For all Akathists published on our site, click here. This Akathist was translated by Maxim, who kindly asks all Orthodox Christians to keep him in their prayers for his repentance. Original source at the bottom. Explore more prayer: Akathists for Spiritual Struggles, Overcoming Sloth, Illness and Physical Infirmity, Akathists to New Testament Saints, Saints of the Gospel, Akathists to the Apostles
Feast Day: 1 October and 4 January, on the feast day of the Synaxis of the 70 Holy Apostles
A MIRACLE OF SAINT APOSTLE ANANIAS FROM THE YEAR 2009
“I’ve been praying for so long and you wouldn’t listen to me; from now on, I don’t need you any more!” Having said this, she took the icon and threw it out of the window, without looking to see where it had landed. A short while later, she heard someone knocking at the door. When she opened it, she saw a young man with a split head and his face covered in blood.
A priest told me the following miracle, which has a touch of humour to it.
There was a girl who wanted to get married but couldn’t find a husband. When she told her grandmother, her grandmother gave her an icon of Saint Ananias the Apostle and said: ‘Take this icon and pray to this saint for 40 days, but you should know that this saint is rather playful and sometimes performs some amusing miracles.’
The girl took the icon, brought it home, lit a candle in front of it, and set about praying and fasting. When the 40 days were up, the girl, upset that her wish had not been granted, said angrily to the saint: ‘I’ve been praying for so long and you wouldn’t listen to me; from now on, I don’t need you any more!’ Having said this, she took the icon and threw it out of the window, without looking to see where it had landed. A short while later, she heard someone knocking at the door. When she opened it, she saw a young man with a split head and his face covered in blood. ‘Please forgive me for disturbing you,’ he said, ‘but this icon fell on my head, and seeing that it had fallen from your window, I have brought it back to you.’
Then the girl, apologising, asked him to come in so she could wash him and bandage his wound. After tending to him, she asked him his name, and the young man replied that it was Ananias. The girl asked him to come round the following day so she could change his bandage. And so, as the young man visited several times, they became friends, and then, shortly afterwards, they got married.
The saint performed the miracle, but in the way her grandmother had described.
Monk Pimen Vlad, Spiritual Stories, Axa Publishing, 2010, pp. 58–59
PATRONAGE: Patron saint of finding a spouse, protector of the Holy Church, protector of Damascus, patron saint of Armenia, patron saint of those suffering from blindness, for healing of the eyes and eye ailments, patron saint of missionaries, patron saint of intercessors, patron saint of intercessions, patron saint of obedience, courage in face of fear, trust in God’s will, welcoming converts, patron saint of converts, against despondency, against despair, against hopelessness, patron saint of (former) persecutors, against acedia / battling acedia, against laziness, against sloth, patron saint of work, patron saint of workplaces, patron saint for finding a job, patron saint of happiness, patron saint of peace, for invoking peace, praying for peace.
Troparion (tone 4)
Filled with the Grace of the Threefold Sun, you enlightened the chosen vessel of Christ. When you preached the faith, you were strengthened in your trials, Apostle Ananias. Hear the prayers of those who sing your praises.
Troparion (tone 3)
Holy Apostle Ananias, pray to the merciful God to grant forgiveness of sins to our souls.
Kontakion (2nd tone)
You who are most fervent in prayer and most quick to heed the petitions of those who ask, accept our prayer, Ananias, and pray to Christ to have mercy on us, He who is the one most glorified by the Saints.
Kontakion 1
To him who was a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, being one of the 70 Apostles sent by Him to preach the Gospel to the four corners of the earth, to whom God commanded to baptise Saul, that is, Saint Paul the Apostle, and who suffered a martyr’s death by stoning, We pray to Saint Ananias, Apostle and Bishop. And you, Saint Ananias, through the favour you hold before the Throne of the Holy Trinity, hear these words and grant our petitions for salvation, we who honour you: Rejoice, Saint Ananias, Apostle and Bishop, defender of righteousness, happiness and peace!
Ikos 1
Through your fervent prayers you bring the Lord’s mercy upon us, Saint Ananias, for now you rejoice with the host of the Holy Apostles in Heaven, beholding the Glory of God and hearing the songs of the Seraphim; yet do not forget us, who with tears seek your intercession and cry out to you:
Rejoice, thou who bindest all the impulses of the beast;
Rejoice, thou who stillest pain;
Rejoice, thou who unbindest the bonds cast by sorcerers;
Rejoice, thou who bringest to pass what is ordained from on High;
Rejoice, thou who blessest marriages and family life;
Rejoice, thou who showest us where the Lord’s blessing lies;
Rejoice, Saint Ananias, Apostle and Bishop, defender of righteousness, happiness and peace!
