November

Synaxarion
This month has thirty days with ten hours of day and
fourteen hours of night.

November 1
Memory of the holy Unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian
(Beginning of the Fourth century).
Natives of Asia, these holy martyrs spent
themselves in the care of bodies and souls,
as tradition reports it, healing all sickness
and languor. Their solicitude was not
restricted to men for it extended itself even
to inanimate objects. They were called
"Anargyres," Unmercenaries, because they
refused to accept any return for their
services. Under Emperor Maximian, they
suffered martyrdom in Cilicia at the
beginning of the Fourth century.
Fifth Class Feast.

November 2
Memory of the holy Martyrs Akindinos, Pegasios,
Aphthonios, Elpidiphoros, and Anempodistos
(+under Sapor II, 309-379).
These holy martyrs suffered for the faith in
Persia, under King Sapor, between 339 and
379. "Natives of Persia, they were the first
victims of King Sapor's persecution. Saints
Akindinos, Pegasios, and Anempodistos,
very ardent in the true faith, courageously
confessed Christ during numerous tortures
in which they suffered no evil. Upon seeing
their sufferings, Aphthonios embraced the
Christian faith and was at once beheaded.

Elpidiphoros, a member of the Royal Senate,

was also converted and beheaded. As for
Saints Akindinos, Pegasios, and
Anempodistos, they were thrown into a pit
full of wild beasts. They finally received the
palm of martyrdom, burned in a furnace."
Fifth Class Feast.

November 3
Memory of the holy Martyrs Akepsimas (+378), Joseph the Priest,
and Aeithalas (+379) the Deacon.
The Dedication of the Church of the holy Great martyr George in Lydda and
Placing of his relics in this church (Fourth century).
The holy martyrs Akepsimas, Joseph, and
Aeithalas lived under the Persian King
Sapor. Saint Akepsimas, an eighty year old
man, was the Bishop of Chnaita. Seized at
the same time as Saint Joseph, a priest, and
Saint Aeithalas, a deacon, he was led before
governor Adharkoukhachid and three years
later, before Adarsapor, the leader of the
Magi. He committed his soul to God in 378,
under the soldier's beating. Saint Joseph was
fastened by the head and flayed alive,
stoned, and buried under a pile of stones in
379. Saint Aeithalas, after various tortures,
was also stoned to death in 379.
The Dedication of the Church of Saint
George in Lydda took place under Emperor
Constantine the Great.
Fifth Class Feast.

November 4
Memory of our venerable Father Joannikios the Great of Olympus (754-846)
The holy Hieromartyrs Nicander, Bishop of Myra, and
Hermeus the Priest (Second century)

Our holy Father Joannikios the Great was

born in 754 in Marycata in Bithynia, near
the pool of Apolloniada. His parents charged
him in his youth with feeding a herd of pigs.
His occupation made him enroll in the army.
He showed himself to be a valliant soldier in
all the campaigns against the Bulgarians.
Affiliated with his parents in the Iconoclast
heresy, he abjured the impious doctrine
which he had professed for a while in
ignorance, thanks to the exhortations of an
old man. One day, seeing several of his
companions fall in the course of a battle and
upset by this spectacle, he deserted the army
and withdrew to Mount Olympus in 795.
Recognized by one of his old army
companions, he fled and took refuge on a
mountain of Lycia where, after a revelation,
he became a monk at the monastery of
Eristea in 806. He withdrew successively to
several mountains and died in 846, at an old
age, under the patriarchate of Saint
Methodius whose elevation to the
patriarchal see he had predicted.
Fifth Class Feast.

November 5
Memory of the holy Martyrs Glaktion and Episteme, his wife
(beginning of the Fourth century).
These holy martyrs lived under Emperor
Decius and President Secundus. Galaktion
was born of pious parents, Keitophon and
Leucippa, who were converted to the
Christian faith by a Christian named
Onuphrius and received holy Baptism. Saint
Episteme, also born of pagan parents, was
married to Saint Galaktion and baptized by
him. These two holy spouses, having
integrally conserved their virginity,
embraced the monastic life and endured all
the austerities and privations which go with
it. Seized by Governor Ursus and
interrogated on their faith, they suffered

multiple tortures. They were cruelly beaten,

sharp-pointed reeds were driven under their
fingernails, and then their martyrdom by the
sword. Saint Galaktion was thirty years old,
and Saint Episteme was sixteen years old.
Fifth Class Feast.

