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The Hieromartyr Dorotheus was bishop of the Phoenician city of Tyre, during the time of the persecution against Christians under the emperor Diocletian (284-305). Heeding the words of the Gospel (Mt.10:23), the saint withdrew from Tyre and hid from the persecutors. He returned to Tyre during the reign of Saint Constantine the Great (306-337, May 21), again occupying the bishop’s throne he guided his flock for more than fifty years and converted many of the pagans to Christianity. When the emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363) began openly persecuting Christians, Saint Dorotheus was already over 100 years old. He withdrew from Tyre to the Myzean city of Udum (present day Bulgarian Varna). Delegates of the emperor arrested him there for his refusal to offer sacrifice to idols. They began to torture the holy Elder, and under torture, he surrendered his soul to the Lord (+ ca. 362) at the age of 107.
Some ascribe to Saint Dorotheus the compilation of a work, “The Synopsis”, a collection of sayings, and including the lives of the holy prophets and apostles.
Troparion — Tone 4
O Dorotheus, wise hierarch of Christ, / you received the light of wisdom as a gift from the Father of lights. / You increased the talents given to you / and in your old age contested beyond the bounds of nature. / And now, O Hieromartyr, you even intercede for our souls!
Kontakion — Tone 3
By preaching the Catholic Faith, O Hieromartyr, / you offered yourself as a godly and holy gift. / First you excelled in asceticism / and then in the contest of martyrdom, / attaining the victor’s prize from Christ our God!
Kontakion — Tone 5
You were resplendent, O blessed Dorotheus, / with virtues brighter than the sun and with your sufferings! / You shine forth and enlighten the land, / dispelling the darkness of idolatry and base heresy. / Therefore, we celebrate your memory with splendour!
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Gomidas (or Cosma) was born in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul, Turkey) around the year 1656.
After being married at the age of 20, he was ordained a priest for the Armenian Church.
Gomidas was assigned to a parish south of Constantinople and became a leader in the movement which sought to reunite the Armenian Church with the Church of Rome. He and his family were officially received into communion with the Roman Catholic Church in 1696.
Soon, other priests and faithful followed the example of Gomidas and his family, which made him an object of scorn and derision among those who continued to maintain the independence of the Armenian Church.
The patriarch of the Armenian Orthodox Church accused Gomidas of being a “Frank” (a term that could mean either a Roman Catholic Christian or foreigner) and an enemy of the state. After being imprisoned for several months—after which friends were able to purchase his freedom—he was rearrested and executed on November 5, 1707.
Because no Catholic priest came forward to bury him, he was buried by Orthodox priests. As one account of his life notes: “His courage had a profound effect in the longer term, and a century later there were so many Catholic Armenians in Constantinople that ‘Catholic’ was understood to mean one of the Armenian rite.”
Blessed Gomidas Keumurgian was beatified in 1929.
Troparion — Tone 5Soon, other priests and faithful followed the example of Gomidas and his family, which made him an object of scorn and derision among those who continued to maintain the independence of the Armenian Church.
The patriarch of the Armenian Orthodox Church accused Gomidas of being a “Frank” (a term that could mean either a Roman Catholic Christian or foreigner) and an enemy of the state. After being imprisoned for several months—after which friends were able to purchase his freedom—he was rearrested and executed on November 5, 1707.
Because no Catholic priest came forward to bury him, he was buried by Orthodox priests. As one account of his life notes: “His courage had a profound effect in the longer term, and a century later there were so many Catholic Armenians in Constantinople that ‘Catholic’ was understood to mean one of the Armenian rite.”
Blessed Gomidas Keumurgian was beatified in 1929.
You shared in the apostles’ way of life / and succeeded to their throne, * divinely inspired bishop. / You found access to contemplation in the active life. / Therefore, you rightly taught the word of truth / and struggled for the faith to the shedding of your blood.
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The Ihor Icon of the Mother of God.
The Great Prince of Kyiv Ihor Olhovych (obit. September 19, 1147), prayed before this icon during the last moments of his life. It was in the chapel of Saint John the Theologian in the Dormition Cathedral of the Kyiv Caves Lavra. This icon was of old Greek origin and had an inscription saying that it belonged to Great Prince Ihor.
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