Lives of all saints commemorated on September 22

Hieromartyr Phocas was born in the city of Sinope. From youth he led a virtuous Christian life, and in his adult years he became Bishop of Sinope. Saint Phocas converted many pagans to faith in Christ. At the time of a persecution against Christians under the emperor Trajan (98-117), the governor demanded that the saint renounce Christ. After fierce torture they enclosed Saint Phocas in a hot bath, where he died a martyr’s death in the year 117.

In the year 404, the relics of the saint were transferred to Constantinople (July 22).

The Hieromartyr Phocas is especially venerated as a defender against fires, and also as a helper of the drowning.

The Holy Prophet Jonah lived in the eighth century before the birth of Christ and was a successor of the Prophet Elisha. The Book of the Prophet Jonah contains prophecies about the judgments on the Israelite nation, the sufferings of the Savior, the downfall of Jerusalem, and the end of the world. Besides the prophecies, the Book of Jonah relates how he was sent to the Ninevites to preach repentance (Jon. 3: 3-10).

Our Lord Jesus Christ, addressing the Scribes and the Pharisees who demanded a sign from Him, said that no sign would be given except for the sign of the Prophet Jonah, “As Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so also shall the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights” (Mt. 12: 40). From these words the Lord shows clearly the symbolic meaning of the Book of the Prophet Jonah in relation to Christ’s death on the Cross, descent into Hell, and the Resurrection.

Reproaching the lack of penitence and recalcitrance of the Jews, the Lord said, “The Ninevites shall rise in the judgment with this generation and will condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and one greater than Jonah is here” (Mt. 12: 41).

Saint Jonah the Presbyter, Father of Saints Theophanes the Hymnographer (October 11) and Theodore the Branded (December 27), lived in Palestine in the late eighth to early ninth centuries.

Saint Jonah lived a virtuous and holy life. He had two sons who were glorified afterwards for their confession of Orthodoxy during the time of the Iconoclast heresy. After the death of his wife, Saint Jonah withdrew to the Lavra of Saint Savva the Sanctified (December 5), where both his sons earlier had been tonsured as monks. Saint Jonah dwelt at the Lavra until his death in the ninth century. The Lord bestowed upon His saint the gift of healing.

Saint Jonah of Yash Lake was born in the village of Shoksha, sixteen versts from the monastery later established by him. The foundation of the monastery took place in 1580, when a wooden church was built in honor of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, and eight monks joined together with the monk to labor in asceticism.

Saint Jonah toiled with great concern over the building up of the monastery. Thus, for example, in order to ease the catching of fish, he himself dug a channel from Yash Lake to the nearby Lake Senno. He often rode horseback along the solitary paths of the forest in search of necessities for the monastery.

The ascetic made vessels from wood to be used for the divine services. In time the monk became known for his holy life far beyond the bounds of the monastery. Many pilgrims brought gifts, among which also were Church service books. The boundaries of the monastery expanded, and the number of churches increased. Profound love and reverence for the ascetic were demonstrated by Metropolitan Isidore of Novgorod, by Igumen James of the Solovki monastery, by Saint Irenarchus (July 17), and also by many other contemporaries.

Saint Jonah died at the end of the sixteenth century and was buried in the Annunciation monastery founded by him.

Saint Phokas (Phokás) came from Sinope (Sinópē) and his only possessions were a garden which he cultivated with great diligence. His income from the garden was very small. But since he was a good steward and frugal in his needs, he would always have something for the poor. Saint Phokas studied the Holy Scriptures with pleasure. He even told those who saw him studying that our soul is also a garden, which requires care, so that it does not produce thorns and thistles.¹ The gardener Phokas also desired that everyone's souls should become spiritual gardens. So wherever he could, he contributed to their purification and cultivation. While he was selling vegetables and fruits, he spoke words of great spiritual profit at the same time. Not only did he benefit Christians, but he also converted many pagans.

