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The Holy Martyr Paraskeva (Petka)She was born in the city of Iconium of rich and Christ-loving parents. After their death, the maiden Paraskeva began to give her goods away to the poor and needy, all in the name of Christ the Lord. When a persecution arose under Diocletian (284-305), Paraskeva was taken for trial before the governor of that area. When the governor asked her name, she said that she was called a Christian. The governor rebuked her for not giving her ordinary name, but Paraskeva said to him: "I had first to tell you my name in eternal life, and can then give you my name in this transitory life." After flogging her, the governor threw her into prison, where an angel of God appeared to her and, healing her of her wounds, comforted her. She destroyed all the idols in the pagan temple by her prayers. After long and harsh torture, she was beheaded with the sword and entered into eternal life. St Arsenius, Archbishop of PecA great hierarch of the Serbian Church and the successor of St Sava, Arsenius was born in Srem. He became a monk while still a young man, and gave himself to wholehearted asceticism for his soul's salvation. Hearing of the wonderful personality and deeds of St Sava, Arsenius went to him at Zica, where the saint received him with kindness and drew him into the brotherhood at the monastery. Seeing rare virtues in Arsenius, Sava soon installed him as abbot of the Zica community. When the Hungarians over-ran the land of Serbia, Sava sent Arsenius south to find a more secluded spot for the archiepiscopal seat. Arsenius chose Pec, and there built a monastery and church to the Holy Apostles, which later became dedicated to the Lord's Ascension. Before his second departure for Jerusalem, Sava designated Arsenius to succeed him on the archiepiscopal throne and, when Sava died at Trnovo on his way home, Arsenius urged King Vladislav to take Sava's body onto Serbian soil. He governed the Church wisely for thirty years, and entered into rest in the Lord on October 28th 1266. On the wall of the altar at Pec is written: 'O Lord our God, hearken; visit and bless this church ... remember it, and me, the sinner Arsenius'. He was buried there in the church at Pec.
Translator's note: St Arsenius's relics are now in the monastery of Zhrebaonik in Montenegro. The Holy Martyr TerenceA Syrian, he suffered for the Christian faith together with his wife and their seven children. After many tortures, during which the power of God was shown, they were all beheaded with the sword. Venerable Stephen the Hymnographer of St Sabbas MonasteryThe writer of many beautiful Canons, he lived in the community of St Sava the Sanctified near Jerusalem. He later became a bishop, and entered peacefully into rest in 807. St Athanasius, Patriarch of ConstantinopleAn opponent of union with Rome, in contrast to his predecessor, John Beccus (1275-1282), he was an ascetic and a man of prayer from his childhood. Beloved of the people, he incurred the displeasure of some of the clergy for his moral strictness. He withdrew to his monastery on Mount Ganos, where he lived in even stricter asceticism than formerly. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself appeared to him and chided him gently for leaving his flock to the wolves. When he had prophesied the day of the earthquake in Constantinople, the Emperor Andronicus called him back to the patriarchal throne, much against his will, and he later secretly withdrew again to his asceticism, entering into rest at the age of a hundred. He was a wonderworker and a seer.
St Dimitri, Bishop of RostovA great hierarch, preacher, writer and ascetic, he was born near Kiev in 1651, and died in 1709. Among many other glorious works of instruction that he wrote, especially noteworthy is the translation and publication of the Lives of the Saints. He foresaw his own death three days before, and died while at prayer. He was a great light of the Russian Church, and of Orthodoxy in general. He had heavenly visions during his life; he served the Lord with zeal and entered into the heavenly Kingdom. Hieromartyr Cyriacus, patriarch of Jerusalem (363)The Priest Martyr Kyriakos, Patriarch of Jerusalem, was that selfsame Jew, who pointed out to the holy Empress Helen the place where the Life-Creating Cross of Christ lay buried (vide 14 September). Being present at the discovery of the Cross, Kyriakos (before Baptism he had the name Jude) sincerely came to believe in Christ – the True God, and he became a Christian. Kyriakos later because of his pure and virtuous life was chosen and elevated to be Patriarch of Jerusalem.
During the time of the cruel persecution under Julian the Apostate, in the year 363, Saint Kyriakos accepted suffering for the faith. After prolonged tortures he was killed. Martyr AnnaMother of Hieromartyr Cyriacus. St. Firmilian, bishop of Caesareain Cappadocia, and Venerable Malchion, presbyter (269)Born to a noble family of Caesarea in Cappadocia, he studied under Origen with his friend St Gregory the Wonderworker (November 17). He became Bishop of Caesarea around 230. In 252 he took part in the Council of Antioch, which condemned the schismatic Novatian and his followers, who denied all hope of repentance and restoration to the Church for those who had denied the Faith to avoid persecution...
St. Febronia, daughter of Emperor Heraclius (632)
Repose of Venerable Job of Pochaev (1651)The Monk Job, Hegumen of Pochaev and Wonderworker (in the world named Ivan Zhelezo), was born in the mid XV Century in Pokut'a in Galicia. At age 10 he came to the Transfiguration Ugornitsk monastery, and at age 12 he accepted monasticism. The Monk Job from his youth was known for his great piety and strict ascetic life, and early he was accounted worthy of the priestly dignity. In around the year 1580, at the request of the reknown champion of Orthodoxy prince Konstantin of Ostrozhsk, the Monk Job headed the Cross-Exaltation monastery near the city of Dubno, and for more than 20 years he governed the monastery amidst the setting of the growing persecution of Orthodoxy on the part of the Catholics and Uniates... Hieromartyr Neophytus, bishop of Urbnisi, Georgia (587)The holy hieromartyr Neophytus of Urbnisi descended from a line of Persian fire-worshippers. In the 7th century, by order of the Saracen emir Mumni (Mu’min), the military leader Ahmad attacked Georgia with an enormous army. After overrunning the central part of Shida (Inner) Kartli, Ahmad dispatched two of his commanders, Omar and Burul, to the capital city of Mtskheta. At the confluence of the Mtkvari and Aragvi rivers, across from the village of Tsikhedidi in the rocky Sarkineti region, the invaders discovered a group of caves and plotted to occupy them. They tried to cross the Mtkvari but were unable... New Martyrs Angelis, Manuel, George, and Nicholas of Crete (1824)Martyrs Africanus, Terence, Maximus, Pompeius, and 36 others, at Carthage (250)
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