102 Orthodox Saints

Ss. Priscilla and Aquila

When my kids were little I always kept a church bag with religious books, soft toys, and coloring pages with a few crayons. The kids were only allowed to read some of those books at church, which helped them looked forward to them. It was a nice way to keep them quiet and busy during Liturgy. My kids are all too old for coloring pages and toys now, but my 9 year old will still read a book during Orthros or at other times during the Liturgy. Recently, she's been reading the Action Bible, but I've had my eye out for some Orthodox books that might be more appropriate for her age. So I was thrilled to receive a review copy of 102 Orthodox Saints! 

St. Hermione

I study saints and history in my academic work, so this book has tons of elements that I love. It's laid out alphabetically, with a key on the side of the page which includes an icon, name, date and location, as well as vocation and feast day. Besides Nicholas Malara's beautiful illustrations, each entry also includes maps and photographs or illustrations of historical artifacts. I love seeing St. Hermione's medical instruments, St. Saba's monastery, or the Byzantine map of Constantinople from the time of Pulcheria. These details root the saints in the physical world, reminding us that these are more than fairy tales. These are real people, from every corner of the earth, whose show us a myriad of ways to live out the Christian life. Definitely a good pick for history lovers!

When I was putting together this blog post, I realized the pictures I snapped reflect my interest in the early Christian and early Byzantine periods - but the books includes modern saints, too. My kids always enjoy those. Its fun to see real photographs of modern saints and remember that God continues to be glorious in his saints!

St. Matrona

My 9 year old daughter enjoyed the pictures and liked reading the stories. She said she would enjoy using it during church and other times. My 17 year old daughter was also enamored with it! She loved the reference features, being able to look saints up by date or alphabetical order, and the color coding on the side that indicates what time period the saint came from. She was wondering which saints are in 101 Saints, and so I'm thinking we'll have to add that book for Christmas. (Or when it's back in print?!)

Ss. Perpetua and Felicity

There are definitely some wonderful saints in this volume. I love Ss. Perpetua and Felicity, and this illustrations of them as mothers is so beautiful! Holy Saints, pray to God for us!

St. Saba

Church bag

The God-Beloved Deaconesses

I am researching St. Domnika and other deaconess saints for my dissertation. While there are many unknowns about this ancient office, we can see the church's theology in their lives and ministries. 

Someday, I would love to paint icons of many of these saints. In the meantime, I created this illustration featuring fourteen deaconesses commemorated as saints in the Orthodox Church. I put the most famous saints in the center, Phoebe and Olympia. They span from the first through tenth centuries, from Gaul and Rome, to Constantinople and Cappadocia, and to Syria and Alexandria. At least 10 of them were likely ordained with either with the prayers in the Apostolic Constitutions, or with the Byzantine rite for the ordination of deaconesses. There are three martyrs, two bishops' wives, many teachers and abbesses, and all ascetics. 

You can grab the coloring page to print. I also uploaded the design to my Zazzle, where I printed stickers and a mug for myself - and you can get some too. :)

Front Row: St. Radegunde, St. Irene Chrysovalantou, St. Justina, St. Phoebe, St. Olympia, St. Platonida, St. Susanna, St. Tatiana; Back Row: St. Domnika, St. Theosebia, St. Nonna, St. Poplia, St. Xenia, St. Apollonia

The God-Beloved Deaconesses Sticker
by orthojack

Holy Saints, pray to God for us!

St. Haralambos Day! (with a printable zine)

Martyrs, admittedly, aren't the easiest saints to introduce to little ones, even joyful ones like St. Haralambos. So I made a little zine to tell a simple version of his life. The illustrations are adapted from the comic I made several years ago, which is now printed in this little book: "How to Start a Mission Church" (along with several other stories about mission life).

 The Zine jpg and printing instructions are below. Read a longer life of St. Haralambos here.

