ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY Orthodox Calendar
Orthodox Calendar 2020
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Прп. Серафим Вырицкий
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Old Style
March 21 		Friday
New Style
April 3
5th Week of Great Lent. Tone 8.
Great Lent.
Monastic rule: xerophagy (bread, uncooked fruits and vegetables).

Cовершается служба, не отмеченная в Типиконе никаким знакомSt. James the Confessor, bishop, of the Studion (8th c.-9th c.). St. Seraphim of Vyritsa (1949).

St. Cyril, bishop of Catania (1st c.-2nd c.). St. Thomas, patriarch of Constantinople (610). St. Pachomius, abbot, of Nerekhta (1384).

St. Beryllus, bishop of Catania (2nd c.). St. Serapion, bishop of Thmuis, Egypt (ca. 358). St. Lupicinus, desert-dweller, of the Jura Mountains (Gaul) (480). St. Enda, monk, of Aran (Ireland) (530). St. Sophronius, abbot, of the monastery of St. Theodosius in Palestine (542). New Martyr Michael of Agrapha, at Thessalonica (1544). Martyrs Philemon and Domninus of Rome. St. Serapion the Sindonite, monk, of Egypt (5th c.).

Thoughts for Each Day of the Year
According to the Daily Church Readings from the Word of God
By St. Theophan the Recluse

St. Theophan the Recluse

Friday.

The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God (Wisdom 3:1). But in whose hand are the souls of sinners? The Saviour said to the apostles that satan seeks to sift them like wheat, that is, he seeks to knock them from the right path, to take them into his hands and do with them what he wants. That is why everyone turning away from the Lord is in the hands of satan, and he sifts them and casts them wherever he desires. Due to this the heads of sinners are constantly spinning, because the enemy, dragging them here and there, does not give them a chance to come to their senses. As soon as the enemy notices that someone is starting to have second thoughts, he starts to shake him even more strongly, so that his head again becomes clouded and his thoughts become scattered.

Articles

St. James the Confessor the Bishop of Catania

Saint James, Bishop and Confessor,was inclined toward the ascetic life from his early years.

A Few Personal Memories about St. Seraphim of Vyritsa

Deacon Vladimir Vasilik

Hearing this, St. Seraphim sighed softly and waved his hand: “What are you thinking, Matushka? Do you understand who you are giving your daughter to? He’s a convict! A convict! What wedding? What crowning? The Great Siberian Way is in store for him."

Venerable Seraphim of Vyritsa

The boy had a secret desire to become a monk, so one day he went to the Saint Alexander Nevsky Lavra to speak to one of the Elders about this. The Elder advised him to remain in the world and raise a family, then after their children had grown, he and his wife were to serve God in the monastic life.

St. Cyril the Bishop of Catania

Saint Cyril was born in Antioch. He was a disciple of the Apostle Peter (June 29, January 16), who installed him as Bishop of Catania in Sicily.

St. Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople

Saint Thomas, Patriarch of Constantinople, was at first a deacon, and later under the holy Patriarch John IV the Faster (582-595) he was made “sakellarios” [sacristan] in the Great Church (Hagia Sophia). After the death of holy Patriarch Cyriacus (595-606), Saint Thomas was elevated to the Patriarchal throne in 607.

Venerable Enda, Abbot of Inishmore

Dmitry Lapa

The fame of St. Enda spread far and wide. The loving care of the holy abbot was directed not only toward monks, but also at the poor, the oppressed and suffering. According to tradition, he ordered the monks to build “eight places for refuge” on the island, where all who had nowhere else to go could find shelter and care.
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