Christian Saints Podcast

Saint Matrona  of Thessalonica was a martyr from the 3rd or 4th century, who was a slave to a Jewish woman who tortured her to death for embracing the Christian faith. She is also celebrated in Barcelona, Spain, after her relics were moved there. The Christian Saints Podcast is a joint production of Generative sounds & Paradosis Pavilion. Our hosts are Father Symeon Kees of Iowa City & Jam...

The Annunciation, celebrated on March 25 is one of the most important feasts of the church. This is the moment when the Archangel Gabriel announces to Mary that Jesus Christ is conceived in her. For this episode, we read the account of the Annunciation in the Gospel of Luke, and hear reflections on the event by John Donne, Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Pope Francis and Saint John of Kronstadt The Ch...

Saint Helen of Constantinople was born in the 3rd century Roman Empire from humble origins, but eventually became Empress, as mother of Saint and Emperor Constantine the Great. Saint Constantine was the first Christian emperor of Rome, and with his rule the Roman Empire would embrace the Christian faith.  Saint Helen is known also for traveling to Jerusalem and finding the true cross where Christ...

Saints Cyril and Methodius are known as the "teachers of the Slavs". They were 9th century missionaries who brought the gospel to the Slavic peoples (who are the ancestor's of today's Czechs, Slovaks, Serbs, Bulgarians, Ukrainians, Russians, etc). Saint Cyril in particular is known as the inventor of the Cyrilic alphabet, which is still in use today in many Slavic countries (an...

Saint Brigid of Kildare lived in c. 451 – 525. She is one of the patron saints of Ireland, and sometimes referred to as the "Gaelic Mary". She was the daughter of a slave who eventually became an abbess. She is particularly known for her miracle-working and great love for the poor. Her feast day on February 1 will be a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland starting in the year 2023 T...

Saint Basil the Great was Bishop of Caesarea Mazaca in Cappadocia in the 4th century, and one of the most important theologians in the Christian church. He is one of the Three Holy Hierarchs in Eastern Orthodoxy, and is regarded as a Doctor of the Church in the west. Basil came from a pious family (his parents and several of his siblings are also regarded as saints). He was at the forefront of the...

James John Marks takes over the host's chair, and discusses Saint Spyridon, Bishop of Trimythous, a diocese on the island of Cyprus. Saint Spyridon lived in the late 3rd century to the early 4th century, and was a participant of the Council of Nicaea that upheld Trinitarian doctrine against the threats of the Arian heresy. He is also renowned as a miracle worker. Please check out James'...

On November 21, the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches celebrate the feast of the Presentation of Mary (also known as the Entrance of Mary into the Temple) , when Saints Joachim and Anna bring their three-year-old daughter, the Virgin Mary to live in the temple in Jerusalem. Mary's time in the temple serves as a preparation for her eventual role as Theotokos and Mother of God. We re...

Saint Willibrord is known as the "Apostle of Frisia". He was an Anglo-Saxon monk who was born in 7th century Northumbria, England. He felt called to be a missionary to Northern Europe, and headed to Frisia (a region that today is located in the Netherlands and Germany). At this time Frisia was contested by Peppin, ruler of the Franks, and the pagan Frisian king Radboud. Willibrord was ap...

Saint John Kochurov (Ivan Alexandrovich Kochurov) also known as Saint John of Chicago, was the first of many priests killed by the Bolsheviks in their communist revolution in 1917. He was a Russian priest who was sent to America, and for many years served as parish priest in Chicago. He was a beloved pastor in a place where Orthodoxy was not well-established, and he led efforts to build a new cath...

Saint Shushanik (also known as Saint Susanna) was a 5th century martyr and queen of Georgia. She was born as Vardeni Mamikonian from a prominent Christian Armenian family, and married Varsken, ruler of southern Georgia. In order to gain the favour of the neighbouring Persian empire, Varsken converted to Zoroastrianism, and abused and imprisoned Saint Shushanik when she would not do the same. Saint...

Saint Aquilina of Thessalonica is also known as Saint Aquilina the New Martyr. She was a Greek Christian who lived in the 18th century, when Greece was ruled by the Muslim Ottoman empire. In this time Greek Orthodox Christians suffered persecution and the threat of forced conversion to Islam.  When she was a baby, her father accidentally killed a Turkish neighbour, and converted to Islam. However...