November 6
Memory of our Father among the Saints, Paul the Confessor,
Bishop of Constantinople (+351)
A native of Thessalonica, Saint Paul was the
secretary of Alexander, the Bishop of
Constantinople. After the latter's death, the
Orthodox elected him Bishop of
Constantinople in 337 while Emperor
Constantius was in Antioch. Having returned
from Antioch, Constantius expelled him
from his see in 339. The Saint arrived in
Rome at the same time that Saint
Athanasius, the Archbishop of Alexandria,
was himself expelled from his see. Supplied
with letters from Pope Saint Julius I, Saint
Paul resumed possession of his Church in
340 but was expelled from it again after a
short time in 342 by the intrigues of the
Arians. After the Council of Sardica (343344), by the intervention of Constans, the
brother of Constantius, he re-ascended his
throne in 346. When Constans died in Rome
in 350, he was again persecuted (351) and
exiled to Cucusus in Armenia, where he was
strangled by order of the Arians.
Fifth Class Feast.

November 7
Memory of the Thirty-Three Martyrs of Melitene
(Beginning of the Fourth century).
Our venerable Father Lazarus the Wonderworker,
Monk of Mount Galesium (968-1054).

The thirty-three holy martyrs suffered for

the faith under Emperor Diocletian, at the
beginning of the Fourth century.
A native of Asia, Saint Lazarus was born in
968 in a village on the border of Magnesia.
At the age of six he was put into the
monastery of the Orobes to learn the Holy
Scriptures. Five years later his heart was
inflamed with an ardent desire to withdraw
to the places sanctified by the Passion of
Christ. He visited the Church of the
Resurrection, guided by the Archdeacon,
and thanks to him, was admitted among the
number of ascetics in the monastery of Saint
Sabbas, and was ordained a priest by the
Patriarch of Jerusalem. When the Arabs, in
their revolt against the Caliph of Egypt, had
ravaged all of Palestine and destroyed to
Mount Galesius opposite the city, an abrupt
and inaccessible mountain to the crowd.
Nevertheless his reputation spread
everywhere, and a great crowd of monks,
desirious to practice asceticism in his
company, asked to join him. He lived
successively on three columns, in various
places, and founded the monasteries of the
Savior, vegetables and drank water, and that
only once or twice weekly, joyously
suffering the cold and heat. He died in old
age, in 1054.
Fifth Class Feast.

November 8
The Apostle Paul says that Angels are:
spirits in the service of God, sent as servants
for the good of those who must receive the
heritage of salvation." God has established
them as protectors and guides of every
nation and people. He charged them to guard
those who hope in Him so that nothing
harms them and no evil comes near their
dwelling. In heaven, they continually see the
face of God, sing the Thrice-holy Hymn,

intercede for us, and rejoice over a single

sinner who is converted. In a word, in
serving God, the angels have rendered us so
many services that the pages of Holy
Scripture are filled with them.
This is why the Church, honoring these
divine ministers, our intercessors and
guardians, today celebrates this synaxis (a
coming together to celebrate a feast). The
Church recalls in particular the names of
Saints Michael and Gabriel because they are
related to us by Holy Scripture. The word
"Michael" signifies "Who is like God?", and
the word "Gabriel," "God is powerful."
According to Holy Scripture, the number of
angels is infinite, as Daniel saw "thousands
upon thousands serve God, and myriads
upon myriads stand before Him" (Daniel
7:10). They are divided into nine choirs
which are: the Seraphim, Cherubim,
Thrones, Dominations, Virtues, Powers,
Principalities, Archangels, and Angels.
Third Class Feast. Typika and Beatitudes. Ordinary
Isodikon. Troparia: of the Holy Angels, and of the
Church Patron. Kondakion of the Entrance into the
Temple of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and
Ever-Virgin Mary (November 21). Henceforth, it is by
this Kondakion that the singing of the Troparia is
ended, on Sundays and Major Feasts. Epistle,
Gospel, and Kinonikon of the Holy Angels.
In occurrence with a Sunday: Typika and Beatitudes.
Isodikon of the Sunday. Troparia: of the
Resurrection, of the Holy Angels, and of the Church
Patron. Kondakion of the Entrance into the Temple of
our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin
Mary. Epistle of the Holy Angels (that of the Sunday
will be read on the following day). Gospel of the
Sunday. Kinonikon of the Sunday.

