Saint Nestor. The Saracens had heard of this feast day and decided to attack the city during the celebration of Saint Nestor and take the inhabitants prisoners. The enemy ships landed in the port. Vesper services had just finished and the people had returned to their homes. Just then, the building which contained the tomb of Saint Demetrios caught fire. The people ran to extinguish the fire; however, others started to grab the silver and gold which was stored in the tomb. When the caretaker of the church saw this, knowing nothing of the invasion, he yelled to the people that the Saracens were at the walls so that he could disperse the crowd. When the people heard this, they ran to defend the city. The Saracens had started up the ladders to come over the walls. Saint Demetrios appeared at the walls and defeated the Saracens by a miracle. The Salonikans returned to their homes contemplating the events which had occurred and some even prayed to Saint Demetrios for forgiveness.

Michael Comninos, Emperor of Constantinople, was a peace loving man and loved to see the magnificence of his city and its people. He, therefore, ordered that a beautiful robe be made for him to wear on feast days and other special occasions. It was to be decorated with precious stones. After a long time and great expense, the robe was finished. It was truly magnificent. The stones shone like thousands of stars in the night. The Emperor stored this robe in the city’s treasury building and planned to wear it for the first time on Easter. On Holy Saturday, Saint Demetrios took the robe and went to Salonika with it. He placed it in his tomb and covered his body from head to foot. When the guards of the treasury found that the robe was missing, they were extremely frightened and informed the Emperor.

Only the robe was missing from the treasury. Meanwhile, the caretakers had gone into the Tomb of Saint Demetrios in Salonika. Astonished, they saw the robe on the tomb and stood in awe admiring its beauty. They hastened out of the tomb and told the people of the beautiful robe, who in turn ran to see it. They all agreed that the robe must belong to royalty. A letter was sent to Cominos telling him about the robe and its composition. Cominos wanted to know the exact time the robe had been found. He was given this information and discovered that the guards of the treasury had discovered that the robe was missing at the same time. The amazed Emperor recounted the miracle of the Saint to the citizens of the city. Realizing that the Saint was trying to show him that he was a selfish man, he gave the robe to the Church.

Towards the eastern end of the city of Salonika, there is a place rich in beauty. The citrus trees are plentiful and the air is very clean. There is also a fountain there which has fresh water flowing from a mountain spring. In this beautiful place a noble Christian built a church dedicated to Saint Demetrios. This fountain was included in the church. Around the church he built many cells which were inhabited by monks. The Emperor of Constantinople had sent a man to take charge of the city of Salonika. He was pious, just, merciful, compassionate, and very wise. Unfortunately, the man was ill. The illness left him paralyzed. With time, his skin began to rot and he experienced unbearable pain. One night Saint Demetrios appeared to him. He told him to go to the church and rub his entire body with water from the fountain. The next day some of his friends took the man to the church. As soon as the man washed himself with the water, he was completely cured. The miracle was announced to the entire city and from then on the fountain was called "Armoumeni."

In Dracontion, a village of Cappadocia, a farmer was clearing his fields. In one part of the field, he found many rocks which are common to that area. They were part of the foundation of a building, but had been covered by dirt. He started to destroy the foundation. Suddenly, a beautiful church with a man standing in front of it appeared to the farmer. The vision asked the farmer why he was destroying a man’s home and he told him that he was Demetrios of Salonika (Demetrios was a very honored Saint in Cappadocia). When the farmer heard this he went running to his home and told his relatives of the happening. They went to the spot where the farmer had been clearing and decided that this must have been a church dedicated to Saint Demetrios. In time, they built a church at this spot, to the best of their ability, and placed a large cross inside. This cross was placed there so that people could gain faith the same way Saint Demetrios gained his strength and faith from the cross. An icon was painted of Saint Demetrios with the cross. Thus, this icon and the church were named "Saint Demetrios of the Cross."

