First Saturday of Lent - Theodore the Recruit

The first Saturday of Great Lent is dedicated to St. Theodore the Recruit. Fifty years after the death of St Theodore, the emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363), wanting to commit an outrage upon the Christians, commanded the city-commander of Constantinople during the first week of Great Lent to sprinkle all the food provisions in the marketplaces with the blood offered to idols. St Theodore appeared in a dream to Archbishop Eudoxius, ordering him to inform all the Christians that no one should buy anything at the marketplaces, but rather to eat cooked wheat with honey (kolyva).

We Orthodox [and our Catholic brothers and sisters] know that God works through the saints who are alive in Him. Our history is filled with miracles done by the saints. We know from our experience that it is proper to pray to a saint to help us just as we ask one another to help us and to pray for us.

We had the Divine Liturgy at our chapel in Elkridge. Generally after the Liturgy at the chapel there is food and it is always good. We started the Liturgy around 10:00 and we finished around 12:00.

If you can join us for services at our chapel, we recommend it. We have Vigil every Saturday (except the first Saturday of the month) at 18:00 (6 pm) in English and Church Slavonic. The mix of the language is largely determined by who is there.