Our Venerable Father Theodore the Consecrated, Disciple of St. Pachomius
Theodore was a disciple of St.
Pachomius. He was born and raised as a pagan but as a young man came
to the knowledge of the True Faith and was baptized. Learning about
St. Pachomius, he secretly fled from his parent's home to Pachomius'
monastery. St. Pachomius tonsured him a monk and admired him because
of his unique zeal and obedience. When his mother arrived to ask him
to come home, Theodore did not even want to appear before her but
prayed that God would enlighten her with the truth. Indeed, not only
did her son not return home, but she herself did not return home.
Seeing a convent not far away which was under the spiritual direction
of Pachomius' sister, she entered the convent and was tonsured a nun.
After a period of time Paphnutius, Theodore's brother, also came to
the monastery and was tonsured a monk. In time the bishop of
Panopolis called St. Pachomius to establish a monastery for those who
desired the monastic life. Pachomius took Theodore with him and
entrusted him with the duty of establishing this new monastery. After
the death of Pachomius, Theodore became the abbot of all Pachomius'
monasteries and lived to a ripe old age. Theodore lived a life
pleasing to God, directing the many monks on the road to salvation.
He died peacefully and took up habitation in the kingdom of Eternal
Light in the year 368 A.D.
The Holy Martyrs Vitus, Modestus, and Crescentia
The Holy Martyrs Vitus, Modestus, and
Crescentia, suffered for Christ during the reign of Emperor
Diocletian (284-305). Saint Vitus was enflamed with an ardent love
for the Lord Jesus Christ and he prayed incessantly to Him. The Lord
gave him the grace of wonderworking. He healed the sick and converted
many pagans to Christ. However, St. Vitus, being the son of a pagan
governor, was again and again put in temptation of sin, yet he held
strong through the abuse, luxury and women. In order to save the boy,
his tutor St. Modestus and his governess St. Crescentia, who were
Christians, secretly took him from his parental home. At the river
they saw a boat. An angel went into the boat together with them and
they reached the Italian district of Lucanium, where the saints lived
quietly, hidden away from torturers. The holy youth never ceased to
heal the sick and he converted pagans to Christianity. Eventually the
three were in the midst of Diocletian, who sentenced them all to
torture. The, St. Vitus called out to God, "O God, save us by
Thy power and deliver us." An earthquake struck, and many pagans
perished under the collapsed buildings. Diocletian fled to his
chambers in fear. The sufferings of the holy martyrs Vitus, Modestus
and Crescentia occurred in the year 303. The relics of Saint Vitus
were transferred to Prague. The Holy Prince Vyacheslav (Wenceslaus)
of the Czechs (September 28) constructed a temple in honor of St.
Vitus, in which he was afterwards buried.Blessed Martyr the Priest Vladimir Bajrak
Blessed
Martyr the Priest Vladimir Bajrak was born on the 24th February 1907
at Shvaikivtsy, Ternopil’s’ka oblast’, Ukraine. A Greek
Catholic, he joined the Basilian Order of Saint Josaphat monastery on
4 September 1924. Ordained on the13th August 1933, and became 0rior
of Drohobych in 1941. He was later arrested for his faith on 17
September 1945 by the NKVD. On 13 November 1945 his property was
confiscated, and he was sentenced to eight years in a forced labor
camp, where he died in prison as a martyr.
No comments:
Post a Comment