April

Synaxarion
This month has thirty days with thirteen hours of day and eleven hours
of night.

April 1
Memory of our venerable Mother Mary the Egyptian
(Fifth-Sixth century)
Saint Mary the Egyptian fulfilled the duties of a singer in
the Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem. The devil took
this occasion to scandalize a great number of the faithful.
Fearing to be held responsible before God for all these
scandals and for thus adding to her own sins those of
others, she implored God to deliver her from these
temptations. One day, with her heart entirely penitent in the
fear of the Lord, she went down to the Pool of Siloe, drew
some water in a vessel, and carried with it a basket of
vegetables cooked in water. She thus left the Holy City by
night, putting her trust in God who led her to the desert
where she lived for eighteen years. She fell asleep in the
Lord and was buried by the monks of the laura of Souca in
her own grotto whose entrance they blocked up. She lived
around the end of the Fifth century or at the beginning of
the Sixth century. Her memory is also commemorated on
the fifth Sunday of Great Lent.
Fifth Class Feast.

In occurrence with the week of Saint Thomas, the

Troparion of the Saint is added.

April 2
Memory of our Venerable Father Titus, the
Wonderworker (?)
Inflamed by Christ's love from his childhood, this holy
father embraced monastic life in a coenobium. He gave

himself so completely to humility and obedience that he

surpassed all the monks in his community in these virtues.
Becoming pastor of Christ's sheep, he showed gentleness,
charity, and compassion as never a man had done before
him. He kept himself as chaste in body and spirit as an
angel of God from his youth. Consequently, the gift of
miracles was bestowed upon him. He did leave his disciples
and ascetic companions a perfect model in their struggles
for perfection upon his death in the Lord.
Fifth Class Feast.

April 3
Memory of our venerable Father and Confessor Nikita,
Hegumen of the Monastery of Medicius (+824)
Saint Nikita was born in Caesarea, Bithynia. He was raised
by his paternal grandmother. While still young he became
the ascetic companion of an old man named Stephen, who
had withdrawn close to a stream to the south of Caesarea.
He then entered the monastery of Saint Sergius Medicius
built by Saint Nicephoros in Brusa. He received priestly
ordination from the hands of Saint Taraisios, the Patriarch
of Constantinople (758-806). By imposition of the hands of
Saint Nicephoros, the successor of Saint Tarasios in the see
of Constantinople (806-815), he was consecrated hegumen.
Under the Iconoclast Emperor Leo the Armenian, he was
detained in a foul prison for a long time, then exiled to
Anatolia and locked in the fortress of Masalaion. Recalled
to Constantinople by the Emperor who tried in vain to
shake his faith, he was again exiled to the island of
Marmara, called Saint Glyceria's island. Weighed down
with sufferings, the Saint lived there for six long years until
820, the date of Emperor Leo's death. His successor,
Michael the Stammerer repealed all exiles. Saint Nikita
died on April 3, 824.
Fifth Class Feast.

April 4
Memory of the holy Martyrs Theodulos and
Agathopodos
(beginning of the Fourth century)

Our venerable Fathers George of Maleum (?) and

Joseph the Hymnographer (813-883)
Both natives of Thessalonica, Theodulos, a lector, and
Agathopodos, a deacon, suffered martyrdom in the
beginning of the Fourth century.
Saint George lived in Maleum in Laconia, at an uncertain
date.
As for Joseph the Hymnographer, he was born in the
province of Sicily around 813. An Arab invasion in 827
having obliged him to leave his country, he went and
settled in the Peloponnese with his mother and his brothers,
then later in Thessalonica. At the age of fifteen he entered
the monastery in Thessalonica where he received priestly
ordination. Around 840, at the time when the ungodly
Emperor Theophilus resumed the Iconoclast struggle, he
went to Constantinople with Saint Gregory the Decapolite.
The Orthodox asked Saint Gregory to send Joseph to Rome
to inform the Roman Pontiff of what was happening.
Joseph set out but was taken prisoner by some pirates and
led in chains to Crete. Set free after Theophilus' death in
842, Saint Joseph returned to Constantinople. Accompanied
by Saint Joseph, another disciple of Saint Gregory the
Decapolite, he withdrew to the desert for several years.
Then he went to the church of Saint Chrysostom where he
lived for five years. At the death of John, he built a
monastery in his honor there. He suffered generously for
the Orthodox faith and fought ungodly Bardas so valiantly
that he exiled him to Cherson. Returning from exile some
years later, he was named Skevophylax of the Great Church
by Ignatius, Patriarch for the second time (867-877). After
Ignatius' death, he enjoyed great esteem with Photius and
died in the Lord on April 3, 833. Endowed with the charism
for sacred hymns, he illumined the Church by his numerous
compositions. Many of the canons of the Menaia are by
him. He is also called the pre-eminent Hymnographer.
Fifth Class Feast.

