This historic Byzantine icon depicts Saint Stephen the Protomartyr in his vestments and incense burner of the diaconate. His story is recalled in chapters 6-7 of the Acts of the Apostles.  The Apostle Stephen was the first deacon of the Church. For...

Saint Gregory was from Caesarea. He served the king of Armenia until he was discovered to be a Christian, and for this he was tortured. He was cast into a pit of snakes and left to die, but God preserved him and he later went free. He converted many...

Saint Ignatius is known to have been a disciple of Saint John the Evangelist, and a contributor to the early ministry of the Church. He is also believed to have been that “little child” who Jesus used as an example of the...

Saint Meletius (or Meletios or Melitius) was an Armenian. He became bishop of Sebaste in 357, but was later banished and he went to Syria. After the deposition of the Arian bishop of Antioch, the Orthodox and the Arian factions debated over who to...

Saint Mocius was a priest in Amphipolis of Thrace. One day, Mocius entered the temple of Dionysius and overturned the altar while the proconsul was offering a sacrifice. He was subjected to torture and finally beheaded in Byzantium in the year 288. He...

Saint Spyridon was from Cyprus, and he worked as a shepherd. After the death of his wife, he was appointed Bishop of Trimythus, and he attended the First Ecumenical Council. There he refuted the Arians using his simple wisdom. God granted him the gift...

Saint Gregory was born in 1296 and raised in the imperial court of Constantinople, where he excelled in both religious and secular knowledge. He later departed to Mount Athos and labored in the Vatopedi Monastery. When his harsh asceticism brought an...

Saint Hierotheus was the first bishop of Athens. He was a member of the Aeropagus (Mars Hill), and with Saint Dionysius, he was converted by Saint Paul. Together with the Apostles, he was present at the funeral of the Theotokos. He reposed in the first...

Saint Alexis Toth (or Tovt) was a Hungarian-American Greek Catholic priest. After being mistreated by a series of Latin bishops, he converted to Orthodoxy and worked tirelessly to bring other uniate communities into the Orthodox Church. Saint Alexis...

Saint Hypatius attended the First Ecumenical Council, where he boldly defended the Faith against the Novatian heresy, the false doctrine that a person could not be forgiven of sins committed after baptism. He was captured by their sect and martyred in...

Saint Raphael was born in Beirut in 1860. He spent the first decades of his life traveling throughout the Middle East and Russia, gaining knowledge and experience as a clergyman. Father Raphael was called to America and established a parish in...

Saint Clement was a monk, and later became bishop of Ancyra in Galatia. He suffered persecution for some 30 years until he was martyred under the reign of Diocletian and Maximian in 296. His feast is celebrated on January 23.

Saint Tikhon was the first Patriarch of Moscow after the patriarchate was restored in 1917. But before this, he served as Bishop of the Aleuts and North America, and became an American citizen. He worked tirelessly to establish new churches in America,...

After the deaths of the 20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia, Bishop Anthimus fled to care for his remaining flock. When the soldiers found him, he pretended to be someone else and treated the soldiers kindly, offering them food and lodging. He revealed himself...

Saint James was a high-ranking official in the Persian Empire in the early-5th century. He and his wife were secret Christians, and in fear of being discovered, he offered a sacrifice of incense to the Emperor Barakhranes after a victory in battle. He...

Saint Innocent served as a missionary among the native peoples of Alaska. Along with his wife and family, he was devoted to educating the Aleuts and bringing them to Christ. When his wife died, he became a bishop and served as Metropolitan of Moscow...

Saint Eleutherius was still a young man when he became bishop of Illyricum, but he was renowned for his virtue. He was arrested during the persecution of the Emperor Hadrian, tortured, and martyred in the year 126. His mother was also beheaded...

Saint Marcian was born in Rome but was educated in Constantinople. After the death of his parents, he used his inheritance to build churches and help the poor. The Patriarch was impressed by his way of life, ordained him, and made him treasurer of the...

These 20,000 saints were martyred on Christmas Day in the year 303. A great number of Christians were burned alive in a church, and many others were killed in the surrounding area at the decree of Diocletian. They are all commemorated together on...

Saint Peter was archbishop of Alexandria for 12 years at the beginning of the 4th century. He it was who excommunicated the priest Arius for his heresy. Saint Peter was arrested and imprisoned at the command of Emperor Maximinus in 312. While in...

