August 5 / July 23

1. The Holy Martyrs Trophimus and Theophilus, and thirteen others with them, in Lycia

They all suffered in Lycia, during the reign of Emperor Diocletian. Because they would in no way deny Christ or offer sacrifices to the idols, they were subjected to various tortures. They were stoned, scraped with sharp irons, and their knees were broken. By then they were more dead than alive and were thrown into the fire. The power of God preserved them, and they remained unharmed by the flames. They were then brought out of the fire and beheaded. The Lord glorified them both on earth and in His Heavenly Kingdom. They suffered honorably in the year 305.

2. The Holy Hieromartyr Apollinarius, first Bishop of Ravenna (75)

Apollinarius was a disciple of the Apostle Peter. He was born in the city of Antioch. St. Peter took Apollinarius with him from Antioch to Rome, where he consecrated him bishop of Ravenna. In Ravenna, Apollinarius entered the home of the soldier Irenaeus, whose son he healed of blindness. By this miracle, he converted the entire household to the Chris- tian Faith. He likewise cured the wife of the military commander of Ravenna of a terrible malady and baptized their entire household. Apollinarius remained with this household at the military commander’s request. He formed a small house church there and remained with them for twelve years, preaching the Gospel and baptizing unbelievers. On many occasions, he was cruelly tortured by the pagan elders, but the almighty right hand of the Lord sustained and saved him. He was finally sentenced to exile in Illyria, in the Balkans. The boat in which Apollinarius was being transported was broken up in a storm and sank, and only St. Apollinarius, three of his clerics, and two soldiers were saved. The soldiers, having been saved miraculously, believed in the power of Apollinarius’s God and were baptized. Apollinarius then went to preach the Holy Gospel throughout the Balkans, descending as far as the Danube River. After this, he set out for Thrace where, against much opposition, he also spread the Gospel of the Lord. After three years of labor in the Balkans, he was banished back to Italy. He returned to Ravenna, where the faithful rejoiced exceedingly at his return. Hearing of this, a pagan elder wrote to Emperor Vespasian about Apollinarius, accusing the saint of being a magician.

He also asked the emperor if they should kill Apollinarius as an enemy of their gods. The emperor replied that they should not kill him, but require him to offer sacrifice to the gods or banish him from the city. The emperor declared: “It is not dignified to seek revenge against anyone for the gods, for they can avenge themselves against their own enemies if they are angered.” In spite of this imperial decree, the pagans attacked Apollinarius and stabbed him with knives. This servant of God died of his severe wounds and was received into the Kingdom of God. The relics of St. Apollinarius repose in the church dedicated to him in Ravenna, Italy.

• Righteous Anna (Hannah) (1100 c.), mother of the Prophet Samuel.
• Martyr Apollonius, at Rome (183).
• Repose of John Cassian the Roman, abbot, of Marseilles (435).
• Anna of Leucadia (919).
• Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks (1675).
• Pelagia, nun, of Tinos (1834).
• John (Iacob) of Neamts, the Chozebite (1960).
• Glorification (2001) of Theodore, admiral of the Russian Navy (1817).
• Icons of the Most Holy Theotokos “Pochaev” (1559) and “The Joy of All Who Sorrow” (with coins) of Petersburg (1888).
• (Greek : 250 martyrs killed by Bulgarians [802-811]).

HYMN OF PRAISE

Saint Apollinarius

For the sake of Christ God,
Apollinarius endured many and great sufferings
Without anger, without astonishment,
For he knew that there is no salvation without suffering.
He knew that the Lord’s way was suffering,
And saw Peter’s pierced hands.
He knew of many, slaughtered like lambs—
Sent by a sword into the Kingdom of God.
And with his soul set right,
he was prepared for that:
To endure public shame for the Living Christ,
And all that the powers of hades
Had prepared for the torture of the faithful.
The saint endured, and bore it all with faith,
And under cruel torture he grew steadily older.
Even in his old age, torment did not pass him by.
Under brutal tortures he died for Christ,
And astonished many generations with his heroism;
And did not die, but departed—to eternal life.

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