Orthodox church calendar for May 2020

Orthodox and church holidays and fasts

Today is an Orthodox church holiday: the Holy Martyr Eutyches, disciple of the Apostle John the Theologian. Saint Peter, Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Rus', Moscow Wonderworker. Venerable Arseny of Komel, Vologda... Tomorrow:

Apostle Bartholomew.
Apostle of the 70 Titus, Bishop of Crete... Holidays are expected: 09/08/2020
- Martyrs Adrian and Natalia and the other 23 martyrs who suffered with them.
Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos... 09.09.2020
- Venerable Pimen the Great.
Reverend Hieromartyr Kuksha and his disciple martyr Nikon and Reverend Pimen the Faster, Pechersk, resting in the Near Caves... 09.10.2020
- Reverend Moses Murin. Venerable Savva of Krypetsky, Pskov. Venerable Job of Pochaev. Cathedral of the Reverend Fathers of the Kiev-Pechersk, resting in the Far Caves...

All Orthodox and church holidays and fasts...

Orthodox Saints of God

The holy saints of God show special love and mercy to those who honor their holy memory.

It seems to many that the saints are far from us. But they are far from those who have withdrawn themselves, and very close to those who keep the commandments of Christ and have the grace of the Holy Spirit.

The holy saints in their earthly life turned to God for help in healing their ailments, sorrows and deliverance from temptations, asking God that even after death He would honor them with the gift of helping people in various cases of life.

The saints have reached the Heavenly Kingdom and there they see the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ; but by the Holy Spirit they also see the suffering of people on earth. Many holy saints of God received special grace from God, and He deigned them to be intercessors before Him for deliverance from our sorrows and bodily ailments, in which they themselves were tempted.

The saints rejoice at our repentance and mourn when people leave God and become like foolish cattle. They feel sorry that people live on earth, not knowing that if they loved each other, then there would be freedom from sin on earth: and where there is no sin, there is joy and gladness from the Holy Spirit, so that, wherever you look, everything sweet, and the soul wonders why it feels so good, and praises God. The saints hear our prayers and have the power from God to help us. The entire Christian race knows about this. We must remember: in order for a prayer to be heard, one should pray to the holy saints of God with faith in the power of their intercession before God, in words coming from the heart.

In our prayers we turn to the Lord God, to His Most Pure Mother - our Intercessor and Helper, to the holy Angels and holy people - the saints of God, because for their sake the Lord God is more likely to hear us sinners, our prayers. The Saints have different names: prophets, apostles, martyrs, saints, saints, unmercenaries, blessed, righteous, confessors. more>>

The Lord says: “When you light a candle, you do not put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick, and it gives light to everyone in the house. So let your light shine before people, so that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:15-16). Saints are bright stars that show us the way to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Let us treasure the closeness of the holy saints of God to God and turn to them for help, remembering that they love us and care about our salvation. It is good to pray to the holy saints of God on those days when the Church celebrates their memory.

«Holy Saints of God, pray to God for us!»

Saints: life, memory, suffering...

Church fasts in December

Throughout December, the Nativity Fast will last - the last multi-day fast of the year. It includes 40 days of abstinence from certain foods and all kinds of entertainment, and at the end it becomes as strict as possible.

The Nativity Fast begins on November 28 and ends before Christmas on January 6. According to its rules, the Nativity Fast is close to Peter's Fast. Anyone who decides to adhere to these rules will have to give up meat, eggs, milk and dairy products for a while.

Fish and vegetable oil are also prohibited on special days. Experienced believers recommend creating a detailed menu for each day of the week, and then getting used to the new way of life will be much easier.

It is worth noting that while following the Nativity Fast, children, sick people, and pregnant women may receive dietary relief.

Orthodox prayers and icons of the Mother of God and saints

The word “icon” comes from the Greek language and means “image”, “image”. The image of the icon is consecrated with holy water and special prayers, through this consecration the grace of the Holy Spirit is imparted to the icon, and the icon is already revered by us as holy. According to the Orthodox dogma of icon veneration, approved by the VII Ecumenical Council, “the honor given to an icon relates to its prototype, and the one who worships the icon worships the hypostasis of the person depicted on it.” The Council especially emphasizes that we give veneration to icons, and not the worship that is due to God alone. “The icon mysteriously contains within itself the presence of the one whom it depicts, and this presence is the closer, more grace-filled and stronger, the more the icon corresponds to the church canon.”

All Icons of the Mother of God and Saints

Prayer in the Christian life. What is prayer? About prayer

Prayer is the most important part of the spiritual life of every believer. Through prayer, a person turns to God, asks him and asks for forgiveness from him. In other words, prayer is nothing more than a person’s way of talking with God. About prayer...

