Saint Paisios the Athonite was born Arsenios Eznepidis in July 1924, in Farasa Cappadocia.

He was a Greek monk who became widely known for his prophecies, miracles and for his gentle manner and acceptance of those who came to receive his advice, counsel, and blessing.  

Saint Paisios was canonized on January 13, 2015, by the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. The Orthodox Church commemorates Saint Paisios on July 12.

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Saint Paraskevi is the patron saint for health of the eyes.

Saint Paraskevi was arrested during the reign of the Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius under the penalty of refusing to worship idols and adhering to the state pagan religion.

During attempts to torture the saint, she restored the emperor’s eyesight. The miracle had such a profound effect on him that he not only freed the saint, he ordered all persecutions against Christians be stopped and he himself converted to Christianity.

The calm did not last long. Marcus Aurelius, Antonius’ successor, renewed the persecutions against the Christian Church. Saint Paraskeviwas tortured and beheaded in Rome, in the year180 AD.

At the place of her martyrdom in Asia Minor, a small chapel was built in her honour.  Miraculously, a natural spring started flowing from beneath the church and many who came to drink from this water were healed, especially those with eye problems.  Hence, Saint Paraskevi came to be known as the patron saint for eyesight. 

The feast day for Saint Paraskevi is celebrated on July 26.

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The Unfading Rose or Rodon to Amaranton (Greek) is an icon of the Mother of God, holding and offering a rose to Jesus Christ.

According to tradition, the rose is the Mother of God’s virginity and purity offered to her Son.

The time of the appearance of this original miracle-working icon in Russia is unknown. Its name, 'The Unfading Rose', is related with hymns dedicated to the Mother of God.

The miraculous icons of this iconographic type were locally revered and were popular over the area from the Perm Gubernia in the Urals to the Poltava Gubernia in the Ukraine. They have healed a great number of sick people.

The feast day for the icon, The Unfading Rose, is celebrated on April 3.

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The Nativity according to the flesh of our Lord, God and Saviour Jesus Christ, also called Christmas, is one of the Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church, celebrated on December 25. In the fullness of time, our Lord Jesus Christ was born to the Holy Theotokos and Virgin Mary, thus entering into the world as a man and revealing Himself to mankind. According to the Bible and to Holy Tradition, Jesus was born in the city of Bethlehem in a cave, surrounded by farm animals and shepherds. The baby Jesus was born into a manger from the Virgin Mary, assisted by her husband St. Joseph. St. Joseph and the Theotokos were forced to travel due to a Roman census; the odd location of the birth was the result of the refusal of a nearby inn to accommodate the expecting couple (Luke 2:1-20). Since it is known historically that dwellings were built directly over such caves housing livestock in order to make use of the heat Though three magi from the East are commonly depicted as visiting during the event itself came bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Matt 2:11). In the hymnography for the feast, these gifts are interpreted to signify Christ's royalty, divinity, and suffering.

The Feast of the Dormition of Our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary is celebrated on August 15 each year. The Feast commemorates the repose (dormition and in the Greek kimisis) or "falling-asleep" of the Mother of Jesus Christ, our Lord. The Feast also commemorates the translation or assumption into heaven of the body of the Theotokos.

Octavian is a Roman name that means “eighth.” The name was originally given, perhaps, to the eighth child in a family. The feminine version of this name is Octavia.

Sometimes we have very little specific information about a saint. This is the case with St. Octavian.

Octavian was in Archdeacon in the church in Carthage, an extremely important city in the Roman empire located in northern Africa.

An Archdeacon is a very important position in the Church. In the Eastern Catholic Churches, it is the most senior position in the Church next to the Bishop; these are all very powerful offices in governing the Church and ministering to the people.

Octavian believed that Jesus was fully human and fully divine, completely equal to God the Father and existing at the same time. This teaching was opposed by a priest named Arius who taught that God created Jesus at some point in time. Those who followed the teachings of Arius were called Arians. The Church fought against this heresy, also called the Arian heresy or false teaching.

During Octavian’s lifetime, some members of the Vandals, a tribe from East Germany, became followers of Arius. One of these was King Hunneric who ruled over Carthage and many other places in Europe and northern Africa. After initially treating the Christians leniently, King Hunneric began a persecution of them because their religious beliefs opposed his own and because he wished to seize their property for himself. During this persecution, many Christians were killed for their faith. These included St. Octavian whom we presume was captured not only because he was a Christian but also because he was well known and held high positions of authority in the Church. Saint Octavian died 484 A.D. His feast day is 22 March.

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On the first Sunday after the 13th of February there is celebrated "in ancient Corinth", the memory of the co-workers of the Apostle Paul: Titius, Justus, Chloe and Crispus.

