day 2

June 2: St. Nicephorus the Confessor, Patriarch of Constantinople

On “Lord, I have cried…”, 4 stichera, in Tone I: Spec. Mel.: “Joy of the ranks of heaven…” —

Now & ever…, from the Pentecostarion, or this theotokion —

Troparion of the greatmartyr, in Tone IV —

The 2nd Day of the MONTH OF JUNE

Rejoicing, O ye faithful, let us praise John of great renown, the all-wise warrior of piety, the true preacher of Christ, who danceth with the ranks of heaven and suffered with the martyrs. Twice

Glory…, Now & ever…: Theotokion —

Glory…, Now & ever…, the troparion from the Pentecostarion, or the resurrectional theotokion, in tone IV —

Commemoration of Our Father among the Saints Nicephorus the Confessor, Patriarch of Constantinople

With faith let us bless the mighty bulwark of Christians, the tower unshaken by the blandishments of the tyrants, the most excellent merchant, who traded corruptible things for incorruptible, and looketh down on us from on high.

(for this day we provide also the service in honor of the Great-martyr John the New)

In gladness let us all hymn the foremost athlete, the splendid champion, who hath now shone forth upon us with rays of true suffering, and let us bow down before his relics.

June 2: Holy Greatmartyr John the New

Glory…, in Tone VI —

Also on The 2nd Day of the Month of June

Come, all ye who love the martyrs! Come ye, and let us form a chorus, fashioning wreaths with praises, and crowning the honored head of John! For this great champion, having armed himself with faith in Christ, manfully entered the contest and confessed Christ to be the Son of God and God, the Creator and Judge of all; and utterly casting down the pride of the Persians and trampling the tyrant underfoot by his patience, he became the model and superscription for martyrs, and now prayeth to Christ in behalf of our souls.

Commemoration of the Holy Greatmartyr John the New, Slain in the City of Belgorod-Dnestrovsky, Whose Relics Repose in the City of Suceava

No one who hath recourse to thee, O all-pure Virgin Theotokos, departeth from thee ashamed; for he asketh grace and receiveth a gift for his profitable petition.

At Little Vespers

At the Aposticha, these stichera, in Tone II: Spec. Mel.: “O house of Ephratha…” —

With rays of suffering thou didst shine forth like the sun from the eastern regions even unto the parts of the West, drawing the hearts and thoughts of all to thy wonders, O glorious one.

Stichos: The righteous man shall flourish like a palm-tree, and like a cedar in Lebanon shall he be multiplied.

O all ye tribes of the North, inasmuch as ye are pious, join chorus in spirit, with hymns glorifying John who hath loved you.

Stichos: Those who are planted in the house of the Lord, in the courts of our God they shall blossom forth.

In these latter times thou hast been shown to be the beauty which maketh new the sufferings of the martyrs, utterly casting down soul-destroying ­deception, O blessed one.

With the glorious John the martyrs confessed thee to be the true Theotokos, O Mary Bride of God; and we also fall down, asking forgiveness of sins.

Having sustained well thy life on earth with almsgiving, and frequent prayers and tears, O athlete, thou didst manfully hasten to suffering, and didst denounce the ungodliness of the Persians; wherefore, thou hast become a firm foundation for the Church and the boast of Christians, O ever-memorable John.

The mystery hidden from before the ages and unknown even to the angels, through thee, O Theotokos, hath been revealed to those on earth: God incarnate in unconfused union, Who willingly accepted the Cross for our sake and, thereby raising up the first-formed man, hath saved our souls from death.