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PATRON SAINT
| Venerable Mother
Parascheva of Iaşi |
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Patron Saint of A.R.F.O.R.A.
Feast Day - October 14 |
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| TROPAR |
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TROPARUL |
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| In you, O
holy mother, the faithful image of God shone forth for you carried your
cross and followed Christ. You taught by your deeds how to spurn
the body, for it passes away; and how to value the soul for it is
immortal. Therefore, O worthy mother Parascheva, your soul
rejoices forever with the angels. |
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Întru tine,
Maică, cu osârdie s-a mântuit cel după chip. Căci
luând crucea ai urmat lui Hristos, şi lucrând ai învăţat
să nu se uite la trup, căci este trecător, ci să
poarte grijă de suflet, de lucrul cel nemuritor. Pentru
aceasta şi cu îngerii, împreună se bucură, preacuvioasă
Maică Parascheva, duhul tău. |
St.
Parascheva was born at the beginning of the 11th century A.D. into a wealthy,
noble, and pious Christian family in the town of Epivat (now in Turkey) on the
shores of the Marmara Sea. At the age of ten, while attending the liturgy
in the "Church of the Holy Birthgiver of God", she heard the words,
“Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross, and
follow Me.” The words of the Lord had a profound effect on the young
girl, and they became the subject of her meditations. The future St.
Parascheva began to dress poor people in her expensive clothes - her good deeds
later earning her recognition as a patron saint of such trades as spinning,
sewing, weaving, and knitting – but her parents objected, finding the girl's
charity more than they could understand or support, and trying to get her to
stop. To follow her calling, Parascheva abandoned her wealth and
privileges, left her parents, and ran away to Constantinople. There, near
relics of saints, she spent her time in prayer, meditating on the words of
Christ.
To elude
her parents, who were traveling from city to city trying to find her, she moved
to Chalcedon, and then to the "Church of the Most Holy Birthgiver of God", in
Heraclea Pontica, near the Black Sea. She spent the next five years there,
living an austere life of continuous prayer and devotion. During her
prayers she received visions of the Holy Virgin Mary and in one of the visions,
she was instructed to go to Jerusalem. After spending some time in the
city, she joined a convent in the Jordanian desert. A few years later, she
returned to Constantinople and then, at the age of twenty-five, moved to the
village of Katikratia where, at the "Church of the Holy Apostles", she
lived the remaining two years of her life.
Legend has
it that many years later an old sinner was buried near her grave.
Parascheva appeared in a dream to a local monk, showed him the place of her
burial, and asked him to “take that stinky corpse away from me. I am
light and sun, and I cannot bear to have near me darkness and stench.“ The
monk, with some local help, began to dig out the place he had seen in his dream
and when they found the remains of the Saint, her uncorrupted body was emitting
spiritual fragrances. Then they interred the Saint in the "Church of
the Holy Apostles", where she had spent the last years of her earthly
existence.
Later on
her relics were moved to Tirnovo, in Bulgaria, then to Belgrade, in Serbia, and
finally to Constantinople. In 1641, they were given as a gift to the
Prince of Moldavia, Vasile Lupu, in recognition of his support for the
Patriarchate of Constantinople. Her intact relics have remained
in Iaşi ever since. She is venerated as the Protector of Iaşi
and all of Moldavia and each year, hundreds of thousands of Orthodox faithful
and hierarchs from many countries gather in Iaşi to celebrate her feast day
and venerate her holy relics, which continue to work miracles.
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| The
relics of St. Parascheva |
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St.
Parascheva's reliquary in the
"Three Hierarchs" Church in Iaşi |
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