On the 15th of the month of August, we celebrate the  Holy Dormition (Koimisis) or the Translation (Metastasis) to Heaven, of Our All-Glorious Sovereign Lady, the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary.

Saint Panteleimon was born about 284 AD in the city of Nicodemia. His father, Evstorgios, was an idolater while his mother, Evoulis, was a devout Christian. She raised her son, whose real name was Pantoleonta, in the Christian way of life. She passed away while her son was still young.

The holy and glorious Virgin-Martyr Paraskevi (also Paraskeva) was arrested during the reign of the Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius (138-161 A.D.) under the penalty of refusing to worship idols and adhering to the state pagan religion. After enduring many tortures, she was eventually released by the emperor, continuing to profess Christ. She was eventually tortured and beheaded by the Roman governor Tarasius in the year 180 A.D. The Church commemorates her on July 26th.

When the soul abides in the love of God--how good and gracious and festive all things are! But even with God's love, sorrows continue and the greater the love, the greater the sorrow. Never by a single thought did the Mother of God sin, nor did she ever lose grace, yet vast were her sorrows; when she stood at the foot of the Cross her grief was as boundless as the ocean and her soul knew torment incomparably worse than Adam's when he was driven from Paradise, in that the measure of here love was beyond compare greater than the love which Adam felt when he was in Paradise. That she remained alive was only because the Lord's might sustained her, for it was His desire that she should behold His Resurrection, and live on after His Ascension to be the comfort and joy of the Apostles and the new Christian people.

One day when blessed Nephon was resting in his cell, a noble came and said to him:

--I came, Father, to profit some by your holiness. For my soul is grieved with a thought whose origin I do not know.

Self-Examination Based on the Ten Commandments

First Commandment

Have I believed in God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit? Have I failed to trust in God and His mercy? Have I complained against God in adversity? Have I been thankful for God's blessings? Have I doubted the Christian faith and the teachings of the Church? Have I tried to serve God and keep His Commandments? Have I given way to superstition? Have I frequented the religious meetings of heretics and schismatics? Have I neglected my duties to God through fear of ridicule or persecution? Have I failed to pray to God faithfully? Have I put myself before God?