On the first day of the Afterfeast of Theophany, the Church extols Saint John the Baptist as the greatest man born of a woman. He surpasses all the ancient prophets because he baptized the Messiah, Whose coming he foretold.
In the Orthodox Church it is customary, on the day following the Great Feasts of the Lord and the Mother of God, to remember those saints who participated directly in the sacred event. So, on the day following the Theophany of the Lord, the Church honors the one who participated directly in the…
Saint Pakhomios is commemorated on the Saturday after Theophany. He was the disciple and fellow ascetic of Saint Alexander of Oshevensk (April 20). Father Pakhomios left his instructor's Monastery shortly after the latter's repose. A strict faster and man of prayer, Pakhomios spent many years in…
Saint Brannock lived in the sixth century, and tutored the children of the Welsh ruler Brychan. He went with King Brychan on a pilgrimage to venerate the tombs of the Apostles. On the way home, he stopped in Brittany and remained there several years. Eventually, the saint settled in Braunton,…
Saint Cedd was a missionary and bishop who spread the faith throughout England during the seventh century. The eldest of four brothers, all of whom became priests, he was born in 620 AD into a noble Northumbrian family. At an early age, he began studies at the Lindisfarne Priory, where he became…