November 9
Memory of the holy Martyrs Onesiphoros and Porphyrios (?)
Our venerable Mother Matrona (+under Emperor Leo, 457-474)

Saints Onesiphoros and Porphyrios suffered

martyrdom under Emperors Diocletian and
Maximian in 290 (?).
Saint Matrona lived under Emperor Leo the
Great (457-474) and his wife Berina. A
native of Perge in Pamphylia, Matrona was
married to a certain Dometios and only had
one daughter by him. She went to
Constantinople with her husband, at the age
of fifteen. There she formed a friendship
with a virgin named Eugenia, whose kind of
life she greatly admired. From then on she
never left the churches. Her love of God
always increasing, she confided her daughter
with a woman of her acquaintance, named
Susanna, and followed the Master's counsel:
"He who wishes to come after Me, let him
renounce himself, take up his cross and
follow Me." She dressed in men's clothes
and entered the monastery of Saint Basia,
mixing with the monks. But Saint Basian,
having known by a revelation that she was a
woman and that her husband was looking
for her, sent her to Jerusalem, then to Beirut.
When she returned to Constantinople, Saint
Basian charitably received her, counseled
her to withdraw to a monastery apart, which
was called from then on the Monastery of
Saint Matrona. She lived almost one
hundred years and died in peace.
Fifth Class Feast.

November 10
Memory of the holy Apostles Olympus, Rodionos, Sosipatros,
Tertios, Erastos, and Quartus of the Seventy Disciples (First century)
The holy Martyr Orestes (?)
Sosipatros, Tertios, Erastos, and Quartus
were from the Christian community of
Corinth. Tertios wrote the Epistle to the
Romans, which was signed by the Apostle
Paul. Erastos was the city treasurer. Rodion

and Olympas are without doubt two

personages from the Christian community of
Rome that the Apostle greets toward the end
of this same Epistle to the Romans (Romans
16:11 and 15).
Fifth Class Feast.

November 11
Memory of the holy Martyrs Menas, Victor
(+under Antoninus, 138-161), and
Vincent (beginning of the Fourth century)
The holy Martyr Stephanida (+under Antoninus, 136-161)
Our venerable Father Theodore the Studite, the Confessor (759-826)
The principal feast of Saint Menas is on December
10.

As for Saints Victor and Stephanida, it is

said that they were martyred in Egypt under
Emperor Antoninus (138-161). Saint
Vincent, the archdeacon of Valerius, the
Bishop of Caesaraugusta in Spain, was put
to death at the beginning of the Fourth
century, in Caesaraugusta, under Emperor
Maximian.
Saint Theodore was born in Constantinople
in 759. After very complete studies, he
withdrew in 781, at the age of twenty-two,
to the Monastery of Sakkoudion in Bithynia,
under the direction of his uncle Plato. He
was ordained a priest by Patriarch Tarasios.
In 794, he became hegumen of Sakkoudion.
Exiled in 797 to Thessalonica for having
protested against the adultery of Emperor
Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus, he was
recalled by Empress Irene. The Arab
incursions (798-799) forced him to abandon
Sakkoudion and take refuge inside the
Capital, in the Monastery of Studion, also
called by the name of the Roman consul
Studius who founded it in 463. This fact
merits for the Saint the name of Studite.

Exiled a second time in 809, by Emperor

Nicephoros I Logothetus in the matter of the
Imperial adultery, he was recalled again in
811 by Michael I Rangabe. He suffered exile
a third time for his defense of the Holy
Icons, under the Iconoclast Emperor Leo the
Armenian (815-821). He died in 826, after
having worthily suffered and fought for the
true faith, leaving a monastic constitution,
some catechetics, and numerous
hymnographic compositions full of
compunction. His holy body was transferred
to the monastery of Studion in 844.
Fifth Class Feast.

November 12
Memory of our Father among the Saints, John the Almsgiver,
Archbishop of Alexandria (+619).
Our venerable Father Nilus the Sinaite (+430).
A native of Cyprus, Saint John the
Almsgiver was the only son of Epiphanios,
the governor of the island. He contracted
marriage to please his father, and had
several children from this union. When he
lost his wife and children, he thought only to
perfect himself in the practice of virtue and
to please God. The brilliancy of his virtue
merited him to become Patriarch of the
Melkites, or Orthodox, of Alexandria, in
609. Without counting, he was prodigal with
his possessions to aid the poor, and was
surnamed the "Almsgiver," because of his
great charity. He died in 619, respected by
all.
Saint Nilus was the governor of
Constantinople under Theodosius I the
Great. Around the year 390, he came to an
agreement with his wife to leave
Constantinople and withdraw to the
monasteries of Egypt. He took his son
Theodulos while the mother undertook

charge of his daughter. Upon arriving at

Mount Sinai with many other captives,
Theodulo was taken prisoner by the
Barbarians. Saint Nilus, honored with the
dignity of the priesthood, committed his soul
to God around 430, leaving behind him
some ascetical treatises full of wisdom.
Fifth Class Feast.

