St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, Military Chapel

St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, Military Chapel St. Nicholas Orthodox Chapel is an Orthodox Christian church serving the Camp Lejeune community.

Martyr Barypsabas in DalmatiaSaint Barypsabas (Βαρυψάβας) of Dalmatia was a hermit and a Martyr, the guardian of the blo...
09/10/2026

Martyr Barypsabas in Dalmatia

Saint Barypsabas (Βαρυψάβας) of Dalmatia was a hermit and a Martyr, the guardian of the blood of Christ. According to one source, a righteous man named Jacob, who was present at the crucifixion of the Savior, collected blood and water from the Lord’s side in a vessel made from a gourd. In order to conceal the holy object from wicked men, Jacob filled the vessel with oil; and from its contents many healings and miracles took place. After Jacob’s death, the vessel passed to two hermits. One of them, before his death, gave the vessel to Barypsabas, or perhaps to the Syrians, who later fought in the area of ​​Kattara Sukhrei (Σουχρεῶν), in Persia. Before his martyrdom in the second century, Saint Barypsabas gave the vessel to his disciple. The author of the Life of Saint Barypsabas, published in Acta Sanctorum (BHG, No. 238), is unknown.

The story of those who shed the Savior's blood appears in the MENOLOGION of Basil II (X century), which also mentions the martyrdom of Saint Barypsabas. Some villains, who heard about the miracles and healings from the hidden vessel containing the blood of Christ, decided to seize the vessel and use it for mercenary purposes. After attacking Barypsabas during the night, they killed him, but they did not find what they were looking for in the vessel.

According to Saint Νikόdēmos the Hagiorite, the vessel, of which Barysabas was the guardian, did not contain the actual blood and water which flowed from Christ's side, but rather from an icon of Christ, when some Jews stabbed His side on the icon.

The legend of the "Miracle in Berite" (BHG, No. 780) is attributed to Saint Athanasios the Great, Patriarch of Alexandria. However, according to the Roman Martyrology, this miracle occurred in 765. The blood from the icon of the Savior in Berite was transferred to Constantinople in the X century, during the reign of Emperor John Tzimiskes.

Troparion — Tone 3

Your holy martyr Barypsabas, O Lord, / through his sufferings has received an incorruptible crown from You, our God. / For having Your strength, he laid low his adversaries, / and shattered the powerless boldness of demons. / Through his intercessions, save our souls!

Kontakion — Tone 2

(Podoben: “You sought the heights...”)
You appeared as a bright star announcing Christ with your radiance, / which is repulsive to this world, O Martyr Barypsabas; / extinguishing the allure of false gods, / you enlighten the faithful, / always interceding for us all.

Scripture reading for September 10thSt. Paul's Letter to the Galatians 3:23-29; 4:1-5John 3:16-21
09/10/2026

Scripture reading for September 10th

St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians 3:23-29; 4:1-5
John 3:16-21

Holy and Righteous Ancestors of God, Joachim and AnnaSaint Joachim, the son of Barpathir, was of the tribe of Judah, and...
09/09/2026

Holy and Righteous Ancestors of God, Joachim and Anna

Saint Joachim, the son of Barpathir, was of the tribe of Judah, and was a descendant of King David, to whom God had revealed that the Savior of the world would be born from his seed. Saint Anna was the daughter of Matthan the priest, who was of the tribe of Levi. Saint Anna’s family came from Bethlehem.

The couple lived at Nazareth in Galilee. They were childless into their old age and all their life they grieved over this. They had to endure derision and scorn, since at that time childlessness was considered a disgrace. They never grumbled, but fervently prayed to God, humbly trusting in Him.

Once, during a great feast, the gifts which Joachim took to Jerusalem as an offering to God were not accepted by the priest Reuben, who considered that a childless man was not worthy to offer sacrifice to God. This pained the old man very much, and he, regarding himself the most sinful of people, decided not to return home, but to settle in solitude in a desolate place.

When Saint Anna learned what humiliation her husband had endured, she sorrowfully entreated God with prayer and fasting to grant her a child. In his desolate solitude the righteous Joachim also asked God for this. The prayer of the saintly couple was heard. An angel told them that a daughter would be born to them, Who would be blessed above all other women. He also told them that She would remain a virgin, would be dedicated to the Lord and live in the Temple, and would give birth to the Savior. Obeying the instructions of the heavenly messenger, Saints Joachim and Anna met at the Golden Gate in Jerusalem. Then, as God promised, a daughter was born to them and they named her Mary.

