13 Oct 2017
Julian calendar:
30 Sep 2017
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St Gregory the Enlightener, Bishop of Armenia

St Gregory the Enlightener, Bishop of ArmeniaGregory was of a noble family, kin to the imperial house of Persia (to King Artaban) and Armenia (King Khosrov). When these two houses made war between themselves, Gregory withdrew to Caesarea in Cappadocia, where he first came into contact with the Christian faith, received baptism and married. He had two sons of this marriage, Rostanes and Aristanes, and dedicated them both to the service of the Church. After his wife"s death, he returned to Armenia and entered the service of King Tiridates. Gregory served his king faithfully, and the king loved him, but, when he discovered that Gregory was a Christian, he was greatly enraged and put pressure on him to reject the Christian faith and worship idols. Having no success whatever in this, Tiridates put Gregory to harsh torture and, after cruel torment, threw him into a deep pit filled with every kind of poisonous reptile, meaning thus to kill him. But God, who is all-seeing, preserved Gregory alive in that pit for fourteen whole years. Tiridates continued the persecution of Christians in his kingdom, and attacked a women"s monastery of thirty-seven nuns with their abbess, Gaiane. When he had slain them with terrible tortures, Tiridates went mad and was like a monstrous wild boar. A man appeared to the king"s sister in a dream and told her that her mad brother would not be restored to sanity until Gregory was taken out of the pit. This being done, Gregory healed and baptised Tiridates. Then Gregory, at the king"s desire, became Bishop of Armenia and, with the king"s help and, above all, God"s help, enlightened the whole of Armenia and the surrounding area with the Christian faith. St Gregory finished his life of great toil in old age, in about 335. In his place, his son Aristanes was consecrated bishop, and he continued his father"s work. Aristanes was one of the 318 fathers at the First Ecumenical Council.

The Holy Martyrs Gaiane, Rhipsimia and 35 other nuns

The Holy Martyrs Gaiane, Rhipsimia and 35 other nunsThey were all slain by Tiridates for their faith in Christ. Holy Rhipsimia was of rare beauty, and the Emperor Diocletian therefore wanted her-for his wife. This-was the cause of the suffering of all thirty-seven of them. Rhipsimia refused to go to the Emperor, because she was already consecrated to Christ her bridegroom. Then Tiridates began to urge her to go with him, for the king was as though intoxicated by her beauty, but Rhipsimia resisted the pagan king with all her strength, "and he who was victorious over the princes of the Goths and routed the Persians could not overcome one virgin of Christ". The furious king put her to harsh torture (her tongue was cut out, her stomach cut open and her entrails spilled out), during which Rhipsimia gave her soul into God"s hands. After that, the other nuns were seized and beheaded with the sword. The famous monastery of Echmiazdin, near Erivan. was built over their relics, and became the chief spiritual centre of Armenia for many centuries.

St Michael, First Metropolitan of Kiev

St Michael, First Metropolitan of KievHe was sent by the Patriarch of Constantinople to Russia at the request of the great Prince Vladimir, to baptise the pagan people and to establish and organise the Church. St Michael baptised the people in Kiev. Novgorod, Rostov and many other towns and villages, set the Church in order, establishing the episcopate and priesthood, laid the foundations of the monastery of St Michael in Kiev, and sent missionaries to the Bulgars and Tartars, bringing many of them to Christ. This saint accomplished all this and much else in a mere four years. He entered peacefully into rest in 992, and his relics are preserved in the Monastery of the Caves.

Martyr Stratonicus



Martyr Mardonius



October 2017
SunMonTueWedThuFriSut
Martyrs Prince Elizbar and Prince Shalva of Ksani, Georgia (1661)
1
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St Theodore, Prince of Yaroslavl
2
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Martyrs Artemidorus and Thalos
3
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Martyrs Eusebius, Nestabus, Zeno, and Nestor the Confessor of Gaza (4th c.)
4
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Martyrs Isaac and Martin
5
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Venerable Polyxena (109)
6
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St. Galacteon, monk of Vologda (1612)
7
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St. Arsenius the Great, Catholicos of Georgia (887)
8
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 St. Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow
9
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25 Martyrs drowned in the sea
10
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Venerable Herodion, abbot, of Iloezersk (1541)
11
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St. Onuphrius the Wonderworker of Garesja, Georgia (18th c.)
12
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Martyr Mardonius
13
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St. Melchizedek, catholicos-patriarch of Georgia (11th c.)
14
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St Pajsije of Janjevo, Serbian Patriarch
15
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Martyr Theagenes
16
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Martyr Evdemoz the Catholicos of Georgia (1642)
17
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Venerable Fathers and Mothers of the Klarjeti Wilderness (9th c.)
18
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Virgin-martyr Eroteis of Cappadocia
19
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Venerable Joseph, elder of Mokhevi, wonderworker of Georgia (1763)
20
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Venerable Tryphon, abbot, of Vyatka (1612)
21
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Venerable Peter of Galatia (9th c.)
22
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Venerable Ambrose of Optina (1891)
23
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Venerable Theophanes, faster of the Kiev Caves (12th c.)
24
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Venerables Amphilochius (1452), Macarius, and Tarasius, abbots, and Theodosius, monk, of Glushitsa Monastery (Vologda)
25
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St. Anthony Metropolitan of Chkondidi and his disciple Hieromonk Jacob the Elder (18th-19th c.)
26
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St. Ignatius, metropolitan of Mithymna (1566)
27
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St. John, bishop of Suzdal (1385)
28
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Holy Nobleborn Princess Evpraxia of Pskov
29
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Holy Martyr Kozman
30
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Venerables Symeon, Theodore (monks), and Euphrosyne
31
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Moon phases for October , 2017 (Serbia)
05 Oct 2017 Full Moon
12 Oct 2017 Third Quarter
19 Oct 2017 New Moon
27 Oct 2017 First Quarter