Sunday of 318 God-Bearing Fathers
of the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea (325 AD)
The holy synods are the infallible mouthpieces of the Church, particularly those synods we call ecumenical. They have great authority not because they were general councils, not even because they were “approved” by the people, but because they were composed of holy people, who were illumined by the Holy Spirit, so that they could clearly express the faith. They are “the God-bearing Fathers,” “the mystical trumpets of the Spirit,” through whom Christ guides to the true faith all Orthodox Christians (Apolytikion). - Fr. E, 2007
Apolytikion of the Fathers
Feast Day of Saint Demetrios
St. Demetrios with Children. Basilica of St. Demetrios in Thessalonike. Mosaic, 7th c. A typical pre-iconoclastic depiction of St. Demetrios dressed in patterned robes with the distinctive senatorial tavlion across his chest. Here depicted with two children, probably saved through his intercessions.
Hymns from St. Demetrios Vespers, October 25, 2008
The Joy of the Resurrection: The Sunday of St. Thomas