August 2018

See August 2017 for- John the Baptist, Dormition of Theotokos, and Transfiguration

August 5th

St Nonna By Sparks for Orthodox Kids

Saint Nonna is best known as mother of Saint Gregory the Theologian. She was a Christian woman who married a pagan man. She prayed and worked hard to convince her husband to stop worshiping animals and follow the true God. She was rewarded with a faithful husband who eventually became bishop. She worked just as hard to raise her children in Christian virtues. Three of her children are recognized saints! When her children were adults and had moved away, Nonna got sick and refused to eat. She ate bread brought to her in a vision by her son Gregory. She believed the vision so strongly that he body got stronger.

August 28th

Abba Moses the Ethiopian by Sparks for Orthodox Kids

Please note that different traditions have widely different stories for him so I went with the OCA's version.

Moses was an angry man. He was a slave who ran away from his master and started a gang. People were terrified of this big strong man and his violent gang! After years of stealing, God brought Moses to a monastery to end his life of crime. Moses lived at the monastery for years in faithful obedience to the Abbot. 

One day robbers came to the monastery and where met by the big strong Moses. He tied all of them up, and dragged the to the Elders. The Elders said to show mercy and let them free. The robbers where shocked when their gang's old boss let them go. They saw God had changed Moses, and they decided to stay at the monastery. 

They followed Moses example, becoming monks and living faithful lives. It wasn't always easy, their sinful pasts bothered their consciences. They followed the advice of the Elders. Moses even gave himself extra chores. He lived a long life at the monastery, but in the end robbers killed him.

August 31st

St. Aidan of Lindisfarn by Sparks for Orthodox Kids

Aidan was an Irish monk who lived on a tiny island, Iona, off the coast of Ireland. The King Oswald wanted his people to convert to Christianity. The first Bishop sent to the region was a Briton who insisted on using the Roman Rites. Aidan defended the Celtic traditions and that bishop was sent away. Aidan helped build an Irish style monastery . It had wooden buildings and round houses, so it looked familiar and felt like part of the community. He ensured this monastery and local community would last into the future by educating the people. He started his school with twelve boys. He insisted on using English for the benefit of the people. This system was so successful that missionaries from his schools spread throughout Anglo-Saxon England!

Abbreviated from -  https://www.lindisfarne.org.uk/general/aidan.htm