The basis of the life of an Orthodox Christian is fasting and prayer. Prayer, said Saint Philaret of Moscow, “is a conversation between the soul and God.” And just as in a conversation it is impossible to listen to one side all the time, so in prayer it is useful to sometimes stop and listen to the Lord’s answer to our prayer.

Prayer does not require a specific time, place, circumstance or form. It can be verbose - long, and laconic - short. The prayer can be said at any time of the day or night, and anywhere. A person can pray under all circumstances of his life: when he is sick or healthy, when he is happy or sad, when he succeeds or fails, when he is in the company of his enemies or in the circle of his friends, when he is abandoned by everyone, or when he in the midst of your beloved family. But God’s temple serves as a special place of prayer. On Sundays, as well as on weekdays, if time permits, we should go to church to pray, where our brothers and sisters in Christ - Christians - gather to pray together, all together. This kind of prayer is called church prayer.

Every Orthodox Christian must pray daily, morning and evening, before and after eating food, before starting and at the end of any task (for example: before teaching and after teaching, etc.).

In the morning we pray to thank God for preserving us last night, to ask for His Fatherly blessing and help for the day that has begun.

In the evening, before going to bed, we also thank the Lord for a successful day and ask him to keep us during the night.

Before and after meals we pray to thank God for His gifts and ask Him to bless and sanctify the food.

In order for the work to be done successfully and safely, we must also, first of all, ask God for blessings and help for the upcoming work, and upon completion, thank God.

Unfortunately, many people forget about the necessity and importance of prayer, and resort to it only in cases of feeling hopeless. However, even in these cases, as practice shows, God does not forget about the person and gives him his love and support. But not a single prayer will bring anything good to a person if he simply reads it without thinking about what is said. Therefore, it is extremely important, when turning to the Creator in prayer, to truly feel every word.

God is the best of interlocutors; he will always hear a person and help him. You should not be embarrassed to talk to God even about the most secret things that are in your soul. The main thing is to do it with true faith in God.

“True prayer does not consist in words and saying them, but true prayer consists “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23). When we pray to God, we must stand before Him not only in body, but also in spirit; and say prayer not only with your lips, but also with your mind and heart; and not only bow our heads and knees, but also our hearts before Him; and raise our intelligent eyes to Him with humility. For all prayer must come from the heart; and what the tongue says, the mind and heart must say.” Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk.

And no matter what happens during the day, everything happens according to the will of God; all, without exception, are circumstances in which the Lord wished to place you, so that you could be His presence, His love, His compassion. His creative mind, His courage... And, besides, whenever you encounter this or that situation, you are the one whom God put there to carry out the ministry of a Christian, to be a part of the Body of Christ and the action of God. If you do this, you will easily see that sometimes you will have to turn to God and say: “Lord, enlighten my mind, strengthen and direct my will, give me a fiery heart, help me!” At other times you will be able to say, “Oh my God, thank you!”

In the Christian catechism, that is, in the instruction on the Christian faith, it is said about prayer this way: “Prayer is the offering of the mind and heart to God and is a person’s reverent word to God.” Prayer has extraordinary power. “Prayer not only defeats the laws of nature, not only is it an insurmountable shield against visible and invisible enemies, but it even holds back the hand of the Almighty God Himself, raised to defeat sinners,” writes Saint Demetrius of Rostov.

In the New Testament, prayer is a living connection between the children of God and their infinitely good Father, with His Son Jesus Christ and with the Holy Spirit. The grace of the Kingdom is “the unity of the entire Holy Trinity with the entire spirit.” Thus, prayer life is a constant and natural presence in the presence of the Trisagion of God and in communion with Him. Such vital communion is always possible because through baptism our being has become one with Christ. Prayer is Christian because it is communion with Christ and grows in the Church, which is His Body. Its dimensions are the dimensions of Christ's love.

“Prayer is not telling God our needs. Prayer is the condition under which Divine power can contact our spirit and act in us. God is omniscient and knows us better than we know ourselves.” Archimandrite Rafail (Karelin) (XX century).

Church holidays in December 2020, calendar of Orthodox holidays

December

The calendar of Orthodox holidays will tell you the exact date when and what church holiday is celebrated in December 2020, what date is the Entry of the Blessed Virgin Mary into the temple.

Major Orthodox holidays for every day of December 2020, what church holiday will be on December 4, when is the Day of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, the Entry into the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary, what date is the Day of St. Apostle Andrew the First-Called, when is the Day of the Icon of the Mother of God, called the Sign in the calendar of Orthodox holidays .