April 5
Memory of the holy Martyrs Claudius, Diodorus,
Victor, Pappias, Nicephoros, and Serapion (+under
Decius, 249-251)

It is believed that these holy martyrs suffered for the faith

in Corinth under Emperor Decius (249-251).
Fifth Class Feast.

April 6
Memory of our Father among the Saints Eutychios,
Archbishop of Constantinople (+582)
A native of Phrygia, Saint Eutychios lived in the time of
Emperor Justinian. Skevophylax of the Church of
Augustopolis, he was ordained a lector, subdeacon, and
priest by the Bishop of Amasia. At Patriarch Saint Menas'
death, he was named to succeed him on the patriarchal
throne of Constantinople in 552. In this rank he presided
over the Fifth Ecumenical Council in 553. At this time the
Aphthartodecetae heresy was spreading and the Emperor
himself succumbed to it. Saint Eutychios fought the new
heresy and was deposed for it and exiled to a monastery in
Amasia in 565. At Justinian's death, the Saint was able to
remount his throne in 577, under Justin II. He occupied
himself with destroying the last traces of this heresy. He
died on April 6, 582.
Fifth Class Feast.

April 7
Memory of the holy Martyr Kalliopios (+304)
(Memory of our holy Father George, Bishop of
Melitene)
(Saint George was elected Bishop of Melitene and
governed his flock wisely. With his amazing knowledge he
fought the Iconoclasts and made them recognize their
errors. An emulator of the Angels by his charity, he left this
life having worked innumerable miracles. Thanks to a
divine revelation, he knew the hour of his death in advance
by means of a star which appeared to him and his subjects).
Saint Kalliopios was a native of Perge in Pamphylia, the
son of a Christian mother named Theokleia. He lived in the
times of Emperor Maximian. Piously raised by his mother
in the knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, he presented

himself to the persecutors courageously confessing Christ's

name. His hands were tied behind his back and he was
cruelly beaten with whips fitted out with lead. Preserved by
an angel, he was thrown into prison by order of President
Maximos. Taken out of prison on Great Thursday, he was
condemned to be crucified. He was crucified head
downward in order to avoid being crucified as Our Lord for
his mother had obtained this favor for him by giving the
executioner five gold pierces. He expired on Great Friday
at the third hour. When he was taken down from the cross,
his mother, upon seeing him, fainted and died of sorrow.
Pious Christians buried her beside her martyr son.
Fifth Class Feast.

April 8
Memory of the holy Apostles Herodios, Agabos, Rufus,
Asyncritos, Phlegon, and Hermes (First century)
Saint Herodion was a relative of Saint Paul the Apostle who
greeted him near the end of his epistle to the Romans
(Romans 16:11). A native of Jerusalem, Agabos was a
prophet. When Paul and Barnabus were in Antioch, Agabos
predicted under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that a
great famine would come upon the whole land of Judea.
This great famine took place under Claudius about 45-48.
In Caesarea, Agabos predicted to the Apostle Paul that
captivity and prisoner's chains awaited him in Jerusalem.
Rufus was the son of Simon the Cyrenian, whom the
Apostle greets, as well as Asyncritos, Phlegon, and Hermes,
toward the end of his epistle to the Romans (Romans
16:13-14).
Fifth Class Feast.

April 9
Memory of the holy Martyr Eupsychios of Caesarea
(+362)
A native of Cappadocia, Saint Eupsychios was hardly
married when inflamed by divine zeal he gathered a crowd
of Christians and utterly destroyed the Temple of Fortune.
Julian the Apostate, who believed in this divinity,

condemned Eupsychios to be beheaded as responsible for

this action on September 7, 362.
Fifth Class Feast.

April 10
Memory of the holy Martyrs Terentios, Pompeius,
Maximos, Makarios, Afrikanos,
and their companions (+under Decius, 249-251)
All natives of Africa, these holy martyrs suffered for the
faith under Emperor Decius (249-251). By order of
Emperor Theodosius (379-395), their holy relics were
placed in the martyrium of Saint Euphemia in Petra, near
Constantinople.
Fifth Class Feast.

