December 28 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

December 27 - Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar - December 29

The Eastern Orthodox cross

All fixed commemorations below are observed on January 10 by Orthodox Churches on Old Calendar.^{[note 1]}

For December 28th, Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar commemorate the Saints listed on December 15.

Feasts

• Afterfeast of the Nativity of Christ.^[1][2]

Saints

• Apostle Nicanor the Deacon, one of the Seven Deacons, and one of the Seventy (34)^[1][3]
• Martyr Secundus, an Enlightener of Spain, sent by the Apostles to Spain to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ (1st century)^{[4][note 2]}
• The 20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia (302),^[1][6][7] including:^[8]
  • Hieromartyr Glycerius, priest;
  • Deacons Theophilus and Migdonius;
  • Martyrs Zeno, Dorotheus, Mardonius, Indes, Gorgonius, Peter, and Euthymius;
  • Virgin-martyrs Agape, Domna (the former pagan priestess),^[9] Theophila, and others.
• Martyr Ploutodoros.^{[10][note 3]}
• Venerable Babylas of Tarsus in Cilicia.^[11][12]
• Venerable Stephen the Wonderworker.^{[13][note 4]}

Pre-Schism Western saints

• Martyrs Castor, Victor and Rogatian, in North Africa.^[14]
• Saint Domnio (Domnion), a righteous priest in Rome.^{[14][note 5]}
• Saints Romulus and Conindrus, two of the first people to preach Orthodoxy on the Isle of Man, they were contemporaries of St Patrick (c. 450)^{[14][note 6]}
• Saint Maughold (Maccaldus), a former brigand in Ireland, was converted by St Patrick and sent to the Isle of Man, where his episcopate was very fruitful (c. 488)^[14]
• Saint Antony of Lérins (Anthony the Hermit), renowned for miracles (c. 520)^{[14][15][note 7]}

Post-Schism Orthodox saints

• Saint Simon the Myrrh-gusher, founder of Simonopetra, Mt. Athos (1287)^{[1][12][17][18]}
• Saint Ignatius, Monk, of Loma (Vologda) (Ignatii of Lomsk and Yaroslavsk) (1591)^[1][12][19]
• Saint Cornelius, monk of Krypetsk Monastery (Pskov) (1903)^[1][12]

New martyrs and confessors

• New Hieromartyr Nikodim (Kononov), Bishop of Belgorod, at Solovki (1918)^[1][12][20]
• New Hieromartyr Arcadius Reshetnikov, Deacon (1918)^[1][12][20]
• New Hieromartyr Alexander, Priest (1920)^[12][20]
• New Hieromartyrs Theoctistus, Leonid, and Nicholas, Priests (1937)^[12][20]
• New Hieromartyrs Arethus, and Alexander, Priests (1938)^[12][20]

Other commemorations

• Repose of Joseph the Hesychast (Romania) (1828)^[1]

Icon gallery

• 
  Apostle Nicanor the Deacon.
• 
  Miniature from the Menologion of Basil II honoring the 20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia.
• 
  Martyrs: Peter, Indes, Gorgonius by drowning; Zeno and Dorotheus by beheading; Mardonius and Hieromartyr Glycerius, by fire; Theophilus the Deacon by stoning; and Migdonius in a cesspool.
• 
  A primitive chapel dating from 6th to 11th centuries, at the cemetery of the church in the village named for Maughold.
• 
  New Hieromartyr Nikodim (Kononov), Bishop of Belgorod.

Notes

1. The notation Old Style or (OS) is sometimes used to indicate a date in the Julian Calendar (which is used by churches on the "Old Calendar").
   The notation New Style or (NS), indicates a date in the Revised Julian calendar (which is used by churches on the "New Calendar").
2. This Secundus is likely the same individual as the Secundus mentioned in the Seven Apostolic Men; see also May 15.^[5]
3. He is unknown in the Synaxaria. However his memory is recorded in Patmos Codex 256 as follows: "On this day, the contest of the Holy Martyr Ploutodoros"; ((in Greek): «τῇ αὕτῃ ἡμέρᾳ, ἄθλησις τοῦ Ἁγίου μάρτυρος Πλουτοδώρου»).
4. This is likely the same saint as the one commemorated on March 31; however a minority of Menologia place his memory here on December 28. In Parisian Codex 1623 f.1436 are found remnants of his Akolouthia. From this evidence it becomes clear that he was ascetic, although it is unknown when and where. S. Efstratiadis speculates that it is not at all unlikely, that this St Stephen is one and the same person as the Venerable Stephen of Mar Sabbas monastery, the Wonderworker, whose memory is celebrated on October 28.
5. "At Rome, St. Domnion, priest."^[15]
6. "ST. ROMULUS and ST. CONINDRUS were probably the first preachers of the Gospel in the island, and flourished while St. Patrick was exercising his apostolate in Ireland. St. Patrick himself is venerated as one of the chief Patrons of Man, and may have visited it some time during his life; but it does not seem reconcilable with his Acts to say, as some have done, that he was its first evangelist."^[16]
7. Born in Lower Pannonia, he served God as a hermit in several places north of the Alps until he found rest for the last two years of his life as a monk at Lérins in France.