March 21, 2026. + Orthodox Calendar

Orthodox Calendar 2026

Прп. Серафим Вырицкий

Old Style

March 21

Friday

New Style

April 3

Sixth Week of Great Lent (Palm Week). Tone 1.
Great Lent.

Monastic rule: xerophagy (bread, uncooked fruits and vegetables).

St. 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 holy 40 days of Great Lent have come to an end! Now each of you sit and calculate the result—what was there in the beginning and what is there now? There was buying, so what are the gains? Is there at least a small profit? We have stepped into the arena: so, did we run, and having run, did we achieve what we expected? A struggle was announced: so, did we arm ourselves, did we fight, and having fought did we fall, or conquer? Attentive and vigilant fasters, having laboured with contrite and humbled hearts, upon looking back cannot but rejoice. However, for us, careless and flesh-pleasing, concerned only with fleshly comforts and things that please us, there is always only shame. But even this is lacking. Some take a beating but feel no pain, because they have a copper forehead and an iron neck.

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. Seraphim of Vyritsa. Riches and Holiness

Veronica Bogdanova

On April 3 the Holy Church commemorates the Venerable Seraphim of Vyritsa, who before the Revolution was a prosperous merchant, owned luxury fur shops in St. Petersburg, and after the Revolution became a monk. How did his relationship with money develop and can holy rich men still be found in our day?

St. Seraphim of Vyritsa

Meanwhile, Vasily Nikolayevich Muravyov (St. Seraphim of Vyritsa’s secular name), a well-known fur trading merchant from St. Petersburg, did something unfathomable to ordinary human reasoning: He shut down his business, offered generous severance pay to all of his employees, and distributed the bulk of his capital to the needs of various monasteries.

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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