In the spiritual experience of the Russian Church, veneration of the holy Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica is closely linked with the memory of the defense of the nation and Church by the Great Prince of Moscow, Demetrius of the Don (May 19). Saint Demetrius of the Don smashed the military…
The Martyr Arethas and with him 4299 Martyrs suffered for the Lord Jesus Christ in the sixth century. Arethas was prefect of the Christian city of Negran in Arabia. The Arabian (or Omirite) king, Dunaan, who was Jewish, decided to eliminate Christianity from the land. He issued an edict that all…
Saint Arethas (12th century) was a hermit of the Near Caves in Kiev. He struggled at the Kiev Caves monastery and was buried in the Near Caves. Saint Arethas was from Polotsk. While living at the monastery, he kept many possessions in his cell. One day robbers made off with it. Grieving over his…
Saint Sisoes (13th century) was a hermit of the Near Caves in Kiev. He struggled at the Kiev Caves monastery and was buried in the Near Caves. In the general service for the Fathers of the Kiev Caves, Saint Sisoes is called “radiant in fasting.” The general commemoration of all the…
Saint Theophilus (12th-13th century) was a hermit of the Near Caves in Kiev. He struggled at the Kiev Caves monastery and was buried in the Near Caves. Saint Theophilus, in the general service to the Fathers of the Kiev Caves, is called “resplendent in miracles.” The general…
Saint Elesbaan, King of what is now Ethiopia lived when Arabia was ruled by Dunaan, the oppressor of Christians. The pious Elesbaan was unable to look on indifferently as believers in Christ were being massacred. He declared war on Dunaan, but his military campaign was unsuccessful. Wishing to…
The Martyr Syncletica and her two daughters suffered under the Arabian king Dunaan. Saint Syncletica was a descendant of an illustrious family. Left widowed while still quite young, she devoted herself to the Christian upbringing of her daughters, and she herself led a life both chaste and…
Saint Athanasius I, Patriarch of Constantinople (1289-1293; 1303-1311), in the world Alexius, was from Adrianopolis. While still in his youth, thriving upon the knowledge of the wisdom of Christ, he left his home and went to Thessalonica, where he was tonsured in one of the monasteries with the…
The wonderworking “Joy of All Who Sorrow” Icon of the Mother of God was glorified in the year 1688. Euphymia, the sister of Patriarch Joachim (1674-1690), lived at Moscow and suffered from an incurable illness for a long time. One morning during a time of prayer she heard a voice say,…
Saint John, Hermit of Pskov (+1616) lived an ascetic life during a terrible time of military troubles. In 1592 the Swedes besieged the city of Pskov. From 1608, for seven years, Polish forces attacked under the leadership of Lisovski. It was only in the week before the death of the monk, through…
1. The Holy Martyr Arethas.
This holy martyr suffered for the Christian faith with more than four thousand other Christians: priests, monks and nuns, townsmen and women and children. Arethas was the local governor of the town of Negran, in the land of Omir in southern Arabia, and was ninety-five years old when he suffered. The land of Omir was governed by a Jew called Dunaan, a vicious persecutor of Christians. Resolving to exterminate Christianity completely in his land,, he laid siege to the Christian town of Negran and told the citizens that, if they did not deny Christ, he would put them all to death. The citizens closed the gates, and Dunaan attacked the city wall for a long time without success. Then the iniquitous governor swore to the citizens that he would do nothing to them if they opened the gate for him to enter and take the tribute owing to him, saying that he would then go away at once. The Christians believed him, and opened the gates. Then the bloodthirsty Jew summoned the aged Arethas to him, along with his clergy and other eminent citizens, and slew them all with the sword, and then indulged in a riot of butchery through the town. Hearing of this, the Byzantine Emperor, Justin, was greatly distressed and wrote a letter to the Ethiopian Emperor Elesbaan, urging him to set out with an army against Dunaan and avenge the Christian blood that had been spilled. Elesbaan obeyed Justin, attacked the governor of Omir, overcame him, slaughtered his entire army and put him to the sword. A devout man called Abramius was installed as ruler of Omir by God's revelation and, as archbishop, also by God's revelation, St Gregory (see Dec. 19th). In Negran, the Christians rebuilt the Church of the Holy Trinity that Dunaan had burned, and built a church to the holy martyr Arethas and the other martyrs of that city. They suffered and received wreaths of martyrdom from the Lord in 523.