Kontakion 2
You lived in the days when the Lord Jesus Christ Himself was preaching on earth, and believing in Him you followed Him as one of the 70 Apostles; and, embracing the Saviour’s command after His Resurrection, you set out for the city of to bring them the good news of salvation: Alleluia!
Ikos 2
Because the people loved you, for you were a bearer of God and remained steadfast in the faith, they appointed you Bishop and you took your seat on the episcopal throne; and you humbly continued the work of an Apostle of the Lord Christ:
Rejoice, for you have won the hearts of men;
Rejoice, for the Holy Spirit spoke through you;
Rejoice, for you were called and chosen;
Rejoice, for you built up the in people’s hearts;
Rejoice, for you were a model of holiness, prayer and humility;
Rejoice, for you possessed the gift of working miracles;
Rejoice, Saint Ananias, Apostle and Bishop, defender of righteousness, happiness and peace!
Kontakion 3
One day, whilst you were at prayer, the Lord said to you in a vision: ‘Arise, go down the street called the Straight Street and seek out, in the house of Judah, a man from Tarsus named Saul; for behold, he is praying.” But you, O Saint, resisted, knowing that he had been sent by the Jewish leaders to kill the Christians; yet God sent you again, and you obeyed: Alleluia!
Ikos 3
Entering that house, you approached the one who had been blinded, laid your hands upon him and said: ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit’; and straightaway something like scales fell from his eyes; and he saw again, and, rising up, was baptised:
Rejoice, for you were like a new Jonah;
Rejoice, for you feared Saul’s wickedness;
Rejoice, for your obedience to God overcame all fear;
Rejoice, for when you touched Saul, he saw even the unseen;
Rejoice, for he stayed with you and your disciples for several days;
Rejoice, thou who grantest us also spiritual sight;
Rejoice, Saint Ananias, Apostle and Bishop, defender of righteousness, happiness and peace!
Kontakion 4
You were, then, the teacher of the one who persecuted the true faith, and you taught him who it was that had appeared to him in light in an indescribable manner, instilling in the heart of Saul—who is also called Paul—all true knowledge of the spiritual mysteries, and he, being strengthened in the faith, began to go about preaching the Name of God in the city: Alleluia!
Ikos 4
When the Jews in the city of Damascus heard that one of the fiercest persecutors of Christians, a man named Paul—formerly known as Saul—was going from synagogue to synagogue and preaching about Jesus Christ, they plotted cunningly to kill him, but you, Saint Ananias, together with your disciples, placed him in a basket and secretly brought him out of the city, lowering him over a wall:
Rejoice, for in this way you saved , the Apostle to the Gentiles;
Rejoice, for you were the saviour of the one who would save multitudes;
Rejoice, for through you God granted him the sight of his eyes;
Rejoice, for the Holy Spirit dwelt within you;
Rejoice, for your obedience bore fruit in life;
Rejoice, for you have multiplied the grace of God;
Rejoice, Saint Ananias, Apostle and High Priest, defender of righteousness, happiness and peace!
Kontakion 5
After the departure of the Holy Apostle Paul, you were strengthened by power from on high and entered alone into the assembly of the Jews, Holy Ananias, and preached the Name of the Lord with boldness; and not only to the Jews but also to those of other tongues you proclaimed the Gospel of the Kingdom, so that many believed in God: Alleluia!
Ikos 5
Driven by the Holy Spirit, after bearing much fruit in the city of , you set out for the city of and began the same work of proclaiming the Resurrection of Christ:
Rejoice, for you found a people hungry for the Truth;
Rejoice, for they received you with open arms;
Rejoice, for you baptised them in the Name of the Most Holy Trinity;
Rejoice, for you healed the sick;
Rejoice, for you relieved the infirm of their suffering;
Rejoice, for you showed them the way to salvation;
Rejoice, Saint Ananias, Apostle and Bishop, defender of righteousness, happiness and peace!
Kontakion 6
In those days, there was in Eleutheropolis a certain governor named Lucian who worshipped idols rather than God, and who, led by the devil, sent a letter throughout his dominion stating that if anyone were found serving Christ, they were to be subjected to terrible torments, for Lucian had not known God: Alleluia!
Ikos 6
That letter found you travelling through those parts, and word reached them that you were enlightening the people with the Gospel and healing all diseases, casting out demons and performing many miracles through your hands, for the Lord was with you:
Rejoice, for the wicked seized you in the street;
Rejoice, for they brought you before the governor;
Rejoice, for they compelled you in many ways to sacrifice to idols;
Rejoice, for they threatened you with torture;
Rejoice, for they even tempted you with gifts;
Rejoice, for you did not waver in your faith;
Rejoice, Saint Ananias, Apostle and Bishop, defender of righteousness, happiness and peace!