April 11
Memory of the holy Martyr Antipas, of Pergamum in
Asia
(+under Domitian, 81-96)
A native of Pergamum in Asia, the holy martyr Antipas
under Emperor Domitian (81-96). The Book of
Apocalypse, which describes him as "faithful" and as a
"martyr" (Apocalypse 2:13), testifies that he was
contemporaneous with the holy Apostles at the time when
Saint John the Evangelist was in exile at Patmos.
Fifth Class Feast.

April 12
Memory of our venerable Father and Confessor Basil,
Bishop of Parios (Iconoclastic epoch)
Following the example of Saint Paul the Apostle, Saint
Basil spent his whole life in persecutions, grief, and
tribulations, unceasingly fleeing from one place to another
in order not to encounter the Iconoclasts and subscribe to
the destruction of the Holy Icons. He fell asleep in the Lord
while defending the faith and traditions of the forefathers
and while combatting heretics.

Fifth Class Feast.

April 13
Memory of our Father among the Saints and
Confessor Martin, Pope of Rome (+655)
Saint Martin was born in Tyrrhenia, presently Tuscania,
toward the end of the Sixth century or at the beginning of
the Seventh century. The representative of the Roman
Patriarchate in Constantinople, he was elected Bishop of
Rome in 649. In October of the same year, he convoked a
local synod in the Laternal against the Monothelites:
Theodore, Bishop of Pharan; Cyrus, Patriarch of
Alexandria; and three Archbishops of Constantinople,
Sergius (610-638), Pyrrhus (638-641), and his successor
Paul II. There he proclaimed the Orthodox faith in his
public letters, defined Christian doctrine, and rejected
heresy in concert with the synod gathered by him. Saint
Sophronios of Jerusalem having died in 638 and the
patriarchal see of Jerusalem remaining vacant for a long
time, Saint Martin set up John, the Bishop of Philadelphia
as temporary substitute in the sees of Antioch and
Jerusalem which were troubled with heretics. Martin called
upon John "in virtue of the apostolic power conferred on
him by the Lord, through the instrumentality of Saint Peter,
to rectify that which was defective and to establish in each
city, bishops, priests, and deacons." He deposed Paul,
Archbishop of Thessalonica, who had assented to the
heresy. Then Emperor Constans II summoned him in the
praetorium, and sent him into exile to Cherson in 655.
There he courageously finished the course of his life and
fell asleep in the Lord on September 16, 656.
Fifth Class Feast.

April 14
Memory of the holy Apostles Aristarchos, Pudens,
and Trophimos of the Seventy Disciples (First century)
A native of Thessalonica, Saint Aristarchos accompanied
Saint Paul on his voyages to Ephesus, Macedonia, Greece,
and Judea, until his first captivity in Rome. Saint Pudens
was a simple layman of the Roman Church. Toward the end
of his second epistle to Timothy (II Timothy 4:21) the

Apostle greets Timothy in behalf of Pudens. Tradition

relates regarding him that he lodged Saint Peter and was
baptized by him. As for Trophimos, we know that he was a
Greek and a native of Ephesus. He accompanied Saint Paul
to Jerusalem. After his first captivity in Rome, the Apostle
Paul traveled through Asia with him, and left him sick at
Miletus.
Fifth Class Feast.

April 15
Memory of the holy Martyr Crescens (?)
A native of Myra in Lycia, Saint Crescens was of a noble
family and was advanced in age. Seeing that ungodliness
and the adoration of demons triumphed and that many
enslaved by error rendered worship to inanimate objects, he
went into the midst of them, exhorting them to repent of
their vain beliefs and to return to the God which the
Christians adored, the Creator of all things and the Master
of life. Because he spontaneously went before atrocious
sufferings, the governor called him an "evil spirit." The
Saint answered that to suffer was the supreme happiness.
To all the questions that the governor asked him concerning
his country and name, he invariably answered that he was a
Christian. He absolutely refused to sacrifice to idols and
even rejected the advice that the governor gave him to
simulate such a gesture. He constantly confessed God,
saying that the body could not of itself do what had not
been approved by the soul since the soul leads and moves
the body. He was then stretched out on the ground and
cruelly beaten. Then he was thrown into a white-hot funeral
pyre. He was respected so well by the fire that not a single
hair was touched. Then he committed his soul to God.
Fifth Class Feast.

