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May 14. Holy Righteous Isidor of Kerzhenets (of Kozmodemyansk)
Read more: May 14. Holy Righteous Isidor of Kerzhenets (of Kozmodemyansk)During the years of persecution against the Old Orthodox Christians, a considerable number of priests who had not renounced their faith abandoned their homes and churches, where worship according to the old books had become impossible. They fled to remote, deserted places beyond the reach of Moscow authorities, founding new Christian settlements or settling in…
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May 8. He Who Escaped the Ruined Monastery: Venerable Arseniy of Kerzhenets
Read more: May 8. He Who Escaped the Ruined Monastery: Venerable Arseniy of KerzhenetsVery little is known about the birth and life of this venerable monk and schema-monk Arseniy. He labored ascetically in the renowned Solovki Monastery, where he lived to an old age. During the siege of the monastery by the Nikonian forces—when the tsar’s army, led by Voivode Meshcherinov, bombarded the monastery with cannons, allowing no…
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May 8. The Commemoration of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian
Read more: May 8. The Commemoration of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the TheologianThis holy Apostle and Evangelist was born into the family of Zebedee and his wife Salome, the daughter of the holy righteous Joseph the Betrothed. Joseph had four sons—James, Simeon, Jude, and Joses—as well as three daughters: Esther, Martha, and Salome, who became the wife of Zebedee and the mother of John. All these children…
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April 18. Venerable Serapion of Cheremshan
Read more: April 18. Venerable Serapion of CheremshanHe was called the Sun of Cheremshan—such was the reverence for this holy man. When he reposed, thousands of people from towns and villages gathered at the Cheremshan Monastery for his burial. Who was he, and why was he so beloved by his fellow Old Believers, and even admired by his opponents for his righteousness? In…
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April 14. The Commemoration of the Pustozersk Martyrs
Read more: April 14. The Commemoration of the Pustozersk MartyrsOn April 27 (new style), the Church commemorates the sufferings and burning of the holy hieromartyr and confessor Avvakum and his fellow strugglers: Priest Lazar, Deacon Theodore, and Monk Epiphanius. These martyrs gave up their souls to God in Pustozersk in the year 1682. The supporters of Patriarch Nikon did not shrink from the cruelest…
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April 12. Life of Saint Afanasia of Aegina
Read more: April 12. Life of Saint Afanasia of Aegina(Commemorated April 12/25) The island of Aegina is one of the Aegean Islands, closest to the mainland of Hellas, lying south of Salamis. It was here that Saint Athanasia (+860 AD) was born and labored in asceticism. The name Athanasia in Greek means “immortality.” Saint Athanasia was the abbess of a monastery on the island of Aegina….
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April 11. The Life of Saint Varsonophy, Bishop of Tver
Read more: April 11. The Life of Saint Varsonophy, Bishop of Tver(Commemoration: April 11/24) Saint Varsonophius, Bishop of Tver and Wonderworker of Kazan, was born around the year 1495 in the city of Serpukhov, into the family of a priest. At baptism, the infant was given the name Ioann (John), although some sources name him Vasiliy (Basil). Gifted with diligence and a quick mind, the boy…
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April 11. The Life of Saint Antipas, Bishop of Pergamum and Hieromartyr
Read more: April 11. The Life of Saint Antipas, Bishop of Pergamum and Hieromartyr(Commemorated April 11/24) Saint Antipas, a hieromartyr, was a disciple of the holy Apostle John the Theologian and served as bishop of the Church of Pergamum during the reign of Emperor Nero (54–68 A.D.). At that time, by imperial decree, all who refused to offer sacrifices to idols were subjected to execution or exile. It…
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April 3. Bishop Pavel of Kolomna: 366 Years Since His Martyrdom. -Dimitry Urushev
Read more: April 3. Bishop Pavel of Kolomna: 366 Years Since His Martyrdom. -Dimitry UrushevDimitry Urushev Bishop Pavel of Kolomna is one of the most significant figures in Russian spiritual history of the 17th century. Alas, he was not fortunate. His name failed to attract the attention of scholars. He remained in the shadow of his more famous contemporaries—Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, Patriarch Nikon, and Archpriest Avvakum. Pavel and Nikon…
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April 3. Hieromartyr Pavel, Bishop of Kolomna
Read more: April 3. Hieromartyr Pavel, Bishop of KolomnaIn the mid-seventeenth century, Rus’ and the Russian Church stood at a historical crossroads. They faced a difficult choice: to preserve themselves as the Third Rome—the last bastion of Christianity—even if that meant isolation among the nations of the world; or to join with the rest, exchanging their spiritual birthright for a mess of worldly…