St. George Orthodox Church

Uncovering of the Relics of Saint Seraphim, Wonderworker of Sarov: The glorification of Saint Seraphim of Sarov (January 2), took place in 1903, seventy years after his repose. On July 3, 1903 Metropolitan Anthony of Saint Petersburg, assisted by Bishop Nazarius of Nizhni-Novgorod and Bishop Innocent of Tambov, transferred the saint’s relics from their original burial place to the church of Saints Zosimus and Sabbatius. Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra provided a new cypress coffin to receive the relics. This cypress coffin was then placed inside an oak coffin and remained in the church until the day of the saint’s glorification.

At noon on July 16, the first day of the festivities, Metropolitan Anthony offered a Memorial Service for the ever-memorable Hieromonk Seraphim in the Dormition Cathedral. Services also took place in the monastery’s other churches.

The next day Metropolitan Anthony and Bishop Nazarius served a Memorial Liturgy in the Dormition Cathedral. At 5:00 that afternoon, the bells of Sarov began to ring, announcing the arrival of Tsar Nicholas and his family. Metropolitan Anthony greeted them and then led them to the Dormition Cathedral for a Service of Thanksgiving.

The royal family attended the early Liturgy on July 18th and received the Holy Mysteries. Later that morning, the final Memorial Service for the repose of Hieromonk Seraphim’s soul was offered in the Cathedral. These would be the last prayers offered for him as a departed servant of God. From that time forward, prayers would be addressed to him as a saint. At 6 P.M. the bells rang for Vigil, the first service with hymns honoring Saint Seraphim, and during which his relics would be exposed for public veneration.

At the time of the Litia during Vespers, the saint’s coffin was carried from the church of Saints Zosimus and Sabbatius and into the Dormition Cathedral. Several people were healed of various illnesses during this procession. During Matins, as “Praise ye the Name of the Lord” was sung, the coffin was opened. After the Gospel, Metropolitan Anthony and the other hierarchs kissed the holy relics. They were followed by the royal family, the officiating clergy, and all the people in the cathedral.

On July 19, the saint’s birthday, the late Liturgy began at 8 o’clock. At the Little Entrance, twelve Archimandrites lifted the coffin from the middle of the church, carried it around the altar, then placed it into a special shrine. The long awaited event was accompanied by numerous miraculous healings of the sick, who had gathered at Sarov in large numbers. More than 200,000 people came to Sarov from all across Russia.

The festivities at Sarov came to an end with the dedication of the first two churches to Saint Seraphim. The first church to be consecrated was over his monastic cell in Sarov. The second church was consecrated on July 22 at the Diveyevo convent.

In 1991, Saint Seraphim’s relics were rediscovered after being hidden in a Soviet anti-religious museum for seventy years. Widely esteemed in his lifetime, Saint Seraphim is one of the most beloved saints of the Orthodox Church.

Troparion — Tone 4

You loved Christ from your youth, O blessed one, / and longing to work for Him alone you struggled in the wilderness in constant prayer and labor. / With penitent heart and great love for Christ you were favored by the Mother of God. / Therefore we cry to you: / “Save us by your prayers, venerable Seraphim, our father.”

Kontakion — Tone 2

Forsaking the beauty as well as the corruption of this world, you settled in the monastery of Sarov, O Saint. / There you lived an angelic life, / becoming for many the way to salvation. / Therefore, Christ has glorified you, Father Seraphim, enriching you with abundant healing and miracles. / So we cry to you: “Save us by your prayers, venerable Seraphim, our father.”

More saints commemorated today: https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2024/07/19

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The Holy Martyr Emilian, who was a Slav, suffered for Christ during the reign of Emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363). Julian wanted to restore the cult of the pagan gods throughout the Roman Empire, and he issued an edict, according to which all Christians who failed to honor the pagan gods would be subject to death.