November 13
Memory of our Father among the Saints, John Chrystostom,
Archbishop of Constantinople (ca. 345-407).
This Saint's feast was transferred to this day
instead of being celebrated on the
anniversary day of his death because this
day falls in occurrence with the feast of the
Exaltation of the Venerable and Life-giving
Cross (September 14).
Saint John Chrysostom was born about 344347 in Antioch, Syria. His father, Secundus,
was an army general, and his mother,
Anthusa, was an admirable woman of faith
and piety. He rapidly ran through the whole
cycle of Christian and profane literature.
Baptized in 369 in Meletios, the Archbishop
of Antioch, for his piety, he merited to
receive minor orders from him also. About
374-375, he withdrew to the wilderness in
the vicinity of Antioch. He was ordained a
deacon in 381 by Meletios, and a priest in
386 by Flavian. He exhorted the people by
his discourses, and commented the entire
Holy Scriptures before them. In 397, upon
the unexpected death of Nectarius, the
Archbishop of Constantinople, he was
transferred from Antioch to Constantinople
by vote of the bishops and by order of
Emperor Arcadius, and was consecrated
Archbishop of the Imperial City in 398. In
his fight against greed, he attacked Empress
Eudoxia. He was unjustly exiled in 403 by
order of Arcadius and Eudoxia, but recalled

to his see almost immediately. Exiled a

second time in 404, he suffered much during
his three year exile, transferring unceasingly
from one place to another. He died during
one of these transfers, in Comana, on
September 14, 407. His eloquence brought
him the title of Chrysostom (Goldenmouthed).
Third Class Feast, follow the general order of a
Third Class Feast.

November 14
Memory of the Holy and Most Illustrious Apostle Philip (First century)
Saint Philip was a native of Bethsaida and a
compatriot of Andrew and Peter. Christ,
having met him in Galilee, after His
baptism, invited him to follow Him. Holy
Scripture has preserved several other details
concerning him for us. According to a very
old tradition related by Eusebius (III:31),
Polycratus, the Bishop of Rome, concerning
him: "He lies buried in Hierapolis of
Phrygia, just as two of his daughters, who
grew very old in virginity. His third
daughter, after having lived in the Holy
Spirit, buried at Ephesus."
Fourth Class Feast, follow the general order of a
Fourth Class Feast.

November 15
Memory of the holy Martyrs and Confessors Gourias, Samonas, and
Abibos (beginning of the Fourth century).
The Christmas Lent begins today.
The Christmas Lent, in the discipline of the Melkite
Church, begins on December 10.

The holy martyrs Gourias and Samonas

suffered martyrdom under Emperor
Diocletian and Duke Antoninus. Both of
them were priests brought up in Edessa.

Gourias was a native of a small market-town

named Sarkigeitnas and Samonas was a
native of Ganades. Accused of bringing
assistance to imprisoned Christians, they
were summoned to appear before Duke
Antoninus. Because they refused to sacrifice
to idols, they were both suspended by one
hand for five hours. Taken down, they
persisted in confessing their faith and were
suspended by the feet. They were thrown
into a very dark pit and ended their
martyrdom by the sword. As for Saint
Abibos, a deacon, he was martyred in the
time of Emperor Licinius on the charge of
traveling through the villages reading the
Holy Scriptures to the faithful to confirm
them in the faith. Upon the Emperor's order,
he was thrown into a red-hot furnace and
thus obtained the palm of martyrdom.
Fifth Class Feast.

November 16
Memory of the holy Apostle and Evangelist Matthew (First century).
Saint Matthew, also called Levi, is the
publican who held a large gathering or
banquet for Jesus, as the Gospel reports it.
Sanctified by the descent of the Holy Spirit,
he wrote the Gospel "in Hebrew," that is, in
the Aramaic dialect, and preached the faith
to the Jews. He is represented in
iconography as having the figure of a man at
his side, the first of the symbolic animals of
Ezechiel (Ezechiel 1:10), because his Gospel
begins by the genealogy, according to the
flesh, of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Fourth Class Feast, follow the general order of a
Fourth Class Feast.
In occurrence with a Sunday, the Epistle and Gospel
of the Sunday are read on Monday.

November 17

Memory of our Father among the Saints Gregory the Wonderworker,

Bishop of Neocaesarea (+during the reign of Aurelian, 270-275)
Saint Gregory, a pagan's son, was born about
213 in Neocaesarea, in Pontus Plemoniacus.
He studied for five years, from 233 to 238,
in Caesarea in Palestine, under the direction
of Origen, who taught him the Christian
faith.
He was ordained bishop of his birth-place by
Phaidimos of Amasia. When newly
appointed he found seventeen Christians
there, and when dying, there was about that
many pagans left. During Decius'
persecution (250-251), he advised the
faithful to flea and he himself hid. He was
present, with his brother Athenagoras, at the
synod held in Antioch, Syria, in 264-265
against the author of heresy, Paul of
Samosata. He died in peace under Emperor
Aurelian, 270-275, leaving various
theological and canonical treatises to the
Church. Etymologically his name-Gregorysignifies in Greek "he who watches."
Fifth Class Feast.