At that time, the idolaters were persecuting Christians. Therefore, when it became known that the gardener Phokas was a Christian, the rulers sent soldiers to arrest him.

Since the Saint's home was near the castle gate which communicated with the port, he often had many visitors; sometimes foreign travelers, and sometimes the poor. So when the soldiers came he welcomed them as guests. After some time had passed, he asked them the purpose of their visit. Obliged by his hospitality they disclosed their secret, that they were seeking the Christian Phokas in order to behead him. They even told him that he would be doing them a great favor if he would help them.

Unperturbed, Saint Phokas came out of his house to dig and prepare his own grave, and the next day he told the soldiers who he was. They were astonished and ashamed, because they had been received by Saint Phokas with so much love that they did not want to kill him. The Saint understood their difficulty and told them not to hesitate, but to carry out their orders since it was not they who would be responsible for his murder, but rather those who sent them. By speaking in this way he persuaded the soldiers to behead him.

An accurate account of the Martyr’s death was written by Asterios (Astérios) of Amasea (+ 410).

Christians built a magnificent church on the site of his beheading, and they placed the honorable relics of the Holy Martyr in it. This became a source of comfort for the afflicted, and healing for the sick. A fragment of the Holy Relics of Saint Phokas is located in the Monastery of Proussos in Evritania.

When his homeland, Sinope, was in danger of famine, wheat was found, thanks to the Saint's protection. He appeared several times to sailors who were in danger of sinking in the sea, and saved them from drowning. At other times he would awaken the helmsman, telling him to be ready, for a storm was coming. Other times he was seen by the sailors in rough seas helping sometimes on the ropes, sometimes on the sails, or sometimes protecting the ship, so that it would not be wrecked on a reef, or be caught in heavy rain.

Here is how the custom of having Saint Phokas as a guest at their table was begun among sailors. When they were sitting at the table, one of the sailors bought the Saint's share; the next day another sailor bought it, and so they collected the money. When the ship reached its destination, they distributed the money to the poor.

The Saint worked many miracles of healing. He appeared to some people in their sleep, but he was not visible to others. Thus, the insignificant and humble gardener Phokas is honored by Christians because of his gift of working miracles.

The Holy Martyr Phokas is especially venerated by sailors, and he is also invoked by those who travel by sea.

¹ Genesis 3:19.

Saint Peter, Former Tax-Collector, was the chief collector of taxes in Africa in the service of the emperor Justinian (527-565). He was a cruel and merciless man.

One day he threw a morsel of bread to a beggar who annoyed him by incessantly begging alms. In a vision Peter saw himself as dead and how the holy Angels weighed his deeds on the scale of the righteous judgment of God. On the side of good deeds nothing was placed except a morsel of bread, thrown at the beggar, but this prevented the opposite side from being pulled down by his vicious deeds.

Peter pondered the meaning of the dream, and thought that if one loaf of bread, thrown involuntarily, was of such help to him, then he might receive much more help for good deeds performed with compassion and from the heart. He repented and completely changed his life. He liberally distributed alms to the needy, and fed and clothed many.

One day, in a dream, Peter saw Jesus Christ. The Lord was dressed in clothes which the saint once gave to a beggar. Peter then distributed his substance to the poor and ordered his slave to sell him into slavery and to give the money to the poor. The slave reluctantly carried out the orders of his master.

For many years Saint Peter worked diligently and humbly for his master. One day he was recognized by tradesmen to whom he had been known earlier. They told the master who his servant was. Having overheard this conversation, the saint quickly fled from the city. In departing, he worked a miracle: the gatekeeper, a deaf-mute slave, was ordered by Saint Peter to open the gates in the name of Jesus Christ. He fulfilled the command, and at once received his hearing and speech. He rushed around everywhere to tell his master and added moreover, that when the saint commanded him to open the gates, fire came forth from his mouth touching his face, after which he began to hear and speak. Everyone went to look for Peter, but the search proved in vain. The saint hid and remained hidden until his death.

