Saint Euboula, mother of Saint Panteleimon
Saint Euboula (Εὐβούλη) fell asleep in the Lord on March 30 around the year 303 in Nicomedia, shortly before the start of a large-scale persecution of Christians by Emperor Diocletian, She and her son, the Great Martyr Panteleimon, (July 27) both suffered during that time. In the Synaxaria for this day it is said that according to Scripture, this wondrous and blessed woman was truly revealed as a virtuous woman who was "a crown to her husband" (Proverbs 12:4), and "as a mother rejoicing in her children" (Psalm 112/113:9).
Saint Euboula was born into a Christian family, and her parents raised her as an Orthodox Christian. She married a pagan husband by the name of Eustorgios. Her parents hoped that in this way their daughter would fulfill the words of the Apostle: "The unbelieving husband is sanctified by his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by her husband" (1 Corinthians 7:14). So in their marriage, they were united in body, yet separated in spirit. The husband was diligent in offering sacrifices to the pagan idols, but his wife offered a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to the true God at every hour. When she conceived the long-awaited fruit of marriage in her womb, she gave thanks to the Lord, and God's love was multiplied because of her virtue, and she prayed to Him day and night.
Foreseeing that she would depart soon from this temporal life, the Saint strove to dedicate her son to God from the womb. When the child was born, the righteous Euboula's husband named him Pantaleon, which means "like a lion," hoping that his son would become a great warrior.
Euboula raised her son in piety, teaching him, as far as possible, about the one true God. This blessed mother directed all her teachings, not so much to the young man's mind as to the recesses of his heart, hoping that when the grace of the Holy Spirit came upon him, He would open Pantaleon's mind to the understanding of divine mysteries, and would remind him of everything his mother had said.
After a few years went by, Saint Euboula was on her deathbed and called her son to give him her final instruction. After kissing him and blessing him, she wept and spoke these words: "Child, my beloved child, behold, now I depart to the grave in my body, but I shall not be separated from you in my soul. I beseech you, my light, let nothing in this world separate you from the love of God, lift up your eyes to heaven, look to God alone, remember His all-seeing eye, and seek help from Him. Emulate Him throughout your life, He is merciful, generous and the lover of mankind, so may you also acquire a compassionate heart and show mercy all the days of your life, and diligence most of all."
During this conversation, Euboula shed many tears and was filled with God's grace, and so she began to prophesy. She said, "I see with my spiritual eyes that there will be a fierce persecution of the Church. But I see that our great God, through you, my son, the malevolent devil will be shamed and humiliated. You are like a lion against the devil himself, and you will make him howl, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, what honor the Lord has bestowed upon me! How is it that I shall be called the mother of a Great Martyr? Behold, already the shining Angels are coming and calling my soul to my sweetest Master. From my youth I have loved Him and have kept His commandments."
Then, illumined by the great radiance of her son in her arms, she surrendered her soul to God.
After his mother's blessed repose, the young man grew and was strengthened in spirit. By God's grace, his mother's prayers protected him. Recalling his mother's words that she would always be with him, Pantaleon endeavored to lead an upright life. His character was meek, humble, obedient, and hard-working. God did not regard the prayers of His servant as fruitless, but eventually He led Pantaleon to an Elder, a priest named Hermólaos. When the Elder began to teach him about our Lord Jesus Christ, the young man's heart leapt for joy, and he learned his mother's words from the Elder.
At his Baptism, the clairvoyant Elder named him Panteleimon, which means "All-Merciful." In addition to receiving Holy Baptism and partaking of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, Panteleimon remained with Hermólaos for seven days, receiving the life-giving water of his words as if from a fountain, enriching his soul with spiritual fruitfulness, according to the grace of Christ.
Afterward, he converted his father Eustorgios to the Lord and brought him to Baptism, and together with him he destroyed the idols. Eustorgios, on the other hand, after receiving Holy Baptism, he changed so much spiritually that he became as a child, meek and gentle. For this reason, the Lord would soon translate him from this temporal life to eternal life, along with his wife, the righteous Euboula, and their child, to rejoice forever. Saint Panteleimon suffered a great deal for Christ, and after glorifying His name, he completed his martyric contest.
Saint Euboula's greatest achievement was that of motherhood. This devout mother raised an Unmercenary Physician, Healer, and Great Martyr of Christ's Church. Therefore, she is revered as the patroness of Orthodox mothers. Saint Euboula's Troparion expresses the idea that holy children are God's gift to holy mothers: "The most joyous things given by God to holy women are holy children."
Saint Euboula is especially venerated in the Russian Monastery of Saint Panteleimon on Mount Athos, where a Polyeleion Service was composed in the XIX century. On March 30, the day of her commemoration, a festive celebration (πανηγύρι) takes place in the Monastery, with an all-night vigil, according to the order of a patronal feast. If March 30 falls on a weekday during Great Lent, then the Feast Day is transferred to the 4th or 5th Sunday of the Forty Day Fast.
In 2003, a church was built at the Russian Monastery of Saint Panteleimon on Mount Athos, and dedicated to the holy righteous Euboula. It was consecrated on November 9 of that year by the then Archbishop Onoúphrios of Chernivits and Bukovena (now Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine). Elder Jeremiah, the Superior of Saint Panteleimon Monastery, (now asleep in the Lord) liked to say that the righteous Euboula is second only to the Most Holy Theotokos, as a mother of the monks of Saint Panteleimon's Monastery on the Holy Mountain.