Kontakion 7
You said before a great assembly: ‘I will not worship false idols, but I worship the One, the true Lord and God of mine, Jesus Christ, whom my eyes have seen and with whom I have spoken face to face, not only when He was on earth as a man, but also after His ascension into Heaven; for, whilst I was in Damascus, He appeared to me personally and sent me to heal Saul’: Alleluia!
Ikos 7
You have trampled underfoot the temptations of the devils who seek to destroy the human race, showing that even one who stands before death possesses within himself the power to cast out the cunning promises of the deceitful demons; and Lucian, though he saw your strength, continued to tempt you:
Rejoice, for you stood unmoved as a pillar;
Rejoice, for you prayed fervently to God;
Rejoice, for you asked to be deemed worthy of the company of the blessed Apostles;
Rejoice, for you longed for the ;
Rejoice, for your heart yearned for the good things of life;
Rejoice, for you were not daunted by the torments of death;
Rejoice, Saint Ananias, Apostle and Bishop, defender of righteousness, happiness and peace!
Kontakion 8
Unable to bear hearing your prayers, the governor ordered that you be thrown to the ground and beaten; and whilst the servants were beating you, they cried out to you, ‘Holy one, spare yourself, lest you be subjected to even greater torments’; but you did not renounce Christ, reviling the soulless idols—stones and wood—and revealing their powerlessness: Alleluia!
Ikos 8
When Lucian the pagan saw that he could not sway you, he gave another order: that your ribs should be torn with iron hooks and your wounds burned with lit candles; yet you, O Saint, endured with your eyes raised to Heaven, praying unceasingly:
Rejoice, for the governor has tempted you once more;
Rejoice, for he called upon you to serve the gods, that you might be saved;
Rejoice, for once again you have confessed the True God;
Rejoice, for from Him you received the strength to endure your torments;
Rejoice, for you declared that you would never submit;
Rejoice, for you longed to be with your beloved Jesus as soon as possible;
Rejoice, Saint Ananias, Apostle and Hierarch, defender of righteousness, bliss and peace!
Kontakion 9
You spoke many such words, Saint Ananias, remaining an Apostle of the Gospel until your very last day, preaching not only the Saviour’s Nativity and His Passion, but also His Resurrection, for you had every hope that Christ would make you a partaker of the resurrection to eternal life: Alleluia!
Ikos 9
After you had endured countless bodily torments, the governor grew weary of tempting you any further and, convinced that you could not be persuaded to renounce God, he gave the order for you to be stoned to death, lest you lead other souls to Christ:
Rejoice, for they led you outside the city;
Rejoice, for the crowd of Jews was thirsty for blood;
Rejoice, for you suffered like Saint Stephen, the first Martyr;
Rejoice, for like him, you prayed for your tormentors;
Rejoice, for they stoned you to death;
Rejoice, for you gave up your spirit into the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ;
Rejoice, for Heaven opened and received your soul with joy;
Rejoice, Saint Ananias, Apostle and Archbishop, defender of righteousness, happiness and peace!
Kontakion 10
Leaving your body unburied, the crowd departed; and it so happened that some faithful men from were passing by. Upon hearing of their Bishop’s death, they took your holy relics and carried them reverently back to , where they buried them with great honour: Alleluia!
Ikos 10
Following the commands of your Teacher, you were both High Priest and sacrifice, O Holy Ananias, bearer of sufferings, preaching the unity of faith, the unity of life, and the unity of outer and inner strength, both of mind and heart; and as you journey to the heavenly abodes, hear these words from us:
Rejoice, thou who said that strength lies in unity;
Rejoice, thou who bringest balance to all things;
Rejoice, thou who unites that which is ordained to be united;
Rejoice, thou who bringest together those who are worthy;
Rejoice, thou who liftest us above the temptations of the devilish enemies;
Rejoice, great wonder-worker;
Rejoice, Saint Ananias, Apostle and High Priest, defender of righteousness, happiness and peace!
Kontakion 11
You remained unchanged however much you were tormented, Saint Ananias, showing that he who lives in love cannot live otherwise than in a state of continual sacrifice, teaching us that when we are devoid of vigour and the devil seems to have taken even our last reserves of strength, there still remains within us a glimmer of light, of hope and of spiritual strength; and if we cling to that glimmer, believing, through it the Lord Christ comes, granting victory: Alleluia!
Ikos 11
The Lord asks only that our faith and love be as small as a mustard seed, and He fulfils the rest through your prayers, Holy Apostle, and of those of all the Heavenly Powers, for His strength is made perfect in weakness; and we call upon you with gratitude:
Rejoice, for you keep us close to God;
Rejoice, for you protect us from division, strife and separation;
Rejoice, for you are like a guardian angel to those who call upon you;
Rejoice, for you possess the patience of the Saints and the grace of Christ;
Rejoice, for you do not let us stray from the flock of Christ the Shepherd;
Rejoice, most honoured hierarch, triumphing with the staff of the episcopate;
Rejoice, Saint Ananias, Apostle and Bishop, defender of righteousness, happiness and peace!