The life of Saint Peter was passed along by Saint John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria (November 12), who in turn knew it from a man personally acquainted with the saint.

Saint Peter is commemorated on January 20 according to Greek usage.

No information available at this time.

Saint Alexander Nevsky, Great Prince August 30 (translation of relics in 1724), November 22 (his burial in 1263)

Saint Alexander, soldier, schemamonk, disciple of Saint Sergius. September 7 (+1390)

Saint Alexander, soldier, schemamonk, disciple of Saint Sergius. September 7 (+1380)

Saint Boris (Roman in Baptism), Prince, Passion-Bearer. May 2 (transfer of relics in 1072), July 24 (commemorated with Saint Gleb) (+1015)

Saint Gleb (David in Baptism), Prince, Passion-Bearer. May 2 (transfer of relics in 1115), July 24 (commemorated with Saint Boris), September 5 (martyrdom) (+1015)

Saint Demetrius Donskoy, Great Prince. May 19 (+1389)

Saint Igor (George in Baptism, Gabriel in monasticism), Great Prince. June 5 (transfer of relics in 1150), September 19 (+1147)

Saint John I Kalita, Great Prince. (+ 1340, date unknown)

Saint Kushka, Hieromonk of the Kiev Near Caves, hieromartyr. (+ after 1114)

Saint Macarius, abbot of Zhabyn, hieroschemamonk, wonderworker. January 22 (+1623)

Blessed Matrona the Blind of Moscow. April 19 (+1952)

Saint Michael of Chernigov, Great Prince, martyr, wonderworker. February 14 (transfer of relics in 1578), September 20 (martyrdom +1245)

Saint Nikḗtas, Bishop of Belev, hieromartyr (+1938) September 3 (glorification)

Saint Nicola Sviatosha, monk, prince, wonderworker. October 14 (+1143)

Saint Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia. May 9 (transfer of relics), December 6 (repose), July 29 (birth).

Saint Nikon, martyr, disciple of Saint Kushka. August 27 (+ after 1114)

Saint Onesimus, Bishop of Tula, New Martyr. February 14 (+1937), September 3 (glorification)

Saint Peter (Pavlushov), hieromartyr November 10, September 3 (glorification)

Saint Pimen, Archbishop of Novgorod (+ 1571, no date)

Saint Theoctistus, Bishop of Chernigov, August 5 (+1123)

Saint Cosmas the Anchorite of Zographou Monastery was born into an aristocratic family in Bulgaria toward the end of the XVIII century, and was proficient in Greek as well as Bulgarian. When his parents desired him to get married, he left their home surreptitiously and headed for the far-famed Holy Mountain: Mount Athos. Along the way, the devil tried to thwart the young man's intentions, vexing him with a vision of the infinite abyss of the sea which surrounds the Holy Mountain, but the Saint was able to overcome this demonic temptation with prayer.

Arriving at Zographou Monastery, Saint Cosmas became a novice for a short time, and then he received the monastic tonsure, and was appointed to the position of Ecclesiarch. On the Feast of the Annunciation, Saint Cosmas was astonished to see the Most Holy Theotokos serving the monks of Vatopaidi Monastery, both during the Church Services and in the trapeza.

Because of his virtues, the Superior had the Saint ordained as a deacon, and then as a priest, which inspired him to even greater efforts. Zealous for his salvation, Saint Cosmas prayed to the Mother of God, and was granted a sign of her special favor. He heard her voice emanating from her icon, asking her Son, "How shall Cosmas be saved?" The Lord replied, "He must leave the monastery and live in solitude."

After obtaining the Superior's blessing, Saint Cosmas withdrew into the wilderness, where he lived in a cave. There he confessed those who came to him, and was found worthy of the gift of clairvoyance, working miracles, seeing divine visions, and even predicting the time of his death.