Saint Joachim died a few years later at the age of 80, after his daughter went to live in the Temple. Saint Anna died at the age of 70, two years after her husband.

Saints Joachim and Anna are often invoked by couples trying to have children.

Troparion — Tone 1

Since you were righteous under the law of grace, O Joachim and Anna, / you gave birth to the God-given infant for our sake. / Therefore, the divine Church radiantly keeps feast today, / joyfully celebrating your honorable memory and giving glory to God / who has raised up a horn of salvation from the house of David.

Kontakion — Tone 2

(Podoben: “Seeking the highest...”)
Anna is now no longer barren / and nurses the All-Pure One! / She rejoices and calls us all to sing a hymn of praise to Christ, / she who from her womb gave mankind the only ever Virgin Mother.

Scripture reading for September 9thSt. Paul's Letter to the Galatians 4:22-27Luke 8:16-21
09/09/2026

Scripture reading for September 9th

St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians 4:22-27
Luke 8:16-21

Icon of the Mother of God of PochaevIn the year 1340, two monks came and settled in a cave on the hill where the monaste...
09/08/2026

Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev

In the year 1340, two monks came and settled in a cave on the hill where the monastery is now located. After reading his usual Prayer Rule, one of them went to the top of the hill, and and suddenly he beheld the Theotokos standing on a rock and enveloped in flames. He summoned the other monk, who also witnessed the miracle. A third witness of the vision was the shepherd John Bosoy. He ran to the hill, and the three of them glorified God. The Most Holy Theotokos left the imprint of her right foot on the stone where she had stood, and this filled up with water. Since that time, many people have been healed at this miraculous spring.

In 1559 Metropolitan Neophytus of Constantinople, on his journey through Volhynia, visited the noblewoman Anna Goiskaya living at the estate of Orlya, not far from Pochaev. As a farewell blessing he left Anna an icon of the Mother of God which he brought from Constantinople. They began to notice a radiance coming from the icon. In 1597 Anna’s brother Philip was healed of an ailment before the eyes of a monk who lived on the hill at Pochaev. She then gave the wonderworking image to the monk. The icon was placed in a church which was built in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. A monastery was later established there, and Anna Goiskaya provided a large portion of the money needed for construction.

The following is one of the more famous accounts of help from the Queen of Heaven through her wonderworking Pochaev Icon.

A monk of Pochaev monastery was taken into captivity by the Tatars. Held as a slave, he thought of the Pochaev monastery, its holy things, the divine services, and the church singing. In particular the monk yearned to be in Pochaev for the approaching Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. He prayed tearfully to the Mother of God for deliverance from captivity, and suddenly, through the prayers of the Holy Virgin, the walls of the dungeon disappeared, and the monk found himself standing before the walls of the Pochaev monastery.

The Pochaev Icon is also celebrated on Friday of Bright Week and on July 23.

Troparion — Tone 8

O Victorious Leader, who have chosen the mountain of Pochaev as your habitation, / we, your servants, sing our grateful thanks and praise to you, O Theotokos; / for you have glorified this godly place from of old by the appearance of the healing power of your footprint and your wonderworking image. / As you once preserved your habitation from the invasion of infidels, / set us free from every calamity and invasion, / so that always preserved through your help, we may sing from the depths of our souls: / Rejoice, O Praise of Pochaev, our hope and consolation!

The Nativity of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin MaryThe Nativity of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos an...
09/08/2026

The Nativity of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary

The Nativity of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever Virgin Mary: The Most Holy Virgin Mary was born at a time when people had reached such a degree of moral decay that it seemed altogether impossible to restore them. People often said that God must come into the world to restore faith and not permit the ruin of mankind.

The Son of God chose to take on human nature for the salvation of mankind, and chose as His Mother the All-Pure Virgin Mary, who alone was worthy to give birth to the Source of purity and holiness.