All church Orthodox holidays in December, calendar for every day

December 1

The Nativity Fast continues 4th day Synaxis of the Saints of the Estonian Land Martyr Plato of Ancyra Martyrs Roman, Deacon, and Youth Varulus December 2 Wed Nativity Fast 5th Day of St. Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow (Drozdov) Prophet Obadiah (of the 12) Martyr Barlaam Reverend Barlaam the Hermit and Joasaph Tsarevich of India, and his father, Abner Tsar St. Barlaam, Abbot of Pechersk Finding of the relics of the Venerable Martyr Adrian of Poshekhonsky, Yaroslavl, Abbot December 3, 2020 Nativity Fast 6th day Forefeast of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos St. Gregory Dekapolite Church holidays of St. Proclus of Constantinople, Patriarch St. Damian (in the schema of Diodorus) Yuriegorsky December 4 Fri Introduction to the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos Nativity Fast 7 day December 5 Sat Nativity Fast 8 day After-feast of the Introduction of the Apostle of 70 Philemon and the martyr Equal-to-the-Apostles Apphia, Apostle of 70 Archippus the Blessed Prince Mikhail Yaroslavich of Tver Blessed Prince Yaropolk (in baptism Peter) of Vladimir-Volyn December 6 Sun 2020 Nativity Fast 9th day of St. Amphilochius, Bishop of Iconium Orthodox holidays of St. Gregory, Bishop of Akragantia Blessed Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky (in schema Alexy) St. Mitrophan (in schema Macarius), bishop Voronezh December 7 Mon Nativity Fast 10th day of the Great Martyr Mercury Great Martyr Catherine Martyr Mercury Smolensky December 8 Tue Nativity Fast 11th day Commemoration of the Feast of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos Hieromartyrs Clement, Pope of Rome, and Peter I of Alexandria, Archbishop December 9 Wed Nativity Fast 12th day of St. Alypius Stylites Consecration of the Church of the Great Martyr George the Victorious in Kiev St. Innocent (Kulchitsky), Bishop of Irkutsk December 10 Thurs 2020 Nativity Fast 13th day of the Icon of the Mother of God, called “The Sign” Council of New Martyrs and Confessors of Radonezh Great Martyr James of Persian St. James of Rostov, Bishop Venerable Palladium Alexandrian Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos, which was in Novgorod the Great in 1170 Finding the relics of the blessed Prince Vsevolod (in the Baptism of Gabriel) of Novgorod, Pskov wonderworker December 11 Fri Nativity Fast 14th day of the Venerable Martyr Stephen the New church holiday of the Martyr Irinarch of Sebaste and the holy seven wives of St. Theodore of Rostov, Archbishop Hieromartyr Sera fima ( Chichagov), Metropolitan December 12 Sat Nativity Fast 15th day of the Martyr Paramon of Bithynia and with him the 370 martyrs of the Martyr Philumen of Ancyra Venerable Akakios of Sinai, who is narrated in the Ladder December 13 Sun Nativity Fast 16th day of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called December 14 Mon 2020 Nativity Fast 17th day of the Prophet Nahum the Righteous Philaret the Merciful December 15 Tue Nativity Fast 18th day of the Prophet Habakkuk St. Athanasius, hermits of the Pechersk Martyr Miropia of Chios St. Stephen Urosh V, King of Serbia December 16 Wed Nativity Fast 19th day of the Prophet Zephaniah Orthodox holidays of St. Sava, abbot of Storozhevsky, Zvenigorod miracle worker St. Theodulus of Constantinople December 17 Thu Nativity Fast 20th day of the Great Martyr Barbara and Martyr Juliana St. John of Damascus St. Gennady, Archbishop of Novgorod December 18 Fri, 2020 Nativity Fast 21st day of St. Sava the Sanctified Saint Gurias, Archbishop of Kazan December 19 Sat Nativity Fast 22nd day Saint Nicholas, Archbishop Myra of Lycia, Wonderworker December 20 Sun Nativity Fast 23rd Day of St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan Venerable Nile of Stolobensky Venerable Anthony of Siysk, Hieromonk December 21 Mon Nativity Fast 24th Day of St. Patapius of Thebes St. Cyril of Chelmogorsk December 22 Tue Nativity Fast 25th Day Conception of the Righteous Anna Pres Holy Mother of God December 23, Wed 2020 Nativity Fast 26th day of St. Joasaph, Bishop of Belgorod church holidays of the Martyrs Mina, Hermogenes and Evgraf Blessed John and his parents Stephen and Angelina, rulers of Serbia December 24 Thu Nativity Fast 27th day of St. Daniel the Stylite St. Nikon Sukhoi, Pechersk December 25 Fri Nativity post 28 day of Saint Spyridon, Bishop of Trimifuntsky, wonderworker Venerable Ferapont of Monza December 26 Sat Nativity Fast 29 day of Martyrs Eustratius, Auxentius, Eugene, Mardarius and Orestes Venerable Arcadius of Vyazemsky and Novotorzhsk Venerable Mardarius, recluse of Pechersk Venerable Arseny of Latria, abbot December 27 Sun 202 0 years Advent Fast 30th day of the Martyrs Thyrsus, Leucius and Callinicus Martyrs Philemon, Apollonius, Arian and Theotikh December 28 Mon Nativity Fast 31st day of the Hieromartyr Hilarion (Trinity), Archbishop of Verean Council of the Crimean Saints Orthodox holidays of the Hieromartyr Eleutherius, bishop, his mother the martyr Anthia and the martyr Corib Eparch of St. Paul of Latria St. Stephen, Archbishop of Sourozh St. Tryphon of Pechenga, Kola December 29 Tue Nativity Fast 32nd day of the Prophet Haggai St. Sophia of Suzdal December 30 Wed Nativity Fast 33rd day of the Prophet Daniel and the martyrs Ananias, Azariah and Misail December 31 Thu 2020 Nativity Fast 34 day of the Hieromartyr Thaddeus, Archbishop of Tver Martyrs Sebastian of Milan and his squad Glorification of the Righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye (Merkushinsky) Saint Modest, Archbishop of Jerusalem Venerable Sebastian of Sokhot, Poshekhonsky

