Feast Day: October 17th
Prayers
Apolytikion: Holy Unmercenaries and Wonderworkers, visit our infirmities, freely you have received, freely give to us.
About the Holy Unmercenary Saints
There are countless Saints with the title of Holy Unmercenary, because they followed the words of Our Lord Jesus Christ “Freely you have received, freely give.” (Matthew 10:8). Some in addition to the twelve mentioned below are Saint Luke the Evangelist and Saint Luke the Surgeon.
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However, our Holy Church has gathered 12 of the Holy Unmercenaries together to celebrate a common Feast Day. These 12 Unmercenary Saints are listed below.
Saint Cosmas and Saint Damian
Our Holy Church is Blessed with three sets of twin brother Holy Physician Saints Cosmas and Saint Damian. They were brothers both in the flesh and in the Spirit…
Saint Cosmas and Saint Damian of Arabia (October 17th)
Saint Cosmas and Saint Damian of Rome (July 1st)
Saint Cosmas and Saint Damian of Asia Minor (November 1st)
Apolytikion: Holy Unmercenaries and Wonderworkers, visit our weaknesses; freely you have received, freely give to us.
Kontakion: Having received the Grace of Healing, ye extend health to those in need, O Glorious and Wonderworking Physicians. Hence, by your visitation, cast down the audacity of our enemies, and by your Miracles, heal the world.
Saint Cyrus and Saint John
The Life of Saints Cyrus and John (January 31st): Hearing about Cyrus, John, then a Roman officer in Edessa, came to Arabia to see him. Upon meeting, they loved one another as a brother loves a brother and remained together to live a life of Asceticism…
Apolytikion: Since Thou hast given us the Miracles of Thy Holy Martyrs as an invincible battlement, by their entreaties scatter the counsels of the heathen, O Christ our God, and strengthen the faith of Orthodox Christians, since Thou alone art Good and the Friend of man.
Kontakion: With a great voice, O ye faithful, let us hymn the Great Physicians of the world, the pair beloved of Christ, the luminaries who are radiant with the beams of Healing; and as we stand in their Temple, we cry out: Cyrus and John, the bestowers of Miracles and Healers of the ailing, shine forth to the ends of the world.
Saint Panteleimon and Saint Hermolaus
The Life of Saints Panteleimon (July 27th) and Hermolaus (July 26th): Pantoleon was Baptized by Saint Hermolaus with the name Panteleimon, meaning All-Merciful…
Kontakion: O Wise Hermolaus with the God-Bearing Hermippos, and August Hermokrates, as Sacred Priests of the Most High, ye who offered the Unbloody Sacrifice rightly were yourselves stained with your own blood as sacrifices offered up to Christ the One God; and now with boldness ye Pray that all may be saved.
Kontakion: Chosen passion-bearer of Christ and gracious healer, who freely grantest healing to the sick, we praise thee in songs as our protector. As thou hast boldness with the Lord, free us from all harm and sickness who cry with love to thee: Rejoice, Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon!
Saint Sampson and Saint Diomedes
The Life of Saint Sampson (June 27th): He healed the sick not only through being a skilled Physician, but also as a bearer of the Grace of God…
Kontakion: We honour your Relics, for you are an excellent Physician and powerful intercessor; as we gather to praise you with psalms and hymns, Divinely-Wise and Venerable Sampson, we Glorify Christ, who granted you the Grace of Healing.
Troparion : Through your patience, your unceasing prayer, your love for the poor and the help you gave to them, you became worthy of your reward, O Holy Sampson. Intercede with Christ God that He may save our Souls.
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The Life of Saint Diomedes (August 16th): He was a physician and a Christian, and he treated not only ills of the body but also of the Soul…
Apolytikion: O Diomedes, as a healer of bodily sickness, by the word of truth thou didst grant healing to Souls. Thou hast received this gift from God and dost ever help those suffering from various diseases. Thou are radiant with the Grace of Martyrdom; wherefore thou savest those who cry to thee: Glory to Him Who has Glorified thee; Glory to Him Who has Crowned thee; Glory to Him Who through thee works healings for all.
Kontakion: Thou wast skilled in the science of healing and didst wisely choose the lot of Holy Athletes; thou didst openly preach Christ our God, O Blessed Diomedes, thou adornment of Unmercenary Saints, the protector of those crying to thee: Become the physician of us thy servants, O Wise one.
Saint Mokios and Saint Aniketos
The Life of Saint Mokios (May 11th): He urged them to repent and be converted to the Lord Jesus Christ, and be cleansed through Holy Baptism…
Apolytikion: Serving Christ as a Priest of Glory, you offered yourself as a rational sacrifice, and a whole-burnt offering on the coal of your struggles, therefore, O Mokios, you were Crowned with dual Crowns for your struggles by Him Who Glorified you: Christ, Who loves mankind.
Kontakion: Arming yourself with the barred-gate of the faith, you conquered the ranks of the impious, and received the Crown of Glory from the Lord, O Blessed Mokios, therefore, as you rejoice with the Angels, deliver those who hymn you from dangers, entreating ceaselessly on behalf of us all.
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The Life of Saint Aniketos and Saint Photios (August 12th): With boldness he confessed that he was a Christian…
Apolytikion: United in the faith, your nearness of kinship was made radiant by your Divine struggles, O Blessed Martyr Aniketos and Photios servant of Light. Pray that those who hymn your Holy contest, may be granted the forgiveness of their sins.
Kontakion: With anthems of praise, ye faithful, let us all extol the Warriors of God, the yoke-pair of Christ’s Majesty; and let all of us who love Martyrs’ Contests crown with our hymns of song the staunch heralds of piety, who truly were friends and lovers of our God.
Saint Thallelaios and Saint Tryphon
The Life of Saint Thallelaios (May 20th): Seeing this happen, the people began to shout, “Great is the God of the Christians. O God of Thallelaios, have mercy on us!”…
Apolytikion: Thallelaios, Saintly Champion and Healer, intercede with our Merciful God to grant our Souls remission of sins.
Kontakion: With the Martyrs of the Lord thou didst contest and wast shown forth as a valiant Soldier of the King of Glory, Who Crowned thee for the harsh and bitter tortures that thou didst suffer, trampling down the pride of them that worshipped the idols. O Thallelaios, we therefore praise thine august and Blessed Remembrance today.
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The Life of Saint Tryphon (February 1st): From his childhood he was able to cure illnesses that afflicted people and livestock and was able to expel evil spirits…
Apolytikion: In the Holy Spirit thou didst pour forth abundant Grace on the Church like an unfailing fountain; thou dost refresh our Souls with the delight of thy gifts. O Glorious Tryphon, entreat Christ our God to grant us His great Mercy.
Kontakion: By the power of the Trinity you destroyed polytheism to the ends of the Earth, and you were honoured by Christ, All-Glorious Tryphon; having conquered tyrants through Christ the Saviour, you received your Crown of Martyrdom and the gift of Divine Healing, for you are invincible.