Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost Seventeenth Sunday of Matthew After-feast of the Presentation (Meeting) of Christ The Martyr and Healer Julian of Homs Boukolos, Bishop of Smyrna; Photios the Great, Patriarch of Constantinople Who Was St. Photios the Great, Patriarch of Constantinople?   St. Photios the Great, Patriarch of Constantinople   Who Was St. Photios … [Read more...]

The Three Great Hierarchs and Ecumenical Teachers: Basil the Great,Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom Fifteenth Sunday of Luke - The Sunday of Zacchaeus Hieromartyr Hippolytos, Pope of Rome; Virgin-martyr Chrissa of Rome; New-martyr Theodore of Mitylene; Julian, Priest of Aegina   The Sunday of Zacchaeus Zacchaeus was a rich publican at Jericho. Since he was short of … [Read more...]

Thirty-first Sunday after Pentecost Fourteenth Sunday of Luke Hieromartyr Clement, Bishop of Ancyra Martyr Agathangelos; Paulinos, bishop of Nola   Hieromartyr Clement, Bishop of Ancyra, and Martyr Agathangelus Who Were Hieromartyr Clement, Bishop of Ancyra, and Martyr Agathangelus? The Hieromartyr Clement was born in the Galatian city of Ancyra in the year 258, of a … [Read more...]

The Twenty-ninth Sunday after Pentecost Twelfth Sunday of Luke Veneration of the Precious Chains of the Apostle Peter Peusippos and Neonilla, and the martyrs of Cappadocia; Hieromartyr Damaskinos of Hilandar monastery on Athos   The Chains of St. Peter in Rome The Veneration of the Chains of St. Peter On January 16 in the Holy Orthodox Church, we celebrate the … [Read more...]

The Sunday After Theophany Martyr Polyeuktos of Armenia; Venerable Eustratios the wonderworker; New-martyr Parthenas; Philip, metropolitan of Moscow   Services This Week Sun Jan 02 — SUNDAY DIVINE LITURGY - Orthros 8:30am Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM Wed Jan 05 — Theophany Royal Hours 9:00am LIVE STREAM Wed Jan 05 — Theophany Orthros 5:00pm LIVE … [Read more...]

Christ is Born! Glorify Him! The Sunday Before Theophany AftSylvester, pope of Rome; Cosmas the wonderworker, archbishop of Constantinople; Repose of Venerable Seraphim of Sarov   The Baptism of Christ   Theophany (or Epiphany) means shining forth or manifestation. The feast is often called, as it is in the Orthodox service books, Theophany, which means the … [Read more...]

Synaxis of the Most Holy Theotokos Sunday after the Nativity of Christ Afterfeast of the Nativity, Synaxis of the Holy Theotokos, Euthemios the Confessor, Bishop of Sardis, Holy New Hieromartyr Constantine of Russia, Who Struggled in Constantinople (1743), Constantius the Holy Martyr, Barlaam the Righteous of Valaam The Synaxis (Gathering) of the Theotokos What is the Synaxis … [Read more...]

Sunday before the Nativity of Christ (The Genealogy) Martyrs Boniface and Aglaïs of Rome; Boniface the Merciful, bishop of Ferentino in Tuscany; Martyrs Eutychios and Thessalonica and their companions The Geneology of Christ according to St. Luke The Geneology of Christ The genealogies in the gospels of Saints Matthew and Luke are made to and from Joseph. This is not to give … [Read more...]

Sunday of the Forefathers (Ancestors) of Christ Spyridon, bishop of Trimythous, the Wonderworker VJohn, metropolitan of Zichnon; Hieromartyr Alexander, archbishop of Jerusalem The Forefathers (Ancestors) of Christ Sermon on the Sunday of the Forefathers By Fr. Thaddeus Hardenbrook On the second Sunday before Nativity, the Gospel reading leaves off its progression based on … [Read more...]