Holy Fathers on Prayer

“Prayer is a great weapon, an unfailing treasure, wealth that never runs out, a serene haven, a foundation of peace; prayer is the root, source and mother of countless blessings and is more powerful than royal power.” St. John Chrysostom.

“Prayer in its rank is higher than alms.” St. Isaac the Syrian.

“Prayer is the emergence in our hearts of one after another reverent feelings towards God.” St. Feofan, the Recluse of Vyshensky.

“During prayer, let our speech and supplication be combined with decorum, calmness and modesty. Let us think about the fact that we stand before the face of God and that we must please the eyes of God both by the position of the body and the sound of the voice.” Sschmch. Cyprian of Carthage.

“You must abstain from marital affairs in order to engage in prayer; to abstain from worries about wealth, from the desire for earthly glory, from the enjoyment of pleasures, from envy and every evil deed against our neighbor, so that when our soul is in silence and not disturbed by any passion, in it, as in a mirror, God’s purity and uncloudedness will be insight." St. Basil the Great.

“When starting a prayer, leave yourself, your wife, your children, part with the earth, pass through heaven, leave every creature visible and invisible, and begin by praising Him who created everything, and when you praise Him, do not wander your mind here and there, do not talk about fabulous things. pagan, but choose words from the Holy Scriptures.” St. Basil the Great.

“Every place and every time is convenient for us to pray.” St. John Chrysostom.

Orthodox prayers to the holy saints. Holy saints of God.

Orthodox prayers for those in need for various needs and infirmities.

It has been a difficult spring for all of humanity. The spread of coronavirus, as the mercy of God, can contribute to the awareness of the fragility of human civilization and encourage people to believe in God, said Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' on Sunday, April 19, after the liturgy in Peredelkino at the Church of the Holy Blessed Prince Igor of Chernigov. “We must look at this situation through the prism of spiritual knowledge and think about what it all means and why the Lord allows this plague. Here the opportunity arises to think not only about the wrath of God, as it happened in history, but, most likely, about the mercy of God,” said Patriarch Kirill. He called on believers to refrain from visiting churches during the coronavirus pandemic, but priests continue to perform services. You need to pray and remember the spiritual exploits of the saints in any case. And it doesn’t matter where you do it - at home or in the temple. Therefore, it is so important to keep in mind the calendar of Orthodox holidays for May 2020.

May 2 - memory of the blessed Matrona of Moscow

1st of May

Friday of the 2nd week of Easter.

Memorial Days:

St. John of Thessalonica (Thessaloniki), disciple of St. Gregory Dekapolite;
martyrs Victor, Zotik, Zenon, Akindinus and Severian;
Saint Cosmas, Confessor, Bishop of Chalcedon and Saint Auxentius;
Martyr John the New of Ioannina;
Hieromartyr Vissarion Selinin, presbyter;
Venerable Martyr Tamara (Satsi), Abbess.

Celebration in honor of the icon of the Mother of God:

Maksimovskaya.

May 2

Saturday of the 2nd week of Easter.

Memorial Days:

Venerable John of the Old Cave, hieromonk;
Blessed Matrona of Moscow;
martyrs Feona, Christopher, Antonin;
Hieromartyr Paphnutius, Bishop of Jerusalem;
Saint George the Confessor, Bishop of Antioch (Pisidian);
Saint Tryphon, Patriarch of Constantinople;
Venerable Nikephoros of Katavad, abbot;
Saint Victor (Ostrovidov), confessor, Bishop of Glazov.

May 3

3rd Sunday of Easter, Holy Myrrh-Bearing Women .

Memorial Days:

Venerable Theodore Trikhina;
Venerable Alexander Oshevensky, abbot;
infant martyr Gabriel of Bialystok;
Saints Gregory and Anastasius I of Sinaite, Patriarchs of Antioch;
St. Anastasius, abbot of Mount Sinai;
St. Nicholas (Velimirović), Bishop of Ohrid and Žić;
Saint Theodosius (Ganitsky), confessor, Bishop of Kolomna;
righteous Martha and Mary, sisters of righteous Lazarus;
Blessed Tamara, Queen of Georgia.

