May 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) explained

May 7 - Eastern Orthodox Church calendar - May 9

All fixed commemorations below celebrated on May 21 by Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar.

For May 8th, Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar commemorate the Saints listed on April 25.

Saints

• Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, the "beloved disciple" of the Lord ^{[1] [2]}
• The holy group of Soldier Martyrs^[3]
• Saint Augustina the Martyr, in Byzantium^[4]
• Saint Agathius (Acacius of Byzantium) (303)^[5]
• Saint Emilia, mother of saints Macrina, Basil the Great, Naucratius, Peter of Sebaste, and Gregory of Nyssa (375)^{[6] [7]}
• Saint Arsenius the Great, of Scetis (448)^[8]
• Saint Hierax (Ierakos) of Egypt (5th century)^[6]
• Saint Milles the Melodist (hymnographer), monk^[9]

Pre-Schism Western saints

• Hieromartyr Dionysius of Vienne (193)^{[5] [10] [11]}
• Martyr Victor of Milan (Victor the Moor, Victor Maurus) ^{[5] [11]}
• Saint Helladius of Auxerre (387)^{[5] [11] [12]}
• Saint Gybrian (Gobrian) of Ireland, Priest (509)^[11]
• Saint Desideratus, successor of St Arcadius as Bishop of Bourges, in France (550)^[11]
• Saint Iduberga, foundress of Nivelles (Nijvel), (Neth.) (652)^{[6] [11]}
• Saint Benedict II, Pope of Rome (685)^[11]
• Hieromartyr Indract of Glastonbury, and his companions at Shapwick (c. 7th or 8th century)^[13] (see also: February 5)
• Saints Wiro (Bishop of Utrecht) (710),^{[5] [13]} Plechelm (730), and Hierodeacon Otger (Odger) (8th century),^[13] Missionary bishops in the Maas Valley at Limburg^{[6] [11]}
• Saint Macarius of Ghent, archbishop (1012)^[6]

Post-Schism Orthodox saints

• Saint Pimen the Faster, of the Far Caves in Kiev ^[6]
• Venarable Cassian, recluse and faster of the Kiev Caves (13th-14th centuries)^{[13] [14]}
• Saint Arsenius the Lover of Labor, of the Kiev Caves (14th century)^{[6] [15]}
• The Monks Zosima and Adrian of Volokolamsk, founders of the Sestrinsk monastery on the banks of the River Sestra (15th-16th centuries)^{[13] [16]}

New martyrs and confessors

• Martyr Nicephorus Zaitsev (1942)^[17]

Other commemorations

• Apparition of the Archangel Michael on Mount Gargano near Manfredonia in southern Italy, to Bishop Laurence of Siponto, in memory of which the famous Monastery of the Archangel was founded ^[18]
• Commemoration of the miraculous healing of blinded Stephen by the Most Holy Theotokos of Kassiopi, Corfu (1530)^[19]
• Translation of the relics (1785) of St. Arsenius of Novgorod, Fool-for-Christ (1570)^{[6] [20]}
• Schema-hieromonk Michael of Valaam, Confessor for the Orthodox Calendar (1934)^{[6] [21]}

Sources

• Complete List of Saints, Protection of the Mother of God Church (POMOG)
• May 8, OCA - The Lives of the Saints.
• May 8/21, Orthodox Calendar (PRAVOSLAVIE.RU)
• May 21 / May 8, HOLY TRINITY RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH (A parish of the Patriarchate of Moscow)
• VALAAM PATERICON.
• Dr. Alexander Roman. May. Calendar of Ukrainian Orthodox Saints (Ukrainian Orthodoxy - Українське Православ'я).
• May 8. Latin Saints of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Rome.
• May 8, The Roman Martyrology.

Greek Sources

• Great Synaxaristes: 8 ΜΑΪΟΥ, ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.
• Συναξαριστής. 8 Μαΐου. ECCLESIA.GR. (H ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ).

Russian Sources

• 21 мая (8 мая). Православная Энциклопедия под редакцией Патриарха Московского и всея Руси Кирилла (электронная версия). (Orthodox Encyclopedia - Pravenc.ru).
• 8 мая (ст.ст.) 21 мая 2013 (нов. ст.). Русская Православная Церковь Отдел внешних церковных связей. (DECR).

Notes and References

1. http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?SID=4&ID=1&FSID=101327 Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian
2. http://www.synaxarion.gr/gr/sid/3064/sxsaintinfo.aspx Ὁ Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Θεολόγος ἡ Ἀπόστολος καὶ Εὐαγγελιστής
3. http://www.synaxarion.gr/gr/sid/3065/sxsaintinfo.aspx Ἡ Ἁγία σπείρα Στρατιωτῶν οἱ Μάρτυρες
4. http://www.synaxarion.gr/gr/sid/3068/sxsaintinfo.aspx Ἡ Ἁγία Αὐγουστίνη ἡ Μάρτυς ἡ ἐν Βυζαντίῳ
5. http://www.breviary.net/martyrology/mart05/mart0508.htm May 8
6. http://days.pravoslavie.ru/en/Days/20110508.htm May 8/21
7. Bishop Nikolaj Velimirović. The Prologue from Ohrid - May 8.
8. http://www.synaxarion.gr/gr/sid/3069/sxsaintinfo.aspx Ὁ Ὅσιος Ἀρσένιος ὁ Μέγας
9. http://www.synaxarion.gr/gr/sid/3070/sxsaintinfo.aspx Ὁ Ὅσιος Μῆλος (ἢ Μαλλός) ὁ Ὑμνωδός
10. http://www.synaxarion.gr/gr/sid/3066/sxsaintinfo.aspx Ὁ Ἅγιος Διονύσιος ὁ Ἱερομάρτυρας
11. http://www.orthodoxengland.org.uk/stdmay.htm May 8
12. http://www.synaxarion.gr/gr/sid/3067/sxsaintinfo.aspx Ὁ Ἅγιος Ἑλλάδιος Ἐπίσκοπος Ὡξέρρης
13. http://www.holytrinityorthodox.com/calendar/index.php?year=2011&today=21&month=5&trp=0&tzo=-4 May 21 / May 8
14. http://www.synaxarion.gr/gr/sid/3071/sxsaintinfo.aspx Ὁ Ὅσιος Κασσιανὸς ὁ Ἔγκλειστος
15. http://www.synaxarion.gr/gr/sid/3072/sxsaintinfo.aspx Ὁ Ὅσιος Ἀρσένιος ὁ ἐν τῇ Λαύρᾳ τοῦ Κιέβου ἀσκήσας
16. http://www.synaxarion.gr/gr/sid/3074/sxsaintinfo.aspx Οἱ Ὅσιοι Ζωσιμᾶς καὶ Ἀνδριανός
17. 8 мая (ст.ст.) 21 мая 2013 (нов. ст.). Русская Православная Церковь Отдел внешних церковных связей. (DECR).
18. Katherine I. Rabenstein. May 8. Saint of the Day - St. Patrick Catholic Church, Washington, D.C.
19. http://www.synaxarion.gr/gr/sid/3075/sxsaintinfo.aspx Μνήμη Θαύματος τῆς σεβασμίας εἰκόνος τῆς Ὑπεραγίας Θεοτόκου
20. http://www.synaxarion.gr/gr/sid/3073/sxsaintinfo.aspx Ὁ Ὅσιος Ἀρσένιος ὁ διὰ Χριστὸν Σαλός
21. http://korolev.msk.ru/books/dc/PATERIK28558.txt VALAAM PATERICON