St. Herman of Alaska Orthodox Church
Orthodox Church in America
7099 S Military Trail, Lake Worth, FL 33463


Prayer Before Reading Scripture:

O Lord Jesus Christ open Thou the eyes of my heart, that I may hear

Thy word and understand and do Thy will, for I am a sojourner upon the

earth. Hide not Thy commandments from me, but open mine eyes, that

I may perceive the wonders of Thy law. Speak unto me the hidden

and secret things of Thy wisdom. On Thee do I set my hope, O my

God, that Thou shalt enlighten my mind and understanding with

the light of Thy knowledge, not only to cherish those things which

are written, but to do them; that in reading the lives and sayings of

the saints I may not sin, but that such may serve for my restoration,

enlightenment and sanctification, for the salvation of my soul, and

the inheritance of life everlasting. For Thou art the enlightenment

of those who lie in darkness, and from Thee cometh every good

deed and every gift. Amen.


Today's Scripture Readings

All Scripture Readings
Today's Saints

Hieromartyr Mark, Bishop of Arethusa, who suffered under Julian the Apostate
Hieromartyr Mark, Bishop of Arethusa, who suffered under Julian the Apostate

Hieromartyr Mark, Bishop of Arethusa, suffered for his faith in Christ under the emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363). By order of the emperor Constantine (May 21), Saint Mark had once destroyed a pagan temple and built a Christian church. When Julian came to the throne, he persecuted Christians…

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Troparion & Kontakion
Martyr Cyril the Deacon of Heliopolis, and those with him, who suffered under Julian the Apostate
Martyr Cyril the Deacon of Heliopolis, and those with him, who suffered under Julian the Apostate

The historian Theodoritus relates that during the reign of Saint Constantine the Great, Saint Cyril destroyed many idols and pagan temples in Heliopolis, Phoenicia. He was put to death for this during the reign of Julian the Apostate. Pagans cut open his stomach and, like wild beasts, they ate his…

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Troparion & Kontakion
Venerable John the Anchorite of Egypt
Venerable John the Anchorite of Egypt

Saint John the Anchorite: During a persecution against Christians, the devout widow Juliania of Armenia hid from pursuers together with her two young children John and Themistea. She taught her children to pray and to read the Holy Scriptures. From time to time John secretly visited a nearby…

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Troparion & Kontakion
Saint Eustathius (Eustace) the Confessor, Bishop of Bithynia

Saint Eustathius the Confessor, Bishop of Bithynia, was already at the beginning of his spiritual struggle a pious monk, meek and wise, filled with great faith and love for his neighbor. For his virtuous life he was made bishop of the city of Bithynia (a Roman province in northwest Asia Minor) and…

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Troparion & Kontakion
Venerable Mark, Jonah, and Bassa of the Pskov Caves

Saints Mark, Jonah and Bassa are venerated as the founders of the Pskov Caves monastery. It is not known exactly when the first hermit monks settled by the Kamenets stream in the natural caves of the hill, which the local inhabitants called “the holy hill.” The monastery Chronicle…

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Troparion & Kontakion
Saint Nikḗtas of the Roslavl Forests

The holy Schema-monk Nikḗtas was born in the city of Orel in 1695. From childhood, he loved to go on pilgrimages to the holy places. As a youth, he left his parents and lived about a mile or so from the White Bluff (Beloberezhsk) Hermitage. It is not known when he received the monastic tonsure,…

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Troparion & Kontakion