Commemorated on October 31 On October 31, 1917, in Tsarskoye Selo, a bright new chapter, full of earthly grief and heavenly joy, was opened in the history of sanctity in the Russian Church: the holiness of the New-Martyrs of the twentieth century. The opening of this chapter is linked to the name of the […]
St. Nicholai (Velimirovich) of Zhicha
Commemorated March 18 Saint Nicholas of Zhicha, “the Serbian Chrysostom,” was born in Lelich in western Serbia on January 4, 1881 (December 23, 1880 O.S.). His parents were Dragomir and Katherine Velimirovich, who lived on a farm where they raised a large family. His pious mother was a major influence on his spiritual […]
St. Juvenaly of Iliamna
Commemorated September 24 Saint Juvenaly, the Protomartyr of America, was born in 1761 in Nerchinsk, Siberia. His secular name was John Feodorovich Hovorukhin, and he was trained as a mining engineer. In a letter to Abbot Nazarius of Valaam (December 13, 1819), St Herman says that St Juvenaly “had been an assistant at […]
St. Sebastian (Dabovich) of Jackson
Saint Sebastian was just glorified by the Holy Assembly of Hierarchs of the Serbian Orthodox Church during its regular session on May 29th, 2015 – alongside with Bishop Mardarije (Uskokovic). Glory be to God in His saints! Born to Serbian immigrants in San Francisco in 1863, Archimandrite Sebastian Dabovich has the distinction of being the first […]
Kneeling Prayers at Vespers of Pentecost
On Pentecost, in the Vesper service following Divine Liturgy, Orthodox Christians kneel for the first time after Pascha. Led by the priest they pray the following “kneeling prayers” with great reverence: Prayer 1 O pure and blameless Lord, Who art without beginning, invisible and incomprehensible, unchangeable, immeasurable, and unbounded, Who art without evil and alone […]
St. Innocent of Alaska
Commemorated March 31 Saint Innocent (secular name: John Evseyevich Popov-Veniaminov) was born into the family of a church server on August 26, 1797 in the village of Anginskoye, Verkholensk District, Irkutsk province. In his fifth year he was already receiving instruction in reading and writing from his ailing father, who died in August […]
St. Jacob of Alaska
Commemorated July 26 Father Jacob (Netsvetov) of Alaska was born of pious parents in 1802 on Atka Island, Alaska. His father, Yegor Vasil’evich Netsvetov was a Russian from Tobolsk. His mother, Maria Alekseevna, was an Aleut from Atka island. Yegor and Maria had four children who survived infancy; Jacob was the first born, […]
The Ascension of Our Lord
On the feast of the Ascension of our Lord we celebrate the fulfillment of the prophecy of King David, which is used as the Prokimenon of the day. What does it mean for Orthodox Christians? It is not only Jesus Christ Who has ascended; for He has raised human nature itself to the heavens. We […]
St. Herman of Alaska
Commemorated August 9/December 13 Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America. A spiritual mission was organized in 1793, made up of monks of the Valaam Monastery. They were sent to preach the Word of God to the native inhabitants of northwestern America, who only ten years before had come under the sovereignty of Russia. […]
St. John (Maximovitch) of Shanghai and San Francisco
Commemorated July 2 Our Father among the Saints John (Maximovitch), Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco (1896-1966), was a diocesan bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) who served widely from China to France to the United States. Saint John departed this life on June 19 (O.S.) / July 2 (N.S.), […]