This was the martyrdom of Saint Demetrios and some of his miracles, a Saint worthy of the praise bestowed upon him by the Church. He is considered to be the patron Saint of the city of Salonika.

(Celebrated December 24).

During the reign of King Commodus, around 270 A.D., there was a proud and rich Eparch in Alexandria named Philip. He and his wife, Claudia, had two sons, Avitan and Sergion, and a daughter named Eugenia. The Greek word "eugenia" means politeness; her name was befitting to her since she was extremely polite and had a high regard for her fellow human beings.

Philip was the ruler of all Egypt. Even though he was an idolater, Philip ruled his province with wisdom and justice. He loved the good people and hated the wicked. Realizing that the Christians were harmless, he did not persecute them; however, to avoid trouble, he did not allow them to live inside the walls of the cities. Therefore, Christian communities of Egypt were located outside of the walls of the cities.

Eugenia was educated in Latin and Greek. By the time she had reached the age of fifteen, she was so well educated that she was envied and admired by all. There was an Eparch in Rome named Achillinus who had also heard of Eugenia’s wisdom and politeness. He, therefore, approached her father and asked for his daughter’s hand in marriage. When Eugenia heard of this, she refused to marry him for she did not want to sacrifice her virginity to a mortal man. She acquired this idea from the Christian readings which favored women to be the unwed brides of Christ. From these readings also, she believed that Christianity was superior to paganism.

After reading one of the Epistles of Saint Paul, she became convinced that there was one God who ruled the whole universe and that he had sent his only begotten Son to Earth to save his people. Fearfully, she kept her beliefs secret from her parents. She asked their permission to leave the city and visit its outlying villages so that she could know the province better. She entered a carriage with her two eunuchs, Protas and Iakinthos, who guarded her. Both knew Greek for they sat with her during her lessons. They arrived at the place where the Christians lived and entered the church just as the priest was reading the words of a prophet, which said, ‘The gods of the nations are spirits. The true God of Heaven is the creator of all things." She turned to her eunuchs and said, "Even though you are educated in the ways of Aristotle and Plato, you should realize that the basis of their teachings and religion are mythology. I find it easier to believe that there is one God rather than many major and minor gods; therefore, I am changing my faith to Christianity. If you find the Christian philosophy believable, follow me and find your salvation. If you follow me, I will not consider you servants any longer, but brothers, who are bonded by the love of our great Father, the creator of all."

The eunuchs decided to follow her and swore never to leave her side. During the night, the three left the carriage, hidden from the other servants by the darkness of night. After walking a great distance, she turned to her eunuchs and said, "I have heard that there is a monastery not far from here. There are many Christians gathered there who have as their bishop a man called Eleon. He has elected a man, Theodore, to run the monastery and to guide the monks to the road of salvation. Women are not allowed to enter the monastery; therefore, cut my hair and give me male garments so that we may go and become part of this holy brotherhood." She felt that the monks would not question her, thinking that she also was a eunuch.