April 16
Memory of the holy women Martyrs Agape, Irene,
and Chionia (beginning of the Fourth century)
These holy martyrs were sisters. Natives of Thessalonica,
they lived in the time of Emperors Diocletian and
Maximian. Forced by persecution to leave their paternal

home, they went on a mountain to hide, consecrating their

time to prayer. Seized the following year upon their return
from the mountain, they were brought before President
Dulcetius. He tried in vain to make them sacrifice to idols.
Saints Agape and Chionia perished by fire. As for Saint
Irene, President Dulcetius having noticed the Holy
Scriptures with her that the Emperors had ordered burned,
burned them and gave the order to lead the martyr into a
place of debauchery. The grace of God preserved her from
every attack. Since she always refused to renounce Christ,
he delivered her over to the fire (at the beginning of the
Fourth century).
Fifth Class Feast.

April 17
Memory of the holy Hieromartyr Simeon the Persian
and his companions (+341)
(The Venerable Akakios, Bishop of Melitene)
Saint Simeon was Archbishop of Seleucia-Ctesiphon,
Persia, in the time of King Sapor. He suffered martyrdom
on Great Friday in the year 341, accompanied by two
priests, Abdaiklas and Ananius, by the grand marshal of the
imperial palace named Puscius, and by his daughter who
led the monastic life.
(Saint Akakios was a preacher of the Christian faith in the
time of Emperor Decius. Seized and brought before the
Consul Marcian, he was interrogated on the doctrine he was
preaching. He then exposed the economy of salvation and
refuted the pagan myths. He was then made to suffer the
usual tortures and was detained in prison. The consul wrote
concerning him to Emperor Decius, sending him the
proceedings of his interrogation. On the Emperor's order
the Saint was released. He lived the rest of his days
carrying the wounds of Christ in his body. He died in peace
after having instructed a great number of people in the
Christian faith. He was renowned for his doctrine and his
miracles.)
Fifth Class Feast.

April 18

Memory of our venerable Father John,

Disciple of Saint Gregory the Decapolite (+ca. 850)
From his childhood Saint John detested the world and
attached himself to Christ. He applied to Saint Gregory the
Decapolite, became a monk under his direction, and never
left him, sharing his struggles and serving the Lord. He
excelled so well in obedience, becoming so docile and
fervent, that Saint Gregory rejoiced on his account and
glorified God. Upon his master's death, he emigrated to a
strange and unknown country in order to imitate Christ
more perfectly who, for us, made Himself a stranger and
was born in a strange land. He then proceeded to the Holy
Land and withdrew to the laura of Saint Chariton to fully
give himself to the practice of virtues. This is where he
committed his soul to God in a holy manner.
Fifth Class Feast.

April 19
Memory of the holy Hieromartyr Paphnutios
(beginning of the Fourth century)
Our holy Father John of the Old Laura
(+beginning of the Ninth century)
According to the testimony of tradition, Saint Paphnutios
was martyred in Egypt under Emperor Diocletian around
the beginning of the Fourth century.
Saint John of the Old Laura was born in a distant country,
perhaps in the West, around the middle of the Eighth
century. In his childhood he consecrated himself to God.
Abandoning the luxuries and vanities of life, he went to a
strange and unknown land for the love of Christ, who was a
stranger and was born in a strange land. He went to the
laura of Saint Chariton in the Holy Land, surnamed the Old
Laura. He was ordained to the priesthood. He defended the
Orthodox faith against heretics and composed sacred
hymns. After a life passed in the practice of virtue, he died
at the beginning of the Ninth century.
Fifth Class Feast.

April 20

Memory of our holy Father Theodore the Hairy

(Fifth century)
This holy father lived in the Fifth century. Day and night he
prayed in the open air. He wore rough horsehair vestments
which merited for him the surname of "the Hairy." He
never wore shoes and always had his head uncovered. After
having lived so saintly, he fell asleep in the Lord.
Fifth Class Feast.

April 21
Memory of the holy Hieromartyr Januarios
and his companions (beginning of the Fourth century)
(The holy martyr Theodore of Pergia, in Pamphilia (?))
It is believed that Saint Januarios was the Bishop of
Beneventum in Campania. At the beginning of the Fourth
century he suffered martyrdom under Diocletian. His holy
body was buried in Naples, Italy, where it is still the object
of great veneration.
(Saint Theodore was seized for having fought idolatry and
broken several idols. He was stretched out on a white-hot
grill and shoes were nailed to his feet. He was attached to a
chariot and then dragged by horses. Delivered from all
these torments by God's grace, he was thrown into the fire
at the same time as two other martyrs, Socrates and
Dionysius. Since he experienced no injury from it, he was
put back in prison. The following day at dawn he was put
on a cross and pierced with many darts. He died three days
later.)
Fifth Class Feast.