We only have biographical information about Saint Chloe. Accordingly, Saint Chloe was from Corinth (not Ephesus as some sources say), and was a significant co-worker of the Apostle Paul to the Church of Corinth.

Chloe had spiritual ties with the great Apostle of Christ. She stood by the Apostle in his missionary ministry, as much as possible. The anxiousness of the Apostle Paul for the Church of Corinth was shared by Chloe. This is why when a quarrel took place in the Church of Corinth, she rushed to Paul in Ephesus (1 Cor. 1:11). It was because of this that Saint Paul wrote his Epistles to the Corinthians.

This act by Chloe testifies to her faith in Christ and care for the household of God. Chloe did not want quarrels and divisions. She didn't want groups of believers, but unity in Christ (1 Cor. 1:12). She wanted the Church of Christ to be one Body whose Head was Christ (1 Col. 1:18). Therefore, to dispel the factionalism of the Church of Corinth, she ran to the founder of the Church of Corinth. And this intervention brought positive results.

Source

Saint George was a soldier in the Roman army and was later venerated as a Christian martyr. His father was Gerontius, a Greek Christian from Cappadocia, and an official in the Roman army. His mother, Polychronia was a local Greek Christian of Palestine. Saint George is one of the most venerated saints in the Catholic, Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, and the Oriental Orthodox churches. He is immortalized in the tale of Saint George and the Dragon and is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers.

The feast day for Saint George is celebrated on April 23.

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Saint Nikon the Metanoeite (“Preacher of Repentance”) was born at Pontus (modern north-eastern Turkey) at the beginning of the tenth century. He was the son of a wealthy landowner.

Since he had no desire to take over the management of his family's wealth and estates, he entered the monastery of Khrysopetro (“Golden Stone”), where he spent twelve years, living an ascetic life of prayer and penance.

His abbot, impressed by his spiritual conferences sent him out into the world to preach.

Saint Nikon never ceased to preach the word of God, and to lead people back to the spiritual life of the Church. He also healed the sick, and performed many other miracles. "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand."

After extensive travel and more than thirty years of preaching in the Peloponnese, he died in a monastery there in 998 AD.

The feast day for Saint Nikon is celebrated on November 26.

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Saint Barnabas, born Joseph, was one of the earliest Christian disciples in Jerusalem. According to Acts 4:36 Barnabas was a Cypriot Jew. Named an apostle in Acts 14:14, he and Paul the Apostle undertook missionary journeys together and defended Gentile converts against the Judaizers. They travelled together making more converts (c 45-47), and participated in the Council of Jerusalem (c 50). Barnabas and Paul successfully evangelized among the "God-fearing" Gentiles who attended synagogues in various Hellenized cities of Anatolia.

Although the date, place, and circumstances of his death are historically unverifiable, Christian tradition holds that Barnabas was martyred at Salamis, Cyprus, in 61 AD. He is traditionally identified as the founder of the Cypriot Orthodox Church.

The feast day for Saint Barnabas is celebrated on June 11.

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Saint George was a soldier in the Roman army and was later venerated as a Christian martyr. His father was Gerontius, a Greek Christian from Cappadocia, and an official in the Roman army. His mother, Polychronia was a local Greek Christian of Palestine. Saint George is one of the most venerated saints in the Catholic, Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, and the Oriental Orthodox churches. He is immortalized in the tale of Saint George and the Dragon and is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers.

The feast day for Saint George is celebrated on April 23.

Learn more about Saint George.

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The Mother of God Sweet Kissing known in Greek as “Glykophilousa”, depicts the Virgin Mary caressing her son, so that they appear to be kissing. In the Byzantine representations, the Child caresses her cheek while she appears sad, seemingly contemplating his coming Passion.

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The Bridegroom icon and service is commonly known in Greek  as “O Nymphios”.

As a husband is to his wife so is Jesus Christ to His Church. His Crucifixion is His marital vow and His mockery and beating His wedding feast. 

The Bridegroom icon shows Christ stripped of His garments and clothed in a scarlet robe to mock Him.  He wears a crown of thorns, causing blood to flow from the wounds.  A reed is placed in His bound hands as a sceptre.  

In Christ's halo are the Greek letters for "I AM", to remind us that Christ was the All-Powerful God who freely chose to experience pain and death.  For the first three days of Holy Week this icon is placed prominently in the Church to remind us of Christ's great love and great suffering. 

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Matthew 19:13-15
The little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”

And he laid His hands on them and departed from there.

This story is also found in Mark 10:13-16 and Luke 18:15-17.

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The Hospitality of Abraham icon depicts the story of Abraham and Sarah’s generous hospitality to three visitors (angels) who came to them by the oaks of Mamre, told in Genesis 18.

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