The Nativity of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever Virgin Mary is celebrated by the Church as a day of universal joy. Within the context of the Old and the New Testaments, the Most Blessed Virgin Mary was born on this radiant day, having been chosen before the ages by Divine Providence to bring about the Mystery of the Incarnation of the Word of God. She is revealed as the Mother of the Savior of the World, Our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Most Holy Virgin Mary was born in the small city of Galilee, Nazareth. Her parents were Righteous Joachim of the tribe of the Prophet-King David, and Anna from the tribe of the First Priest Aaron. The couple was without child, since Saint Anna was barren.

Having reached old age, Joachim and Anna did not lose hope in God’s mercy. They had strong faith that for God everything is possible, and that He would be able to overcome the barrenness of Anna even in her old age, as He had once overcame the barrenness of Sarah, spouse of the Patriarch Abraham. Saints Joachim and Anna vowed to dedicate the child which the Lord might give them, to the service of God in the Temple.

Childlessness was considered among the Hebrew nation as a Divine punishment for sin, and therefore the righteous Saints Joachim and Anna had to endure abuse from their own countrymen. On one of the feastdays at the Temple in Jerusalem the elderly Joachim brought his sacrifice to offer to God, but the High Priest would not accept it, considering him to be unworthy since he was childless.

Saint Joachim in deep grief went into the wilderness, and there he prayed with tears to the Lord for a child. Saint Anna wept bitterly when she learned what had happened at the Jerusalem Temple. Never once did she complain against the Lord, but rather she prayed to ask God’s mercy on her family.

The Lord fulfilled her petitions when the pious couple had attained to extreme old age and prepared themselves by virtuous life for a sublime calling: to be the parents of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, the future Mother of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Archangel Gabriel brought Joachim and Anna the joyous message that their prayers were heard by God, and of them would be born a most blessed daughter Mary, through Whom would come the Salvation of all the World.

The Most Holy Virgin Mary surpassed in purity and virtue not only all mankind, but also the angels. She was manifest as the living Temple of God, so the Church sings in its festal hymns: “the East Gate... bringing Christ into the world for the salvation of our souls” (2nd Stikhera on “Lord, I Have Cried”, Tone 6).

The Nativity of the Theotokos marks the change of the times when the great and comforting promises of God for the salvation of the human race from slavery to the devil are about to be fulfilled. This event has brought to earth the grace of the Kingdom of God, a Kingdom of Truth, piety, virtue and everlasting life. The Theotokos is revealed to all of us by grace as a merciful Intercessor and Mother, to Whom we have recourse with filial devotion.

Troparion — Tone 4

Your Nativity, O Virgin, / has proclaimed joy to the whole universe! / The Sun of Righteousness,1 Christ our God, / has shone from you, O Theotokos! / By annulling the curse, / He bestowed a blessing. / By destroying death, He has granted us eternal Life.

1 Malachai 4:2
Kontakion — Tone 4

(Original Melody)
By your Nativity, O Most Pure Virgin, / Joachim and Anna are freed from barrenness; / Adam and Eve, from the corruption of death. / And we, your people, freed from the guilt of sin, celebrate and sing to you: / “The barren woman gives birth to the Theotokos, the nourisher of our life.”

Scripture reading for September 8thLuke 1:39-49, 56St. Paul's Letter to the Philippians 2:5-11Luke 10:38-42; 11:27-28
09/08/2026

Scripture reading for September 8th

Luke 1:39-49, 56
St. Paul's Letter to the Philippians 2:5-11
Luke 10:38-42; 11:27-28

Martyr Sozon of CiliciaSaint Sozon lived in the late III century. He was from Lykaonia in Cilicia, and originally his na...
09/07/2026

Martyr Sozon of Cilicia

Saint Sozon lived in the late III century. He was from Lykaonia in Cilicia, and originally his name was Tarasios. When he became a Christian, he was baptized and received the name Sozon. A shepherd by profession, he tried to imitate the meekness of the sheep, at which he marveled. “I am ashamed,” he said, “that I am inferior to sheep.”

He studied the Holy Scriptures attentively, and he also guided Christ‘s rational sheep to good pastures. One day, while watering his flock at a spring, Sozon fell asleep under an oak tree, where he had a vision which foretold his impending martyrdom for Christ. He was also informed that the spring would become a source of blessing and of healing for many, since it would be sanctified by God‘s grace. When he awakened, he entrusted his flock to another shepherd and journeyed to Pompeiopolis in Cilicia. Seeing what impiety there was in that city, his heart was profoundly grieved.