How to Start a Mission Church (i.e. The Grace of God) and other stories

a Joyful, Cake-Table, Name-day celebration!

Grab the image above and print the zine on one page at 100% (not "scale to fit"). Folding instructions are below or check out these instructions. I love these tiny little books. :)

St. Lucia: A Patron Saint Movie

St. Phanourios and Fanouropita

I'm late late in sharing this one, but I want to remember this recipe from Serious Eats that turned out better than the ones I've used in the past. This one was lovely, with great texture and flavor, not too sweet. I put it together before Liturgy, not because I had lost something, but I realized it was his feast day. Still, I said a prayer for something we've been looking for, and was not disappointed. :)

Ingredients

3 3/4 cups flour

1 TBSP baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp kosher salt

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup olive oil

3/4 cup orange juice

1 tsp vanilla extract

Confectioners sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 with oven rack in middle position. Grease and flour a round pan. Mine sometimes comes out undercooked in the middle, so a bundt pan would probably work well.

2. Mix flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and sugar. Add olive oil, orange juice, and vanilla and stir to combine. Batter will be very thick. Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake until golden and the middle of the cake is done, about an hour. Let cool 10 minutes then release springform and continue to cool on a wire rack. Dust with confectioners sugar before serving.

A Prayer to Christ with the Holy Great-martyr Phanourios by Nun Isidora

Master Lord Jesus Christ our God, the maker of light and source and fount of wisdom and knowledge, the cause of all that is good, the fullness of goodness and the incomprehensible sea of compassion, Who does excellent things and works wonders in His Saints, by whom Your magnificent and All-holy Name is glorified, Who reveals to us the ways of salvation by the knowledge of Your holy commandments, O Good One, and shines upon our souls with Your gladsome and un-waning light, You Whose grace is wondrous through all Your Saints, Your chosen and faithful stewards, to all those who call upon them with their whole heart, who through Your all-working power working awesome and paradoxical wonders, of which there is no number, Who through your Holy Great-martyr Phanourios the newly-revealed, revealed that which was hidden from us and reveals them speedily, Who teaches us to ask faithfully in humility, that richly You may give according to Your compassionate and all-merciful nature, Who wishes that all be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth, Who said that “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life”. Do therefore now, all-good King and Lord of all, by this Your Holy Great-martyr Phanourios the wonderworker whom we entreat, bestow upon us who faithfully honor him, an intercessor towards You armed with Your strength, and grant to us the illumination of Your grace, make us worthy to walk in the paths of Your commandments, to come to the knowledge of Your good and complete will, reveal to us the paths of salvation, show to us the way of repentance, that pleasing You through these, Who works what is beneficial to our souls, reveal to us the treasures of Your knowledge, that to those seeking these, we who entreat You in faith, make our heart the dwelling of Your bright Holy Spirit and a receptacle of Your grace, so that with all Your Saints from the ages we may glorify You O Light-giving Lord, who in these is glorified and to You do we offer up honor and worship, together with Your beginningless Father and Your All-holy and Good and life-giving Spirit, now and forever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Apostles Epistles!

This year, I'm finally getting into the rhythm of the Apostles' Fast - celebrating for a long period after the resurrection, and then again for Pentecost. Then, just as the Apostles began their hard work, we, too, take up the mission of the Gospel and return to fasting.

I've made a kids' calendar printable for Lent, and the Nativity and Dormition fasts, but I never know what to do with the Apostles' Fast. Since it is a little longer this year, I decided its time to organize something for the kids, and I'm pretty excited about what I've got planned.

Since this fast is variable in length, instead of counting down the days, we’ll count up! I made a set of 40 postcards, including the 12 Apostles, some of the Seventy Apostles, and several saints Equal to the Apostles. The fast is usually (much) shorter than 40 days, so this should be more than enough for most years, and I can save the leftover cards for future years.

