The 12th Day of the Month of December
Commemoration of Our Venerable Father Spyridon the Wonderworker, Bishop of Tremithus
(for this day we provide also the service in honor of St. Herman of Alaska)
At Vespers
At “Lord, I have cried...,” six stichera, in Tone V: Spec. Mel: “Rejoice, O life-bearing Cross...”—
Rejoice, thou standard of hierarchs, unshaken confirmation of the Church, glory of the Orthodox, wellspring of miracles, inexhaustible stream of love, most radiant beacon, organ of the Spirit, intellect divine, meek and guileless, adorned with true simplicity, heavenly man and earthly angel, laborer in the vineyard, true friend of Christ! Entreat Him to grant great mercy to those who honor thee! Twice
O Spyridon, glory of the fathers, thou wast truly shown to be meek and an heir to the land of the meek. With the sinews of thy wise and simple words thou didst strangle Arius, the most wicked and demented foe, by divine grace. And, having clarified the divine dogma for all, and extolled by the Spirit that which leadeth to salvation, and enlightened all the Orthodox most manifestly, thou didst indicate to all the faithful to glorify the One Word as truly consubstantial with the all-unoriginate Father, Who granteth the world great mercy. Twice
Having slain the carnal passions, thou didst raise the dead by the grace of God, and didst transform a serpent into gold, and didst restrain the raging of the river by thy prayer, O father. Appearing to the afflicted emperor by night, thou didst heal him by drawing nigh unto his heart the Lord glorifying thee most gloriously. Wherefore, we honor thy memory with a mighty voice and venerate the divine and sacred shrine of thy relics, whence floweth forth a divine stream of healings and great mercy. Twice
Glory..., in Tone I —
O venerable father Spyridon, blessed and wise, out of love for God thou didst question the dead woman as though she were alive, and didst transform a serpent into gold for him who was beset by poverty, and didst restrain the flow of the river, taking pity on the people, and didst stand before the emperor as physician through the providence of God; and, as His disciple, thou didst raise up the dead, and among many fathers didst elucidate the Faith. Wherefore, enabled to do all things by Christ, Who strengtheneth thee, entreat Him now that our souls be saved!
Now and ever..., Theotokion; or this Stavrotheotokion: Spec. Mel: “O all-praised martyrs...”—
The Virgin, beholding Thine unjust sacrifice, weeping, cried out to Thee, O Christ: “O my Child most sweet, how is it that Thou diest unjustly? How is it that Thou, Who suspended all the earth upon the waters, art Thyself suspended upon a Tree? O most merciful Benefactor, I pray Thee, leave me not alone, who am Thy Mother and handmaid!”
The Aposticha from the Octoechos; Glory..., of the saint, in Tone II—
O father Spyridon, venerable and wise, by thy virtues hast thou been shown to be a divine vessel of holy hierarchs. Wherefore, being an intercessor of the Church, thou didst cast out the chiefs of the heretics and, in council, didst cast down the blasphemy of Arius to the earth. Therefore, working wonders in word and deed, entreat the Savior, that our souls be saved.
Now and ever..., Theotokion, or this Stavrotheotokion: Spec. Mel: “When from the Tree...”—
She who knew not wedlock, beholding Thee nailed to the Tree of the Cross, O Jesus, weeping said: “O sweet Child, why hast Thou left me, who gave Thee birth, alone, O unapproachable Light of the all-unoriginate Father? But haste Thou and glorify Thyself, that those who glorify Thy divine sufferings may receive divine glory!
Troparion, in Tone IV—
The truth of things revealed thee to thy flock as a rule of faith, a model of meekness and teacher of abstinence. Wherefore, thou hast attained the heights through humility, and riches through poverty. O father Spyridon, entreat Christ God, that our souls be saved!
Or this Troparion, in Tone I—
Thou wast shown forth as a champion of the First Council and a wonderworker, O Spyridon, our God-bearing father. Wherefore, thou didst speak to one dead in the grave, and didst transform a serpent into gold. And, whilst chanting thy holy prayers, thou didst have angels serving with thee, O most sacred one. Glory to Him Who hath given thee strength! Glory to Him Who hath crowned thee! Glory to Him Who worketh healings for all through thee!
At Matins
Both canons from the Octoechos, without their troparia to the martyrs; and the canon to the saint, with 6 troparia, the composition of Theophanes, in Tone II—
Ode I
Irmos: Overwhelming power once laid low the whole army of Pharaoh in the deep, and the incarnate Word hath destroyed pernicious sin. All-glorious is the Lord, for gloriously hath He been glorified.