2. St Elesbaan, Emperor of Ethiopia.
Inflamed with love for Christ, this devout Emperor raised an army against Dunaan, the wicked persecutor of Christians in the land of Omir, but he was unsuccessful in the early stages of the battle and many of his soldiers perished in the and desert. He then lamented bitterly to God, and promised to become a monk if God would help him overcome the shedder of Christian blood. Defeating Dunaan, Elesbaan returned to Ethiopia and immediately left the imperial court and went to a monastery, where he lived in strict asceticism as a true monk for a whole fifteen years, God giving him wonderworking gifts both before and after his death. He entered into rest in 555.
3. The Icon: 'Joy of all who Sorrow'.
This is the name given to one of the wonderworking icons of the most holy Mother of God, and today is especially the commemoration of the miraculous healing of Euphemia, sister of Patriarch Joachim, in Moscow in 1688. Euphemia had a dangerous wound in the side and, when the doctors were unsuccessful in their treatment of it, she fell down in prayer before the most holy Mother of God. She then heard a voice: 'Euphemia, go to the Church of the Transfiguration of my Son; there you will find the icon "Joy of all who Sorrow". Ask the priest to pray before that icon, and you will be healed.' Euphemia did this, and was immediately completely healed.
4. Our Holy Father Arethas of the Kiev Caves.
He went to the Lord in 1190 (see the passage for consideration below).
Author's note: In the Greek Synaxarion, the holy martyr Sebastiana, a disciple of the Apostle Paul, who suffered for the Faith in the year 82, in the time of the Emperor Dornitian, is also commemorated. She was first tortured in the city of Marcianopolis, where the Apostle Paul appeared to her and said: 'Rejoice, and do not be sad, for you will go from here to your own town to confess your faith in Christ.' And so it came to pass: the judge sent her to her birthplace, Heracleia, where she was tortured and finally beheaded. Her remains were put in a sack and thrown into the sea, but an angel of God took them to a place called Risiston, where Ammia, the wife of a senator, found them and gave them burial. Her relics had healing power and gave off myrrh.
Christ the Savior Orthodox Church
10315 Carey Road
Berlin, MD 21811
302-537-6055
Sat
24Oct
Sun
25Oct
Wed
28Oct
On Wednesday, September 30, parish youth, accompanied by their parents, made a trip to the local State Police barracks to present the officers with cards and other artwork, showing our appreciation for their willingness to answer the call to protect and serve. The parish also purchased some food for the officers of the barracks from a local restaurant as a small token of our gratitude. Among the group from the church was our own Cpl. Dana Wyant, who serves on the police force in Rehoboth, DE. We heartily thank the officers who welcomed us to the barracks and ask humbly the Lord to bless, strengthen, guard, and preserve all our police men and women and their families!
St. George - Ocean City, MD
St. Andrew - Lewes, DE
Holy Trinity - Whaleyville, MD
St. Nicholas - Dover, DE
Orthodox Mission - Easton, MD
What is the Orthodox Church?
“The Orthodox Christian Church is evangelical, but not Protestant.
It is orthodox, but not Jewish. It is catholic, but not Roman.
It is not denominational, it is pre-denominational.
It has believed, taught, preserved, defended, and died for the
Faith of the Apostles since the Day of Pentecost nearly 2,000 years ago.”
– Our Life in Christ
What is the Orthodox Church?
“The Orthodox Christian Church is evangelical, but not Protestant. It is orthodox, but not Jewish. It is catholic, but not Roman. It is not denominational, it is pre-denominational. It has believed, taught, preserved, defended, and died for the Faith of the Apostles since the Day of Pentecost nearly 2,000 years ago.”
– Our Life in Christ
Christ the Savior | Contact
=/images/events/2020/09-30/20200930_1629020.jpg;)