April 22
Memory of our venerable Father Theodore Sykeotes,
Bishop of Anastasiopolis (+613).
Saint Theodore was born in Galatia in a village called
Sykeos, under Emperor Justin I (518-527). For his great
virtue he was raised to the supreme dignity of the

episcopate and was named Bishop of Lagania or

Anastasiopolis. He fell asleep in the Lord on April 22, 613.
Fifth Class Feast.

April 23
Memory of the holy and Renowned Great martyr
George
Saint George was martyred in an unknown time and place.
Certain ones say that he ended his martyrdom in the village
of Lydda, Palestine. His fame spread throughout the whole
world, and it is said that under Constantine the Great a
famous church, whose Dedication is commemorated on
November 3, was built in his honor in Lydda.
This Third Class Feast has its occurrence from Great Friday
(Easter on April 25) to the Thursday of the week of the
Samaritan Woman (Easter on March 22).
In occurrence with Great Friday, Great Saturday, and Easter
Sunday, the feast of Saint George is transferred to Easter
Monday.
From Easter Monday to the following Saturday, and Easter
Sunday, the feast of Saint George is added after the
Hypakoi of Easter. Epistle of Saint George, Gospel of the
day. Kinonikon of Easter and of Saint George.
In occurrence with the Sunday of Saint Thomas: Antiphons and
Isodikon of Easter. Troparia: of Saint Thomas (twice), and of Saint
George. Kondakion of Easter. Epistle of Saint George, Gospel of Saint
Thomas. Hirmos of Saint Thomas. Kinonikon of Saint Thomas and of
Saint George. After Communion, "Christ is risen from the dead. By His
death He has trampled death, and He has given life to those who are in
the tomb."
From Monday through Friday of the week of Saint Thomas: as above,
except for the Troparia: of Saint Thomas, of Saint George, and of the
Church Patron. Kondakion of Saint Thomas. Epistle and Gospel of
Saint George. Ordinary Hirmos. Kinonikon of Saint George.
In occurrence with the Saturday of the Closing Day of Saint Thomas:
as above, except for the Troparia: of Saint Thomas (twice), of Saint
George, and of the Church Patron. Kondakion of Saint Thomas. Epistle
and Gospel of Saint George. Hirmos of Saint Thomas. Kinonikon of
Saint Thomas and of Saint George.

In occurrence with the Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women:

Antiphons of Easter, or Typika and Beatitudes. Isodikon of Easter.
Troparia: of the Resurrection, of Saint Joseph of Arimathea, of the
Myrrh-Bearing Women, of Saint George, and of the Church Patron.
Kondakion of Easter. Epistle of Saint George, Gospel of the MyrrhBearing Women. Easter Hirmos. Kinonikon of the Sunday of the
Myrrh-Bearing Women and of Saint George.
During the week of the Myrrh-Bearing Women: Antiphons of Easter, or
Typika and Beatitudes. Troparia: of the Resurrection, of Saint Joseph
of Arimathea, of the Myrrh-Bearing Women, of Saint George, and of
the Church Patron. Kondakion of the Myrrh-Bearing Women. Epistle,
Gospel, and Kinonikon of Saint George.
In occurrence with the Sunday of the Paralytic: Antiphons of Easter, or
Typika and Beatitudes. Isodikon of Easter. Troparia: of the
Resurrection, of Saint George, and of the Church Patron. Kondakion of
Easter.
On Monday and Tuesday of the week of the Paralytic: Antiphons of
Easter, or Typika and Beatitudes. Isodikon of Easter. Troparia: of the
Resurrection, of Saint George, and of the Church Patron. Kondakion of
the Paralytic. Epistle, Gospel, and Kinonikon of Saint George.
On Wednesday of Mid-Pentecost: Antiphons of Easter, or Typika and
Beatitudes. Isodikon of Easter. Troparia: of Mid-Pentecost, and of
Saint George. Kondakion of Mid-Pentecost. Epistle of Saint George,
Gospel of Mid-Pentecost. Hirmos of Mid-Pentecost. Kinonikon of MidPentecost and of Saint George.
On the Post-festive Days of Mid-Pentecost: Antiphons of Easter, or
Typika and Beatitudes. Isodikon of Easter. Troparia: of Mid-Pentecost,
of Saint George, and of the Church Patron. Kondakion of Saint George.
In occurrence with the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman: Antiphons of
Easter, or Typika and Beatitudes. Isodikon of Easter. Troparia: of the
Resurrection, of Saint George, and of the Church Patron. Kondakion of
Easter. Epistle of Saint George, Gospel of the Samaritan Woman.
Easter Hirmos. Kinonikon of the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman and
of Saint George.
On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of the week of the Samaritan
Woman, the order for the Post-festive Days of Mid-Pentecost is
followed, as above.
In occurrence with the Thursday of the week of the Samaritan Women:
Antiphons of Easter, or the Typika and Beatitudes. Isodikon of Easter.
Troparia: of the Resurrection, of Saint George, and of the Church
Patron. Kondakion of the Samaritan Woman. Epistle, Gospel, and
Kinonikon of Saint George.