Celebrations in honor of the icons of the Mother of God:

Cyprus;
Kipyazhskaya.

May 4th

Monday of the 3rd week of Easter.

Memorial Days:

Hieromartyr Iannuarius, Bishop of Benevento, and with him the martyrs Proculus, Sossius and Faustus the deacons, Disiderius the reader of Puteoli, Eutyches and Akution;
the martyr Theodore, also in Perga, his mother, the martyr Philippia, the martyrs Dioscorus, Socrates and Dionysius;
righteous Alexy Bortsurmansky;
martyrs Isaac, Apollos and Codratus;
Saint Maximian (Maxim), Archbishop of Constantinople;
Hieromartyr John of Prigorov, presbyter;
priest Nikolai Pisarevsky, presbyter;
Hieromartyr Alexy Protopopov, presbyter.

Finding relics:

Venerable Theodore of Sanaksar.

Celebration in honor of the icon of the Mother of God:

Mozdokskaya (Iverskaya).

5 May

Tuesday of the 3rd week of Easter.

Memorial Days:

Venerable Theodore Sikeot, Bishop of Anastasioupol;
Apostle Bartholomew (Nathanael), apostles from 70 Luke and Clement;
Venerable Vitaly of Alexandria;
Hieromartyr Plato, Bishop of Banyaluki;
Martyr Epipodius of Lyons;
Hieromartyr Eustathius Malakhovsky, presbyter;
Martyr Dimitry Vlasenkov.

Transfer of relics:

Blessed Prince Vsevolod, in Holy Baptism Gabriel, Novgorod and Pskov wonderworker.

the 6th of May

Wednesday of the 3rd week of Easter.

Memorial Days:

Great Martyr George the Victorious;
Martyr Queen Alexandra;
martyrs Anatoly and Protoleon;
Venerable Sophia (Hotokurida);
Hieromartyr John Anserov, presbyter.

Celebration in honor of the icon of the Mother of God:

Iverskaya.

May 7

Thursday of the 3rd week of Easter.

Memorial Days:

martyrs Savva Stratelates and with him 70 soldiers;
St. Savva of Pechersk, in the Near Caves;
St. Alexy, the recluse of Pechersk, in the Near Caves;
martyrs Pasicrates and Valentinus;
martyrs Eusebius, Neon, Leontius, Longinus and others;
St. Thomas the Fool;
Venerable Elizabeth of Constantinople, wonderworker, abbess;
Hieromartyr Branko Dobrosavljevic, presbyter:
Martyr Alexander of Lyons;
Martyr Sergius of Arkhangelsk;
Saint Simeon (Stephen) of Transylvania.

Celebration in honor of the icon of the Mother of God:

Molchenskaya.

May 8

Friday of the 3rd week of Easter.

Memorial Days:

Apostle and Evangelist Mark;
Venerable Sylvester of Obnor;
St. Basil of Polyanomerulsky;
Hieromartyr Sergius Rokhletsov, presbyter.

Celebration in honor of the icon of the Mother of God:

Tsaregradskaya.

9th May

Saturday of the 3rd week of Easter;
commemoration of deceased soldiers and all those who died suffering during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.

Memorial Days:

Hieromartyr Basil, Bishop of Amasia;
Saint Stephen, Bishop of Great Perm;
righteous maiden Glafira;
Venerable Ioannikis of Devichensky;
Hieromartyr John Pankov, presbyter, and his sons, martyrs Nicholas and Peter.

May 10

4th week of Easter.

Memorial Days:

Apostle from 70 and Hieromartyr Simeon of Jerusalem, relative of the Lord;
St. Stephen, Abbot of Pechersk, Bishop of Vladimir-Volynsk;
righteous Eulogius the stranger;
Hieromartyrs Pavel Svetozarov and John of the Nativity presbyters, martyrs Peter Yazykov, Nikolai Malkov, Avksentiy Kalashnikov, Sergius Methodiev and martyr Anastasia;
Venerable Martyr Maria Nosova, novice;
Hieromartyr John the Spassky, presbyter;
martyrs Poplion and Lollion the New;
Venerable Simeon the New Stylite and his brother Saint George;
Saint John, abbot of the Kafars.

May 11

Monday of the 4th week of Easter.

Memorial Days:

the 70 apostles Jason and Sosipater, the virgin martyr of Kerkyra and others who suffered with them;
martyrs Dada, Maximus and Quintilian;
Saint Cyril, Bishop of Turov;
martyrs Satornius, Jaquischola, Favstian, Iannuarius, Marsalia, Euphrasius, Mammius, Murinus, Zenon, Eusebius, Neon and Vitalius;
Martyr Anna Shashkina.

