The feast day celebrates the appearance of the Theotokos, Mother of God at Vlachernae in the 10th Century. At the end of Saint Andrew of Constantinople, he, with his disciple Saint Epiphanius, and a group of the faithful, saw the Mother of God, Saint John the Baptist, and several other Saints and Angels during a vigil in the Church of Vlachernae, nearby the city gates. The Vlachernae Palace church was where several of her holy relics were kept. The holy relics were her robe, veil, and part of her belt that had been transferred from Palestine during the 5th century.

The holy great-martyr Demetrios was born in the city of Thessaloniki and was the son of noble and pious parents. His father was the Military Governor of Thessaloniki, and secretly believed in our Lord Jesus Christ and labored for Him. He did not dare, however, to confess the Lord's Most Holy Name openly, for at that time the impious emperors were tormentors of Christians and had raised up a great persecution against the faithful (believers). Since he feared the threats of the cruel and iniquitous rulers, he hid within himself the pearl of great price, the faith which is in Christ. But in his palace he secretly kept two holy icons, adorned with gold and precious stones, one of our Incarnate Savior Jesus Christ and the other of the Most Holy Theotokos.

Saint Luke the Evangelist mentions in the book of Acts of the Apostles: "She was devoted to good works and acts of charity" (9:36). She lived in the Palestinian town of Joppa, where she was a weaver by trade. She'd become a Christian and lived out her faith in her everyday life. Her heart over flowed with innocent love for those of her fellow-citizens who were in pain or poverty. For this reason she worked day and night making clothing which she then sold, giving the proceeds to those in need.

As evidenced by the earliest surviving liturgical texts from throughout the world, the Church consistently and universally entreated the martyrs--often recent martyrs from the local region--for their intercessions (prayers) on behalf of those Christians still racing toward the finish. In particular, the memory of the martyrs was kept on the date of their martyrdom, when the Church gathered to celebrate their birth into eternal life. We have direct testimony of this practice from the middle of the second century in an eyewitness account of the martyrdom of Saint Polycarpos (Polycarp), Bishop of Smyrna, an 86 years old disciple of the holy Apostle John. After his remains were burned by the centurion, we hear the following from the account:

"Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lord, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints" (Revelation 5:8).

Saint Hilarion our holy Father, a native of the village of Thawatha, some five miles south of Gaza in Palestine, was born around 293 A.D. This great miracle of the wilderness is to be compared to a rose amid thorns, because he was the offshoot of pagan Greek parents. His parents were desirous that their son should one day become a wise philosopher, so they sent him to study in a grammar school in Alexandria. This was, indeed, God's providence, so that the youth might learn of the True Faith of the Master Christ and thereby deny the idols.