November 18
Memory of the holy Martyrs Plato
(Beginning of the Fourth century) and Roman (+305)
The holy martyr Plato suffered for the faith
at Ancyra in Galatia, under Emperor
Maximian, in the beginning of the fourth
century.
According to Eusebius, Saint Roman was a
native of Palestine, a deacon and an exorcist
of the Church of Caesarea, under Emperor
Diocletian. Seeing a great number of men,
women, and children approach the idols to
offer them sacrifices, enflamed by zeal for
the faith, he raised his voice to reprimand
them. He was immediately seized and

condemned by the judge to be buried alive.

Because the Emperor was then at Antioch,
the Saint was summoned before him and
was submitted to the new torture of having
his tongue amputated. After this torture he
was thrown into prison, where he suffered a
long time. At last, in the epoch of the
vicennials of the Emperor, according to a
generosity in custom, liberty was proclaimed
for all prisoners. Only Saint Roman
remained in prison, his feet in the stocks up
to the fifth hole, and he was choked above
the very wood on which he lay. He thus
obtained the palm of martyrdom about 305.
Fifth Class Feast.

November 19
Memory of the holy Prophet Abdia (Fourth century B.C.)
The holy Martyr Barlaam (?)
The holy prophet Abdia lived in the Fourth
century before Our Lord.
Saint Barlaam suffered for the faith in
Antioch at an uncertain date. Saint John
Chrysostom relates to us that the Saint was
led before the idols' altar, and there fire and
incense were placed in his open hand. The
judge believed that if the Saint throw the
charcoal and incense on the altar, he was
thusly supposed to have sacrificed to idols.
Fifth Class Feast.

November 20
Pre-festive Day of the Entrance into the Temple of our
Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary
Memory of our Father among the Saints, Gregory the Decapolite (+842) and
Proclos, Archbishop of Constantinople (+446)

Saint Gregory was born in one of the towns

of the Decapolis of Isauria, named
Irenopolis. From the age of eight, he applied
himself to the study of Holy Scripture and,
being thoroughly impregnated in it,
consecrated himself to the service of the
Churches. When he became an adult, his
parents thought to find a wife for him, but
the Saint secretly fled. He began traveling
through the provinces to visit Saints
dispersed by the Iconoclastic storm. He went
to Asia and even to Byzantium around the
year 840 in the secret hope of finding there
the occasion to confess his faith. He was the
spiritual father of the holy hymnographers
John and Joseph. In harmony with the
Orthodox, he sent the latter, to Rome to
inform Pope Gregory IV of Emperor
Theophilos' persecution. He died in
Constantinople on November 20, 842, just
before the reestablishment of Orthodoxy,
which took place on the first Sunday of
Great Lent in the year 843.
A disciple of Saint John Chrysostom, Saint
Proclos was raised to the archiepiscopal see
of Constantinople in 434 under Theodosius
II the Younger. He directed dogmatic works
concerning the Orthodox faith to the
Armenians against Nestorius and his
supporters. He triumphally received the
body of his holy master when it was
transferred to Constantinople on January 27,
438, and he died in peace in 446.
Fifth Class Feast.
Typika. Troparia: of the Pre-festive Day, of the
Saints, and of the Church Patron. Kondakion of the
Pre-festive Day.
In occurrence with a Sunday: Typika and Beatitudes.
Isodikon of the Sunday. Troparia: of the
Resurrection, of the Pre-festive Day, and of the
Church Patron only. Kondakion of the Pre-festive
Day.

November 21

Entrance into the Temple of our Most Holy Lady,

the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary
The origin of the feast is found in an account
in the apocryphal Protoevangelium of Saint
James. According to this document, after
Saint Ann's miraculous birth-giving, the
Most Holy Virgin having completed her
second year, Joachim said to his wife: "Let
us lead her to the Lord's Temple, as we
promised Him." Ann said: "Let us yet wait
until her third year, so that the child will not
clamor for her father or mother, thus she will
not walk straight before the Lord." When the
child was three years old, Joachim said: "Let
us call from among the daughters of the
Hebrews those who are undefiled, and let
them each take a lamp and let these lamps
be lit, that the child not turn to look
backward and her heart be not held captive
outside the Lord's Temple." They did thusly.
Zachary the priest received her and said to
her: "May the Lord crown your name with
glory!", and he set her down on the altar
step. There, Mary was nourished by an angel
until she was twelve years old. When the
time came for her to marry, Joseph received
her from the priests' hands, and took her
from the Lord's Temple.
Whatever the foundations of this gracious
legend may be, the Church invites us above
all to meditate on the mystery of the internal
preparation of Mary for her vocation as
Theotokos. This preparation is a total selfcommitment, in the "immaculate victim,"
"as a most holy vessel" which must receive
the body of the Word incarnate, "a living
temple and throne of the King, elected to be
his Mother," "the spiritual ark enclosing the
incomprehensible Word." The miracle of her
subsistance by the hand of the Archangel is
the symbol of her spiritual life entirely
nourished by the will of God.