Having attained unto the land of the meek, being thyself meek, merciful and pure, O father, still thou the present tempest of my heart, that, in divine tranquility, I may hymn thee.
Having cleared thy soul with godly cultivation, O father Spyridon, thou didst become God-like and wast enriched by the most radiant splendor of the divine Spirit. Wherefore, thou dost illumine those who sincerely bless thee.
Taking thee from a flock as He had David, the Creator appointed thee as a most eminent shepherd of the rational flock, shining forth in simplicity and meekness, and adorned with guilelessness, O venerable pastor.
Theotokion: O all-holy and pure Virgin, enlighten and hallow my thoughts and soul, I pray thee, dispelling the clouds of mine ignorance, and removing the darkness of sin, that I may bless thee as is meet.
Ode III
Irmos: Establishing me upon the rock of faith, Thou hast enlarged my mouth against mine enemies, for my spirit doth exult when I chant: There is none holy as our God, and none righteous save Thee, O Lord!
Having illumined thy mind with dispassion and adorned thyself with divine humility, thou didst receive the gifts of the Spirit to cast out evil spirits and to loose the infirmities of those who faithfully honor thee, O most sacred one.
Having slain the serpent, the author of evil, and trampled down the inclination towards avarice, O holy hierarch, taking pity on him who was in need, thou didst transform a serpent into a golden ornament by thy sacred prayers, O venerable father.
Thou didst ascend the mountain of dispassion; thou didst enter the darkness of the vision of God, and didst receive the law of salvation on the tablets of thy heart, in that thou art a most sacred and faithful favorite of thy Master.
Theotokion: Heal thou the wounds of my soul, O Bride of God, and illumine my mind which hath been darkened by neglect, that I may chant: There is none blameless save thee, O immaculate one, and none more pure than thee, O Mistress!
Sessional hymn, in Tone VIII: Spec. Mel: “Of Wisdom...”—
Thou didst shine forth as a divinely appointed pastor, O Spyridon, raised from the tending of sheep by God, Who entrusted thee to preside over the Church of Christ. Thou didst drive away the wolves of false teaching by thy words, grazing thy flock on the pasture of piety. Wherefore, thou didst affirm the Faith by the wisdom of the Spirit in the midst of the God-bearing fathers, O blessed hierarch. Entreat Christ God, that He grant remission of transgressions unto those who celebrate thy holy memory with love.
Glory..., Now and ever..., Theotokion, in the same tone and melody—
O all-immaculate Bride of the Creator, Mother of the Deliverer, thou who knewest not man: In that thou art the receptacle of the Comforter, O all-hymned one, haste thou to deliver me, who am the vile abode of iniquity and have become in mind the plaything of the demons, from their malice; and make of me a splendid habitation of the virtues, O radiant and incorruptible one; drive from me the cloud of the passions, and vouchsafe me, through thy prayers, the fellowship of the Most High and the never-waning Light.
Or this Stavrotheotokion—
The ewe-lamb, beholding her Lamb, Shepherd and Deliverer upon the Cross, weeping, exclaimed, and bitterly lamenting, cried out: “The world doth rejoice, receiving deliverance through Thee; but my womb doth burn, beholding Thy crucifixion, which Thou dost endure in the loving-kindness of Thy mercy. O long-suffering Lord, Thou abyss and inexhaustible wellspring of mercy, have pity and grant remission of offenses unto those who hymn Thy divine sufferings with faith!”
Ode IV
Irmos: Thou didst come forth from the Virgin, neither a mediator nor an angel, but Thyself incarnate, O Lord, and hast saved me, the whole man; wherefore, I cry to thee: Glory to Thy power, O Lord!
Set afire by the burning coals of the worshipful Spirit, thou didst burn up all the readily kindled fuel of the passions, O most blessed one, and didst enlighten the world with the fiery rays of thy virtues.
Having mortified the movements of thy flesh, O divinely inspired one, thou didst raise up the dead by thy life-imparting summons. Wherefore, I beseech thee: Enliven my slain soul, O father!
O father, the dead woman, obeying thee, spake, and by thy commands were the ragings of the river restrained. For thou wast revealed as a worker of wonders endowed with grace divine, O blessed one.
Theotokion: The prophets proclaimed beforehand the incomprehensible abyss of thy mystery; for thou alone, O pure one, gavest birth unto the Unknowable One, Who, in His unutterable loving-kindness, became incarnate.