Kontakion 12
You are known to the faithful as a jolly Saint, blessed Apostle Ananias, for you resolve the problems of those who come running to you in a cheerful manner, inspiring not only amazement at the way you work in people’s lives but also because you are a swift helper to those who, with hope, regard you as their protector: Alleluia!
Ikos 12
A certain young woman prayed to you at length, O Saint, to send her a good, devout and God-fearing young man to marry, and one day she became so angry that you had not answered her prayer that she threw your icon out of the window, but immediately a young man just as she had dreamed of appeared at the door, and asked her who had thrown the icon of Saint Ananias, as it had struck him on the head:
Rejoice, for the young man, whose name was indeed Ananias, was covered in blood;
Rejoice, for the girl washed him and then nursed him for several days;
Rejoice, for love blossomed between them and they were married;
Rejoice, for you, O Saint, are the bestower of good and happy marriages;
Rejoice, for you protect young spouses from the temptations of separation;
Rejoice, for you break the bonds of marriage and drive away the demons of strife;
Rejoice, for you break all the spells that hinder marriage and rob couples of their peace;
Rejoice, Saint Ananias, Apostle and Bishop, defender of righteousness, happiness and peace!
Kontakion 13
O Holy Apostle Ananias, Bishop of the Lord Jesus Christ, with the power of your episcopal staff drive away all the temptations that stand against us, break the spells and curses against love, cast out all the impurity brought by the devils from the homes of Christians, help young people to find their God-ordained soulmate, remove all obstacles to marriage, and heal hearts broken by unhappy love, bringing the joy and hope of a beautiful life, singing to the Lord: Alleluia!
This Kontakion is sung three times.
Ikos 1
Through your fervent prayers you bring the Lord’s mercy upon us, Saint Ananias, for now you rejoice with the host of the Holy Apostles in Heaven, beholding the Glory of God and hearing the songs of the Seraphim; yet do not forget us, who with tears seek your intercession and cry out to you:
Rejoice, thou who bindest all the impulses of the beast;
Rejoice, thou who stillest pain;
Rejoice, thou who unbindest the bonds cast by sorcerers;
Rejoice, thou who bringest to pass what is ordained from on High;
Rejoice, thou who blessest marriages and family life;
Rejoice, thou who showest us where the Lord’s blessing lies;
Rejoice, Saint Ananias, Apostle and Bishop, defender of righteousness, happiness and peace!
Kontakion 1
To him who was a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, being one of the 70 Apostles sent by Him to preach the Gospel to the four corners of the earth, to whom God commanded to baptise Saul, that is, Saint Paul the Apostle, and who suffered a martyr’s death by stoning, We pray to Saint Ananias, Apostle and Bishop. And you, Saint Ananias, through the favour you hold before the Throne of the Holy Trinity, hear these words and grant our petitions for salvation, we who honour you: Rejoice, Saint Ananias, Apostle and Bishop, defender of righteousness, happiness and peace!
PRAYER:
Holy Apostle Ananias, you who obeyed God’s command and overcame the fear of death by going to meet the blind Saul and laying your hands upon him, restoring his sight, we pray that you may also lay your healing hands upon our eyes and heal our physical, mental and spiritual blindness. You, who plucked the dragon’s arrows like scales from the eyes of the most glorified Apostle Paul, who was also called Saul, pluck also from our hearts the thorns of mistrust, doubt, lack of love, helplessness and unbelief. Show us the truth, Saint Ananias, and plant it in our hearts, that we may no longer hesitate or shy away, but may find the courage and humility to ask for forgiveness, to seek reconciliation and to forgive.
Be the protector of those seeking marriage; defend them from cunning, exploitative and immoral people; grant them blessed marriages, abounding in fruit and joy, so that it may be known throughout the world that those who are Christians and pray to the Saints receive these things and even more than these. Help those who cannot see the good that lies before them to see it. Help those who cannot make up their minds to do so; and awaken those deluded by vain loves, love spells and other devilish schemes from the snares of blindness, so that they may realise they are walking a path of ruin and find within themselves the strength to rebuild their lives as God commands.
We pray that you may break the bonds forged by sorcerers, defend us from the temptations of separation and from spirits of strife, protect us and heal us from the poison of betrayal and contempt, lift the veil from our eyes, clear our minds so that we may see what lies before us as it truly is, not as the devil would have us see it, and intercede with the Lord Christ to grant us too the strength to follow Him wherever and whenever, without fear or hesitation, so that we may then be called citizens of the Kingdom of God, now and for ever and ever. Amen.