Saint Theodore of Tarsus was a Greek monk who was consecrated as the Archbishop of Canterbury in the year 668. He was one of the most significant of the people to hold this post.  In Saint Theodore's time, England was not a single nation, but divided into Kingdoms like Kent, Northumberland and Mercia. The English church was similarly divided, and there were disagreements on various issues, li...

Saint Sophia (whose name means "wisdom")  was a widow with three daughters, the Saints Faith, Hope and Love (or Charity) in the Roman Empire under the Emperor Hadrian. They were devout Christians during a time of intense persecution of the Christian faith. They were taken to the emperor, who demanded that Saints Faith, Hope and Love sacrifice to the pagan goddess Artemis. When they refus...

Saints Zechariah and Elizabeth are the parents of Saint John the Baptist . Saint Zechariah was an Israelite priest, and Saint Elizabeth his wife was a cousin of the Virgin Mary. They were an old couple who were childless, which was a great shame in their culture. But God miraculously gave them a son in their old age. Saint Zechariah did not believe when an angel told him the news, and as a result...

Saint Gregory the Great was also known as Pope Saint Gregory I or  Saint Gregory the Dialogist, He was Pope from 590-604 AD, at a time of crisis for the city of Rome. Saint Gregory lived in Rome at a time when it was no longer an important city. The Roman empire now had its capital in Constantinople in the east, and Rome was beset by plagues and wars with Germanic tribes from the north. Despite al...

Saint Irenaeus of Lyon was a 2nd-century bishop of the city of Lugdunum in Roman Gaul, which today is known as Lyon in France. He was a disciple of Saint Polycarp, who was a disciple of Saint John the Apostle, who was one of the 12 Apostles of Jesus Christ. Saint Irenaeus lived at a time when the Christians who had known Jesus during his earthly ministry had all just passed, and so there were emer...

On August 15, the church celebrates two events: the dormition and assumption of Mary. This day marks the end of the Virgin Mary's time on earth and her miraculous assumption to heaven. We recount the events around the dormition and assumption passed down to us through church tradition, and read reflections on this day from both Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox perspectives, written by Pope...

Saint Nicholas of Japan was a Russian missionary and archbishop who was the first to bring Orthodox Christianity to Japan. He arrived in Japan in 1861, at a time when Christianity was still banned, but nevertheless was very successful in his mission. Saint Nicholas was known for his patience, and his eagerness to learn the language and culture of the people he was serving.   Despite many challenge...

Saints Joachim and Anna are the parents of the Virgin Mary. They were an old couple that suffered shame and ridicule due to their barrenness, but God answers their prayers and grants them a baby in their old age, who becomes the mother of Jesus Christ. As the grandparents of Jesus Christ, Saint Joachim and Anna are commemorated in all Christian traditions that venerate saints, and their feast day...

Saint Macrina the Younger was born in Cappadocia in the 4th century. She was the sister of Saint Basil the Great and Saint Gregory of Nyssa, two of the greatest theologians in the history of the church. Despite being from a wealthy family and having many suitors, she became a nun. Her brother, Saint Gregory of Nyssa wrote about her life, and held her in high regard, recording her simple lifestyle,...

Saint Olga was princess of Kievan Rus during the 10th century. Kievan Rus was a powerful kingdom in Eastern Europe at that time. After her husband was killed in a dispute with a neighboring tribe, Saint Olga ruled Kievan Rus as regent, as her son Svyatoslav was still a child. She traveled to Constantinople to receive the Christian faith, and was baptized by the Patriarch of Constantinople, with By...

Saint Paul the Apostle (also known as Saint Paul of Tarsus) was one of the most important figures in the early church. Fourteen of the 27 books in the New Testament are attributed to him, and a fifteenth, the Book of Acts written by Saint Luke, is largely about Saint Paul's work as a missionary.  Saint Paul was initially a persecutor of the Christian church, but after a miraculous encounter w...

Saint John the Baptist was a relative of Jesus Christ, and known as the "forerunner".  He was a desert hermit that led a movement shortly before Jesus' ministry, urging people to repent of their sins and turn to God.  He was the one the Old Testament prophets predicted would prepare the way for the Messiah. At the beginning of Jesus' ministry, John baptized Jesus, prompting a m...

Saint Euphrosyne was a 12th century princess of Polotsk. Polotsk was a medieval principality in Eastern Europe, located in what is today Belarus. At 12 years old she gave up her riches and royal privileges to become a nun, perceiving that heavenly glory is greater than earthly prestige. Saint Euphrosyne founded two monasteries, was known for her love for learning and of the arts, and is celebrated...