On June 30 in the Holy Orthodox Church, we celebrate the Synaxis of the holy, glorious, and all-lauded Twelve Apostles.
Verses The friends of Christ and twelve God-seers do I honor, Whom I dare call heroes and gods, and do rightly. The thirtieth gathereth the Twelve glorious Initiates.
Even though each one of the Twelve has his own special day of celebration throughout the year, the Church has set aside this day as a festal assembly of all the apostles together and with them, Paul. These are the names and the separate celebration days of the Holy Apostles; and how each one of these most holy and beneficial men in world history ended their earthly life: Peter (June 29, January 16) was crucified upside down. Andrew (November 30) was crucified. James, the son of Zebedee (April 30) was beheaded. John the Theologian (September 26) died in a miraculous, peaceful manner, the only one of “The Twelve” to do so. Philip (November 14) was crucified. Bartholomew (June 11, August 25) was crucified, scraped and beheaded. Thomas (October 6) was pierced with five spears. Matthew the Evangelist (November 16) was burned alive. James, the son of Alphaeus (October 9) was crucified. Thaddeus [Jude] (June 19), the Brother of James was crucified. Simon the Zealot (May 10) was crucified. Matthias (August 9) was stoned and then was beheaded after death. Paul (June 29) was beheaded. On this day, the Sunday after Pentecost, we celebrate the Feast of All Saints who shone forth throughout all the world, North and South, East and West.
Verses All the friends of my Lord do I praise; if any would, let them make mention of them all.
David the Prophet and king, who revered the beloved of God, and respected them because of his great piety, said in the Psalms, “How precious are Thy beloved unto me, O God” (138:17). And the Apostle Paul, in his Epistle to the Hebrews, recounted the lives of the saints, when he wrote, “Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin that so easily besets us; and let us run with patience the race that is set before us” (12:1). Therefore, as Orthodox Christians, we honor the beloved saints of God, respecting them as keepers of God’s commandments, shining examples of virtue and benefactors of humanity. We commemorate all of the holy ones every year on this day, as the list of saints ever increases, even though some of their names escape us. Nevertheless, we honor them for their piety and strive to imitate their good works.
By the intercessions of Thine immaculate Mother, O Christ God, and of all Thy Saints from all ages, have mercy and save us, since Thou alone art good and the Lover of mankind. Amen.