Holy, glorious and all-praised Great Martyr George! Gathered in your church and before your holy icon, worshiping people, we pray to you, known to the desires of our intercessor: pray with us and for us, begging from Your mercy May God mercifully hear us asking for His goodness, and may He not abandon all our needful petitions for salvation and life; and again we pray to you, holy Victorious, strengthen the Orthodox army in battle with the grace given to you, destroy the forces of the rising enemies, so that they will be ashamed and disgraced, and Let their insolence be crushed, and let them know that we have Divine help: and let everyone in sorrow and the present situation show their powerful intercession. Pray to the Lord God, Creator of all creation, to deliver us from eternal torment, so that we may always glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and we confess your intercession, now and ever and ever eyelids of centuries. Amen.
The Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious was a major military leader at the court of Emperor Diocletian. For his faith he was brutally tortured for eight days and beheaded on May 6, 303. Since the time of Prince Dimitri Donskoy, he has been considered the patron saint of Moscow; later, the image of St. George on a horse became part of the Russian state emblem. The patronage of St. George extends to all branches of the military.