Barbara, born in the third century in Syria, was so beautiful that her pagan father placed her in an isolated tower to keep her innocent of any influence except his own until she could be married. Like St. Christina, Barbara also came to realize...

Saint Gregory was born in Neocaesarea, and traveled throughout the Mediterranean region during his education. He was instructed in the faith by Origin. In the year 240 he became bishop of his home city, where only 17 Christians were living. By the time...

The Apostle Stephen was the first deacon of the Church. For this, he is called "Protodeacon" or "Archdeacon," and as he was the first Christian martyr, he is called "Protomartyr." While performing his missionary work, he defeated some Jews in a debate...

Saint Nicholas was born in the third century in the city of Patara. His wealthy Christian parents died when he was young, and he gave his inheritance to the poor. Devoting himself to the Church, Nicholas was eventually ordained Bishop of Myra...

Saint Athanasius was born to a Christian family in Alexandria in 295. He was ordained the bishop of Alexandria before he reached his thirtieth birthday, and became a leader of the Church even before that.  At the time that Athanasius was...

Saint Peter was an Aleut native of Kodiak Island, Alaska. He was baptized by the monks of Saint Herman's mission. In 1815, while hunting seals, he and several other Aleuts were kidnapped by Spanish sailors and taken to San Gabriel Mission in California...

Saint Marina the Great Martyr was from Antioch in Pisidia. She suffered under Diocletian in the 3rd century. She is commemorated on July 17. Margaret, Maggie, Megan, and Meghan are all forms of the same name.

Saint John was the Russian Orthodox bishop of various cities in the 20th century, including Shanghai, China, and San Francisco, California. In these and other places he cared for his flock, which included many Russians who had fled the persecution of...

Saint Augustine lived in the 4th century. He was raised by his mother, Saint Monica, in Carthage, Africa. He lived a prodigal life of sin, and at the ceaseless prayers of his mother, he came to repentance and true faith in Christ. Augustine's...

Saint John of Kronstadt was a married priest who lived in virginity with his wife. He worked tirelessly for the poor and the people of his parish, and was given by the Lord the ability read thoughts and work miracles. So great was his holiness, that in...

Saint Nicholas was born in the third century in the city of Patara. His wealthy Christian parents died when he was young, and he gave his inheritance to the poor. Devoting himself to the Church, Nicholas was eventually ordained Bishop of Myra...

The holy Great-Martyr Anastasia was born in Rome in the 2nd century under the Diocletian persecution. Her father was a pagan, but her mother was a secret Christian and arranged for Anastasia to be educated in the Faith by a pious Christian named...

This 15th century icon of Saint John Chrysostom was painted in Bulgaria. Saint John Chrysostom (which means "Golden-Mouthed," after his eloquent speaking abilities) is one of the greatest preachers and theologians in Church history. His sermons and...

Saint George, sometimes called “the Trophy-bearer,” was born in the province of Cappadocia, Asia Minor (Turkey), in the third century and raised as a Christian. About age 20, he joined the Roman army under the emperor Diocletian,...

Saint George, sometimes called “the Trophy-bearer,” was born in the province of Cappadocia, Asia Minor (Turkey), in the third century and raised as a Christian. About age 20, he joined the Roman army under the emperor Diocletian,...

Saint Demetrios (or Demetrius) was born in Thessaloniki in the third century. He was a soldier in the Roman army and exhibited every Christian virtue. During the persecution of the emperor Diocletian, Demetrios was imprisoned. While in prison he spoke...

Saint George, sometimes called “the Trophy-bearer,” was born in the province of Cappadocia, Asia Minor (Turkey), in the third century and raised as a Christian. About age 20, he joined the Roman army under the emperor Diocletian,...

Saint Luke was born in the Crimea in 1877. Named Valentine at birth, he initially studied fine arts, but with a growing desire to help suffering people, he chose to become a physician instead, studying ophthalmology (the treatment of eyes) in...

Saint Spyridon was from Cyprus, and he worked as a shepherd. After the death of his wife, he was appointed Bishop of Trimythus, and he attended the First Ecumenical Council. There he refuted the Arians using his simple wisdom. God granted him the gift...

Saint George, sometimes called “the Trophy-bearer,” was born in the province of Cappadocia, Asia Minor (Turkey), in the third century and raised as a Christian. About age 20, he joined the Roman army under the emperor Diocletian,...