They entered the monastery and went to Theodore. Just then they saw a procession of Christians coming from the city of Heliopolis. Eugenia asked a monk, named Evtropios, who was leading the procession. She was informed that it was Eleon. He was in Heliopolis to disprove a man named Zaran who said that Eleon was spurious. Eugenia asked Evtropios to take them to Eleon so that they could become monks. He told them to wait, for Eleon would be very tired and would want to sleep. After returning to the monastery, Eleon performed a liturgy. Afterwards as he slept, he dreamt that a statue of a woman was being held up by two men. All the people were worshipping the statue. He asked the idol why she allowed people to worship her since she was a worker of God. The idol came down from the platform which the people had her on and said to Eleon, "I will not distinguish you from the rest, I will lead you to my Creator." He awoke and was met by Eutropios who informed him that there were three very young men outside who wanted to become monks and remain at the monastery for the rest of their lives. "Since they are very young, they request that you allow them to work together in the monastery." Eleon now understood the meaning of his dream and asked Eutropios to show them in. When they came before him, Eleon asked them who they were and what they wanted. Eugenia responded by telling him that they were from Rome and that they were brothers. She told him that the other two were named Protas and Iakinthos and that her name was Eugenius. Eleon then told Eugenius that God had prepared him for her arrival. He told her of his admiration, since it took a great amount of love for God to make a woman change her appearance and ways, so that she could serve Him in a monastery. Assuring her that her secret was safe with him and that she could serve God for the rest of her life in the monastery, Eleon then turned to Protas and Iakinthos and commended them for following their mistress and helping her in serving God. He then took the three, baptized them, and made them monks. Meanwhile, the carriage returned to Alexandria and Eugenia’s parents, brothers, and servants went to greet her. To their astonishment, the carriage was empty. Her relatives wept and declared a period of mourning throughout Alexandria. They sent soldiers throughout the countryside to find her. Seeing that his daughter could not be found, Philip went to the priests of the pagans and asked them to perform a service and have the gods tell them what had happened to Eugenia. If they succeeded, they would be rewarded, if they failed, they would be put to death. The priests in order to save themselves, told Philip that Eugenia had been lifted into heaven and made a goddess. When Philip heard this he was comforted. He erected a gold statue of his daughter in Alexandria and all people who were pagans worshipped and sacrificed to the new goddess.

Eugenia surpassed all the other monks in her understanding and practice of the holy and monastic laws. God gave her the gift of performing miracles. She cured all who came to her no matter what the affliction.

During the third year of her monastic life, the abbott of the monastery died. The other monks, seeing her great and many attributes, requested that Eugenius take his place. After a great amount of consideration, Eugenius accepted the position.

There was a rich and noble woman in Alexandria named Melanthia. She became very ill and no physician could cure her. Hearing of the fame of the monk Eugenius, she went to the monastery hoping to be cured. The Saint anointed her with Holy Oil and she was cured. After leaving the monastery, Melanthia filled three cups with silver and sent them to Eugenius as an expression of her gratitude. Eugenius returned the silver to her explaining that the monks had no need for money; however, Eugenius requested that the money be distributed among the poor. Melanthia went personally to see Eugenius and begged him to take the money. Eugenius accepted it so that there would not be hard feelings. After this, Melanthia frequently went to visit the Abbot out of her great love and respect for him. Unfortunately, this spiritual love became physical. (Melanthia, as did everyone else, believed that Eugenius was a man). As the days went on, her lust grew stronger. She requested Eugenius to visit her in Alexandria because she was ill again. Eugenius, thinking that he had not cured her, willingly went. He arrived in Alexandria and in her room Melanthia said to him, "Since the time you cured me of my illness, I have developed a great love for you. If I appeal to you, marry me and you will take charge of all my wealth." After saying this, Melanthia tried to lure Eugenius to her. Eugenius was outraged and told her that his bond was with Christ, and his riches were in Heaven.

Melanthia, fearing that Eugenius would expose her, went to Philip, the Eparch of Alexandria. She told him that a Christian had tried to rape her and if she had not screamed, he would have succeeded. Philip ordered that the abbot be brought to Alexandria in chains so that he could suffer a horrible death. Hearing of this, many people from the outlying parts of Egypt came to watch the trial. Eugenius was brought before the people and found guilty. The soldiers began to prepare the tortures.

Philip asked Eugenius, "Is it this kind of act that your Christ teaches you to do? Is it right for a man to prostitute himself in public? What kind of person would go to the home of a respectable woman under the pretence of curing her and then force himself upon her?" Eugenius responded, "A wise ruler would listen to both sides of a story before passing judgement. Then if you find me guilty, I will welcome my death. However, if Melanthia is found guilty, I beg of you not to torture her, for this is our Christian law."

