In the Orthodox Church, we celebrate namesdays. A namesday is the day that the saint you are named after is commemorated. My saint is St. Emilia and the icon above is one that my friend Paul Drozdowski painted for me several years ago. The small images of people surrounding St. Emilia are Christ and five of her nine children who became saints. Here is a brief account of her life from The Prologue from Ohrid:
St. Emilia.
She was the mother of St. Basil the Great. In her youth, she desired to remain a life-long virgin, but was forced to marry. She bore nine children and so endowed each of them with a Christian spirit that five of them became Christian saints: Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, Peter of Sebaste, Macrina and Theosevia. She founded a monastery in her old age, where she lived with her daughter Macrina, and where she entered into rest in the Lord on May 8th, 375.
4 comments:
Happy, Happy Patron Saint Day! Many Years!
If we'd had a girl, I wanted to name her Amelia.
And, have you read Bev Cooke's wonderful "Keeper of the Light" about St. Emilia's Mother in Law?
A belated Happy Namesday!
What a friend Paul is! St Emilia is a beautiful example.
Thanks, Ladies! This icon is something I truly treasure!
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