Thursday 18 September 2025
St Eumenes, Bishop of Gortyna
Thursday of the 15th week after Pentecost
Saints commemorated
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Saint of the day
St Eumenes, Bishop of Gortyna
Eumenes (7th century) was bishop of Gortyna in Crete, venerated as a wonderworker and honoured in the Menaion as the chief saint of September 18. Noted from youth for an ascetic and merciful life — he gave away his whole substance to the poor — he was raised to the first see of Crete, where he shepherded his flock as a compassionate father and by his prayer, the tradition relates, once ended a drought with abundant rain. A defender of the orthodox faith against the heresy of his day, he was exiled to the Thebaid in Egypt, where he reposed; his body was returned to Gortyna for burial.
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St Ariadne of Phrygia (2nd c.)
Ariadne (2nd century) was a Christian slave in the household of Tertullus, a leading citizen of a Phrygian city the sources call Promissia — most plausibly Prymnessus. When her master held a sacrificial feast to the pagan gods on his son's birthday, Ariadne alone refused to take part; she was beaten, torn with iron hooks, and starved in prison, and when at last she was released and fled the city, her master's men pursued her. The tradition relates that at her prayer a cleft opened in the mountain rock and received her, and there she gave up her soul to God. She is commemorated on September 18.
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Castor the Martyr
Castor is a martyr commemorated on September 18 of whom nothing is transmitted beyond his name and his end: he suffered death for the open confession of the faith of Christ. The Greek and Slavic calendars carry him as a separate commemoration without place or date; the OCA joins him to the martyrs Sophia and Irene of Egypt, commemorated the same day, placing his martyrdom with theirs at Alexandria.
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Euphrosyne of Suzdal
Euphrosyne of Suzdal (1212–1250), in the world the princess Theodulia, eldest daughter of the martyred prince Michael of Chernigov, was betrothed in youth to a prince of Suzdal who died on the very day appointed for the wedding. Refusing to return to her father's house, she entered the convent of the Deposition of the Robe (Rizopolozhensky) in Suzdal and became, under the name Euphrosyne, the most renowned woman ascetic of pre-Mongol and Mongol-era Russia: a teacher of nuns and laywomen, an ascetic of severe fasting, and a seer whose prayers, the tradition holds, spared her convent when Batu's horde burned Suzdal in 1238. She reposed on September 25, 1250, and was glorified in 1698.
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Sophia and Irene of Egypt
Sophia and Irene were two women martyred for Christ in Egypt in the third century — the Russian tradition places their death under the emperor Aurelian (270–275), at the hands of Claudius, governor of Egypt — and the Greek synaxarion records that they were perfected by the sword after tortures. Their relics are said to have been translated to Constantinople by Constantine the Great. They are commemorated together on September 18. They are not to be confused with Sophia of Rome, the mother of the martyrs Faith, Hope and Love, commemorated the day before (September 17), nor with the great-martyr Irene (May 5).
Troparia & kontakia
Kontakion — Tone 2
Illumined with divine light, O all-blessed one, thou dost enlighten us who lovingly hymn thy revered, glorious and holy translation, O father and hierarch Eumenes; for thou intercedest without ceasing on behalf of us all.
Kontakion — Tone 2
Having filled the pure vessel of thy virginity with the oil of prayer and love, thou didst kindle an unquenchable lamp in thy heart, O venerable one; and going forth with it, watchful, to meet the heavenly Bridegroom, thou wast received into His most radiant bridal chamber. There now, dwelling with the choirs of angels and saints, pray, we beseech thee, to Christ God, that we may be delivered from the portion of the foolish virgins.
Magnification
We magnify thee, O holy hierarch, father Eumenes, and we honour thy holy memory, for thou prayest for us to Christ our God.
Troparion — Tone 4 (from the common of a woman martyr)
Thy ewe-lamb Ariadne crieth to thee with a great voice, O Jesus: Thee, my Bridegroom, do I love, and seeking thee I endure the contest; I am crucified and buried with thee in thy baptism, and I suffer for thy sake, that I may reign with thee; I die for thee, that I may live in thee. Receive me as a spotless sacrifice, slain for thee with love. By her prayers, since thou art merciful, save our souls.
Troparion — Tone 4 (from the common of a single martyr)
Thy martyr Castor, O Lord, in his contest received an incorruptible crown from thee, our God; for possessing thy strength he cast down the tyrants and broke the feeble insolence of the demons. By his intercessions save our souls.
Troparion — Tone 7
With fasting thou didst adorn thy life, and, loving the poor, thou didst distribute to them all thy substance; thou didst shine forth in virtues like the sun, comforting the mourning and gladdening the sorrowful. And now, we pray thee, O father Eumenes, by thy prayers ask of Christ the forgiveness of our sins.
Troparion — Tone 4
Thy holy memory makes glad the land of Suzdal, and calls together all the faithful to thine all-honourable temple, where now thine all-glorious memory is celebrated, O venerable Euphrosyne: pray to Christ God that our souls may be saved.
Troparion — Tone 4 (from the common of martyrs)
Thy martyrs, O Lord, in their contest received incorruptible crowns from thee, our God; for possessing thy strength they cast down the tyrants and broke the feeble insolence of the demons. By their intercessions save our souls.
Readings
Epistle
Galatians 3.23-4.5
23But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 24Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. 26For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 27For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. 29And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. 1Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; 2But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. 3Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: 4But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
Gospel
Mark 6.30-45
30And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught. 31And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. 32And they departed into a desert place by ship privately. 33And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him. 34And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things. 35And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed: 36Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat. 37He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat? 38He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes. 39And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass. 40And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties. 41And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all. 42And they did all eat, and were filled. 43And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes. 44And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men. 45And straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people.