12 May

Tuesday of the 4th week of Easter.

Memorial Days:

9 Martyrs of Cyzicus: Theognis, Rufus, Antipater, Theostichus, Artema, Magnus, Theodotus, Faumasius and Philemon;
Memnon the Wonderworker, Abbot of Egypt;
Venerable Nectarius of Optina;
Venerable Amphilochius of Pochaev (Golovatyuk);
martyrs Diodorus and Rhodopian, deacon;
St. Basil of Ostrog, Metropolitan;
300 martyrs suffered in the mountains of Dudikvati and Papati (Türkiye).

may 13

May 13 - Mid-Pentecost

Wednesday of the 4th week of Easter;
Midnight of Pentecost.

Memorial Days:

Apostle James Zebedee;
Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov), Bishop of the Caucasus;
Saint Donatus, Bishop of Europe;
memory of the martyr Maxim.

Finding relics:

Saint Nikita, recluse of Pechersk, Bishop of Novgorod;
Hieromartyr Basil, Bishop of Amasia.

May 14

Thursday of the 4th week of Easter.

Memorial Days:

the prophet Jeremiah;
Venerable Paphnutius of Borovsk, abbot;
Hieromartyr Macarius, Metropolitan of Kyiv;
Venerable Gerasim of Boldinsky;
Venerable Martyr Vata the Persian;
Blessed Tamara, Queen of Georgia;
venerable martyrs of Athonite Euthymius, Ignatius and Akakios;
Martyr Nina Kuznetsova.

Celebrations in honor of the icons of the Mother of God:

Tsarevokokshaiskaya (Mironositskaya);
Andronikovskaya;
"Unexpected Joy".

May 15

Friday of the 4th week of Easter.

Memorial Days:

St. Athanasius the Great, Archbishop of Alexandria;
Saint Athanasius, Patriarch of Constantinople, Wonderworker of Lubensk;
Martyr Esper, Martyr Zoe and their children, Martyrs Cyriacus and Theodulus;
the blessed and equal-to-the-apostles Tsar Boris (in Holy Baptism Michael), who received Baptism with his people.

Transfer of relics:

blessed princes Boris and Gleb, in Holy Baptism Roman and David.

Celebrations in honor of the icons of the Mother of God:

Putivlskaya;
Vutivanskaya.

16th of May

Saturday of the 4th week of Easter.

Memorial Days:

Martyr Timothy, Reader, and Martyr Maura;
Venerable Theodosius, abbot of Kiev-Pechersk;
St. Peter, wonderworker, Bishop of Argos;
Saints Juliania and Eupraxia of Moscow;
Saint Theophan, Metropolitan of Peritheoria;
Hieromartyr Nicholas of Benevolensky, presbyter.

Celebrations in honor of the icons of the Mother of God:

Pechersk-Not Made by Hands;
Yaskinskaya-Pecherskaya;
Svenskaya (Pecherskaya);
“Assumption” of Kiev-Pecherskaya;
Pecherskaya (with the upcoming Anthony and Theodosius).

May 17

5th week of Easter.

Memorial Days:

Martyr Pelagia, Virgin of Tarsus;
Saints Nikita (Nifont), Cyril, Nikifor, Clement and Isaac, brothers Alfanov (Sokolnitsky) in Novgorod;
Hieromartyrs Erasmus, Bishop of Formia;
Hieromartyr Alvian, Bishop of Aneia, and his disciples;
Hieromartyr Silvanus, Bishop of Gaza, and with him 40 martyrs;
Hieromartyr John Vasilyev, presbyter;
Hieromartyr Nikolai Tokhtuev, deacon.

Celebration in honor of the icon of the Mother of God:

Starorusskaya.

May 18

Monday of the 5th week of Easter.

Memorial Days:

Great Martyr Irene of Macedonia;
Venerable Martyr Ephraim the New;
memory of St. Varlaam of Serpukhov;
memory of the Venerable Adrian of Monzen.

Finding relics:

Venerable Jacob of Zheleznoborovsk.

Celebration in honor of the icon of the Mother of God:

Inexhaustible Chalice.

May 19

Tuesday of the 5th week of Easter.

Memorial Days:

righteous Job the Long-Suffering;
Venerable Micah of Radonezh;
Venerable Job of Pochaev, abbot;
martyrs Barbarian the warrior, Bacchus, Callimachus and Dionysius;
Martyr Barbara of Lukan, former robber.

May 20

Wednesday of the 5th week of Easter;
celebration of the Feast of Mid-Pentecost;
remembrance of the appearance in heaven of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem.