Saint Emilian lived in the Thracian city of Dorostolum on the banks of the River Dunaj (Danube).The imperial edict was read in the city square, but the people of Dorostolum declared that there were no Christians in the city.

Saint Emilian was a slave of a cruel and fanatical idolater, and was a secret Christian. Some sources state that he was the son of a local officer named Sabbatianus. When the father learned that Emilian believed in Christ, he was so enraged that he insulted him with vulgar words and had him whipped. He pointed out that he could expect even worse things to happen to him if he remained a Christian.

Instead of being intimidated by these threats, Saint Emilian’s faith in Christ was strengthened. The next day he went into a pagan temple and smashed the statues with a hammer.

An angry crowd started to beat a certain Christian, who was passing by. Saint Emilian then shouted out loudly that they should not harm that innocent man, since he himself was the one who had damaged the pagan temple.

The saint was seized and brought to Capitolinus the governor for judgment. In spite of further threats, Saint Emilian would not deny Christ. “He is my Lord, and I will never deny Him,” the martyr exclaimed. The governor ordered that Saint Emilian be beaten mercilessly, and then to be burned alive. He did not perish when he was thrown into the fire, but instead the flames consumed many of the pagans who were standing about. When the fire had gone out, Saint Emilian lay down upon the dying embers, and gave up his soul to the Lord. The wife of the pagan ruler was also a secret Christian, and she gathered up the saint’s relics and buried them. Afterward, a church dedicated to the holy Martyr Emilian was built at Constantinople, where his relics were transferred.

Troparion — Tone 4

Holy martyr Emilian, / you defended the Church against the idolatry of the pagans. / Because of your faith in Christ, / you were martyred by fire and through a glorious death received your crown. / Pray to Christ God that He may grant us great mercy.

Kontakion — Tone 3

You did not fear the fire, your fellow-servant, / for you were enflamed with divine zeal. / You willingly entered the flames, unconsumed by the fury, / offering yourself in sacrifice to the Lord. / Glorious martyr Emilian, entreat Christ God to grant us His great mercy.

More saints commemorated today: https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2024/07/18

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Saint Marina was born into the family of a pagan priest from the city of Antioch, in the center of the Roman Province of Pisidia in Asia Minor. She was raised by a wet nurse who lived on an estate owned by Marina's mother, who died when the Saint was still an infant. From the nurse or from an unnamed man of God from the wanderers Marina learned the basics of Christianity at the age of twelve.

After hearing the story of the conception and birth of Jesus Christ by the Most Holy Virgin, Marina's faith in the Christian God was strengthened, and it was her intention to renounce worldly temptations. She decided she would never marry and, despite the fact that she attracted the attention of men, she would become the bride of Christ. Some sources explicitly indicate on her willingness to "lay down her life for the Lord."

Olymbrios, the imperial governor of that region, was fascinated by Marina's beauty and wanted to marry her. The Saint did not hide the fact that she was a Christian. Then the ruler gave her into the care of a noble woman, hoping that she would persuade the girl to deny Christ. Then Olymbrios offered her his hand and heart publicly, in the center of the city, from the prefect's podium, but Saint Marina remained unwavering in her refusal.

The temptations of this life, which promised her fame and fortune, were immediately replaced by physical suffering. The forces that made it possible to overcome physical suffering and the temptation to end pain at the cost of apostasy, the Martyr drew from prayers to the Lord. The Saint bravely endured cruel tortures: she was beaten with rods, her body was raked with tridents, they drove nails into her, and burned her with fire.

But even this, the second level of temptation did not exhaust the Saint's feat (podvig). The source of the third level of testing was Satan himself, whose onslaught was also threefold.

The first time the devil appeared to the Saint in prison, on the night after the first day of torture, when she prayed, as the Coptic Life clarifies, she folded her arms crosswise. In Russian hagiography, it is emphasized that Marina asked the Lord: "Let me see the Enemy of the human race fighting against me. Let him come face to face before me. You are the Judge and Ruler of the living and the dead, so judge between me and the devil. Deliver me from perdition. Help me to overcome him, send Satan to hell by Your invincible power."