Entering one of the temples of the idolaters, he beheld a golden statue representing a pagan “god.” Then, with great courage, he broke off the statue‘s right hand with his shepherd‘s crook and smashed it into tiny pieces, which he distributed to the poor. This caused a great uproar in the city. Maximian, the governor of Cilicia, became very angry, and a search was made to find the culprit. Many innocent people were arrested and tortured in an attempt to force a confession from them.

When Saint Sozon heard about this, he could not permit others to suffer for something he had done. Therefore, he presented himself before the governor and responded to his threats in a calm manner, saying that the statue was not doing anyone much good inside the temple, and so he used the gold for the benefit of the poor.

Maximian asked the Saint how he dared to dishonor their “god” in such a way. Sozon replied, “I did this so that you might know that your ‘god’ is powerless. When I struck off his hand, he did not protest or make any attempt to stop me, nor did he cry out with pain. How could he? Your idol is deaf and dumb and without breath. It cannot see, hear, speak, or defend itself. If your ‘god’ was real, I would not have been permitted to break it.”

When Maximian heard these words, he ordered that Saint Sozon be tortured without mercy. He was suspended and his body was raked with iron claws. Then iron boots were nailed to the soles of his feet, and he was paraded through the city. Throughout his torments, he never ceased to glorify the Savior Christ. Once again he was suspended from a tree and beaten with iron rods, so that his body was mangled and his bones were broken. Amid such torture, the Saint surrendered his soul to God in the year 304.

Seeing that he was dead, the soldiers took him down from the tree and built a large fire to burn his body so that the Christians would not be able to claim it and venerate it. Suddenly, there was thunder and lightning, rain and hail, which put out the fire. The pagans fled in fear, and the holy relics were not damaged. The faithful came at midnight, when it was very dark. They were troubled because they could not find the relics, but a light from Heaven shone upon Christ‘s holy martyr to guide them. Gathering the Saint‘s relics, the Christians gave them an honorable burial.

Many miracles took place at the tomb, and also at the spring where the Saint had his vision under the oak tree. Later, a church was built by the spring, and was dedicated to Saint Sozon. In that holy place praise was offered to the one true God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, to Whom be glory throughout all the ages. Amen.

Troparion — Tone 4

O Martyr Sozon, you pledged your life to God, / Enduring the contest and becoming a sharer in Christ’s passion. / Save from temptation those who cry to you: / “Glory to him who strengthened you! / Glory to him who crowned you! / Glory to him who through you works healing for all!”

Kontakion — Tone 2

As we come together on this day, / let us, with loud voices, remember the true and God-bearing martyr, and athlete of piety, Sozon, / the divine initiate of grace, / the most bountiful giver of healings, / for he intercedes with God for us all.

Scripture reading for September 7thSt. Paul's Letter to the Galatians 2:11-16Mark 5:24-34
09/07/2026

Scripture reading for September 7th

St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians 2:11-16
Mark 5:24-34

Forefeast of the Nativity of the Mother of GodThe first lesson at Great Vespers (Genesis 28:10-17) describes Jacob’s dre...
09/07/2026

Forefeast of the Nativity of the Mother of God

The first lesson at Great Vespers (Genesis 28:10-17) describes Jacob’s dream of a ladder reaching from earth to heaven, and the angels ascending and descending upon it. The second lesson (Ezekiel 43:27-44:4) speaks of the gate of the sanctuary which faces east. God enters through this gate, which is shut so that no one else can enter by it. The third reading (Proverbs 9:1-11) talks about the house that Wisdom has built.

These readings are interpreted as prefiguring the Mother of God.

Troparion — Tone 4

Podoben: “Joseph was amazed....”
From the root of Jesse, and from the loins of David, / the godly Mary is born to us today, / for which the universe rejoices and is renewed, / heaven and earth rejoice together. / Praise her, you Fathers of the nations, / Joachim rejoices and Anna celebrates shouting / “The barren woman has conceived the Theotokos, the nourisher of our lives.”

Kontakion — Tone 3

Today the Virgin Theotokos Mary / the bridal chamber of the Heavenly Bridegroom / by the will of God is born of a barren woman, / being prepared as the chariot of God the Word. / She was fore-ordained for this, since she is the divine gate and the true Mother of Life.

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28544

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