Historically, this feast had its origin in the

dedication of the Church of Saint Mary the
New in Jerusalem (November, 543). It was
spread throughout the whole East in the
Seventh century. Pope Gregory XI
introduced it at Avignon at the end of the
Fourteenth century. Then it was generalized
in the Roman Church in 1585 by Sixtus V.
Second Class Feast. Antiphons of the Feast.
Ordinary Isodikon. Troparion of the Feast (three
times). Kondakion of the Feast. Epistle, Gospel,
Hirmos, and Kinonikon of the Feast.
In occurence with a Sunday: Antiphons (the refrain
of the Second Antiphon is that of Sunday). Isodikon
of the Sunday. Troparia: of the Resurrection (once)
and of the Feast. Epistle and Gospel of the Feast
(Epistle and Gospel of the Sunday are read on the
following day). Hirmos and Kinonikon of the Feast.

November 22
Second Day of the Feast of the Entrance into the Temple of our
Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary
Memory of the Holy Apostle Philemon and his companions
Apphias, Archippos, and Onesimos (First century)
The holy Martyr Cecilia and her companions Valerian and Tiburtios (?)
A native of Colossae in Phrygia, Saint
Philemon was a rich man of noble ancestry.
In the testimony of Saint John Chrysostom,
Saint Apphias was his wife. Archippos was
without doubt their son and Onesimos was
their pagan slave. Onesimos fled to Rome,
where the Apostle Paul found him, brought
him back to the way of truth and virtue, and
sent him back to his master, provided with a
letter that the captive Apostle addressed to
Philemon, about the year 61-62.
Saint Cecilia was martyred in Rome at an
uncertain date and was buried, out of respect
to her noble origin, with the Bishops of
Rome, in the cemetery of Callisto. Saints
Valerian and Tiburtios likewise received the

crown of martyrdom at an unknown date

and were buried in the catacombs of
Pretestatus. The bodies of all these holy
martyrs were rediscovered in 821 under
Pope Pascal I and transferred, at the same
time as those of three Bishops of Rome:
Maximos, the martyr; Lucius, the confessor
(253-254); and Urban I (222-230), to the
basilica beyond the Tiber, which was called
in consequence of this transfer: the Basilica
of Saint Cecilia.
Fifth Class Feast.
Antiphons of the Feast. Troparia: of the Feast, of the
Apostles, and of the Church Patron.
Kondakion of the Feast.
Post-festive Sunday: Typika and Beatitudes. Isodikon
of the Sunday. Troparia: of the Resurrection, of the
Feast, and of the Church Patron. Kondakion of the
Feast. Epistle and Gospel of the Sunday. Kinonikon
of the Sunday.

November 23
Third Day of the Feast of the Entrance into the Temple of our
Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary
Memory of our Fathers among the Saints,
Amphilochios, Bishop of Iconium (+395) and
Gregory, Bishop of Agrigentum (559-630)
Saint Gregory was born in Preterium, near
Agregentum, Sicily, about 559, under
Emperor Justinian. When he was eighteen
years old, he went to venerate the holy
places and was ordained a deacon by
Makarios, the Patriarch of Jerusalem. He
then left for Antioch, where in 589, he
reached Byzantium and Rome, where he
was ordained Bishop of Agrigentum in 590.
Unjustly accused of adultery, he was
imprisoned for two years. Judged and
declared innocent by Pope Saint Gregory, on
the order of the Emperor, he was put i
confrontation with his accusers and restored