Not long before that day, Christ appeared to Saint Cosmas, informing him that before his departure to the Kingdom of Heaven, Satan and his demonic hosts would attack him and beat him. As he had done at the start of the venerable one's ascetic life, the Enemy of mankind tried once again to turn Saint Cosmas away from his intended path; thus the final days before his death were a grievous trial for him. Prepared to face these trials by the words of the Savior, the Saint endured the fearful demonic assaults. After three days of being severely beaten by the demons, he received the Immaculate Mysteries of Christ. With words of praise on his lips, he departed peacefully to the Lord.

God, Who glorifies those who glorify Him, also glorified Saint Cosmas at the time of his death on September 22, 1323. As he was buried, a multitude of beasts and birds flocked to his cave, as if they sensed the sorrow of the entire Holy Mountain. When the Saint's body was placed in the grave and they began to cover it with dirt, each of the mute creatures uttered a mournful cry, and then returned to the wilderness. In this manner, they paid their final respects to Saint Cosmas.

Forty days later, when the brethren opened the saint’s tomb after the All-night Vigil in order to move his relics to the monastery with honor, they were not to be found. The Lord had hidden them in a miraculous way.

Saint Cosmas is also commemorated on the second Sunday after Pentecost, the Synaxis of All Saints of Mount Athos.

This wonderworking Icon is at Zographou Monastery on Mount Athos. The name of the Hearer Icon of the Mother of God (Παναγία Επακούουσα, or Услы́шательница in Russian) is explained by the following miraculous sign.

The venerable Cosmas was living a life of asceticism at Zographou Monastery in the XIV century. When he was still a young man, he visited Vatopaidi Monastery on the Feast of the Annunciation, which is that Monastery's Feast Day. There in the church during the service, and later in the trapeza, he saw a beautiful, majestic woman. Saint Cosmas was astonished and troubled to see her there on Mount Athos, because no woman is permitted to set foot on the Holy Mountain, so he was unable to understand why the monks allowed her to be there. While he was pondering these things, he returned to his Elder, who noticed his disciple's confusion and asked him, "Why are you so sad and pensive?"

Cosmas told him what he had seen at Vatopaidi Monastery, and revealed all of his doubts and thoughts about seeing a woman there with the monks.

"What sort of woman was she," the Elder asked, "and how was she dressed?"

Cosmas described her appearance in detail. Then, with a reproachful sigh, the Elder rebuked his disciple: "Didn't you bother to find out what sort of woman was at the monastery? This was not an ordinary mortal woman; she is the Queen of our Holy Mountain and of all creation herself!"

For some time after this, the venerable Cosmas remained alone in the monastery church, praying fervently before an Icon of the Mother of God. He exclaimed, "Most Holy Theotokos, pray that your Son and God may set me on the path of salvation!"

As soon as he uttered these words, he heard the voice of the Mother of God coming from the Icon and saying, "My Son and my God, teach Your servant how he may be saved."

At once the Lord replied, "Let him leave the monastery to live in solitude and in stillness" (ησυχία).¹

With the Superior's blessing, Saint Cosmas left his monastery and went into the wilderness, where he dug a cave out of a cliff, spending the rest of his life there in continuous asceticism. He made great progress in the hesychastic life, and so he was found worthy of the gifts of clairvoyance, working miracles, seeing divine visions, and even predicting the time of his death, which occurred on September 22, 1323.

The Icon before which Saint Cosmas prayed, and from which he heard the voice of the Mother of God, was named "The Hearer," because she heard his prayer. It is still in the katholikon of Zographou Monastery, in the altar, on the eastern wall, which extends into the diakonikon.²

¹ In the Lives of the Saints, and the writings of the Holy Fathers, stillness, or quiet, is essential for mental prayer, or prayer of the heart. In order to be effective, the Jesus Prayer requires the greatest inner and outer quiet or stillness. It is also called pure prayer because it presupposes a mind and heart free from fantasies, passions, and thoughts.

² The διακονικόν is a room on the south side of a church, behind the iconostasis, where vestments, books, charcoal, etc. are stored. There is a sink, towels, and other necessary items used in the services.