Your top 5 (or 10 if you can'd decide) favorite saints of all time...

[Emmanuel-A]

#1 Saint Irenaeus (and please don't believe I put him #1 because he's my patron Saint and because Irenée is my middle name)
#2 Saint Benedict (father of western monks)
#3 Saint John Maximovitch (read his life recently : extraordinary)
#4 Saint Genevieve of Paris (patron Saint of a wonderful city)
#5 Saint Gregory the Theologian (his works are a nectar)

There's a number of other cool Saints, so there's something a bit arbitrary in this top 5, so much of them could have been in this list. God be glorified in his Saints.

 

[Michael G]

St. Alexis Toth
I read of him a few months ago and never forgot his bravery and dedication.


In the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of San Francisco, Bishop Vladimir is saying the Divine Liturgy. The choir, under my direction, is singing splendidly. In the center of the church stands a stranger. He is clean shaven, with a short military haircut. He wars a cassock, fastened with a row of buttons, and around his waist is tied a wide purple sash. He has a plump face, but with pleasant, lively features. His broad forehead, his bright eyes, that seem soft yet on fire at the same time, betoken the man's intellectualism. He stands with eyes fixed upon the painting of the Last supper, and with his palms folded in the manner of a Catholic, prays earnestly; and it seems, that he is living through a spiritual turmoil, which reflects itself upon his features. For half an hour he stands motionless, transfixed in spiritual ecstasy. All eyes are on him, but know one knows who the stranger is.

Bishop Vladimir, in all his vestments, comes forward from the altar, holding the Bible and the cross. According to Church ritual, the stranger is accepted into the Orthodox faith. In a loud voice, he renounces papism and enters the fold of the Holy Orthodox Church. At that moment his face lights up with an internal light.

This new convert was Father Alexis Toth, young, handsome, and energetic. He had journeyed from far off Minneapolis to enter the Orthodox Church, in the Russian Cathedral of San Francisco.

I was just thinking about St. Alexis of Wilkesbarre last night. You gotta love a saint who converted from being Byzantine Catholic (like me), and who lived in the same state as you do and within 150 years of your lifetime!!!

 

[Michael G]

#1 Saint Irenaeus (and please don't believe I put him #1 because he's my patron Saint and because Irenée is my middle name)
#2 Saint Benedict (father of western monks)
#3 Saint John Maximovitch (read his life recently : extraordinary)
#4 Saint Genevieve of Paris (patron Saint of a wonderful city)
#5 Saint Gregory the Theologian (his works are a nectar)

There's a number of other cool Saints, so there's something a bit arbitrary in this top 5, so much of them could have been in this list. God be glorified in his Saints.

What is truly outrage is 2 of those 5 are from that area west of the Rhineland!!!

 

[Emmanuel-A]

What is truly outrage is 2 of those 5 are from that area west of the Rhineland!!!

Yes, but if I wanted to include only Saints from the Rhineland, could I find 5 of them ?

 

[Michael G]

Yes, but if I wanted to include only Saints from the Rhineland, could I find 5 of them ?

I am sure I can find a bunch if I looked for German saints. Two that come to mind immediately are St. Boniface and St. Wolfgang. Now if you wanted me to name you German heresiarchs, then I could name a TON of them!

 

[eoe]

Alexander Schmorell

 

[Michael G]

Alexander Schmorell

That I know of, he has yet to bedeclared a saint.

 

[Michael G]

bump!

 

[Annabel Lee]

I was just thinking about St. Alexis of Wilkesbarre last night. You gotta love a saint who converted from being Byzantine Catholic (like me), and who lived in the same state as you do and within 150 years of your lifetime!!!

Here's an odd question, can a woman use a male saint name at their Chrismation ?

 

[Greg the byzantine]

Here's an odd question, can a woman use a male saint name at their Chrismation ?

Yes because in can be made into a a feminine form ie. Andrew becomes andrea, George becomes Georgia, Alexis would become Alexia.

 

[Annabel Lee]

Yes because in can be made into a a feminine form ie. Andrew becomes andrea, George becomes Georgia, Aleis would become Alexia.

Thank you!

 

[Michael G]

Here's an odd question, can a woman use a male saint name at their Chrismation ?

Yes she can, but there are often already feminine saints names of the male names. But if you have a particular devotion to said saint, I am sure your priest would let you use the feminine form and have the male saint be your patron.

 

[Shubunkin]

Just the very thing I was wondering too. Thank you.

 

[Annabel Lee]

Yes she can, but there are often already feminine saints names of the male names. But if you have a particular devotion to said saint, I am sure your priest would let you use the feminine form and have the male saint be your patron.

Saint Alexis seems to be the one that I'm drawn to.

Aria posted a site months ago, which included an eye witness account of Saint Alexis formal converstion in the Russian Orthodox Cathedral in San Francisco, and I've been searching for that account for days.

Found it yesterday.

I wonder what was going through his head as he made that leap? He was a stranger in a strange land but a stranger with such faith.

"He stands with eyes fixed upon the painting of the Last supper, and with his palms folded in the manner of a Catholic, prays earnestly; and it seems, that he is living through a spiritual turmoil, which reflects itself upon his features. For half an hour he stands motionless, transfixed in spiritual ecstasy. All eyes are on him, but know one knows who the stranger is."

 

[Michael G]

Saint Alexis seems to be the one that I'm drawn to.

Aria posted a site months ago, which included an eye witness account of Saint Alexis formal converstion in the Russian Orthodox Cathedral in San Francisco, and I've been searching for that account for days.

Found it yesterday.

I wonder what was going through his head as he made that leap? He was a stranger in a strange land but a stranger with such faith.

"He stands with eyes fixed upon the painting of the Last supper, and with his palms folded in the manner of a Catholic, prays earnestly; and it seems, that he is living through a spiritual turmoil, which reflects itself upon his features. For half an hour he stands motionless, transfixed in spiritual ecstasy. All eyes are on him, but know one knows who the stranger is."

Having made a similar leap, although not in a foreign contry and speaking a different language than the one I grew up with, I am sure it was not easy for St. Alexis and was a major test of his faith in God. St. Alexis is a great saint. PM me your address and I will send you a mounted print of the icon I wrote of him a few years back.

 

[Annabel Lee]

Having made a similar leap, although not in a foreign contry and speaking a different language than the one I grew up with, I am sure it was not easy for St. Alexis and was a major test of his faith in God. St. Alexis is a great saint. PM me your address and I will send you a mounted print of the icon I wrote of him a few years back.

PM sent.

Michael, I don't quite know what to say at such a kind offer.

 

[Michael G]

PM sent.

Michael, I don't quite know what to say at such a kind offer.

I will get it sent out in the mail to you in the morning. I have alot of things that I need to get shipped, so that will force me to get to the post office.

 

[Vasileios]

St. John the Theologian

St. Basil the Great
St. Seraphim of Sarov
St. Andrew Fool for Christ
St. Silhouan the Athonite
St Paul

..and if I may be allowed two non-canonized (yet) saints, Elder Porphyrios and Elder Paisios.

 

[Michael G]

St. John the Theologian

St. Basil the Great
St. Seraphim of Sarov
St. Andrew Fool for Christ
St. Silhouan the Athonite
St Paul

..and if I may be allowed two non-canonized (yet) saints, Elder Porphyrios and Elder Paisios.

Is St. Andrew Fool for Christ the same St. Andrew Fool for Christ who somehow has walnuts attached to his legend? A friend of mine is itching to have me write his icon.

 

[eoe]

Elder Porphyrios

Don't you mean

------->Elder Porphyrios!!!!<---------