to liberty in 603. He died in old age about

630, leaving a commentary on Ecclesiastes
and various other treatises.
Saint Amphilochios was the compatriot and
comrade in strife of Saints Basil the Great,
Gregory the Theologian, who was his first
cousin, and Gregory of Nyssa. A pupil of
Libganius, a rhetor then a lawyer, he was
ordained in 374 by Saint Basil, the
Metropolitan of Iconium in Lycaonia. A
teacher of the Orthodox faith and an intrepid
adversary of the plague of Arianism, he
suffered numerous persecutions and
tribulations on account of the impious. He
was one of the fathers of the Second
Ecumenical Council in 381, and
energetically combatted Macedonius the
Pneumatomachos (contender against the
Spirit). He lived until the time of Theodosius
the Great and his two sons, Arcadius and
Honorius. He died in peace in 395, in old
age, leaving some treaties on the Orthodox
faith.
Fifth Class Feast.
Antiphons of the Feast. Troparia: of the Feast, of the
Saints, and of the Church Patron. Kondakion of the
Feast.
Post-festive Sunday: Typika and Beatitudes. Isodikon
of the Sunday. Troparia: of the Resurrection, of the
Feast, and of the Church Patron. Kondakion of the
Feast. Epistle and Gospel of the Sunday. Kinonikon
of the Sunday.

November 24
Fourth Day of the Feast of the Entrance into the Temple of our
Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary
Memory of our Fathers among the Saints, the
Hieromartyrs Clement, Pope of Rome (+100) and
Peter, Bishop of Alexandria (+312)
Saint Clement was a disciple of the Apostles
Peter and Paul. He was elected shepherd of

the Roman Church, to succeed, so it seems,

Linus and Cletus, from 92 to 101. Eusebius
says: "There exists a long and admirable
letter by him, accepted as authentic. It is
written in the name of the Roman Church to
the Church of Corinth concerning a
dissention which had then arisen in that
city." According to tradition, it is in exile
that he committed his soul to God.
Saint Peter was the Bishop of Alexandria
about the year 300. He remained in this
office for twelve years. Before being
consecrated a bishop, he led a very austere
life and generously provided for the general
needs of the Churches. Eusebius says: "He
was the model of bishops by his virtue, life,
and frequentation of Holy Scripture. He was
laid hold of and led away without reason,
without a moment's notice, unexpected and
without a trial, and on the order of Emperor
Maximian Daia, he was beheaded in 312. A
great number of Egyptian bishops had to
endure the same punishment with him."
Fifth Class Feast.
Antiphons of the Feast. Troparia: of the Feast, of the
Saints, and of the Church Patron. Kondakion of the
Feast.
Post-festive Sunday: Typika and Beatitudes. Isodikon
of the Sunday. Troparia: of the Resurrection, of the
Feast, and of the Church Patron. Kondakion of the
Feast. Epistle and Gospel of the Sunday. Kinonikon
of the Sunday.
Sunday of the Rich Young Man: On the Sunday which
falls between November 24-30, the thirteenth Gospel
of Saint Luke (Luke 18:18-28) is read, which
mentions the rich young man.

November 25
Closing Day of the Feast of the Entrance into the Temple of our
Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary

Memory of the holy martyr of Christ, the All-Wise Catherine

(Beginning of the Fourth century)
The holy Great martyr Mercury (+under Decius, 249-251)
Saint Mercury suffered martyrdom in
Caesarea of Cappodocia under Emperor
Decius (249-251).
Saint Catherine was born in Alexandria, the
daughter of Cinstus or Cestus. A virgin with
great beauty and wisdom, she was famous
for her wealth, noble origin, and education.
By her remarkable knowledge, she
conquered the passionate and untamed soul
of Emperor Maximin. By the strength of her
discourses, she reduced to silence Rhetors
who wished to dispute with her. She
obtained the crown of martyrdom about the
year 305.
Third Class Feast. Typika and Beatitudes. Troparia:
of the Feast, of Saint Catherine, and of the Gospel of
Saint Catherine. Hirmos and Kinonikon of the Feast.
In occurrence with a Sunday: Typika and Beatitudes.
Isodikon of the Sunday. Troparia: of the
Resurrection, of the Feast, of Saint Catherine, and of
the Church Patron. Kondakion of the Feast. Epistle
of Saint Catherine. Gospel of the Sunday (Thirteenth
of Saint Luke). Hirmos and Kinonikon of the Feast.

November 26
Memory of our venerable Fathers Alypios the Stylite
(+under Heraclius, 610-641) and
Nikon the Preacher of Repentance (end of the Tenth century)
A native of Adrianopolis in Paphlagonia,
Saint Alypios lived in the time of Emperor
Heraclius (610-641). A deacon and econome
of the Church, he abandoned everything
when he was thirty years old and withdrew
to the desert. To escape the crowds of people
who came to see him, he mounted a column
(in Greek: Kion) and because of this he was
called the Kionite, or stylite. It is related that
he remained on a column for fifty-three

years, and even when his strength declined,

he remained not less than thirteen years
lying on the same side and on the same
column, without ever turning on the other
side, until the day when he committed his
precious soul to God.
Saint Nikon was born in Armenia. Leaving
his parents and country, he went into the
eastern provinces to cry out to all:
"Metanoite," "Repent!", for which he merits
his surname. Arriving at last in Lacedaemon
(Sparta) in the Peloponnese, he built a
temple in honor of Christ Our Savior, and
resided there until the end of his life. He
died toward the end of the tenth century.
Fifth Class Feast.
From this day forward, the Kondakion of Sundays
and Major Feast Days is that of the Pre-festive
Period of the Nativity according to the Flesh of Our
Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ (on December
20).

