become one with christ

that is the purpose of life.

When I grow up, I might want to be a: (circle)

holy doctor holy lawyer

holy writer holy coach
holy mechanic holy veterinarian
holy teacher holy dentist
holy architect holy chef
holy nurse holy nun
holy chanter holy baker
holy computer technician holy engineer
holy priest holy park ranger
holy iconographer holy weatherman
holy athlete holy scientist
holy soldier holy principal

“Just as He
who called you
is holy,
so be holy
in all you do.”
1 Peter 1:15

holy doctor & iconographer
The Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke was born in
Antioch. In his youth, he excelled in his studies of Greek
philosophy, medicine and art. During the ministry of the
Lord Jesus on earth, Luke came to Jerusalem, where he
saw the Savior face to face, heard His saving teaching
and was witness to His miraculous works. Coming to
belief in the Lord, St. Luke was numbered among the
Seventy Apostles, and was sent out to preach. With
Cleopas, he saw the resurrected Lord on the road to
Emmaus (Luke 24). After the descent of the Holy Spirit,
Luke returned to Antioch and there became a fellow
worker of the Apostle Paul and traveled to Rome with
him, converting Jews and pagans to the Christian Faith.
In old age, he visited Libya and Upper Egypt. From Egypt
he returned to Greece, where he continued to preach
and convert many with great zeal despite his old age. In
addition to his Gospel, St. Luke wrote the Book of the
Acts of the Apostles. Luke was eighty-four years old
when the wicked idolaters tortured him for the sake of
Christ and hanged him from an olive tree in the town of
Thebes, in Boethia. The miracle-working relics of this
wonderful saint were transported to Constantinople.
Tradition credits Saint Luke with painting the first icons
of the Mother of God. “Let the grace of Him Who was
born of Me and My mercy be with these Icons,” said
the All-Pure Virgin after seeing the icons. Saint Luke
also painted icons of the First-Ranked Apostles Peter
and Paul. His memory is celebrated on OCTOBER 18.
The tomb of St. Luke exists to this day in the city of
Thebes in Northern Greece, where they continue to
celebrate his memory. In fact, every year his tomb
gives off a miraculous liquid that performs many
miracles, and especially heals people with eye trouble!
Memory celebrated October 8
A woman, whose outer appearance today might
have won her the crown at a beauty pageant and
whose reckless adventures as an actress could be
likened to celebrity scandals in our modern
newspapers, shockingl y chose in the third century to
exchange her life of wickedness for repentance in
devotion to Christ.
Born into immense wealth in the city of Antioch, Syria,
Pelagia grew up in a pleasure-seeking lifestyle whose
sensual sins were detestable, not only to the rest of
societ y but to God as well. She took such delight in
every form of wickedness that the respectable people
of Antioch strongly suspected that her great beaut y
and wealth were derived from Satan himself. Pelagia
customarily spent her Sabbath sinfully consum ed, and
passed by the cathedral seated on her animal,
dressed in see-thru gold cloth, her head uncovered,
with perfume, pearls, and precious stones, which ran
from her bare shoulders to her feet. But that day a
large crowd of Christians had spilled out into the
courtyard with their Bishop, named Nonnos.
As he preached, his voice caught the attention and
curiosity of Pelagia, who while listening began to feel a
deep sense of regret for her choices in life. The Bishop
wept tears himself over her outer beauty and inner
ugliness when he saw her. Later, through his prayers
and by God’s grace, Pelagia sought out the Bishop
and desired to be baptized by him. With sincere
repentance, she began her new life by giving away
every scrap of her worldly possessions, and she
undertook to cleanse her soul and to serve God with
all her heart. The angered devil appeared to her, but
by making the sign of the cross and blowing on him,
her new faith crushed his tricks.
The 58 years that remained of her long life show us the
power of God to transform a sinner to a Saint. She died
a peaceful death in the year 284 A.D.