Afterfeast of the Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
The fourth day of the Afterfeast of Theophany falls on January 10. Some of the hymns of this period compare the streams of the Jordan to the life-giving waters of Baptism.
Lives of the Saints
Saint Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa
Saint Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa, was a younger brother of Saint Basil the Great (January 1). His birth and upbringing came at a time when the Arian disputes were at their height. Having received an excellent education, he was at one time a teacher of rhetoric. In the year 372, he was consecrated by…
Saint Dometian, Bishop of Melitene
Saint Dometian, Bishop of Melitene, was born and lived during the sixth century, in the time of the emperor Justin the Younger. He was married but was widowed, and thereafter he became a monk and lived a strict and holy life. At thirty years of age he was chosen bishop of the city of Melitene (in…
Saint Marcian the Presbyter in Constantinople
Saint Marcian, Presbyter of the Great Church, was born at Rome and in his youth he received a first-rate education in Constantinople. After the death of his parents, Saint Marcian used his inheritance on the building, renovation and embellishment of churches. Thus, he built a church dedicated to…
Venerable Paul, Abbot of Obnora, Vologda
Saint Paul of Obnora, a famed disciple of Saint Sergius of Radonezh, was born at Moscow in the year 1317. From his youth he distinguished himself by his piety and kindliness towards the poor and suffering. His rich parents prepared him for a secular life, but at twenty-two years of age he secretly…
Venerable Makarios of Pisma and Kostroma
On January 10, the Feast Day of Saint Paul of Obnora (or Komel), the Church also commemorates one of his friends and companions: Saint Makarios of Pisma. There is no information about when the two hermits became acquainted. According to ancient tradition, Saint Paul met Saint Makarios when he was…
Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa
Saint Theosebia the Deaconess was the sister of Saints Basil the Great, Gregory, afterwards Bishop of Nyssa , and Peter, Bishop of Sebaste. She was a virgin and served the Holy Church as a deaconess, caring for the sick, distributing food to vagrants, raising orphans and preparing women for holy…
Venerable Antipas of Valaam Monastery
Saint Antipas was born in Moldavia, Romania in 1816. His father was a deacon in the village church, and his mother ended her life in a women’s monastery as a schemanun. Saint Antipas came to Valaam Monastery from Mt Athos on November 6, 1865. He spent the rest of his life in the skete at…
Saint Theophan the Recluse, Bishop of Tambov
George Govorov, the future Saint Theophan, was born on January 10, 1815 in the village of Chernavsk in the Orlov province where his father was a priest. At first, George attended a primary school at Liven, then a military school. From 1837-1841 he studied at the Kiev Theological Academy, and…