Each day (or at least a few times a week) we'll select one postcard and learn about that saint named on the card. Then we'll decorate the front of the postcard with a picture of the saint or their story, and write a note to a friend on the back. I think we'll keep our finished cards in a basket on the kitchen table where we can see them throughout the fast. On the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, we'll celebrate by collecting all the postcards and sending them to our friends - just like the Apostles were sent out to deliver the Gospel!

[A little update to show our first handful of cards.
My girls really like cutting shapes out of construction paper!]

If you want to get in on the fun, you can download the Postcard pdf. I really wanted to keep it from being too complicated, just simply print and cut the cards and decorate when you can. Of course, in summer it is hard to stick to a daily activity, so feel free to just make cards on week days or in a Sunday school class, or whenever you have a quiet moment during the fast, whatever is simplest and most helpful for your family. Use the link or check out the embedded file below. Blessed fast!

Postcards 
(I used 65# colored paper from walmart, which is heavier than printer paper, 
but lighter than cardstock so it works better in my home printer.) 

Why do Orthodox Christians Have Prayer Corners? Infographic!

For your friends, who wonder what's up with that weird corner over there?

St. Haralambos

I wrote a little comic about our family's experience with St. Haralambos. You can see the rest here. 

     

All Saints Sunday

I put together this lesson for our kids at church for All Saints Sunday, but it could also make a nice patron saint lesson. The printable includes:

1. the epistle reading for All Saints Sunday and some notes I used to prepare.
2. (and page 5) Two saint pages for children to fill in with the name of their saint, why they are a saint, and how to be like them. A box for drawing the saint is there with light lines to help young children get started. (the second page doesn't have the "St." so it can be used for the Theotokos, angels, or other saints with different titles.)
3. I didn't use the third page, but it is an extra printable with a space to draw all of your favorite saints, or perhaps your family's saints around Christ enthroned.
4. The next page has 12 circles of Christ enthroned meant to be cut out and pasted on a paper plate, and then, like number 3, you can draw saints around. We didn't get to this either.


nts

St. Simeon and the Meeting of the Lord Scroll project

I'm way behind sharing this, but perhaps others will find it useful for next year. St. Simeon is dad's patron saint, so we wanted to have a little craft and lesson about him. We talked about St. Simeon's work on the septuagint, and how he had waited a long time to see the fulfillment of God's promise. 

Then we made scrolls! I used a piece of legal paper since it is a bit longer than usual, and lined it with three columns. Then the girls wrote the prayer of St. Simeon as copy work, and decorated the borders of the paper. We slipped wooden beads on the ends of wooden skewers (with some glue to hold them in place), and then folded and taped the ends of the paper around the skewers. Then we practiced rolling and unrolling to read. We used this image as a suggestion. 

Download my lined legal paper scroll to make your own scroll. 

Scroll rolled up and tied

St. Brigid's oaten bread

I quit posting much during my pregnancy, but had a few links I wanted to be sure to save and share, like this one. St. Brigid is special to our parish, and so we celebrated this year with some activities and this bread.

Recipe
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter (cut into small pieces)
3/4 cup uncooked oatmeal flakes
1 egg
1/2 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet.

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Add butter flakes, cutting them in with a knife until the mixture becomes crumbly. Add oats and mix well. Beat the egg with the buttermilk in a separate bowl. Make a "well" in the dry ingredients, then pour in the egg mixture and mix all with a fork until the crumbs hold together.

Form the dough into a ball and knead (on a floured surface). Add flour if the mass is still too sticky to work with. Form the doughball into a round bread and place it on the baking sheet. Score a cross into the bread (do not cut through).

Bake for fifteeen to twenty minutes, the bread should be medium brown.

Life of St. Mary of Egypt Printable

I'm up late finishing a coloring page to help the kids get through the long compline service tomorrow. Hopefully this will be a good resource for other times, too. It tells the life of St. Mary of Egypt in comic form. Grab the image to the left, and print on regular letter paper, scale to fit.

