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29/10/2026

🔸 October 29 - Saint Anastasia the Roman 🔸

Today, we commemorate the Holy Martyr Saint Anastasia the Roman who suffered for Christ during the reign of the emperor Decius (249-251).

St Anastasia was born in Rome, and lost her parents at the age of 3. As an orphan, she was taken to a women’s monastery where she was brought up by the Abbess Sophia who had attained great spiritual wisdom and holiness.

Sophia raised Anastasia in fervent faith, the fear of God, and humble obedience. After 17 years, Anastasia was known in the whole neighbourhood, to the Christians as a great ascetic and to the pagans as a rare beauty.

The pagan administrator of the city, Probus, heard of Anastasia and sent soldiers to bring her to him. Before her arrest, Anastasia told her Abbess, “My heart is ready to suffer for Christ; my soul is ready to die for my beloved Jesus.”

Probus tried first to flatter Anastasia saying, “Why waste your youth, deprived of pleasure? What is there to gain by enduring tortures and death for the Crucified One? Worship our gods, marry a handsome husband, and live in glory and honor.” Anastasia replied, “My spouse, my riches, my life and my happiness are my Lord Jesus Christ, and you cannot turn me away from Him by your deceit!”

When Probus had Anastasia stripped of her clothes, she told him, “You can have me whipped, beaten, and cut to pieces, and then my nakedness will be hidden by my wounds, and my blood will cover my shame.”

The martyr was beaten and burned over a fire, but through her prayers, she was able to moderate the agony of the pain. When she scorned the pagan gods as demonic, the tyrants cut out her tongue.

They also cut off her breasts and pulled out her fingernails and teeth. Anastasia fainted from the pain, and a Christian named Cyril gave her water for which he was beheaded.

The people, seeing the inhuman treatment of the saint, became indignant, and the ruler was compelled to end the tortures. And thus, St Anastasia was finally beheaded with the sword.

Her body was thrown outside the city to be eaten by wild animals, but the Lord preserved her. An Angel guided the Abbess Sophia to her mutilated body so she could be buried.

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28/10/2026

🔸 October 28 - The Four Holy New-Martyrs of Rethymno 🔸

Today, we also commemorate the Four Holy New-Martyrs of Rethymno on the island of Crete. They suffered for their faith in 1824 during the Ottoman occupation of Crete.

Angelis and his brother Manuel were cousins with the brothers George and Nicholas. They were all born around the start of the 19th century, and were farmers who were well off and married with children. They all lived in the town of Melampes near Rethymno, Crete.

As the island was under Turkish occupation, the young men were all Cryptochristians who adhered to the Christian faith in secret. Although they adopted Turkish names in public and ostensibly conformed to Islamic customs, they remained completely faithful to Orthodoxy.

They each fought valiantly in the Greek War of Independence from 1821 to 1824, and when the Turks recaptured Crete with the help of Egyptian troops, the four young men were no longer afraid to declare their faith.

Soon after the Turks regained power, they sent tax collectors to villages to gather the levy imposed on Christians. The four young men, whom everyone thought were Muslims, went up to pay their tax with the rest of the Christians and triumphantly declared that they had been Christians since their youth.

The four young men were imprisoned, and after Mehmet Pasha’s failed attempts to persuade them to convert to Islam, he ordered for them to be publicly executed. Thus, the four Holy Martyrs of Rethymno received their crowns of martyrdom by beheading on this day in 1824.

Their holy relics shined with the uncreated light for three days after their martyrdom. The Pasha’s interpreter Anthony Papadakis received permission for the Christians to bury the relics. The holy skulls of the martyrs can be seen today at the Church of the Four Martyrs of Rethymno in Crete.

28/10/2026

🔸 October 28 - The Holy Protection of the Mother of God 🇬🇷 🔸

Today, we commemorate the Holy Protection of the Theotokos. While most Orthodox Christians celebrate this feast on October 1st, the Greek tradition celebrates the Holy Protection on October 28th to coincide with Ohi (“No”) Day, a national holiday commemorating the Greek resistance to the Italian fascist forces in WWII.

The feast of the Holy Protection was established after a miraculous appearance of the Theotokos in the 10th century. On October 1st, St Andrew the Fool for Christ and his disciple Epiphanius went to an all-night vigil at the Blachernae Church in Constantinople where several relics of the Mother of God were kept including her holy robe and part of her belt.

