Eastern Rite - Hieromartyr Simeon, Cousin of Our Lord & Venerable Stephen, Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia

Today is the Feasts of the Hieromartyr Simeon, son of Cleopas and kinsman of our Lord, Bishop of Jerusalem. He governed that church for over forty years, lived over one hundred years, and was crucified in the reign of Emperor Trajan A.D. 112, and Our Venerable Father, Stephen, Bishop of Vladimir.

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The holy, glorious, all-laudable Apostle and Hieromartyr Symeon the Kinsman of the Lord (Simeon) of the Seventy, was the second Bishop of Jerusalem, serving for the period of 67 to 107. He is commemorated by the Church on April 27, and on January 4 with the Seventy.

St. Symeon was the son of Cleopas, the younger brother of St. Joseph the Betrothed. He was a witness to the miracles of Jesus Christ and came to believe in him.

After the Apostle James, first bishop of Jerusalem, was killed in 63 AD, the Christians elected the Apostle Symeon to take his place. During the reign of Emperor Trajan, it was reported to the Roman governor Atticus that St. Symeon was of the lineage of King David and that he confessed the Christian Faith. The pagans seized St. Symeon, at that time already 100 years of age, and after prolonged torture, crucified him.

St. Symeon is mentioned in Acts 13:1: "Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Symeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the Tetrarch, and Saul."

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Saint Stephen, Igumen of the Caves, Bishop of Vladimir in Volhynia, pursued asceticism at the Kiev Caves monastery under the guidance of Saint Theodosius (May 3). Saint Theodosius sometimes entrusted him to exhort the brethren with edifying words.

Before the death of Saint Theodosius the monks asked him to appoint Saint Stephen as Igumen, who was the domesticus (chief arranger for the choir). “He grew up under your instruction,” they said, “and he served you. Give him to us.” So Saint Theodosius transferred the guidance of the monastery to Saint Stephen.

During his tenure as Superior, he laid the foundations of a spacious church in honour of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, begun under Saint Theodosius. The cells of the brethren were moved near the new church. At the front of the place there were several cells for monks who were entrusted with burying the dead. They served the Divine Liturgy each day, and also commemorated the dead.

In 1078 Saint Stephen was removed from office and driven from the monastery through the malice of an evil monk. He endured this meekly and without bitterness, and continued to pray for those who had turned against him.

Saint Stephen learned that master builders had come from Greece with an icon of the Theotokos, and they told him of the appearance of the Heavenly Queen at Blachernae. Because of this, Saint Stephen also built a church at Klovo in honour of the Theotokos (in memory of the Placing of Her Robe at Blachernae). The monastery was founded in thanksgiving for solicitude of the Most Holy Theotokos for the Caves monastery.

In 1091 Saint Stephen was made Bishop of Vladimir in Volhynia, and he participated in the transfer of the relics of Saint Theodosius from the cave to the monastery (August 14). He also laboured to convert the inhabitants of Volhynia to Christianity.

Saint Stephen died on April 27, 1094 during the sixth hour of the night.