November 27
Memory of the holy Great martyr James the Persian (+ca.422)
Saint James was born in Bethlapad in the
Suzian. He was of noble ancestry and the
intimate friend of Yasdagerd I, the King of
Persia (399-425). A Christian from birth, he
renounced Christ, blinded by the King's
friendship and flattery. Learning this, his
mother and wife made it known to him in
writing that they no longer had anything in
common with him, because he preferred a
passing glory to the love of Christ. Struck by
these words and returning to himself, he
wept bitterly over his sin and completely
changed his attitude toward the king. The
king became extremely angry and
condemned him to an atrocious death, such
as no one would dare to inflict on wild
beasts. His hands and feet were cut off,
methodically piece by piece, up to his

shoulders and legs. Thus mutilated, the Saint

was beheaded.
Fifth Class Feast.

November 28
Memory of the holy Hosiomartyr Stephen the Younger (715-764)
The holy Martyr Irenarchos and his
Seven Companions (beginning of the Fourth century)
Saint Stephen was born in Constantinople in
the month of September, 715, and was
baptized by Patriarch Saint Germanus of
Cyzicus. In 731, he embraced monastic life
on the famous hill of Saint Auxentios,
opposite Byzantium, under the direction of
the Venerable John. When the latter died in
743 or 746, the Saint inherited his cell. But
Constantine V Copronymus, who succeeded
his father Leo in the government of the
Empire in 741, convoked a synod in 754
against the Holy Icons and persecuted the
pious monks by various tortures and exile.
He exiled Saint Stephen among others. In
764, he called together in the pretorium in
Constantinople about three hundred other
confessors who came from all parts of the
empire-along with Saint Stephen. Some had
their noses cut off, others lost their ears,
their eyes, their hands, their beard. Eleven
months after this sentence of condemnation,
the Saint was taken out of prison, thrown on
the ground, dragged to the public square
with his hands tied, beaten with sticks, and
stoned like the Protomartyr Stephen, for
which he was called the "New Stephen."
Dragged out by a certain Count
Philomattios, desirous of winning favors
from the Emperor, he was beaten on the
head with a huge beam which smashed his
skull and shattered his brain. He died on
November 28, 764.

It is said that the holy martyr Irenarchos

suffered for the faith in Sebastea, Armenia,
during Diocletian's reign, in the beginning of
the Fourth century.
Fifth Class Feast.

November 29
Memory of the holy Martyrs Paramonos (+under Decius, 249-251) and
Philomenos (+under Aurelian, 270-275)
Saint Paramonos suffered martyrdom under
Emperor Decius (249-251).
Saint Philomenos lived under Emperor
Aurelian (270-275). A native of Lycaonia, he
was a baker by profession and furnished
bread to different localities in Galatia.
Accused before Felix, the Governor of
Ancyra, he courageously confessed his faith.
To torture him, his hands and feet were
bound with iron chains. Then he was
suspended and his body was torn open with
sword thrusts. Afterwards, he was taken
down and thrown into a red-hot furnace.
Preserved from all these tortures by the
power of Christ, his head, hands, and feet
were bound, and he was thus dragged a
distance of thirty stadia. He died during
these tortures.
Fifth Class Feast.

November 30
Memory of the Holy and Glorious Apostle Andrew,
the First-called (First century)
A native of Bethsaida in Galilee, Saint
Andrew was son of Jonas, the brother of
Saint Peter, and the disciple of Saint John
the Baptist. Having understood the
testimony of his teacher who pointed at
Christ and said: "Behold the lamb of God
who takes away the sin of the world," he

immediately followed Jesus and was his first

disciple (whence his name of Protoklitos, or
First-called). After the Savior's Ascension,
according to Eusebius (III:1), he evangelized
Scythia and, if ecclesiastical tradition is to
be believed, died crucified in Patras in
Achaia. In 1462 his head was laid near the
tomb of Peter in the Vatican by Pope Pius II.
Pope Paul VI, in 1964, returned the relic of
Saint Andrew to the Orthodox Church in
Patras, Greece, where tradition says he was
martyred.
Third Class Feast, follow the general order of a
Third Class Feast.