April 24

Memory of our venerable Mother Elizabeth the

Wonderworker (?)
The holy Martyr Sabbas the Goth (+372)
Saint Elizabeth lived in one of the monasteries of
Constantinople at an uncertain date.
Saint Sabbas lived during the reign of Valens, Emperor of
the East. He was a native of the Goth's country. A Christian
from his childhood, he refused to eat the sacrifices offered
to idols. He even impeded those who wished him to do it.
He explained the Christian faith to them, converted a great
number of them, and baptized them. The idolaters revolted
and violently expelled him from the city. Some time later,
Athanaric, the leader of the Goths, persecuted the
Christians and abused all those who confessed the faith of
Christ-God. Sabbas was seized, bound to a chariot axle, and
suspended from the beams of his house. Having refused to
eat the sacrifices offered to idols, he was led to the
Mousaion River. A heavy piece of wood was attached to his
neck and he was thrown into the water. He perished there
on April 13, 372, at the age of thirty-eight.
Fifth Class Feast.

April 25
Memory of the holy Apostle and Evangelist Mark (First
century)
Saint Mark, also named John, was the cousin of Barnabas.
It seems that he belonged to the tribe of Levi. In the Acts of
the Apostles (Acts 12:12), it is said that the Christians
gathered in his mother Mary's home to pray. Converted to
the Christian faith by Saint Peter, he went to Antioch with
Saint Paul and Saint Barnabas around the year 44 and
afterwards went to Cyprus and Pamphylia, then returned to
Jerusalem. He was with Saint Paul at the time of his first
captivity, having followed Saint Peter to Rome to serve him
as an interpreter. During Saint Paul's second captivity, Mark
was in Asia around 66 or 67. At the request of the Roman
Christians, he wrote his Gospel in Greek-the second Gospel
after that of Saint Matthew. According to the historian
Eusebius and ancient tradition, he afterwards went to Egypt
where he had preached the Gospel and founded the Church

of Alexandria. He was martyred at an unknown date. His

holy body was transferred to Venice by some travelers in
828. The symbol of the lion is reserved to him, the second
of Exechiel's symbolic animals (Ezechiel 1:10). Perhaps for
this reason alone his Gospel is second in the series of the
Four Gospels.
This Fourth Class Feast occurs from Easter Tuesday (Easter on March
22) to the Saturday of the Samaritan Woman (Easter on April 25).
During Easter Week and on the Sunday of Saint Thomas, this feast is
generally neglected.
During the week of Saint Thomas: Antiphons of Easter, or Typika and
Beatitudes. Troparia: of Saint Thomas, of Saint Mark, and of the
Church Patron. Kondakion of Saint Thomas. Epistle, Gospel, and
Kinonikon of Saint Mark.
On the Saturday of the Closing Day of the week of Saint Thomas:
Troparia: of Saint Thomas (twice), of Saint Mark, and of the Church
Patron. Kondakion of Saint Thomas. Epistle and Gospel of Saint Mark.
On the Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women: Troparia: of the
Resurrection, of Saint Joseph, of the Myrrh-Bearing Women, of Saint
Mark, and of the Church Patron. Kondakion of Easter. Epistle of Saint
Mark, Gospel of the Myrrh-Bearing Women.
During the week of the Myrrh-Bearing Women:
Troparia: of the Resurrection, of Saint Joseph, of the Myrrh-Bearing
Women, of Saint Mark, and of the Church Patron. Kondakion of the
Myrrh-Bearing Women. Epistle, Gospel, and Kinonikon of Saint Mark.
On the Sunday of the Paralytic: Antiphons of Easter, or Typika and
Beatitudes. Isodikon of Easter. Troparia: of the Resurrection, of Saint
Mark, and of the Church Patron. Kondakion of Easter. Epistle of Saint
Mark, Gospel of the Paralytic. Easter Hirmos. Kinonikon of the Sunday
of the Paralytic and of Saint Mark.
On Monday and Tuesday of the week of the Paralytic: Troparia: of the
Resurrection, of Saint Mark, and of the Church Patron. Kondakion of
the Paralytic. Epistle and Gospel of Saint Mark.
Wednesday of Mid-Pentecost: Troparia: of Mid-Pentecost (twice), and
of Saint Mark. Kondakion of Mid-Pentecost. Epistle of Saint Mark,
Gospel of Mid-Pentecost. Hirmos and Kinonikon of Mid-Pentecost.
Post-festive of Mid-Pentecost: Troparia: of Mid-Pentecost, of Saint
Mark, and of the Church Patron. Kondakion of Mid-Pentecost. Epistle,
Gospel, and Kinonikon of Saint Mark.