Tenth Sunday of Luke The God-bearing Father Sabbas the Sanctified Venerable-Martyr Stephen the New, Martyr Irinarchos of Sebastia and those with him Who was the God-bearing Father Sabbas the Sanctified? Today, the fifth of December, is the feast-day of Saint Sabbas, one of the great monastic fathers of the Middle East in Late Antiquity. Saint Sabbas, who in the Orthodox Church … [Read more...]

Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost Thirteenth Sunday of Luke Venerable-Martyr Stephen the New, Martyr Irinarchos of Sebastia and those with him Who was Venerable-Martyr Stephen the New?     The Monk Martyr and Confessor Stephen the New was born in 715 at Constantinople into a pious Christian family. His parents, having two daughters, prayed the Lord for a son. The … [Read more...]

The Feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos The Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple, also called The Presentation, is one of the Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church, celebrated on November 21. Among those Orthodox Christians who use the "Old" (Julian) calendar as their Church calendar, the date of this feast corresponds to December 4 in the secular calendar. According to … [Read more...]

Correction: St. John Chrysostom Divine Liturgy is on Saturday, November 13, 2021 at 9:30am The newsletter sent out earlier this week had the wrong day.   St. John Chrysostom Interpreting the Epistles of Paul   Fundraising Concert for First Things Foundation Many of you are familiar with John Heers (a frequent guest at St. Peter's) and First Things Foundation … [Read more...]

Eighth Sunday of Luke Gregory Palamas, archbishop of Thessalonica; The Holy Apostle Philip (of the 70), New-martyr Constantine of Hydra; Justinian the emperor and his wife Theodora Who Was St. Gregory Palamas?     Our holy Father Gregory was born in Constantinople in 1296 of aristocratic parents who had emigrated from Asia Minor in the face of the Turkish invasion, … [Read more...]

Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost Seventh Sunday of Luke Venerable Lazarus the Wonderworker of Magnesia The Thirty-three Martyrs of Melitene Who Was Venerable Lazarus the Wonderworker of Magnesia?     Saint Lazarus the Wonderworker of Mt Galesius near Ephesus was born in Lydia, in the city of Magnesium. An educated young man who loved God, Lazarus became a monk at … [Read more...]

Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost Fifth Sunday of Luke Apostles Stachios, Apellos, Amplias, Urban, Aristoboulos and Narcissos of the Seventy; Martyr Epimachos of Alexandria; New-martyr Nicholas of Chios Apostles Stachios, Apellos, Amplias, Urban, Aristoboulos and Narcissos of the Seventy; Martyr Epimachos of Alexandria; New-martyr Nicholas of Chios The holy, glorious, … [Read more...]

Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost Sixth Sunday of Luke Great-Martyr Arethas (al-Haarith) and companions in Arabia, Martyr Sebastiana of Heraclea; Righteous Elesbaan, King of Ethiopia Great-Martyr Arethas These Martyrs contested for piety's sake in the year 524 in Najran, a city of Arabia Felix (present-day Yemen). When Dhu Nuwas, ruler of the Himyarite tribe in south Arabia, and … [Read more...]

Sunday of Holy Fathers of Seventh Ecumenical Council The Fourth Sunday of Luke Prophet Hosea; Venerable-martyr Andrew of Crete The Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council On Sunday the Church remembers the 350 holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council under the holy Patriarch Tarasius. The Synod of 787, the second to meet at Nicea, refuted the Iconoclast heresy … [Read more...]

Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost Third Sunday of Luke Holy Martyrs Eulampios and Eulampia at Nicomedia, Venerable Theophilos the confessor of Bulgaria; Venerable Ambrose of Optina Who was the Venerable Ambrose of Optina? Alexander Michailovich Grenkov was born Nov. 23, 1812 in the Russian province of Tambov. His parents raised him strictly and with fervent piety. Since he was of … [Read more...]

Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost Second Sunday of Luke Hieromartyr Dionysios the Areopagite Martyrs Eleutherios and Rustikos Who was Hieromartyr Dionysios the Areopagite? Saint Dionysius lived originally in the city of Athens. He was raised there and received a classical Greek education. He then went to Egypt, where he studied astronomy at the city of Heliopolis. It was in … [Read more...]