†) St. Jer. Nectaria from Aegina; Holy Martyrs Claudius, Castor, Sempronian and Nicostratus; St. Mc. Onesiphorus and Porphyry; St. Cuv. Matrona of Constantinopletranslated

Orthodox calendar November 9 Saint Hierarch Nectaria He was born on October 1, 1846, in Silivria, a small town in the province of Thrace (today in Turkey). His parents were poor, but very pious people. From baptism she received the name Anastasie, enjoying from infancy a chosen upbringing in the Christian faith.

After the first years of school, Anastasia went to Constantinople, where she studied theology and read the writings of the Holy Fathers, but she worked hard to earn what she needed.

At the age of 20, guided by the Holy Spirit, he went to the island of Chios, where he will be a teacher, then, feeling the call of Christ, he entered the monastic life, taking the angelic form of the monk on November 7, 1876, under the name of Lazarus, receiving spiritual guidance from Saint Reverend Pahomie Hiotul (†1905). After a few months, he was ordained a deacon, on which occasion he received the name of Nectaria, which he would bear for the rest of his life.

After finishing his theological studies, in 1886, Saint Nectarius went to Alexandria, Egypt, where he was ordained a priest, and after a few months he was raised to the rank of archimandrite. On January 15, 1889,…