Introduction

Outline: Preface. Introduction: 1. Praise God in His Saints! 2. The Synaxarion in the Tradition of the Church; 3. The Present Edition

St. Nilus of Sora:

I pray that this may benefit those who read it or hear it and beg them, for the love of God, to pray that I may find grace in His sight because I have worked hard at this task, seeking in this way to fulfill the commandment to love God and my neighbor. May we, contemplating the lives of the holy Fathers, be filled with their zeal in all our works, and with them possess life everlasting. True love of neighbor is to stir him up to love God and to keep His commandments, obedient to the divine words and to the life and teachings of the holy Fathers, so that he may live in godliness and be saved. Although I am a sinner, wretched and unfit for any good work, I long for the salvation of a multitude of my brethren.

Russian Hesychasm. The Spirituality of Nilus Sorski

Assembly of All the Saints

31st of August

On the 31st of the month, we celebrate the DEPOSITION of the PRECIOUS GIRDLE of the MOST HOLY MOTHER of GOD in the Church of the CHALKOPRATEIA; the Memory of our Venerable Father AIDAN, Founder and Bishop of LINDISFARNE.

St. Aidan of Lindisfarne

30th of August

On the 30th of the month, we celebrate the Memory of our Holy Fathers ALEXANDER, JOHN and PAUL the NEW, Patriarchs of CONSTANTINOPLE; our Venerable Father FANTINUS the Wonderworker, who died in peace; our Venerable Father ALEXANDER of SVIR

St. Alexander, Patriarch of Constantinople

28th of August

On the 28th of the month, we celebrate the Memory of our Venerable Father MOSES the ETHIOPIAN; the Righteous King HEZEKIAH of JUDAH; the Synaxis of the Holy Fathers of the Lavra of the Kiev Caves, whose relics lie in the further caves of Saint Theodosius; Venerable Father SABAS of PSKOV and KRYPETS…

St. Moses the Ethiopian

27th of August

On the 27th of the month, we celebrate the Memory of our Venerable and God-bearing Father Poemen; the Memory of our Holy Father Liberius the Confessor, Pope of Rome; Memory of the Holy Hieromartyr Kushka and of our Venerable Father Pimen the Faster of the Lavra of the Kiev Caves; Memory of our Holy Father Caesarius, Archbishop of Arles

26th of August

On the 26th of the month, we celebrate the Memory of the Holy Martyr Adrian, Natalia his wife and their twenty-three companions, the Memory of the Venerable Joseph, son of King Abenner, and of his spiritual father Barlaam, the Memory of our Venerable Father Adrian, Abbot of the Ondrussov Monastery, and of the Venerable Cyprian of Storozhev

Sts. Adrian and Natalia

24th of August

On the 24th of the month, we celebrate the memory of the Holy Martyr Eutychus, disciple of Saint John the Theologian, Holy New Hieromartyr and Equal to the Apostles, Cosmas of Aitolia, Holy Father Arsenics, Abbot of the Monastery of Komel, Holy Father Open (Dad), Bishop of Rouen…

Holy New Hieromartyr and Equal to the Apostles, Cosmas of Aitolia

23rd of August

On the 23rd of the month, we celebrate the Memory of the Holy Martyr Lupus, the memory of the Holy Hieromartyr Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons.

Note: Today is also the Leavetaking of the Feast of the Formation. The service for St. Lupus is transferred to the previous day.

St. Irenaeus of Lyons

22nd of August

On the 22nd of the month, we celebrate the Memory of the Holy Martyr AGATHONICUS and his companions: ZOTICUS, ZENO, THEOPREPIUS, ACINDYNUS and SEVERIAN; the Holy Martyr ANTHUSA of SELEUCIA, of her servants CHARISSIMUS and NEOPHYTUS, and of Bishop ATHANASIUS of TARSUS, who baptized them; the Holy Archpriest ALEXIS (Medvedkov) of UGINE; the Holy and Glorious Martyr EULALIA of BARCELONA

St. Agathonicus

21st of August

On the 21st of the month, we celebrate the Memory of the Holy Apostle THADDEUS; the Holy Martyr BASSA and her three sons: THEOGNIUS, AGAPIUS and PISTUS; our Venerable Father ABRAHAM of SMOLENSK and of his disciple EPHREM; our Venerable Father ISAIAH the ATHONITE

St. Thaddeus

20th of August

On the 20th of the month, we celebrate the Memory of the Holy and Glorious Prophet SAMUEL; the Holy Martyrs PHILIP, Bishop of HERACLEA, SEVERUS the priest and HERMES; Saint STEPHEN, First King of HUNGARY; our Venerable Father PHILIBERT of JUMIÈGES and NOIRMOUTIER

Holy Prophet Samuel