On the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman: Troparia: of the Resurrection,

of Saint Mark, and of the Church Patron. Kondakion of Easter. Epistle
of Saint Mark, Gospel of the Samaritan Woman.
On the Wednesday of the Closing Day of Mid-Pentecost: as on the feast
day. The Gospel also of Saint Mark.
On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of the week of the Samaritan
Woman: Troparia: of the Resurrection, of Saint Mark, and of the
Church Patron. Kondakion of the Samaritan Woman. Epistle, Gospel,
and Kinonikon of Saint Mark.

April 26
Memory of the holy Hieromartyr Basil, Metropolitan of
Amasia (+322)
This holy martyr was Bishop of Amasia in the Hellespont.
He was present at the local synods held in Ancyra and
Neocaesarea in 314. He energetically resisted the Arians.
He suffered martyrdom in Nicomedia under the tyrant
Licinius, probably in 322.
Fifth Class Feast.

April 27
Memory of the holy Hieromartyr Simeon,
a relative of the Lord (+107)
This holy martyr was a cousin of Our Lord, the son of
Clopas or Cleopas (the brother of Saint Joseph), also named
Alpheus. He was second Bishop of Jerusalem, succeeding
James, the Lord's brother, in 62. He died crucified because
he was a descendant of David and a Christian under
Emperor Trajan in the year 107, at the age of one hundred
and twenty.
Fifth Class Feast.

April 28
Memory of the holy Apostles Jason and
Sosipater of the Seventy Disciples (First century)
(The holy Martyrs Dadas, Maximos, and Quintillian
(+beginning of the Fourth century))

The holy Apostles Jason and Sosipater were relatives of

Saint Paul. Jason lodged Paul and Silas in Thessalonica.
The Apostle mentions them toward the end of his epistle to
the Romans (Romans 16:21).
(It is believed that the holy martyrs Dadas, Maximos, and
Quintillian suffered for the faith under Emperor Maximian,
at the beginning of the Fourth century.)
Fifth Class Feast.

April 29
Memory of the Nine Holy Martyrs of Cyzicus
(322-323?, under Licinius)
The Venerable Memnon the Wonderworker(?)
The holy martyrs Theognis, Rufus, Antipater, Theosticus,
Artemas, Magnus, Theodotos, Thaumasius, and Philemon
suffered martyrdom in Cyzicus, probably under the tyrant
Licinius around the year 322-323.
Fifth Class Feast.

April 30
Memory of the holy Apostle James, brother of John the
Theologian (+42)
This holy Apostle was one of the Twelve Apostles, as was
his brother John. The Lord surnamed them both Boanerges
or "Sons of Thunder," because one day as He passed
through a village of Samaria, the inhabitants not having
wished to welcome Him, these two zealous brothers asked
the Lord to let fire fall from heaven and burn these
inhospitable people (Luke 9:54). After the Passion and
Resurrection of Our Lord, Herod not being able to stand
seeing blessed James speak openly about Christ and
announce the Gospel of salvation, laid hands on him and
made him perish by the sword around the year 42. He was
the second martyr after the deacon Stephen.
Fifth Class Feast.