During the vigil, they saw the Theotokos enter the church through the dome, glowing and surrounded by a choir of angels and saints. In the centre of the church, she knelt down and prayed for a long time, her immaculate face besprinkling tears. Taking off her veil, she spread it over all the people in the church as a sign of her protection. Since then, the Holy Protection was celebrated on October 1st.

1000 years later, on October 28 1940 at 3am, the Italian dictator Mussolini gave the Greek prime minister Metaxas an ultimatum: allow Italian forces to occupy Greek territory, or face war. Still in his pyjamas, Metaxas responded with a resounding “No!”.

Within hours, Mussolini ordered his forces to attack the Greek border, beginning the Greco-Italian War and marking Greece’s entry into WWII. Many Greek soldiers on the front lines reported seeing visions of the Theotokos above them, covering them with her veil, and guiding them to confront the enemy.

Against all odds, the outnumbered Greek army launched a successful counter attack from the Pindus Mountains, pushing the Italians into Albania. This was the first significant Axis setback of the war.

In 1952, to honor the Holy Protection of the Theotokos over the Greek nation throughout its history, and especially during Greece’s resistance to the Axis powers, the Greek Church moved this feast to the October 28th to coincide with this important national holiday.

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27/10/2026

🔸 October 27 - Saint Procla the Wife of Pontius Pilate 🔸

Today, we also commemorate Saint Procla. She was the wife of Pontius Pilate, the governor of Judea who presided over the trial of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In the New Testament, the only reference to Pilate’s wife is a single sentence in the Gospel of Matthew in which she sent a message to her husband, asking him not to condemn Jesus Christ to death:

“While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, ‘Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him.’” (Matthew 27:19).

But Pilate, fearing unrest and seeking to satisfy the demands of the crowd and the chief priests, did not heed the warning of his wife, and “delivered Him to be crucified.” (Matthew 27:26).

According to later Christian tradition as expressed by Origen, she was baptized a Christian. She is known as Procla or Claudia, or Claudia Procla.

It is assumed that her name prior to becoming a Christian was Claudia, while after baptism it was changed to Procla. The name ‘Claudia’ appears only once in the New Testament, in the Second Epistle to Timothy 4:21: “Eubulus, Pudens, Linus and Claudia send their greetings, and so do all the other Christians.”

Sources differ on her death, some saying she died in peace while others saying she died as a martyr.

27/10/2026

🔸 October 27 - Saint Nestor of Thessaloniki 🏟️🗡️ 🔸

Today, we commemorate the Holy and Victorious Martyr Saint Nestor of Thessaloniki, the friend and companion of Saint Demetrios the Great-Martyr. Both suffered for Christ in 306 AD during the persecutions of the Roman emperor Galerius Maximian.

St Nestor was a young and handsome citizen of Thessaloniki, and was instructed in the True Faith by Saint Demetrios who used his position of influence as a military commander to preach Christianity.

When the emperor Maximian arrived in Thessaloniki to celebrate a decisive military victory, he imprisoned his commander Demetrios after learning that he had been using his entrusted position to bring pagans to Christ.

As part of the festivities in the city, Maximian arranged for gladiatorial battles to take place in the city’s amphitheater. Citizens watched as the gigantic gladiator Lyaios crushed his opponents - many of whom were Christians whom had been sentenced to death for confessing their faith.

When Nestor saw how the emperor Maximian rejoiced in the suffering and killing of Christians at the hands of Lyaios, he decided to voluntarily battle the undefeated gladiator to prove that true strength is with those who believe in Christ.

Before the battle, Nestor went to the prison cell where his companion Demetrios was being held, and fell to his feet saying; “Pray for me, O Servant of God, Demetrios, that by your prayers, God may help me to beat Lyaios, and put an end to him who brings reproach upon the Christians.” Saint Demetrios made the sign of the Cross over the young Nestor and sent him off to his David vs Goliath battle.

Saint Nestor bravely mounted the battle platform and prayed; “God of Demetrios, help me.” After dodging the charging Lyaios, Nestor managed to fatally stab the barbarian. Watching on, the emperor was enraged to have been shown up by this young Christian, and ordered for Saint Nestor to be beheaded.

The emperor also sent soldiers to the cell of Saint Demetrius, ordering them to drive their lances through his chest. And thus, both these valiant and youthful warriors of Christ delivered their souls to the Lord.

26/10/2026

🔸 October 26 - Saint Demetrios the Myrrh-Gusher 𓐬 🔸

Today, we commemorate the Great-Martyr and Myrrh-Gusher Saint Demetrios, the patron Saint of Thessaloniki. Along with Saint George, he is one of the most revered military saints of the Orthodox Church.

