Commemoration of St. Mark the Evangelist (30 Baramouda / May 8)

On this day, the Church commemorates the martyrdom of St. Mark the Evangelist, the beholder of God and the preacher of the land of Egypt.

St. Mark was born in Cyrene (in North Africa) to Jewish parents who later moved to Jerusalem. His home became a gathering place for the Lord Jesus Christ and His disciples, and it is believed to be the location of the Last Supper and the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. He was also among the Seventy Apostles and accompanied St. Paul and St. Barnabas in their missionary journeys.

After preaching in many regions, St. Mark came to Alexandria, where he began his ministry. It is said that when his sandal tore, he went to a cobbler named Anianus to repair it. As Anianus worked, he injured his hand, and St. Mark healed him in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Through this miracle, Anianus and his household believed, and he later became the first bishop of Alexandria.

St. Mark preached boldly in Alexandria, establishing the Church there and appointing clergy. However, the pagans of the city became enraged at the spread of Christianity. On the feast of the Resurrection, they seized him, bound him with ropes, and dragged him through the streets, causing severe wounds. They then imprisoned him, where the Lord Christ appeared to him, strengthening and comforting him.

The next day, they again dragged him through the city until he gave up his pure soul into the hands of God, receiving the crown of martyrdom. Believers took his body and laid it in a place prepared for him.

St. Mark is the author of the Gospel of Mark, one of the four Gospels, and is regarded as the founder of the Church of Alexandria and the first Patriarch of the See of St. Mark.

May his holy blessings be with us all. Amen.