Last year we loved the suggestions from Creative Hands Creative Minds, and made paintings of St. Mary of Egypt. My photos are a little blurry, but these are still some of my favorite saint paintings the girls have made. You can see ours below.

Also, I love this version of her life written for children available here from Frederica Matthewes-Greene. I saved it as a PDF to print and reuse each year. You can download my version here.

And we're big fans of Gigi Baba Shadid. Her song about St. Mary of Egypt is great, too!

Celebrating St. Veronica!

This is our first year to celebrate Name Days in our family. I read a bit about what others do to celebrate (mostly like birthdays with cake and presents), but it didn't seem to work for us. We just celebrated the girls' birthdays this spring, just before this name day, and we've always made a big deal of birthdays, so it would seem strange to switch and this point. I hate to make another day about presents, too, and I really wanted this day to be about learning about the saint.

We celebrated St. Lucia Day last year, our very first name day celebration, and it was simple but really lovely with Lucy-buns for breakfast, we read the story book, and we made St. Lucia crowns.  So we modeled my younger daughter's name day after that celebration. We made a big breakfast with a candle and flowers and St. Veronica's icon on the table. While they were eating I read some of the stories about St. Veronica that I cobbled together from different sources. I especially liked the short piece written by Bishop Demetri (my sources are below).

Then we made handkerchiefs! We talked about the hem of Jesus garment as well as the legend of St. Veronica's veil, so a pretty handkerchief seemed to tie in nicely. We talked about what a "hem"is, and how we touch the hem of the priest's robe in the Great Entrance with faith like St. Veronica. We also talked about Veronica's simple and kind act toward Jesus on the way to the cross. I know some people have made handkerchiefs with an image of Christ on it, but I wasn't sure we could do it nicely, or what we'd do with the finished product - so we just made pretty handkerchiefs. I printed some embroidery templates I found online, and the girls colored them with iron on crayons. Then we ironed them onto the handkerchiefs. (I made these handkerchiefs myself from white fabric I had in my closet. I cut squares and hemmed them the day before. This was my last minute use-what-you-have plan.) 

We probably won't make handkerchiefs every year, but I think handkerchiefs have lots of craft and gifting potential. They will be a small way to reinforce the lessons we learn from St. Veronica each year, the way that candles will be for St. Lucia, apples for St. Euphrosynos, red eggs for St. Mary, etc.

----------------------------

 St. Veronica

1. The Gospel account and teaching: 

"The moment in which St. Veronica dares to touch Jesus – out of her great hope that He can heal her – can teach us a great deal about the immense power to be found in our trust that God loves us and wants to heal us of our infirmities!” – Bishop Demetri, Auxiliary Bishop, Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (http://almoutran.com/2011/07/3757)

2. The statue of Jesus she erected, as told by the historian Eusebius in the early 4^th century:

“Since I have mentioned this city I do not think it proper to omit an account which is worthy of record for posterity. For they say that the woman with an issue of blood, who, as we learn from the sacred Gospel, received from our Saviour deliverance from her affliction, came from this place, and that her house is shown in the city, and that remarkable memorials of the kindness of the Saviour to her remain there. For there stands upon an elevated stone, by the gates of her house, a brazen image of a woman kneeling, with her hands stretched out, as if she were praying. Opposite this is another upright image of a man, made of the same material, clothed decently in a double cloak, and extending his hand toward the woman. At his feet, beside the statue itself, [2298] is a certain strange plant, which climbs up to the hem of the brazen cloak, and is a remedy for all kinds of diseases. They say that this statue is an image of Jesus. It has remained to our day, so that we ourselves also saw it when we were staying in the city. Nor is it strange that those of the Gentiles who, of old, were benefited by our Saviour, should have done such things, since we have learned also that the likenesses of his apostles Paul and Peter, and of Christ himself, are preserved in paintings, the ancients being accustomed, as it is likely, according to a habit of the Gentiles, to pay this kind of honor indiscriminately to those regarded by them as deliverers.” – Eusebius (http://biblehub.com/library/pamphilius/church_history/chapter_xviii_the_statue_which_the.htm)

