www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology St Mark of Ephesus

Dear Friends,

We have spoken about the veneration of St Gregory Palamas and of St Photios the Equal to the Apostles.

What about the third "Pillar of Orthodoxy," St Mark of Ephesus?

Are there impediments to his public liturgical veneration in Eastern Catholic churches?

Does anyone know of his public liturgical commemoration in any Eastern Catholic Churches?

Alex

Dear Alex,

That is an excellent question. I may try to contact someone in the Italo-Albanian Exarchate of Lungro (Calabria, Italy) to see if they commemorate him.

In Christ

He is only 'just' commemorated as January 19th is given over in the first place to the commemoration of Macarius the Great. He also shares the day with Macarius of Alexandria, Euphrasia of Nicomedia, Anthony Stylite of Martq'ophi (Georgia), Arsenius of Kerkyra, Macarius of the Kiev Caves, Macarius deacon of the Kiev Caves, Theodore of Novgorod (Fool for Christ), and others.

He was remembered here. There is no prohibition that I have ever heard of, or seen anywhere.

Forgive me, Holy Father Elias, and bless!

You mean that the Ruthenian Church has St Mark of Ephesus in its Calendar?

By "here," do you mean the Ruthenian Church or your parish?

I know he was expunged from the Russian Calendar that the Vatican approved for the newly formed Russian Catholic Orthodox Church in 1904.

But then again, Rome did expunge "St Pontius Pilate" from the Ethiopian Catholic Calendar.

I sometimes wonder what we are doing in communion with Rome - don't you?

Alex