Eastern Rite - Feasts of 22 August AM 7530

Today is the Postfeast of the Dormition, the Feast of the Holy Martyr Agathonicus and Those with Him, and the Commemoration of the Passing into Eternal Life (1964) of Blessed Symeon (Lukach), Bishop and  Confessor of Krasnoyarsk and Pastor of the Stanyslaviv (Ivano-Frankivs’k) Region.

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The Church continues to honour the passage of the Most Holy Theotokos from death to life. Just as Christ once dwelt in the virginal womb of His Mother, now He takes Her “to dwell in His courts.”

Troparion — Tone 1

In giving birth you preserved your virginity, / in falling asleep you did not forsake the world, O Theotokos. / You were translated to life, O Mother of Life, / and by your prayers, you deliver our souls from death.

Kontakion — Tone 2

Neither the tomb, nor death could hold the Theotokos, / who is constant in prayer and our firm hope in her intercessions. / For being the Mother of Life, / she was translated to life by the One who dwelt in her virginal womb.

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The Martyrs Agathonicus, Zoticus, Theoprepius, Acindynus, Severian, Zeno and others accepted death for Christ during the reign of the emperor Maximian (284-305).

The Martyr Agathonicus was descended from the illustrious lineage of the Hypasians, and he lived at Nicomedia. Well-versed in Holy Scripture, he converted many pagans to Christ, including the most eminent member of the Senate (its “princeps” or leader). Comitus Eutolmius was sent to the Pontine (lower Black Sea) region, where he crucified the followers of the Christian Zoticus, who had refused to offer sacrifice to idols. He took Zoticus with him.

In Nicomedia, Eutolmius arrested the Martyr Agathonicus (together with the princeps), as also Theoprepius, Acindynus and Severian. After tortures, Eutolmius ordered that the martyrs be taken to Thrace for trial by the emperor.

But along the way, in the vicinity of Potama, the Martyrs Zoticus, Theoprepius and Acindynus were unable to proceed further behind the chariot of the governor because of wounds received during torture. Therefore, they were put to death. The Martyr Severian was put to death at Chalcedon, and the Martyr Agathonicus together with others was beheaded with the sword by order of the emperor, in Selymbria.

The relics of the Martyr Agathonicus were in a church named for him at Constantinople and were seen in the year 1200 by the Russian pilgrim Anthony. And in the fourteenth century Philotheus, the archbishop of Selymbria devoted an encomium to the Martyr Agathonicus.

Troparion — Tone 4

Your holy martyr Agathonicus and his companions, O Lord, / through their sufferings have received incorruptible crowns from You, our God. / For having Your strength, they laid low their adversaries, / and shattered the powerless boldness of demons. / Through their intercessions, save our souls!

Kontakion — Tone 1

Having received the good calling, divinely-wise One, / you abandoned the cult of evil men, not fearing their tortures, glorious Agathonicus. / Therefore, you have inherited good things, / and worthily received the incorruptible crown with your fellow martyrs.

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The Blessed Symeon Lukach, Bishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, was born on 7 July 1893 in the village of Starunia, Stanislaviv Region in the Kingdom of Hungary. His parents were simple villagers who worked the land. In 1913, he entered the seminary. His studies were interrupted for two years during World War I but he was able to complete his studies in 1919. That same year he was ordained a priest by Bld Hryhory Khomyshyn. He taught moral theology at the seminary in Stanislaviv, Ukrainian SSR, (now Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine) until April 1945, when it is suspected that Bishop Hryhory secretly ordained him a bishop. He was first arrested on 26 October 1949 by the NKVD and deported to Siberia (Krasnoyarsk) for ten years of hard labour. After serving half his sentence, he was released on 11 February 1955. He functioned as an underground member of the clergy, but in July 1962 he was arrested for a second time and appeared in court with Bishop Ivan Sleziuk, who too was an underground bishop. He was sentenced to five more years of labour where he underwent interrogations. While he was in prison, he developed tuberculosis. He was released back to his village where he died on 22 August 1964.

Born
7 July 1893 at Starunya, Ivano-Frankivs’ka oblast’, Ukraine

Died
22 August 1964 in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ivano-Frankivs’ka oblast’, Ukraine of tuberculosis

Venerated
24 April 2001 by Pope John Paul II (decree of martyrdom)

Beatified
27 June 2001 by Pope John Paul II at Ukraine