Taking the form of a serpent (dragon), Satan devoured the captive. But Saint Marina was able to pray in his belly, and she made the Sign of the Cross, which tore the dragon apart. Once again on the floor of the dungeon, Marina saw Satan himself in the corner, who began a second physical onslaught on the Saint.

The peculiarity which distinguishes the Great Martyr Marina from other holy virgins, and even men, is that the girl made active physical resistance to Satan. After entering into single combat with him, Saint Marina continued to pray. Noticing a copper hammer lying in the corner of the dungeon, she grabbed it and began to beat Satan on the head with it, holding him by the horns, and stepping on his neck, Saint Marina said: "Depart from me, O lawless one."

After that, the heavens opened, and the Martyr's body was healed of her wounds from the previous day. A voice from above encouraged her, urging her not to be afraid of anything.

But the devil made a third onslaught on the girl. Under the guise of the frankness of the story of his atrocities, he tried to draw her into those sins to which the Saint was opposed. But Marina defeated the Father of lies, making the Sign of the Cross over him. The abyss swallowed up Satan, and the Saint spent the rest of the night in prayers of thanksgiving and joy until the day of her final contest began.

The eparch tried again to break the Holy Virgin's resistance by torture. The Martyr was suspended on a tree, scorched with fire, dunked in a barrel of water - and that became her Holy Baptism. Suddenly, as she was being submerged in the water, a light shone, and a snow-white dove descended upon the girl with a golden crown in its beak.

The astonished crowd began to praise God and declared themselves to be Christians. The governor ordered everyone to be executed. On that day, together with the fifteen-year-old bride of Christ Marina, 15,000 people were beheaded. This occurred in the year 304.

The tradition of Saint Marina's veneration was established by a witness to the Great Martyr's imprisonment and ex*****on, and then by the hagiographer Theotimos (Theótimos). After anointing the Saint's body with fragrances and incense, he first placed her in the house of the pious wife of a senator in Antioch. Subsequently, the relics were placed in a stone tomb in a specially built house of prayer (martyrium), where every year on the Saint's Feast Day the Divine Liturgy was served. The basis for the recognition of Marina as a Saint was the numerous miracles attributed to her relics.

Already in the IV century, the Virgin Martyr Marina was revered as a deliverer from misfortunes and troubles, from unrighteous judgment and lawless sentences. In the Athonite proskynitaria (descriptions of holy places) from 1701 it is said that her relics heal the afflicted, give "healing to the sick, consolation to mourners, correction and forgiveness to those who live in sins." The Holy Great Martyr Marina, who defeated the devil during her lifetime, protects us against the Enemy's slanders and defamations, she intercedes for those who are overwhelmed by the spirits of malice: the possessed and mentally ill, as well as for those who are on their deathbed, driving the demons away from them.

It has been suggested that at some stage in the history of Western Europe, Marina was renamed Margarita (pearl) in Latin hagiography and it was given to her for beauty and nobility. At some point, the Saint began to be venerated in various parts of Europe under different names. Closer to the south and east she was known by her original name of Marina, but in the west and north as Margarita.

In Greek and Coptic icons of the Great Martyr Marina, there is either a dragon or a devil in the form of a dark-skinned man, a short man with horns. In the latter case, the Saint holds him with one hand by a horn, or a tuft of hair, and with the other hand she is about to strike him with a hammer.

Troparion — Tone 5
(Podoben: “Let us worship the Word...”)

O glorious Marina, once betrothed to the Word, / you renounced all worldly concerns and struggled as a beautiful virgin. / You soundly trounced the invisible Enemy who appeared to you, O Champion, / and now you are a wellspring of healing grace for the world.

Kontakion — Tone 3
(Podoben: “Today the Virgin...”)

