May 12

S. V. Bulgakov, Handbook for Church Servers

Our Father among the saints Epiphanius, Bishop of Cyprus.

A Jew from Palestine, after the death of his parents, he, having become acquainted with one anchorite named Lucian, accepted Holy Baptism, gave away all his property to a beggar, keeping for himself a few gold coins, for the purchase of sacred books, and began to lead an ascetic life. In order to see examples of desert piety he set off for Egypt and there for a long time he placed himself under the direction of the Starets Hilarion. In about 367 St. Epiphanius accepted the management of the church in Salamis. At the pastoral cathedral he "with the rays of fiery words" called for "a comforting refuge of wisdom" "existing in the storm of ignorance", to be distinguished by love for the poor, by the simplicity of an anchorite, by zeal for the faith, profited by example from the severity of life and had the gift of wonderworking and prophecy. He died at the age of 115 years in the year 403 and was buried on the island of Cyprus.

Kontakion (for Saints Epiphanius and Germanus), Tone 4.

Come, faithful; let us sing a worthy hymn of praise To honor the glorious bishops, Epiphanius and Germanus. They enlightened the minds of those living without faith, While presenting the great mysteries of God to the faithful, // Explaining true belief with great wisdom. (Text: from Holy Myrrh-bearing Women Monastery)

Our Father among the Saints Germanus, Patriarch of Constantinople (715-730).

He was the son of one of the first senators. The emperor Constantine IV Pogonatus killed his father, and Germanus himself is given up, by an order of the same emperor to the church clergymen. Here Germanus conducted such a holy life, that he was chosen to be bishop in the city of. Cyzicus. As bishop, Germanus showed himself to be a fervent Christian apologist against the heretics, for which he was imprisoned. In 715. Germanus was elected patriarch of Constantinople. And as patriarch, Germanus fervently stood for the true faith of Christ and firmly struggled with the fury of the iconoclasts, who forced him "to take leave of the most honorable images of Christ". For his zeal for the faith he endured many sufferings, was slapped on the face and was deprived of his throne. The hierarch was worthy of the gifts of restoring eyesight and of prophecies; he spent the last years of his life in the Chora Monastery, where he died (740). The relics of St. Germanus during that time and after burial were glorified by many The Venerable Sabinus, Archbishop of Cyprus.

The Venerable Sabinus, Archbishop of Cyprus

He was the successor to St. Epiphanius, during whose life he was the deacon and the judge of spiritual acts.

The Venerable Polybius, Bishop of Rhinokyrium.

The Venerable Polybius, Bishop of Rhinokyrium, 5-century, was a disciple of St. Epiphanius of Cyprus, who wrote the biography of his teacher.

Martyr John of Wallachia.

Born in Wallachia, for 15 years he was held captive by the Turks. They sent him to Constantinople, where for unwillingness to break chastity and to accept Islam after various tortures was hung, in 1662.

The Venerable Dionysius, Archimandrite of the Sergius Monastery.

Born in Rzhev, Tver District, he from youth distinguished himself by fervently and with humility and with great desire studied reading and writing. For six years he was the priest of the Theophany Church, 12 versts (about 8 miles) from the city of Staritsa, Tver District, but later, having become widowed and lost his children, was tonsured in the Dormition of the Theotokos Monastery in the city of Staritsa. Here he was elevated to be an archimandrite and soon was called to Moscow by the patriarch Germogen, for whom he had become a fervent helper and adviser. In 1610 St. Dionysius was named archimandrite in the Trinity Monastery. Seeing the disasters of the fatherland, in that time inflicted by the Poles, St. Dionysius together with Abraham Palitsini, cellarer of the Trinity Monastery, began to act for the liberation of Moscow and Russia. His circular letter to all the lower parts of the city caused everywhere inspiration and patriotism: to the walls of the Monastery quickly to be with the army of Prince Pozh Sanctification of the Church of the Theotokos of the Desyatinna, in Kiev, in the Summer of 6504 (i.e. in 996).

The Church was constructed by the Saint Equal to the Apostles Prince Vladimir, who decided to endow it with a tenth part of his income annually.

S.V. Bulgakov, Handbook for Church Servers, 2nd ed. 1274 pp. (Kharkov, 1900) pp 169-170. Translated by Archpriest Eugene D. Tarris (c) 04/24/2001.

Troparion and Kontakion take from the Menologian for windows

Posted with Permission from the Translator