St. Tikhon Orthodox Christian Mission

09/02/2026

ST. JOHN the FASTER, PATRIARCH of CONSTANTINOPLE - September 2

Patriarch John IV is known for his set of penitential rules and as the first bishop of Constantinople to assume the title Ecumenical Patriarch (d. 595). He was born in Constantinople to artisan parents and was not well educated, but became famous for his exemplary ascetical life, which led to his being called "the Faster." He was a deacon before becoming the patriarchal vicar for monasteries. He became esteemed among the clergy of Constantinople at that time, and was named patriarch, John IV, by the emperor on April 11, 582.

In 588, Patriarch John IV convened a council in Constantinople to investigate charges against Patriarch Gregory of Antioch. The summons to the bishops of the East was done in the name of John IV as "Ecumenical Patriarch." While this title had been used as early as the reign of Acacius (471 to 489) in reference to the Patriarch of Constantinople, its use by John IV as a title in documents of his office was a first. (The title was used in the acts of the council, to which two popes of Rome later objected.) Within the Church, St. John is most noted as the compiler of a penitential nomokanon - a rule for penances. These rules are instructions for priests on how to hear confessions of secret sins that are either sins of commission or sins of intentions.

Information is from the Mystagogy Resource Center. Icon is from the ÒCA website.

09/02/2026

STS. ANTHONY and THEODOSIUS, FOUNDERS of the KIEV CAVES LAVRA - September 2

In the early 11th century, St. Anthony, an Orthodox monk from Mount Athos, originally from Chernihiv, returned to Rus' and settled in Kiev as a missionary of the monastic tradition to Kievan Rus'. He chose a cave at the Berestov Mount that overlooked the Dnieper River; a community of disciples soon grew. Prince Iziaslav I of Kiev later ceded the whole mount to the Athonite monks who founded this monastery--which was built by architects from Constantinople: the Kiev Caves Lavra.

St. Theodosius introduced the monastic rule of St. Theodore the Studite in the Caves Monastery of the Caves, after which it spread to all the monasteries of the Russian Orthodox Church. In the Church, their names are listed together and they are commemorated together on September 2, while each has his own feast day as well.

Information and painting are from the Mystagogy Resource Center wrbsite.

09/02/2026

September CHARITY of the MONTH - Holy Cross Monastery, West Virginia

"Holy Cross Monastery is an English-speaking monastery under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia in the Diocese of Eastern America & New York. The abbot of the monastery is Igumen Gabriel.

Holy Cross is a growing monastery consisting of more than two dozen monks, novices, candidates, and lay workers, most of whom are converts to the Orthodox Faith. The monastery community is comprised of both seasoned monks who have lived very full monastic lives for decades, and many younger monks who have brought to the monastery a youthful vigor and energy."

"The property which the monastery inherited in this rugged Appalachian location [in West Virginia] was almost entirely lacking in infrastructure. In the beginning, only one livable structure and a few sheds existed on this property, and for a long time water had to be hauled to the monastery daily to support a meager existence. Now the monastic community is working through a number of projects to lay a foundation for the future."

To learn more about the monastery, please go to holycross-dot-org. To donate with our community this month, the month of their feast day, please go to our website and click the DONATE button.

09/01/2026

To War! (thanks to Orthoducksy for this one)

😂

09/01/2026

"When you find Christ [in the heart], you are satisfied, you desire nothing else, you find peace. You become a different person. You live everywhere, wherever Christ is. You live in the stars, in infinity, in heaven with the angels, with the saints, on earth with people, with plants, with animals, with everyone and everything. When there is love for Christ, loneliness disappears. You are peaceable, joyous, full. Neither melancholy, not illness, nor pressure, nor anxiety, nor depression nor hell."

+ St Porphyrios

(From the Substack account "The Ossuary")

09/01/2026

RIGHTEOUS JOSHUA, SON of NUN (NAVI) - September 1

Righteous Joshua (Jesus), the son of Navi, was leader of the Israelites after the death of the Prophet Moses. He was born in Egypt around 1654 B.C. and succeeded Moses when he was 85. He ruled the Israelites for 25 years. Joshua conquered the Promised Land, and led the Hebrew nation into it (a foreshadowing of Christ leading the people into the Promised Land). The Lord worked a great miracle through Joshua - He stopped the Jordan from flowing, allowing the Israelites to cross over on foot as if on dry land (Joshua 3). Archangel Michael, the Leader of the Heavenly Hosts, also appeared to Joshua (Joshua 5:13-15).

The walls of Jericho fell down by themselves after the Ark of the Covenant was carried around the city for seven days (Joshua 6:20). Finally, during a battle with the enemy, Joshua, by God’s will, halted the motion of the sun (Joshua 10:13) and prolonged the day until victory was won. After the end of the war, Joshua divided the Promised Land among the Twelve Tribes of Israel. He died at 110 years of age (1544 B.C.).

Information and icon are from the OCA website.

09/01/2026

ORTHODOX ECCLESIASTICAL NEW YEAR - September 1

The Orthodox Church starts its liturgical new year on September 1. The first day of the Church New Year is also called the beginning of the Indiction. The term 'Indiction' comes from a Latin word meaning "to impose.” It was originally applied to the imposition of taxes in Egypt. The first worldwide Indiction was in 312, when the Emperor Constantine saw a miraculous vision of the Cross in the sky, before the battle of the Milvian Bridge. Before the introduction of the Julian calendar, Rome began the New Year on September 1.

According to Holy Tradition, Christ entered the synagogue on September 1 to announce His mission to mankind (Luke 4:16-22). Quoting Isaiah 61:1-2, the Savior proclaimed, “The spirit of the Lord is upon Me; because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to proclaim release to captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord...." (See photo.) Tradition says that the Hebrews entered the Promised Land in September.

Text is from the OCA website. Painted miniature is from the Menologion of Basil II (public domain).

09/01/2026

From St. Gregory the Theologian (via the Orthodox Faith FB account):

Sometimes hard but important to remember....

09/01/2026

Our metropolitan....

SPRINGFIELD, VA — Metr. Tikhon, Primate of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), called on clergy, monastics, and faithful to enter the 2026 ecclesiastical new year by examining whether they are truly growing in Christ or merely repeating familiar patterns.

LINK: https://uoj.news/news/metr-tikhon-calls-faithful-to-renewal-as-liturgical-new-year-begins/