Adorned with the perfection of chastity, O virgin Marina, / you were crowned with an imperishable crown, / and reddened with the blood of martyrdom, / you were illumined by miracles of healing, O Martyr, / and devoutly you received the honors of your victorious martyrdom.

Kontakion — Tone 3

Today Marina crushes the head of the Enemy, / having received a crown of victory from Heaven, / she bound and struck the one whom the Prophets could not restrain. / Therefore, she became an adornment of the Martyrs, / as well as their glory.

More saints commemorated today: https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2024/07/17

Music downloads: https://www.oca.org/liturgics/music-downloads/july

The Virgin Martyr Julia was born in Carthage into a Christian family. While still a girl she was captured by the Persians. They carried her off to Syria and sold her into slavery. Fulfilling the Christian commandments, Saint Julia faithfully served her master. She preserved herself in purity, kept the fasts and prayed much to God. No amount of urging by her pagan master could turn her to idolatry.

Once the master set off with merchandise for Gaul and took Saint Julia with him. Along the way the ship stopped over at the island of Corsica, and the master decided to take part in a pagan festival, but Julia remained on the ship. The Corsicans plied the merchant and his companions with wine, and when they had fallen into a drunken sleep, they took Julia from the ship. Saint Julia was not afraid to acknowledge that she was a Christian, and the savage pagans crucified her.

An angel of the Lord reported the death of the holy martyr to the monks of a monastery, located on a nearby island. The monks took the body of the saint and buried it in a church in their monastery.

In about the year 763 the relics of the holy Martyr Julia were transferred to a women’s monastery in the city of Breschia (historians give conflicting years of the death of the saint: as either the fifth or seventh century).

Troparion — Tone 4

Your lamb Julia, / calls out to You, O Jesus, in a loud voice: / “I love You, my Bridegroom, / and in seeking You, I endure suffering. / In baptism I was crucified so that I might reign in You, / and I died so that I might live with You. / Accept me as a pure sacrifice, / for I have offered myself in love.” / Through her prayers save our souls, since You are merciful.

More saints commemorated today: https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2024/07/16

Music downloads: https://www.oca.org/liturgics/music-downloads/july

The Holy Equal of the Apostles and Great Prince Vladimir, the youngest son of Prince Svyatoslav of Kiev, was born in 963. He was only six years old when his grandmother, the Holy Princess Olga (July 11), who had raised him, reposed, and his father sent him to reign in Novgorod under the tutelage of the voivode Dobryn, his mother's brother. Princess Malusha, who still bore her Scandinavian name Malchrid, was a Christian. After Saint Vladimir converted to Christianity and founded the church of the Tithes at Kiev, she donated her estate to it.

Saint Olga's son Prince Svyatoslav was killed in battle with the Pechenegs three years after his mother's repose. Then his sons' tutors fought a war among themselves. Christian Kiev and pagan Novgorod struggled for supremacy. After the death of his father Svyatoslav in 972, Prince Vladimir of Novgorod was forced to flee to Scandinavia in 976, Vladimir's brother Yaropolk murdered his other brother Oleg of Drelinia and conquered Rus'. For the rest of his life Prince Vladimir mourned their deaths.

At the age of seventeen he began to rule on his own. He spent the first six years of his reign on military campaigns, leading his army personally, reconquering Novgorod from Yaropolk. By 980, Vladimir had consolidated the territory of Kievan Rus' from what is now Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine to the Baltic Sea. In addition, he strengthened the frontiers against the incursions of Bulgarians, Baltic tribes, and Eastern nomads.

All the Slavic tribes from the Carpathians and the Neman, and the city of Gorodyon (Grodno) to Beloozero, Anka and Volga united to form a single whole – the Russian land (Русскую землo), and they were called Russians. In gratitude for his victory at Kiev he set up idols of pagan gods - Perun and Beles - and offered them human sacrifices. In ancient times, the Slavs did not have idols and sacrifices, but adopted them much later from other pagan lands.