Ode V
Irmos: O Christ my Savior, enlightenment of those who lie in darkness and salvation of the despairing: rising early unto Thee, O King of the world, may I be enlightened by Thy radiance, for I know none other God than Thee.
The river of the gifts which are within thee doth water every heart, O venerable one, and richly granteth health unto all; and it moveth all to glorify God, Who hath glorified thee and honored thee with all manner of wonders.
The earthly emperor clearly recognized thee as a true servant of the heavenly King, full of divine gifts, O blessed one, when thou didst come to him, proclaiming the great Physician, Who is God.
Emulating the hospitable character of Abraham, thou didst open the doors of thy house unto all, and wast all things to all men, mindful of those who were in evil straits, O blessed Spyridon.
Theotokion: For us hast thou given birth unto a newborn Babe, Who before the ages was begotten of the unoriginate Father, O Maiden. Him do thou entreat as thy Son and God, that He spare those who, with a pure soul, proclaim thee to be the Theotokos.
Ode VI
Irmos: Whirled about in the abyss of sin, I call upon the unfathomable abyss of Thy loving-kindness: Lead me up from corruption, O God!
Gold was as mire to thee who shone forth in dispassion more brightly than gold, and wast enriched by thy most golden gifts of the Spirit, O venerable one.
Serving thy Master in purity, O venerable one, thou didst have a multitude of the angelic hosts serving thee with their voices, unseen, O most sacred one.
O most wise father, thine all-glorious life hath made thee all-glorious to the world. Wherefore, rejoicing, we that hymn thee celebrate thy divine memory.
Theotokion: More spacious than the heavens was thy womb, which contained God Whom no place can contain, O all-hymned Virgin Bride of God, who knewest not man.
Kontakion, in Tone II: Spec. Mel: “Seeking the Highest...”—
Wounded with the love of Christ, and giving wings to thy mind through the radiance of the Spirit, O most sacred one, thou didst find activity through thine active divine vision, O thou who art pleasing unto God, becoming a divine oblation, and asking divine illumination for all.
Ikos: Let us now praise Spyridon, the hierarch of the Lord, sanctified from his mother’s womb, who received the tablets of the grace of divine glory, as most glorious in miracles in all creation, as a fervent witness of the divine effulgence, intercessor for the poor, and spiritual guide for the sinful; for he hath become a divine oblation for the throne of Christ, asking divine illumination for all.
Ode VII
Irmos: The command of the iniquitous tyrant, opposed to God, raised up a lofty flame; but Christ, Who is blessed and all-glorious, spread a spiritual dew upon the pious youths.
Having acquired the guilelessness of Moses, the meekness of David and the innocence of Job of Uz, thou didst become a dwelling-place of the Spirit, chanting, O most sacred one: Blessed and most glorious art Thou!
The showers of heaven rained down upon thy head during the harvest and prefigured the future; for, as thou didst say, O venerable one, God glorified thy divine memory, sanctifying the faithful by thy mediation.
In the council of the fathers God glorified thee, who maintained thy words at thy trial, O blessed one. Thou didst bring them forth with faith, openly disclosing the follies of the most irrational Arius and destroying his opposition.
Theotokion: At the ineffable word of the archangel, O Virgin, like a branch thou didst put forth the Grapes which alone was uncultivated and which poureth forth the wine which gladenneth all men, sanctifieth mortals and dispelleth all the drunkenness of the wicked.
Ode VIII
Irmos: Once, in Babylon, the fiery furnace divided its activity at the command of God, consuming the Chaldæans, but bedewing the faithful, who chant: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!
Thou didst extinguish the furnace of the passions with divine outpourings of the divine Spirit, O father, and didst pour forth a dew which taketh away the fever of the ailing who ever have recourse unto thee in faith, O blessed Spyridon, thou who art most rich.
Guileless, upright, meek, merciful, not mindful of the wrongs done thee, loving and hospitable wast thou, a most sacred hierarch, adorned with the wisdom of Orthodoxy, O venerable one. Wherefore, we honor thee with faith.
Of old, the dead woman, when thou didst question her, made reply unto thee as though alive, O father. Oh, most excellent wonder! Oh, most glorious mystery! Oh, the grace which thou didst receive, adorned with an angelic life, O right wondrous one!
Theotokion: Heal thou the passions of my heart with thy mercy, O all-hymned one; calm thou my mind, enlighten my soul, and guide me to walk the paths of salvation, that I may ever hymn thee, O all-hymned one.
Ode IX
Irmos: God the Lord, the Son of the unoriginate Father, hath revealed Himself to us incarnate of the Virgin, to enlighten those in darkness and to gather the dispersed. Wherefore, we magnify the all-hymned Theotokos.