St Demetrios was born in 270 to devout parents who were Christians in secret, and his father was a military commander in Thessaloniki. When his father died, the pagan Emperor Galerius Maximian appointed Demetrios to take his place.

As commander, Demetrios was tasked with defending the city from barbarians, and eradicating Christianity. But instead of persecuting Christians as ordered, Demetrios used his position of authority to instruct the inhabitants of the city in the Christian Faith, and he converted many pagans by his eloquence and wisdom.

After a military victory against the Sarmatians, Maximian stopped in Thessaloniki to celebrate with the locals and offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. Envious pagans denounced Demetrios, and after he confessed his faith before the emperor, he was thrown into prison.

As part of the festivities, Maximian had arranged for gladiatorial combat to take place in the city’s amphitheater. The emperor’s most fierce fighter was a man of gigantic stature and strength named Lyaios, who was undefeated in combat.

A young Christian named Nestor decided to confront the giant Lyaios, to prove that true strength is with those who believe in Christ. Before this David vs Goliath battle, Nestor went to the cell of Demetrios asking for his prayers.

In the battle, the giant Lyaios charged Nestor, but the young boy slipped to the side, and fatally stabbed him in the heart. The emperor was enraged at having been shown up by the young Christian, and ordered his beheading.

Hearing St Nestor call upon the God of Demetrios before his martyrdom, Maximian ordered his soldiers go to the cell of St Demetrios and thrust their lances into his chest. Thus, St Demetrios delivered his soul in 306.

At the church of St Demetrios in Thessaloniki, the site of his martyrdom, fragrant myrrh has been known to miraculously flow forth from his reliquary, and thus he is called “the Myrrh-Gusher.”

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25/10/2026

🔸 October 25 - Saint Tabitha the Merciful 🪡 🔸

Today, we commemorate Saint Tabitha the Merciful. According to the Acts of the Apostles, she was an early disciple of Christ who was raised from the dead by the Apostle Peter (Acts 9:36-43). She is also the patron Saint of tailors and seamstresses, since she was known for sewing coats and garments.

Saint Tabitha was a widow, and a member of the Christian community in Joppa (today Jaffa, Tel Aviv). In the Acts of the Apostles, Saint Luke the Evangelist praises her as being a woman of “good works and charitable deeds” (Acts 9:36).

We are informed that Saint Tabitha specialized in weaving and manufacturing tunics and garments (Acts 9:39). With the proceeds she made from the sale of these garments, she helped the poor, widows and orphans. For such acts of kindness and charity, she is called “the merciful”.

One day, Saint Tabitha suddenly became seriously ill and died, and her body was placed in the “upper room”. At that time, the Holy Apostle Peter was preaching in the nearby town of Lydda. In great sorrow, companions of Saint Tabitha sent two men to implore the Apostle Peter to come to them.

Peter came to the deceased widow, and kneeling beside her, he prayed fervently to the Lord and said; “Tabitha, arise!” (Acts 9:40). Immediately, Saint Tabitha opened her eyes and sat up, completely restored to life. The Apostle Peter then gave her his hand and lifted her up, presenting the revived widow to the disciples.

This great miracle became known all throughout Joppa, and many people came to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 9:42).

23/10/2026

🔸 October 23 - Saint James the Brother of God 🔸

Today, we commemorate the Holy Apostle James, the Brother of God and author of the Epistle of James in the New Testament.

Tradition holds that St Joseph the Betrothed had children from a previous marriage before he became a widower and was betrothed to the Theotokos. St James was among these children, who were stepbrothers of Christ: “Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon?” (Matthew 13:55).

Another tradition holds that James accompanied his father Joseph, the Theotokos and the infant Christ during their flight into Egypt.

James consecrated himself to God by taking the Nazarite vows of asceticism. For his strict adherence to the Old Law, he was know as “James the Just”, a title distinguishing him from the many others named James. The virtues which earned him this title are described by St Jerome of Stridon who quotes the 2nd century scholar St Hegesippus the Nazarene:

“This one was holy from his mother’s womb. He drank neither w**e nor strong drink, ate no flesh, never shaved or anointed himself with ointment or bathed. He alone had the privilege of entering the Holy of Holies, since indeed he did not use woolen vestments but linen and went alone into the temple and prayed in behalf of the people, insomuch that his knees were reputed to have acquired the hardness of camels’ knees.”