In the VI century, the Greeks said of them: "They recognize one God as the Ruler of the whole world." He was called Svarog, which means "blue sky." Perun, Veles, and other, lesser deities were thought to be his children. The Slavs believed in the immortality of the soul and in the afterlife, which predisposed them toward Christianity.

In the year 860 the Russians attacked Constantinople from the sea, but the Greeks immersed the robe of the Most Holy Theotokos in the ocean. The sea became agitated, and the Russian ships were swept away and retreated. After that, they sent an embassy to Constantinople to request Baptism. This was the first Baptism of Rus'.

Also in 860 Saint Cyril, the enlightener of the Slavs, baptized 200 families in the southern Russian steppes. He made his own translation of the Gospel and the Psalter. Metropolitan Michael was sent to care for the converts, and the Prince gathered the people and called them to be baptized. The elders agreed, but they demanded a miracle. They wanted a Gospel book to be thrown into the fire without being burnt. The Gospel was thrown in, the miracle occurred, and the people were baptized. This was the second Baptism of Rus'.

The third took place under Princess Olga. By that time, there were already many Christians in Kiev and there was a church dedicated to the Prophet Elijah. After Saint Olga's repose, the spread of Christianity was halted temporarily, but not for long. The time of Prince Vladimir had come.

In those days, Kiev was a large trading city. Merchants came from all over the world, as well as preachers of various religions. Saint Vladimir wanted to unite his people, not just under one government, but also under one Faith. The Prince sent envoys to various countries to see which religion would be most suitable for his people. When Vladimir's emissaries returned from Constantinople, they told him that when they stood in the church of Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom), they did not know "whether they were on earth or in heaven."

Kiev was located on a great waterway from the Varangian region to Constantinople; that is, from Scandinavia to the Byzantine Empire. The proximity of Orthodox Constantinople may have influenced Saint Vladimir, and the memory of Christianity, recently destroyed by Svyatoslav, was revived. According to the XI century writer Jacob Mnikh, the young Prince Vladimir remembered the example of his grandmother, Princess Olga, "the wisest of men," as she was called by her contemporaries. Furthermore, he could not help being influenced by the example of his mother, the Christian Princess Malusha, as well. The heroic death of Holy Protomartyrs Theodore and his son John (July 12) in 983 also made a lasting impression on him.

In one Icelandic saga it is said that in his youth, King Olaf of Norway had lived for a long time at the court of "the Gardarikian king Vol'demar" (Gardarika, that is, the land of cities. The Scandinavians called it Northwestern Russia). When he reached adulthood, he left there on military campaigns, according to the custom of the Scandinavians of that time. While upon the sea, he heard a heavenly voice calling him to Constantinople, where he would come to know the only true God. There he was baptized, and on the way back, he stopped to see King Vol'demar and urged him to convert to Christianity. When he returned from his campaign as a Christian, King Olaf encouraged his people to be baptized.

Prince Vladimir, however, was still a pagan, and he adhered to pagan customs. He also had five wives. How he was brought to Christ, and how his conversion was took place, remains a mystery.

Metropolitan Hilarion († 1053) in his "Word of Law and Grace," addressed the departed Great Prince Vladimir, saying, "How did you believe? How was your mind moved to love what is unseen, and to strive for heavenly things? You have not seen any Apostle who, after coming to your land, inclined your heart to humility. Guided only by your kind heart and sharp mind, you realized that there is one God."

He continued: "Upon him came a visitation of the Most High, and the eye of the All-Merciful God looked upon him; and a thought shone forth in his heart - he realized the futility of idol worship, and sought the one God, the Creator of all things, both visible and invisible. He had heard about the Orthodox, and the strong Christ-loving faith of the Byzantine Empire, who honor the one God in Trinity, and worship Him. When he heard all this, he was aflame in spirit, and with all his heart he longed to be a Christian, and to convert his entire land to Christianity."

