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St Artemon, Bishop of Seleucia

St Artemon, Bishop of SeleuciaHe was born and educated in Seleucia. When the Apostle Paul came to that city, he saw Artemon, confirmed him yet more strongly in the Christian faith and made him bishop of the city. Artemon guided Christ's flock with love and zeal as a physician to the souls and bodies of his people, and entered into eternity in great old age

Our Holy Father James the Confessor

Our Holy Father James the ConfessorHe suffered for the sake of the holy icons under the Emperor Leo the Armenian (813-20). He was a monk and a brother of the Studite monastery. When the great Theodore of the Studion was sent into exile, James was given over to great tortures to force him to renounce the veneration of icons. But he remained steadfast and faithful to Orthodoxy to the end. They returned him to his monastery beaten and tortured when the evil Emperor Leo had made a bad end. He died of his grievous injuries there in the monastery, and entered into the company of the citizens of heaven.

The Hieromartyr Parthenius, Patriarch of Constantinople

Born on the island of Mitylene, he was Bishop of Chios for a long time, and was later chosen as Patriarch. But, because of false allegations that he was working against the state, the Turks at first tried to force him to embrace Islam and, when he refused decisively, hanged him in 1657.

Commemoration of the Miracle at the Monastery of the Caves in Kiev

Two friends, John and Sergius, swore brotherhood before the icon of the holy Mother of God in this monastery. John was a rich man, with a five-year-old son, Zachariah. John fell ill, and at his death commended his son to the care of Sergius, and left in Sergius's keeping a large sum of silver and gold for him to hand over to Zachariah when he had grown up. When Zachariah came of age, however, Sergius denied receiving anything from the deceased John. Then Zachariah said: 'Let him swear before the same icon of the most holy Mother of God, in front of which he accepted brotherhood with my late father, that he received nothing from John, and then I will seek nothing more from him.' Sergius agreed, but when he had sworn this and went up to kiss the icon, some force held him back and would not allow him to come near. Then, tormented all at once by a demon, he began to cry out: 'Holy fathers Antony and Theodosius, do not let this merciless angel destroy me!' The demon had attacked him by God's permission. He then told them of all the money which John had left. But when they opened the box, they found double the amount. Taking it, Zachariah gave it to the monastery and was himself tonsured as a monk. He lived a long time and was worthy of God's great gifts, entering peacefully into eternity.

Our Holy Father Zacharias and Our Holy Father Malchus

Our Holy Father Zacharias and Our Holy Father MalchusHe was the son of Carion the Egyptian, who left wife and children to become a monk. The father took Zacharias with him, since his mother was unable to provide for him. Although younger than many of the elders in Scetis, he received greater gifts of grace than many of them. He felt as if his whole interior was aflame with the grace of God. Zacharias replied to the question of St Macarius, 'Who is a true monk?' saying: 'He who constantly restrains himself in the fulfilment of God's commandments.' And to the question of Abba Moses: 'What does it mean to be a monk?', Zacharias took off his hat and trod it underfoot, saying: 'If a man be not so broken, he cannot be a monk.' He was a great light among the monks in the desert, and went to his peace in the Lord at an early age.

Eight Martyrs of Caesarea in Palestine



Venerable Martin of Thebes, monk



Martyrs Stephen and Peter of Kazan (1552)

Martyrs Stephen and Peter of Kazan (1552)The Holy Martyr Stephen of Kazan was by birth a Tatar. For more than 20 years he suffered a weakness of the legs. After the taking of Kazan by Ivan the Terrible (1552), he believed in Christ and received healing. The saint was baptised by Archpriest Timofei of the Moscow cathedral, who had conveyed a missive of Metropolitan Makarii to the Russian army. After the withdrawal of the Russian army from Kazan, the Tatars – because of the firmness of his Christian faith, chopped up the martyr Stephen into parts, scattered about his body and plundered his house.

December 2003
SunMonTueWedThuFriSut
 New Martyrs Anastasius of Epirus and Daniel (1750)
1
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Martyres 150 soldiers (284)
2
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Martyrs Azades, Sasonius, Thecla, and Anna (343)
3
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St. Yaropolk-Peter, prince of Vladimir in Volhynia (1086)
4
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Martyr Agapion of Greece (304)
5
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New Martyr Archimandrite Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia (1942.)
6
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St. Malchus of Chalcis in Syria (5th c.)
7
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Venerable Peter the Silent, of Galata, Syria (429)
8
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St. Silas, bishop of Persidos
9
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Venerable Palladius of Thessalonica (6th-7th c.)
10
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St. Theodore, bishop of Theodosiopolis in Armenia (end of 6th c.)
11
oil
St. Mardarije of Libertyville
12
oil
Hierarch Samuel, Second Catholicos of Georgia
13
fish
St Philaret the Merciful
14
oil
St Jesse, Bishop of Tsiklan
15
oil
Our Holy Father Sava of Storozhev
16
oil
St Gennadius, Archbishop of Novgorod
17
oil
Our Holy Fathers Karyon and Zachariah
18
oil
St Theophilus, Bishop of Antioch
19
fish
Our Holy Father Nilus of Stolobnoye
20
oil
The Holy Martyrs in Africa
21
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St Sophronius, Archbishop of Cyprus
22
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Our Holy Father Thomas of Bithynia
23
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The Holy Martyr Meirax
24
oil
The Holy Martyr Synesius
25
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The Hieromartyr Gavrilo, Patriarch of Serbia
26
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The Holy Martyrs Philemon, Apollonius, Arrian and others
27
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Our Holy Father Pardus the Solitary
28
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St Theophano the Empress
29
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Our Holy Fathers, the New Martyrs Paisius and Habakkuk (Avakum)
30
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St Modestus, Patriarch of Jerusalem
31
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Moon phases for December , 2003 (Serbia)
08 Dec 2003 Full Moon
16 Dec 2003 Third Quarter
23 Dec 2003 New Moon
30 Dec 2003 First Quarter