Female Saints of the Orthodox Church
As the rest of the world celebrates International Women’s Day, the Orthodox Church (although often falsely accused of actively oppressing, if not at least passively diminishing, women) celebrates women on the second Sunday after Pascha, Sunday of Holy Myrrh-bearers. That being said, the lives of female saints (other than the Theotokos and a few select others) have not often been pro-actively discussed or advertised in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Canada, and the reality is that there are many, many female saints of the Church.
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List of Female Saints
Here is a list, albeit incomplete, of female saints and martyrs. Please use this list to learn more about the patron saints of the women around you, as there are many! If a name is not listed, there is a chance that the patron saint is the male version of the name. Also please note that there are often multiple saints for each name, on different days. Here only one saint is listed per name. Also note that this list is incomplete, so let us know if we missed your name!
A More Complete List
The Antiochian Orthodox Church in America has done an excellent job listing female saints throughout the year. Just note that they are on the new calendar, so you will have to count 13 days ahead. Thus if the feast day is Dec. 25, the old calendar feast will be Jan. 7. Here is the link of female saints.
Buy an Icon of your Patron Saint
Once you read about the life story of your patron saint, consider buying an icon to add to your home’s icon corner to help develop your relationship with the saint. Click here to see some icons of female saints.
The Role of Women in the Church
Here is an article written by His Grace, Bishop Nicholas of Brooklyn (Antiochian Orthodox Church).
(Female) Sermon: Women Saints: Their Lives and Example for Us Today
Saints Helen Augusta and Theodora the Armenian: Stewards of the Byzantine Heritage of the Orthodox Christian Faith
I am so honored to be speaking on the Sunday of Orthodoxy, the first Sunday of the season of Great Lent in our church. Reflecting upon the meaning that this day takes on, I thought the best place to start was the Holy Cross, the symbol of the Passion that we look towards for the whole of Great Lent…
Publications about Women of the Church
Again, while not widely known in the UOCC, there are quite a few publications discussing the important role of women in the Church: