Holy, Glorious and Illustrious Apostle Andrew the First-Called As a fisherman, Andrew became a disciple of St John the Baptist.

Then, after meeting Christ, Andrew hurried home and told his brother Simon Peter, "We have found the Messiah." For being the first to recognize Jesus as the Christ, St Andrew is called the First-Called. After Pentecost, Andrew was appointed to preach the Gospel around the Black Sea and in Thrace and Macedonia, traveling as far as Russia and Asia Minor. St Andrew founded the Church of Constantinople and is considered Its first Patriarch during the Byzantine Empire. After converting many to Christianity, he was arrested in Patras, and crucified head downwards on a cross in the shape of an "X."

November 30