3.  The meaning of the name "Veronica" (from the Greek for Bernice) and the veil of Veronica. 

“On the first Good Friday, St. Veronica was the woman who stepped out of the crowd and wiped the perspiring face of Christ as he struggled to carry the Cross on the road to Calvary. The cloth she used miraculously retained an imprint of the countenance of the suffering Messiah." From http://pearlofgreatpricebook.wordpress.com/2013/07/26/442/

4. The above website also includes the Stichera for Lord I have cried, which are really lovely. I couldn't keep my kids attention long enough to read these, but I'll hang on to them for the future:

Tone 8

By humbly and courageously touching the hem of Christ’s garment with faith/ Holy Mother Veronica/ your issue of blood of twelve years was healed by the Master/ who then endowed you with the gift of healing/ and as rivers of spiritual waters overflowing their banks// you water those sick and suffering, with the healing grace of God.

Your name means true image, /for with true compassion, you used your veil to gently wipe Christ’s face as he carried His Cross./ His image remained on your veil,/ and you carried His wonderworking icon and the gospel to those in need./ Holy Mother Veronica, //teach us to seek healing through the One True God and Savior of our souls.

Who would not wonder at and glorify faithfully the unseen miracles of humble Veronica? O the wonder and glory of God given grace! / Teach us by thy example/ to turn with faith to God for the healing of our souls and bodies.

Glory…   same tone

Your holy feast has become a bright heaven of salvation, / O Holy Mother Veronica, / that shines like the sun with the action of divine healings;/ your miracles of salvation shine like stars.// Teach us to pray with faith to Christ for the healing of our souls and bodies.

Troparion…  Tone 8

The image of God was preserved in you Holy Mother Veronica,

For taking up your cross you followed after Christ.

Teaching us to disregard the flesh for it passes away,

but rather to nurture the soul, for it is immortal.

Therefore, your spirit is rejoicing with the Angels Oh Holy Mother Veronica

St. George Day Dragon bread

Christ is risen!

We celebrated Pascha with a little feast and egg hunt at our mission this week. We all traveled to different churches for the feast day, so it was nice to get back together and celebrate as a parish. It also happened to be the feast day of St. George, so I made dragon bread for our feast. 

I've seen several great ideas for dragon-shaped bread, but I didn't remember until the very last minute - so I used canned crescent rolls, twisting and shaping them, making it up as I went. I used olives for the eyes, and put some cheese along the back and some stuffed inside the body. I also used sunflower seeds for the claws, but they fell off after baking. I thought it turned out pretty cute! Next year, we'll try it again from scratch. 

Let Your Light So Shine - Candle Lesson for Kids

I made this simple object lesson for kids when planning to teach them about St. Haralambos. The story of his martyrdom is one of many many tortures, but throughout it all he was "glowing with joy" and giving thanks to God. After telling my kids the account of his martyrdom, we lit a candle and looked at the flame. Then we turned off the light and talked about how much more powerful the light is when it is shining in the darkness. Finally we dripped wax onto the printed candles and hung the pictures in the window. The light shines through the wax drippings making it sort of glow. 

St. Haralambos

Below is the version of the life and martyrdom of St. Haralambos that I edited from the Orthodoxwiki entry, simplifying it to share with my children:

St. Haralambos

February 10

glowing with joy

The holy, glorious, right-victorious martyr Charalampus (or Haralambos) was a priest or bishop in the city of Magnesia in Thessaly during the late second and early third century. He was martyred, having openly preached the Gospel during persecutions during the reign of Alexander Severus (222-235), when Lucian was Proconsul of Magnesia.