Memorial Days:

Martyr Akaki the Centurion;
Venerable Nile of Sorsky;
Venerable John of Zedazni and his disciples: Aviv, Bishop of Nekres (Kakheti), Anthony, Stylite of Martkop, David of Gareji, Zenon (Zinon) of Ikaltoi, Thaddeus of Stepantsminda, Ise (Jesseus), Bishop of Tsilkan, Joseph, Bishop of Alaverdi, Isidore of Samtavi, Michael of Ulumbia , Pyrrhus of Bretsky, Stefan of Hirsky and Shio (Simeon) Mgvimsky.

Finding relics:

Venerable Nile the Myrrh-streaming, Athos.

Celebrations in honor of the icons of the Mother of God:

Lyubechskaya;
Zhirovitskaya.

May 21st

Thursday of the 5th week of Easter.

Memorial Days:

Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian;
Venerable Arseny the Great;
Saints Arseny the hardworking and Pimen the faster, Pechersk, in the Far Caves;
Martyr Nikifor Zaitsev.

22nd of May

May 22 - transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas from Myra in Lycia to Bari

Friday of the 5th week of Easter.

Memorial Days:

the prophet Isaiah;
Martyr Christopher of Lycia;
St. Joseph of Optina;
Venerable Shio (Simeon) of Mgvimsky;
Hieromartyr Demetrius of the Resurrection, presbyter;
Hieromartyr Vasily Kolosov, presbyter;
memory of the Perekop Icon of the Mother of God.

Transfer of relics:

Saint and Wonderworker Nicholas of Myra in Lycia in Bari.

Celebration in honor of the icon of the Mother of God:

Perekopskaya.

May, 23rd

Saturday of the 5th week of Easter.

Memorial Days:

Apostle Simon the Zealot;
Saint Simon of Pechersk, Bishop of Vladimir and Suzdal;
Blessed Simon, Christ for the Fool's sake, Yuryevetsky;
martyrs Alphius, Philadelphus, Cyprian (Cyrinus), Onesimus, Erasmus and others;
Martyr Hesychius of Antioch;
Venerable Isidora the Holy Fool, Tavenskaya;
Blessed Taisia of Egypt.

Celebration in honor of the icon of the Mother of God:

Kiev-Bratskaya.

May 24

6th week of Easter;
Name day of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus'.

Memorial Days:

Equal-to-the-Apostles Methodius and Cyril, Slovenian teachers;
Equal to the Apostles Rostislav, Prince of Great Moravia;
Hieromartyr Mokiya;
Venerable Sophrony, recluse of Pechersk, in the Far Caves;
Saint Nicodemus, Archbishop of Serbia;
Hieromartyr Joseph, Metropolitan of Astrakhan;
Hieromartyr Mikhail Belorossov, presbyter;
Hieromartyr Alexander, Archbishop of Kharkov.

May 25

Monday of the 6th week of Easter.

Memorial Days:

Hieromartyr Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, wonderworker;
Saint Epiphanius, Bishop of Cyprus;
Saint Herman, Patriarch of Constantinople;
Dionysius of Radonezh, archimandrite;
Saints Savin, Archbishop of Cyprus and Poluvius, Bishop of Rhinocyra;
Martyr John Vlah (Valakh);
Hieromartyr Peter Popov, presbyter;
Martyr Evdokia Martishkina.

Finding relics:

righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye (Merkushinsky).

Celebrations in honor of the icons of the Mother of God:

26 of May

Tuesday of the 6th week of Easter.

Memorial Days:

the virgin martyr Glyceria and with her the martyr Laodicea of Heraclea, the prison guard;
righteous virgin Glykeria, Novgorod;
Martyr Alexander of Rome;
Saint Pausikakios, Bishop of Synada;
Saints George the Confessor with his wife Irina and children;
Venerable Euthymius of Iveron;
Hieromartyrs Vasily Sokolov, Alexander Zaozersky and Christopher Nadezhdin, presbyters, venerable martyr Macarius (Telegin), hieromonk, and martyr Sergius Tikhomirov;
martyrs of Cherkasy.

Transfer of relics:

Venerable Martyr Macarius, Archimandrite Kanevsky, Abbot of Pinsky, Pereyaslavl Wonderworker.

May 27

Wednesday of the 6th week of Easter;
The celebration of the Easter holiday;
Forefeast of the Ascension of the Lord.

Memorial Days:

Martyr Isidore of Chios;
Blessed Isidore, Christ for the Fool's Sake, Rostov Wonderworker;
Saint Nikita, recluse of Pechersk, Bishop of Novgorod;
Martyr Maximus of Asia;
Venerable Serapion Sindonite;
Saint Leontius, Patriarch of Jerusalem;
Hieromartyr Peter Rozhdestvin, presbyter.

Celebrations in honor of the icons of the Mother of God:

Terebenskaya (Terebinskaya);
Yaroslavl Pecherskaya.

May 28

Thursday of the 6th week of Easter;
Ascension of the Lord.

