Martyr Nestor was a young man of Thessalonica who stood up in a public arena to the invincible barbarian named Lyaios. Young and fragile, he looked no match to the brute, but he still had as much faith in his victory as he had in God.
He built a brilliant career in the Roman army and civil service, but to him, his faith in Christ was more precious than all his worldly deserts.
Believers invoke the icon praying for the help of the Holy Theotokos in meeting their basic needs, avoiding droughts, gathering a good crop, and daily sustenance. Saint Ambrose of Optina left us his short prayer before this icon.
Saint Ludmila illumined the people of Czechia with the light of God’s truth. Her grandson Vyacheslav brought his people to Christ, but as a descendant of the Serbian princess, she lived a dramatic life.
In the 15th century, Orthodox ascetics Zosimas, Savvatii and Herman set foot on the Solovetski Archipelago in the White Sea, 165 kilometres North of the Polar Circle, to live a life as hermits and ascetics in solitary prayer.
The lives of the new saints bring alive to us our recent history, with which their lives were intertwined so closely. They stood up for the truth and faith and followed Christ into eternity. They show us the way that we must all follow.
Dimitry of Rostov was the first saint of the Russian Empire. In his life, he witnessed multiple events that changed the course of history. A great part of his life coincided with the reforms of Peter the Great and his key war campaigns.
There are always people in front of the Healer icon of the Mother of God in our church. Most often, they ask for the healing of someone they love and care about, petitioning the Mother of God for Her intercession.
He presented an example of living through all trials with dignity. From every adversity, he emerged stronger and richer in spirit than he was before.
He stood up with righteousness in defence of his oppressed brethren, in the face of multiple hardships, isolation and dangers to his life.
Saint Basil the Blessed is remembered as a Moscow miracle worker. He even threw rocks at miracle-working icons and was daring enough to denounce the terrifying Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible for shedding innocent blood.
At baptism, he took the name Panteleimon, which means "all-merciful". An unmercenary, he was fulfilling Christ’s commandment of love. He worked in His name and was empowered.
He is remembered as one of the few heads of the Russian Church who openly opposed the Tsar for his treatment of dissent and the lawlessness of the Oprichnina rule.
The cross-cutting themes of his writings were spiritual life and acquiring experiential knowledge of God through incessant prayer. He left a rich legacy of works that expressed these complex ideas in plain language
From the Bible, we know of Apostle Phillip as a man with profound knowledge of Scripture, who was among the first to recognize the Messiah and follow Him in answer to His call.