ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY Orthodox Calendar
Orthodox Calendar 2025
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Прп. Афанасий Афонский Преподобномученицы Варвара и Елисавета Алапаевские Обретение мощей преподобного Сергия
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Old Style
July 5 		Friday
New Style
July 18
6th Week after Pentecost. Tone 4.
Fast Day.
Wine and oil allowed.

Совершается служба с полиелеемSt. Athanasius of Mt. Athos and his six disciples (1000). Совершается служба со славословиемUncovering of the relics of St. Sergius of Radonezh (1422).

Martyr Anna, at Rome (ca. 304). Sts. Athanasius and Theodosius, of Cherepovets (both ca. 1388), disciples of St. Sergius of Radonezh. St. Lampadus, monk, of Irenopolis (10th c.).

Cовершается служба, не отмеченная в Типиконе никаким знакомNew Martyrs Abbess Elizabeth (Romanova) and Nun Barbara, and those with them: John, Igor, Constantine, Sergius, and Vladimir, princes, and Theodore, at Alapaevsk (1918). New Hieromartyr Aristarchus (Sitalo), archimandrite, of Akhtyra (1919). New Confessor Agapitus (Taube), monk of Optina Monastery (1936).

Hieromartyr Stephen, bishop of Rhegium, disciple of Apostle Paul, and with him Bishop Suerus and the women Agnes, Felicitas, and Perpetua (1st c.). Hieromartyr Athanasius, deacon, of Jerusalem (451). St. Morwenna, patroness of Morwenstow (England) (6th c.). New Martyr Cyprian of Koutloumousiou, Mt. Athos (1679). Synaxis of 23 Saints of Lesbos.

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. [I Cor. 4:5-8; Matt. 13:44-54]

   Arriving in Nazareth the Lord found no faith there. His visible simplicity hindered the Nazarenes from seeing His invisible glory and divinity. Does not the same occur with a Christian? Christian dogmas are very simple in appearance; but for the mind which enters into them, they represent an all-embracing harmonious system in and of themselves, which were not, nor ever could be generated by any creature’s mind. Proud-mindedness, casting a fleeting glance at the simplicity of the Gospels, is repelled by it and begins to build its own house of knowledge, which it deems enormous and full of broad horizons. It is in fact no more than a towering house of cards, and the horizons are no more than mirages, phantom products of a heated imagination. But there is no point in telling him. He and his brothers are ready with their critical attacks to immediately cast anyone from the mountain into the abyss who tries to dissuade them; but the truth always passes unharmed through their midst and goes on to other souls capable of receiving it.

Articles

Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos and his six disciples

Saint Athanasius of Athos, in holy Baptism named Abraham, was born in the city of Trebezond. He was orphaned at an early age, and being raised by a certain good and pious nun, he imitated his adoptive mother in the habits of monastic life, in fasting and in prayer.

A Miracle of Knowledge: St. Sergius of Radonezh

The venerable monk, when he had ended his prayers, glanced at the boy and, conscious that he beheld the chosen vessel of the Holy Spirit, he called him to his side, blessed him, bestowed on him a kiss in the name of Christ, and asked: "What art thou seeking, or what dost thou want, child?" The boy answered, "My soul desires above all things to understand the Holy Scriptures. I have to study reading and writing, and I am sorely vexed that I cannot learn these things. Will you, holy Father, pray to God for me, that he will give me understanding of book-learning?" The monk raised his hands and his eyes toward heaven, sighed, prayed to God, then said, "Amen."

Athlete of Virtues—St. Sergius of Radonezh

So remarkable is the life Of this wondrous Saint, so full of miracles, that we tend to overlook those points which, with prayer, can be applied to our own circumstances. Even his childhood gives a picture of an exemplary Christian life. How many contemporary mothers are so solicitous over the spiritual needs of their children even while they are still in the womb? How many of us turn first to God in time of need and teach our children to do likewise?

