SAINT STEPHEN THE BISHOP OF PERM

April 26

From the Prologue

Stephen was a Russian by birth. From an early age he was devoted to prayer and pious thoughts. As a young man, Stephen went to Rostov where he was tonsured a monk in the monastery of St. Gregory the Theologian. Learning about the Land of Perm, completely overrun with the weeds of heathenism, Stephen desired to become a missionary in this land. He immediately dedicated himself to the studying of the language of the Perms and when he mastered the language, he composed an alphabet and translated the ecclesiastical books into that language. With the blessing of the Metropolitan of Moscow, Stephen, as a presbyter, started out on his apostolic mission and with apostolic zeal began to preach the Gospel in this dense darkness of the heathenism of Perm. Having baptized a few souls, he endeavored to build a church in Perm dedicated to the Holy Annunciation. When the Church of God flourished in Perm, he was consecrated as its bishop. Undergoing every hardship, affliction, maliciousness and humiliation, he succeeded to dispel the darkness among the heathens of Perm and to illuminate them with the Light of Christ. In his old age he returned to Moscow once more but, there ended his earthly life and took up habitation with the Lord in the year 1396 AD.

HYMN OF PRAISE

SAINT BASIL OF AMASEA

In the dungeon, Basil languishes

For the honorable Cross and the Faith of Christ;

Psalms he chants and to God he gives thanks,

Because of justice, He granted him suffering

The Emperor's Tribune to Basil speaks:

Listen old man, to you the emperor a message is sending

(Emperor) Licinius, the protector of the gods,

That you, sacrifice to the gods, offer,

And, Christ the man to dismiss,

If you do not, an evil death awaits you.

Basil radiates from joy,

And to the Tribune, he wonderfully responds:

Go tell your nefarious emperor:

Even if your entire kingdom to me you gave,

And take away my resurrected Christ,

You will take more than you give.

Traitor of Christ the Savior,

Me, a traitor also, do you want to make?

O Giver of death; of death I am not afraid,

Of Christ the Life-giver, I am a servant.




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