Welcome to Woman, Thou Art Awesome!
By Suzanne | October 16th, 2007 | Category: Woman, Thou Art Awesome |
During the second podcast of Generation Orthodox, the discussion turned towards woman sainthood in the Orthodox church. I made the incorrect statement that I felt “limited” in chosing a patron saint for my Chrismation, and after a very lively discussion I was approached about writing a weekly blog about the female saints in Orthodoxy. Not because I know a lot about them, but because I could probably learn a thing or two, and my learnings might be of interest to others who want to know more about these amazing women honored by our church.
Truly, not enough can be said about the importance of women to the Orthodox church. Women are held in high regard, honored and revered, celebrated and exalted. The Mother of our Lord God, Jesus Christ, the Theotokos, is the “ultimate woman”, and her choice to honor God’s call to bring His human son to the rest of us mere mortals shows the love that God has for the feminine faithful. Following the footsteps of the ultimate woman is no easy task, but from the sheer number of saints, martyrs, and other venerated women in the Orthodox Church, it is clear that God’s calling is one heard by many! Thank God for that!
Marina mentioned in the Generation Orthodox podcast that it is a woman’s job to “raise saints”. What a fantastic concept, and very apt. Women have unique roles, both on earth and in heavenly endeavors. Women alone can be mothers; only a woman could be the Mother of God! Yet women have also suffered martyrdom, torture, have cured the sick, bound and beaten devils with their own hands, spread the word of God, and earned the honor of being Equal to the Apostles. I am therefore incredibly excited to highlight important women in Orthodoxy through this blog.
This blog is as much of a learning experience for me as I hope it can be for others, and I encourage your comments, feedback and suggestions. It is my goal to highlight a different woman saint every week, in no particular order, though I will try to follow the Calendar of feasts and fasts when researching and writing on my saint of the week. To kickstart the blog, however, my first post will be on my patron saint, Photini, the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4:5-42. Watch this space for updates, new blogs, and perhaps a new look at some incredible, inspiring, awesome women in Orthodoxy.
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This is going to be an Awesome blog. I’m so excited to learn more along with you.
Are there any woman saints who were barren? I find it difficult to connect with the emphasis on women who are “raising Saints” as I am infertile and have undergone much grief and anguish over not being able to have children. This is an honor God has not bestowed upon me. As someone who is newly investigating Orthodoxy (currently Protestant) I would like to perhaps learn more about women Saints who were not “mothers”.
Beth, that is an excellent question. “Raising Saints” has much more to do than just bearing children. There are many saints who did not bear children. Saint Martha, for example, came to Jesus following the death of her brother Lazarus. Her profession of love for both her brother and her Lord so moved Jesus that he raised Lazarus from the dead, and also promised her and all believers eternal Life. Honor from God comes to us in many places, and in many ways. May God bless you with the gifts He has bestowed upon you, unique and beautiful that they are.
what a fabulous blog! I look forward to reading these posts and learning from them.
Thank you!
Hi Beth
I am Greek Orthodox by birth and from what I know about Christian East or West Saints are that many of them were Virgins and Nuns and refused marriage life. so no that is not true also I am very aware that there are many female saints not limited in the church to identify with so I was shocked by that comment of there not being that many and . Please check out GOARCH for saint calendars, God Bless
also Beth
St Katherines feast day is tommorow November 25th and she was a virgin Martyr so please check out The Eastern Orthodox Saints Calendars on Orthodox websites like GOARCH