As to the reason for the conversion of Saint Vladimir to Christ, another writer of the XI century, Saint Nestor the Chronicler (October 27) states in his Life of Saints Boris and Gleb: "In those years there was a Prince named Vladimir, who ruled the Russian land. He was righteous and merciful to the poor, to orphans, and to widows, but he was a pagan. God intervened and made him a Christian, just like Saint Eustathios Plakidas (September 20). So Prince Vladimir became a Christian, receiving the name Basil at his Baptism."

Although Venerable Nestor the Chronicler pointed out that the Holy Prince Vladimir's experience was similar to that of Saint Eustathios, the exact details are not known. Meanwhile, by the will of God, external events led Saint Vladimir to the fulfillment of his desire. The Byzantine Emperors Constantine and Basil asked Vladimir to help them put down the revolt of Phokas. Vladimir agreed, but asked for the hand of Princess Anna Porphyrogenita, in return. The Emperors agreed, and sent clergy and the sacred utensils required for the Baptism of Rus'.

But when Vladimir defeated Phokas, they did not fulfill their obligations. Then Vladimir conquered Korsun, thereby forcing the Emperors to keep their promise. He returned Korsun to the Greeks as a ransom for his bride. His army was baptized and, according to the "Tale of the Baptism of Russia," he himself was baptized. This was in 988, and the Chronicle says that before Baptism he became blind, but received his sight when he came out of the water. However, Jacob Mnikh (XI century) writes that Vladimir captured Korsun when he was already a Christian, and that he was baptized in 987 at his estate Vasiliev (now Vasilkov).

When Prince Vladimir returned to Kiev, the Orthodox priests who came with him were obviously Bulgarians (Bulgaria was then subject to the Byzantine Empire). They baptized the people of Kiev at the confluence of the river, then called Khreshchatyk, with the Dnieper. They brought with them liturgical books translated into Slavonic by Saints Cyril and Methodios (May 11), the enlighteners of the Slavs. With them was Metropolitan Michael of Kiev (June 15, September 30). At Kiev, where people had heard of Christianity, the Faith was quickly established. In the north, at Novgorod, Rostov, and Murom, paganism lasted longer, and it took a great deal of effort for princes and preachers to uproot it.

Prince Vladimir was twenty-five years old at the Baptism of Rus'. With all the fervor of youth, he began to fulfill the precepts of Christ, especially those about helping the poor, sick and disadvantaged. This assistance was provided on a large scale. Throughout Russia, the poor were sought and were given everything they needed, and the sick also received treatment. During Saint Vladimir's reign, the state served the people, which was very unusual in those days. In ancient times there was no death penalty in Russia. Instead, there was a "penalty," that is, a monetary fine. Saint Vladimir confirmed this custom, saying: "I am afraid of sin." This custom became law and entered the Code of Laws compiled under his son, Great Prince Yaroslav under the name "Russkaya Pravda."

The people loved their Prince, praising him in songs and epics, calling him the Beautiful Sun. Saint Vladimir summoned the elders of the people from all over Russia for meetings and provided feasts for them. The memory of these feasts is also preserved in the epics. He built new cities, such as Volodymyr-Volynsky (where his palace once stood), Vladimir in the land of Suzdal, and others. He strengthened the boundaries of his possessions as a defense against the neighboring pagan tribes. In order to unite Russia, he sent his sons to rule in different cities: at Rostov, Murom, Novgorod, Polotsk, and other places. Soon the influence of the Varangians began to wane, and the importance of the Slavs increased. In Kiev, at the place where the Russian Protomartyrs Theodore and John were murdered, he built the church of the Tithes and dedicated it to the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, donating a tenth of his income for its upkeep.

The Holy Prince Vladimir reposed on July 15, 1015 in his beloved village of Berestov and was buried in the church of the Tithes. A piece of his holy relics was kept in Holy Wisdom Cathedral, established by his son, Great Prince Yaroslav the Wise.