Sergei of Radonezh, Saint of All Russia

Artemy Yermakov

At that moment, the fate of the Russian Church was being decided; even the whole fate of Russian culture was being sealed. Just try to imagine Russia without the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra, without Andrei Rublev, without the churches dedicated to the Holy Trinity. And yet, St. Sergius left that decision up to another, even though he already knew the answer to his own question.

A Wreath to St. Sergius of Radonezh

Archpriest Sergei Bulgakov

Five and a half centuries have passed since the blessed repose of St. Sergius. The changes that have occurred in everything are great, and great is the historical distance that separates us. However, he still remains not only our spiritual leader and heavenly intercessor but also a friend who measured the depths of our sorrow and through it became our kin.

Dwelling Together in Unity—St. Sergius of Radonezh

Nun Cornelia (Rees)

The Russian people’s problems with power struggles, treachery, and war between different princes were not over. In the midst of it all, there stood a humble monk, ever avoiding honor or power over others, asking nothing and giving everything. This was a magnetic force that drew together seemingly irreconcilable enemies.

Cross procession in honour of St. Sergius of Radonezh takes place in the Caucasus mountains

The starting point and the point of destination of the cross procession was the ancient Balkar village of Eltyubyu. Among the cross procession participants there were the famous Ukrainian traveler Alexander Voloshchuk from Chernigov, who specially came from the suffering Ukraine for participation in the cross procession, and two teenage boys from the city of Tyrnyauz in the Elbrus region.

The 700th Anniversary of Sergius of Radonezh: 8.6 Million Russian Residents Visit the Lavra

The founder of the monastery, St. Sergius of Radonezh, ranks as the second most frequently commemorated saint born in the land of Russia.

A Servant of the Holy Trinity

Deacon Georgiy Malkov

In the Orthodox consciousness, the brightest examples of a harmonious human personality are connected with the figure of St. Sergius of Radonezh, living “by the law of Christ”—humbly wise, warmly merciful toward every man and every creature, yet without the weakness of sentimentalism; always active, hardworking, whether it be in the work of everyday life or in deep prayer.

Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh

The fifth of July, the day of the Uncovering of the relics of holy Abba Sergius, igumen of the Russian Land, is a crowded and solemn church feastday at the monastery.

September 6 the Church commemorates the appearance of the Most Holy Theotokos to Venerable Sergius of Radonezh

The appearance of the Mother of God in St. Sergius’ cell on the place of the current Serapion chamber occurred on a Friday of the Nativity Fast in 1385. The memory of this visitation and promise of the Mother of God to the Trinity Monastery was piously kept by the disciples of St. Sergius.

St. Sergius of Radonezh

Undoubtedly, the most outstanding establisher of the truly selfless “life equal to the angels” in fourteenth century Russia is St. Sergius of Radonezh, the founder of the famous Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Monastery, which embodies in its historical legacy his blessed precepts, and gradually became a kind of spiritual heart for all of Orthodox Russia.

St. Sergius was a theologian in the highest sense of the word

Lyubov Ulyanova, Vladimir Legoida

Representative of the Synodal Information Department V. R. Legoida speaks on the importance of this great saint for the establishment of Russian statehood, the development of Russian monasticism and Church institutions in the context of modern Church-state relations.

Miraculous Help of St. Sergius In Our Days

Anton Pospelov

On the eve of the commemoration day of St. Sergius of Radonezh, we asked readers to share their stories about miraculous help from the Abbot of the Russian Land.

Thirty-three Portraits of Grand Duchess Elizabeth

November 1, 2014 marks the 150-year anniversary since the birth of Royal Martyr Elizabeth Feodorovna, one of the Russian people’s favorite saints, and honored all over the world.

The Heart of a Saint

Sophie Law

“I took up the life I am now leading not as a cross—but as a road full of light God showed me after Serge’s death and which years and years before had begun in my soul."
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