Memorial Days:

Venerable Pachomius the Great;
Saint Isaiah, Bishop of Rostov, wonderworker;
the blessed Tsarevich Dimitri, Uglich and Moscow;
Venerable Isaiah of Pechersk;
Venerable Pachomius of Nerekhta;
Saints Euphrosynus and his disciple, Serapion, of Pskov;
Venerable Achillius, Bishop of Larissa.

Finding relics:

Venerable Arseny Konevsky.

May 29

Friday of the 6th week of Easter;
Post-celebration of the Ascension.

Memorial Days:

Venerable Theodore the Sanctified, abbot;
Saints Cassian and Lawrence of Komel;
Hieromartyr Alexander, Bishop of Jerusalem;
martyrs Vitus, Modest and Criscentia;
blessed youth Muse of Rome;
venerable fathers who were beaten in the Lavra of St. Sava;
St. George II, Bishop of Mytilene;
Martyr Vukashin.

Transfer of relics:

Venerable Ephraim of Perekom, abbot, Novgorod wonderworker.

May 30

Saturday of the 6th week of Easter;
Post-celebration of the Ascension.

Memorial Days:

the Apostle of the Seventy Andronicus and Saint Junia, relatives of the Apostle Paul;
Venerable Euphrosyne, in the world Evdokia, Grand Duchess of Moscow;
martyrs Solokhon, Pamfamir and Pamphalon warriors;
Saint Stephen I, Patriarch of Constantinople.

Finding relics:

Venerable Martyr Adrian Ondrusovsky.

May 31

7th week of Easter;
saints 318 God-bearing fathers of the First Ecumenical Council;
Post-celebration of the Ascension.

Memorial Days:

Martyr Theodotus Korchemnik and seven virgin martyrs: Alexandra, Tekusa, Claudia, Faina, Euphrasia, Matrona and Julia;
martyrs Peter, Dionysius, Andrew, Paul and the martyr Christina;
Venerable Macarius of Altai (Glukharev);
martyrs Simeon, Isaac and Vakhtisiy;
martyrs Heraclius, Paulinus and Venedim;
martyrs David and Tarichan;
Hieromartyr Mikhail Vinogradov, presbyter;
Hieromartyr Vasily Krylov, presbyter;
Righteous John of Kormyansk (Gashkevich).

What should a believer do at the present moment, when the threat of covid-19 is really present? There is no ban on visiting temples. The priests continue to serve. As a last resort, you can and should find an opportunity to pray at home, especially during liturgical times: either turn on the broadcast of the service, or perform with attention, for example, 100 Jesus prayers, or read an akathist, or during the holiday period the Easter canon, or at least the creations of some holy ascetic. Take every opportunity to test and strengthen your faith with the help of a detailed calendar of church holidays for May 2020.

What a Christian Should Remember

There are words of Holy Scripture and prayers that it is advisable to know by heart.

1. The Lord's Prayer “Our Father” (Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4). 2. The main commandments of the Old Testament (Deut. 6:5; Lev. 19:18). 3. The main gospel commandments (Matt. 5, 3-12; Matt. 5, 21-48; Matt. 6, 1; Matt. 6, 3; Matt. 6, 6; Matt. 6, 14-21; Matt. 6, 24-25; Matthew 7, 1-5; Matthew 23, 8-12; John 13, 34). 4.Symbol of Faith. 5. Morning prayers and evening prayers according to a short prayer book. 6. The number and meaning of the sacraments.

The sacraments must not be mixed with rituals. A ritual is any outward sign of reverence that expresses our faith. A sacrament is a sacred act during which the Church calls on the Holy Spirit, and His grace descends on the believers. There are seven such sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Communion (Eucharist), Repentance (Confession), Marriage (Wedding), Blessing of Anointing (Unction), Priesthood (Ordination) ...

What a believer needs to know

What a believer needs to know. First steps in church: What an Orthodox Christian should know, How to behave in church, Rules about bowing and the sign of the cross, About holy icons, About confession, About communion, Remembrance and prosphora, Memorial service and prayer service, Rules regarding the relationship of a lay person to his confessor, The most important holidays of the year, Fasting, home prayer and spiritual reading...

What is today's Orthodox church holiday...

All site pages...

What is the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary into the Temple?

The Entry into the Temple of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary is the full name of the holiday that the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates on December 4 (new style). This is the second twelfth feast of the Mother of God of the church year. The twelfths are holidays that are dogmatically closely connected with the events of the earthly life of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Mother of God and are divided into the Lord's (dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ) and the Theotokos (dedicated to the Mother of God).

On this day, Orthodox Christians remember how the holy righteous Joachim and Anna brought their three-year-old daughter, the Most Holy Theotokos, to the Jerusalem Temple. They did this to fulfill their vow before the Lord - to dedicate their daughter to His service. From that day on, the Virgin Mary lived at the Jerusalem Temple - until the very moment she was betrothed to the righteous Joseph.