September 25 / September 12

1. The Hieromartyr Autonomus, Bishop, in Italy (313)

During Diocletian’s persecution, Autonomus left Italy for Asian Bithynia, for a place called Soreoi. There, he converted many to Christianity, and built a church for them dedicated to the holy Archangel Michael. Autonomus lived in the home of a devout Christian, Cornelius, whom he first ordained as a presbyter, and then consecrated to the episcopacy. Not far from Soreoi there was a place called Limnae, inhabited entirely by pagans. St. Autonomus went to this place and soon enlightened many with the Gospel of Christ. This embittered the pagans, and one day they rushed into the Church of the Holy Archangel Michael in Soreoi during the divine service and slew Autonomus in the sanctuary, and killed many other Christians in the church. During the reign of the Emperor Constantine, Severian, a royal nobleman, built a church over the tomb of St. Autonomus. Two hundred years after his death, St. Autonomus appeared to a soldier named John. John exhumed the relics of the saint and found them to be completely incorrupt, and many who were sick received healing from Autonomus’s relics. Thus, God glorifies the one who glorified Him while living in the flesh.

2.  The Hieromartyr Coronatus, Bishop of Nicomedia (Iconium) (249-259) Coronatus was born in Nicomedia, in the village of He was already quite old when the persecution under Decius and Valerian began. Perinius, a torturer of Christians, came to Nicomedia and began a search for Christians. Many Christians left the city and hid, but their aged bishop did not want to leave. Instead, he presented himself to Perinius and declared himself to be a Christian. The torturer bound him completely and ordered that he be dragged through the town until much blood flowed. Then, under the sword, Coronatus gave his holy soul to God.

3. The Holy Martyr Julian with Forty Companions

They all suffered in about the year 300. First, they were tortured and then beheaded. Before his death, Julian prayed to God in this manner: “To those who take of my dust, grant to them, O Lord, the forgiveness of sins and the subduing of their passions; let no ravaging birds, or grasshoppers, or caterpillars, or any other death-carrying destruction attack their fields. And receive my spirit in peace.”

4.  The Venerable Daniel, Monk of the island of Thasos (ca. 843)

Daniel was an ascetic, the founder of a great monastery, and a contemporary of St. Ioannicius the Great. Daniel was present when Ioannicius visited the island of Thasos. The people there implored the celebrated Ioannicius to free them from snakes. The saint prayed to God and the snakes, in large number, rushed into the sea and drowned.

5. The Holy Martyrs Macedonius, Tatian, and Theodulus, in Phrygia (4th c.)

They all suffered for Christ the Lord at Myropolis in Phrygia, during the reign of Julian the Apostate. They were harshly tortured for destroying the statue of an idol, and were burned on an iron grid until they gave up their souls to God. While burning over the fire, these brave men cried out mockingly to their torturer, saying: “Wouldn’t you like to try our meat to see if it is well cooked?” And also, like the glorious Archdeacon Lawrence, they said: “Turn us over onto the other side, for this side is done!” Witnessing the holy martyrs on the fire, the torturer was more perplexed and frightened than they were.

• Martyr Theodore of Alexandria.
• Ailbhe (Elvis) of Emly (527).
• Sacerdos, bishop of Lyons (551).
• Molaise of Devenish (563).
• Eanswythe, abbess, of Folkestone (ca. 640).
• Andronicus of Atroa (9th c.).
• Athanasius (1401), disciple of St. Sergius of Radonezh and first abbot of the Vysotsk Monastery in Serpukhov, and his disciple St. Athanasius (1395).
• Bassian of Tiksna (Vologda) (1624-1633).
• Translation of the relics (1704) of Righteous Symeon of Verkhoturye (1642).
• Hieromartyr Dositheus, metropolitan of Tbilisi, Georgia (1795).
• New Martyr Alexis, fool-for-Christ, of Elnat and Zharki, near Kineshma (1937).

HYMN OF PRAISE

The Hieromartyr Autonomus

Autonomus, most glorious, feared no torture,
But, because of his mission, was not bound to stay.
Fleeing the wrath of cruel torturers
He sowed the seed of the Holy Gospel,
Baptizing in the name of Christ,
And working miracles in His name.
But when he completed his task, having pleased God,
When his hour tolled to enter eternity,
The persecutors raged into the temple
And slew the saint at the holy altar
While the saint was offering the Bloodless Sacrifice—
The Bloodless and the bloody, commingled!
O Saint Autonomus, servant of God—
To God’s servant, even torture is befitting—
Save us from fear in the face of tortures,
And be the helper of our salvation,
That we not fear to endure all for the Cross,
To die gladly for Christ.
O wondrous healer of every disease,
Preserve us from demonic deceptions,
That we immerse our minds in the Most-high God,
That we become worthy of that eternal life
In which you now reign like a king,
And joyfully exult with the holy angels.

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