When the Savior preached the Kingdom of God, James believed in Christ and became His Apostle, and was ordained by Him as the first Bishop of Jerusalem. Instructed by Christ Himself, St James was also the first to write the Divine Liturgy. This was later shortened by St Basil the Great, and again by St John Chrysostom.

St James presided over the Council of Jerusalem, and his judgment was adopted in the Apostolic Decree (Acts 15). In his 30 years as bishop, he shepherded the church of Jerusalem and converted many Jews and pagan Greeks to Christ.

Enraged Jewish leaders led St James to the pinnacle of the Jerusalem Temple and had him thrown off the roof. He did not die at once, but gathering strength, he prayed for his enemies while they beat him to death around 63 AD.

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22/10/2026

🔸 October 22 - Saint Averkios of Hierapolis 🔸

Today, we commemorate Saint Averkios, the Bishop of Hierapolis and “Equal-to-the-Apostles”.

Succeeding the Apostolic Father St Papias, St Averkios served as Bishop of Hieropolis (today Pamoukkale, Turkey) in the province of Phrygia Salutaris during the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius (161-180) who, although a reputed philosopher, was a fierce persecutor of Christians.

During a festival honouring the pagan deities, Averkios went into his house alone and prayed with tears that God would have mercy on the ignorant people. An Angel of the Lord then appeared to him, ordering him to throw down the altars of Apollo and the other pagan gods.

In the middle of the night, Averkios cast down the idols with his staff and shattered them. The next morning, when the idolaters saw the destruction, they rushed to his house to put him to death. Instead of fleeing, Averkios went to the public marketplace and confessed his faith in Christ and rebuked the foolishness of submitting to dumb idols.

Then, seeing three men possessed by evil spirits, he touched them with his staff and they were restored to their right minds. This calmed down the frenzied crowd, and they listened to him. Inspired by his divine words, 500 of them came to faith in Christ and were baptized.

After this St Averkios went to the surrounding cities and villages, healing the sick and preaching the Kingdom of God. With his preaching he made the rounds of Syria, Cilicia, Mesopotamia, he also visited Rome. Everywhere he went he converted multitudes of people to Christ.

For many years he guarded the Church against heretics, confirming Christians in the Faith, and setting the prodigal upon the path of righteousness. He also healed the sick and proclaimed the glory of Christ. Having covered such a great distance in his proclamation of the gospel, St Averkios is called an “Equal of the Apostles.”

St Averkios returned home to Hieropolis where he continued to illuminate many with his words, deeds and miracles. After receiving a revelation that his death was near, he wrote his own epitaph on his tombstone. This epitaph can be seen at the Vatican Museum.

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21/10/2026

🔸 October 21 - Saint Hilarion the Great 🔸

Saint Hilarion was born in 292 to a family of wealthy pagans at Thabatha, a town near Gaza in Palestine. He was sent by his parents to study in Alexandria, and there he became acquainted with Christianity and was baptized.

While in Egypt, Hilarion heard much talk about the holy desert-dweller St Anthony the Great, and so he decided to visited him. Becoming St Anthony’s disciple, Hilarion was inspired to devote himself entirely to the ascetic life.

When his parents died, Hilarion returned to Gaza and distributed all his wealth to the poor. Retreating to the desert of Palestine at age 15, he devoted himself to unceasing prayer and strict fasting while living in a hut made of reeds.

He endured assaults from the devil who tried to frighten him away by appearing in the form of wild animals and making terrifying noises. Hilarion warded off these attacks with the sign of the Cross.

When bandits approached Hilarion and threatened to kill him, he answered, “So much the better. Physical death closes the night of this present life and introduces us to the rising of the future life.” This response led the bandits to repentance.

The holy ascetic fasted for extremely long periods. He would only eat ounces of bread and wild plants after sunset, never ceasing his fast even when he suffered grave illnesses.

God rewarded the physical and spiritual efforts of Hilarion, bestowing upon him the grace to perform miracles. His fame spread throughout Palestine, Egypt and Syria, and crowds flocked to him.

When people came from Palestine to Egypt to be healed by St Anthony, he would send them back to Palestine, telling them that they had someone with the same grace near where they lived.

Seeking his spiritual guidance, thousands of monks gathered to live around Hilarion in their own cells. In 340, he founded what is today called the Saint Hilarion Monastery, the ruins of which can be seen in the city of Tell Umm el-‘Amr in the Gaza strip (image 5/6).

To escape the praise of men, Hilarion moved to Cyprus where he spent the last 5 years of his life in asceticism in a cave in Paphos (image 4). He reposed around the year 372.

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