Saint Titus was a courageous warrior renowned for his valor in combat. During one fierce battle, he suffered a grave injury. A sickness that developed from this wound compelled him to withdraw from military duty, after which he joined the Kiev Caves Monastery. There, he devoted the remainder of his life to prayer and repentance, ultimately attaining the Kingdom of Heaven.

Troparion — Tone 8

By a flood of tears you made the desert fertile, / and your longing for God brought forth fruits in abundance. / By the radiance of miracles you illumined the whole universe! / O our holy father Titus, pray to Christ our God to save our souls!

To the clergy, monastics, and faithful of the Orthodox Church in America, beloved children in the Lord:

Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!

First, please be assured of my prayers for you, my flock throughout North America, as we enter into this great and holy season of the Fast. May God grant each of you his aid and support, comfort and blessings, as we all take up our Lenten podvig.

In our present media-mad, ever-online cultural atmosphere, opinion often appears to be our society’s highest value, both morally and economically. To hold and express an opinion on all manner of “issues” is cast as the highest form of self-realization. In the meanwhile, the so-called attention economy coddles our biases in order to peddle us all manner of products. Many of you, beloved in the Lord, will know that I have written of this before, but I do so again because…

The Holy Virgin Martyr Agatha was the fifteen-year-old daughter of wealthy and respected Christian parents from Palermo in Sicily. During the persecution under Emperor Decius (249–251), Quintianus, the prefect of Catania, learned of her beauty, faith, and wealth and had her brought to trial as a Christian. In Catania she was placed in the home of a rich woman and her five daughters, who tried to tempt her with luxury and pleasures and urged her to sacrifice to pagan gods, but Agatha rejected everything and prayed to face martyrdom.

Interrogated by Quintianus, Saint Agatha remained firm despite flattery, threats, and brutal tortures, including the mutilation of her body. The Apostle Peter appeared to her in prison and healed her wounds, astonishing her persecutors when she was brought out whole again. As torture resumed, an earthquake struck the city, killing two of Quintianus’s advisors, and the people demanded an end to…