The Feast Day of Saint Vladimir was instituted by Saint Alexander Nevsky (November 23) after May 15, 1240, because of Saint Vladimir's help and intercession at Saint Alexander's renowned victory over the Crusaders at the Neva River. In Russia, the Church veneration of the Holy Prince began much earlier. In Saint Hilarion's "Word of Law and Grace," the holy Prince is called "an apostolic sovereign," similar to Saint Constantine (May 20); and his evangelization of the Russian land is likened to the preaching of the Gospel by the Holy Apostles.

Saint Vladimir is commemorated on July 15 (the day of his repose) and on the second Sunday of Great Lent, along with the Synaxis of the Venerable Fathers of the Kiev Caves, and all Saints who shone forth in Little Russia.

Troparion — Tone 4

Holy Prince Vladimir, / you were like a merchant in search of fine pearls. / By sending servants to Constantinople for the Orthodox Faith, you found Christ, the priceless pearl. / He appointed you to be another Paul, / washing away in baptism your physical and spiritual blindness. / We celebrate your memory, / asking you to pray for all Orthodox Christians and for us, your spiritual children.

Kontakion — Tone 8

Most glorious Vladimir, in your old age you imitated the great apostle Paul: / He abandoned childish things, while you forsook the idolatry of your youth. / Together with him you reached the fullness of divine wisdom: / You were adorned with the purity of holy baptism. / Now as you stand before Christ our Savior, pray that all Orthodox Christians may be saved.

More saints commemorated today: https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2024/07/15

Music downloads: https://www.oca.org/liturgics/music-downloads/july

Saint Stephen of Makhra (Makhrishche) was a native of Kiev. He accepted monasticism at the monastery of the Caves, where he spent several years in deeds of obedience and prayer. The oppressions of the Latins compelled him to journey on to Moscow, where Great Prince Ivan II (1353-1359) graciously received him, permitting him to settle in the locale of Makhra not far from Gorodisch, 35 versts from the Sergiev monastery.

Having built himself a cell and spending his life at ascetic labors, and esteeming silence, he did not accept those wishing to join him. But then he yielded to the requests, and in this way, in 1358 he founded a monastery, in which he was established as igumen.

Living near his monastery were the Yurkov brothers. Fearing that the land which they ruled might be given over to the monastery, they threatened to kill the holy ascetic. The admonitions of the monk did not help. Saint Stephen then moved to a different place. Sixty versts north of Vologda, at the River Avnezha, he founded with his disciple Gregory a monastery in the name of the Holy Trinity. Great Prince Demetrius Ioannovich sent books and other liturgical items to the Avnezhsk wilderness, but the venerable Stephen sent them in turn to the Makhra monastery. Having returned to his monastery, Saint Stephen ordered life in it according to a cenobitic Rule.

When Saint Sergius of Radonezh moved from his monastery, in order to find a place for his ascetic deeds, Saint Stephen then received him, and gave the great ascetic Sergius his own disciple Simon, who knew the surrounding area quite well. Saint Sergius settled together with Simon on the island of Kirzhach, where he founded a monastery.

Saint Stephen was strict with himself and indulgent towards others. He worked for the monastery the hardest of all, he zealously guided the brethren to the ways of salvation with gentle and quiet talks, and he wore very old and coarse clothing.

The monk lived to extreme old age, became a schemamonk and died in 1406 on July 14. In 1550 during the construction of a new stone church in the name of the Holy Trinity, his holy relics were found to be incorrupt. They were glorified by blessings of help in various sicknesses and misfortunes for all who called on the name of the saint.

Troparion — Tone 8

By a flood of tears you made the desert fertile, / and your longing for God brought forth fruits in abundance. / By the radiance of miracles you illumined the whole universe! / O our holy father Stephen, pray to Christ our God to save our souls!

More saints commemorated today: https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2024/07/14

Music downloads: https://www.oca.org/liturgics/music-downloads/july