Charalampus is a most wonderful saint who lived to a very old age. He was 113 when he was tortured and later martyred. The Emperor Severus had appointed Lucian as the governor of the territory of Magnesia where Charalampus was a priest. Lucian was upset that Charalampus was converting so many pagans. He had him arrested and commanded him to honor the stone gods. Since he would not do this, Lucian began to torture him. They used a tool that would flay the skin and they cut his skin to shreds. All the while, Charalampus gave thanks to our Lord. His strength amazed the executioners and they were converted. The military commander, Lucius, was angry and had his two officers Porphyrios and Vaptos beheaded. Three other women were converted, and were also killed. Then miraculously, the general's hands were severed at the elbow and he saw them hanging from the martyr's body. Fear spread throughout the city. People began to beg mercy from the God Charalampus professed. The general begged for mercy from Charalampus. The Lord's voice was heard and instantly all those injured were healed. The general was converted and baptized. The Governor Lucian stopped persecuting the Christians until he could report back to the emperor. Meanwhile, Charalampus performed many miracles, healing the sick, curing the blind, and even raising some from the dead. The whole region came to believe in Jesus Christ.

But they continued to persecute him and subject him to many tortures. Finally, the prefect Crispus demanded that Charalampus be beheaded. The emperor pronounced the sentence. The saint chanted holy hymns on the way to his execution. He began to pray thus: "I ever give thanks to thee, O Lord my God, for thou are merciful and the Lover of mankind. Thou, O Almighty, hast cast down our enemy, the evil one, and taken Hades captive, and put death to death, thus delivering the race of man. Remember me, O Lord, in thy kingdom." After he had prayed in this manner, the heavens opened. The Lord, with a multitude of his angels, came down. It was a spectacle full of wonder. The Lord was seen to be sitting on a throne of pearl. He said to his holy priest and martyr, "Come, my pleasing and beloved one, who, for my name's sake, suffered such ill-treatment and hardships. Ask of me whatsoever gift thou dost wish, and I shall grant thine entreaty."

Charalampus answered, "That thou hast, by thy grace, vouchsafed me, the least person, to behold the awesome glory of thy presence, is, in itself, a tremendous gift. But if it please thy goodness to command me to ask a gift of thee, I beseech thy majesty and dominion to grant this favor: to whomever should find or possess a portion of my relics, and in whatsoever land he may be celebrating the memory of my martyrdom, may he never suffer from hunger or plague or pestilence or an untimely death or destruction from an evil man or injury to crops. I pray that he be in firm peace, salvation of soul, and health of body. I entreat that he enjoy plenty of wheat, oil, and wine, together with an abundance of livestock and other good and useful possessions. And to whomsoever should read the account of my martyrdom, and invoke my name, I supplicate for his salvation and that he should not suffer evil. Since thou knowest that men are but flesh and blood, and that they are in thine immaculate hands, I beseech thee for the forgiveness of their sins. Do thou pardon the sins of such faithful ones, as thou are good and the Lover of mankind. Do thou also, O Lord, keep the oxen of such in health, and all their animals and livestock, that they may cultivate the earth and abundantly enjoy her fruits, to the glory of thy name." Charalampus then surrendered his soul to the Lord.

Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone

O wise Charalampos, you were proven an unshakable pillar of the Church of Christ; an ever-shining lamp of the universe. You shone in the world by your martyrdom. You delivered us from the moonless night of idolatry O blessed one. Wherefore, boldly intercede to Christ that we may be saved.

Memory Verses and Lessons:

Christ is the Light of the World
And, you are the light of the world

Use with candle printable here

I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

- John 8:12

You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

- Matthew 5: 3 – 11

Scripture readings for the feast are the following: At Vespers: Isaiah 43; Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-9; Wisdom of Solomon 5:15-6:3. At the Matins: Luke 21:12-19. At the Divine Liturgy: II Timothy 2:1-10; John 15:17-16:2. (If the feast falls on a Sunday the Gospel readings may vary.)