Melanthia then brought one of her servants who verified her story. Seeing that everyone believed Melanthia, Eugenia explained, "It is time for the truth to be known. I would have gladly accepted the crown of martyrdom, but I refuse to defame the habit which I wear. Many women have changed their appearance in order to serve God. I have done the same so that I could avoid the corruption of mankind." She then stripped to the waist and showed the people that she was a woman. She turned to Philip and told him that she was his daughter, Eugenia. The whole city rejoiced and proclaimed Christ as the true Savior. They dressed Eugenia in golden robes and sat her on a high throne so that all the people could be inspired by her. A heavenly bolt of lightening killed Melanthia and destroyed her home. Many pagans changed their faith because of this. Philip was baptized a Christian and ordered all the Christians to reside within the city.

The Emperor then sent a man called Terention to replace Philip as Eparch of Alexandria. He was instructed to secretly kill Philip so that he would not be an inspiration to the other citizens. Terention paid several men who stabbed Philip while he was praying. So that the population would not revolt against him, Terention arrested and imprisoned these murderers; however, shortly afterwards a pardon was issued by the Emperor. Philip lived three days after receiving his fatal wounds. He had been Archbishop of Alexandria for one year and three months. Subsequently, he was buried with honors outside the city in a church which he had founded and Eugenia, Clavdia, Protas, Iakinthos, and Eugenia’s brothers went to Rome.

Many noblemen sent their daughters to Eugenia who would teach them the advantages of virginity and respectability for God. Among these girls was one named Basilla. She wanted more than anything else to emulate Eugenia. Her uncle, however, was an idolater and would not allow her to leave her home until she was married. Secretly, she sent a letter to Eugenia byway of her servant, Porthemia. The letter asked for the Articles of Faith. Eugenia, realizing that the Articles were more easily read then applied, sent Protas and Iakinthos disguised as servants to go to the home of Basilla and teach her the ways of Christianity. Cornellius, the Archbishop of Rome was also notified and he secretly went and baptized Basilla.

Valerius and Gallius then became the ruler of the Roman Empire. They immediately started a campaign to suppress Christianity. Basilla and Eugenia became closer than actual sisters. One night they each dreamt that the other had received the crown of martyrdom. Knowing that they would never see each other again, they kissed each other on the cheek and departed. A servant of Pompeion, Basilla’s uncle, went to Elenos, Basilla’s fiance, and told him of Basilla’s becoming a Christian. Elenos in turn went to Pompeion and told him. They decided the wedding would take place immediately. Pompeion went to Basilla, but she refused to marry. He, therefore, sent some men who told the Emperor that the Christians were defying the gods, obstructing marriages, and worshipping the God whom Eugenia had brought with her from Alexandria. The Emperor wrote a letter demanding that Basilla marry Elenos. If she refused, she would be executed. They also ordered Eugenia to sacrifice to the gods. If she refused, she also would be executed.

Upon hearing this, Basilla refused to marry and was immediately beheaded. Protas and Iakinthos were taken to the Ternple of Zeus so that they could make a sacrifice to the Gods. While they were in the temple, they prayed to the true God. When they finished praying, the idols which were in the temple fell and were smashed. The high priests had the men beheaded. Eugenia was taken to the temple of Artemis. She made the sign of the cross and prayed. Upon doing this, the temple collapsed. The Emperor ordered that Eugenia be thrown into the Tiber River with a rock tied to her; however, instead of sinking, she walked on the water, as did Saint Peter. She was then taken and thrown in a pit of burning coal; the fire lost its heat and instead of burning Eugenia, it cooled her. Seeing that this also failed, they placed Eugenia in prison, hoping to starve her to death. While in prison, she was fed by the angels who gave her a loaf of bread each day. Christ himself visited Eugenia in prison and informed her that she would soon join Him in the Kingdom of Heaven. A few hours after this, soldiers came and slaughtered Eugenia on the 25th of December. Her mother and brothers took her holy body and buried it on the Roman Road, where many other martyrs were buried.

Due to the 25th of December being Christmas, the feast day of Saint Eugenia is celebrated on the 24th of December. On this day we also commemorate the memories of