Exalted among the God-bearing fathers, thou didst openly proclaim the Son of the unoriginate Father to be consubstantial and coëternal with the Father, and didst stop the mouths of the iniquitous, O most blessed and holy hierarch.
O most radiant sun, adornment of the fathers, glory of priests, dweller with the angels: By thy prayers vouchsafe the unwaning Light unto those who now joyously celebrate thy light-bearing memory.
With a voice of rejoicing have the divine mansions, the heavenly city and the beauteous choir of those who hold festival received thy soul, which hath been hallowed and adorned with the virtues, O most blessed one.
Theotokion: The great mystery of thy birthgiving, which passeth understanding, doth astonish the angels, O divinely joyous one, doth delight the assembly of the venerable and maketh glad the sacred fathers who hymn thee, the hope of our souls, in a godly manner.
Exapostilarion from the Octoechos; Glory..., that of the saint: Spec. Mel: “He, Who as God hath adorned heaven with stars...”—
O God-bearing Spyridon, thou light of the whole world, like Moses and David, whose character thou didst emulate, the Spirit led thee up from an irrational flock unto the rational one.
Theotokion—
Thou wast the cause of the blessings bestowed by God upon the world, O Theotokos. And, even now, for the salvation of all, do thou move to pity God, Who is readily appeased.
At the Aposticha, the stichera from the Octoechos; and Glory..., in Tone IV—
O venerable father, all-praised and holy hierarch, filled with the doctrine of the apostles, and manifest as the habitation of the divine Spirit by thy virtuous life, with thy teachings thou didst drive off the wolves that beset the Church, and didst make clear the Faith of the Orthodox, and wast a pillar and champion of piety. Wherefore, working wonders throughout the ends of the earth, thou didst transform a serpent into gold, and didst raise up a dead woman to question her. Yet, O thou who art right wondrous among the fathers, converser with the teachers of the Church, pray to the Savior, that He save our souls.
Now and ever..., Theotokion, or this Stavrotheotokion: Spec. Mel: “As valiant among the martyrs...”—
The all-pure Mistress, beholding Christ slain, Who slayeth the deceiver, exclaimed bitterly crying out to Him Who had come forth from her womb, and marvelling at His long-suffering, exclaimed: “O my most beloved Child, forget not Thy handmaid! O Thou Who lovest mankind, delay not my consolation!”
N.B. In Greek usage, the service to St. Spyridon is of Doxology rank, rather than of six-stichera rank, as in the Slavonic Menaion. Therefore, if Greek usage is followed, the above Aposticha stichera are omitted and, at the Praises, four stichera, in Tone I: Spec. Mel: “Joy of the ranks of heaven...”—
Illumined with the radiance of the Spirit, thou didst dispel the darkness of the foolish prating of Arius, O wise hierarch. Wherefore, in simplicity, faithfully teaching the Trinity, thou wast glorified by the wise and learned, and didst confirm the Council. Twice
Illumined with heavenly rays and with the power of Christ, thou dost bestow healing of both soul and body upon those who even now celebrate thy memory with faith, O divinely blessed father and wonderworker. Cease thou never to intercede for us.
In thy faithfulness to the commandments, thou wast shown to be a husbandman of Christ, the True Vine, O God-bearer. Wherefore, having mystically received the talent of the kingdom from on high, pray thou without ceasing for us who honor thee, O wise Spyridon.
At Liturgy
On the Beatitudes, 8 troparia: 4 from the Octoechos, and 4 from Ode III of the canon to the saint.
Prokimenon, in Tone I—
My mouth shall speak wisdom, and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding.
Stichos: Hear this, all ye nations; give ear, all ye that inhabit the world.
Reading from the Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews
§335 (13:17-21)
Brethren: Obey those who have the rule over you, and submit yourselves; for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you. Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly. But I beseech you the rather to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner. Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Alleluia, in Tone II—
Stichos: The mouth of the righteous shall meditate wisdom, and his tongue shall speak of judgment.
Stichos: The law of his God is in his heart, and his steps shall not be tripped.
Reading from the Gospel according to St. Luke
§24 (6:17-23)
At that time, Jesus stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judæa and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases; and they that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed. And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all. And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh. Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.
Communion Verse—
In everlasting remembrance shall the righteous be; he shall not be afraid of evil tidings.
An Akathist Hymn in honor of St. Spyridon, S# 155, is available from the St. John of Kronstadt Press.