Blessed Day Of St. Panteleimon (Yesterday)

O holy prize-winner and healer Panteleimon, intercede with our merciful God that He may grant to our souls the forgiveness of our sins.





I really love St. Panteleimon and his story. At Vespers on Wednesday they chanters kept reading that St. Panteleimon was rightly named. I looked the name up and it means "all-merciful." Shoot, he was rightly named. I found his story and thought I'd post it.

The name "Panteleimon" means "all-merciful". He was born in Nicomedia of a Christian mother and a pagan father and studied medicine as a young man. A priest, Hermolaus, discipled him in the faith and baptised him. The pagan doctors denounced Panteleimon as a Christian after he healed a blind man by calling on the Name of Christ. He was brought before Emperor Maximian, but it is said: "He stood before the earthly ruler in the body, but in his mind he stood before the heavenly King." He openly confessed to being a Christian and healed a paralytic right there in the court. The Emperor had him tortured repeatedly, but the Lord would always appear and heal him immediately. Then three others were put to death: St. Hermolaus, Hermippus & Hermocrates; and Panteleimon was to be next. So he knelt in prayer. The executioner tried to behead him with his sword, but it broke on the saint's neck as if made of wax. When Panteleimon was done his prayers, he gave the word to the executioner, who then beheaded him. An olive tree next to the spot became laden with fruit. St. Panteleimon's body remained uncorrupt. He reposed on July 27th, 304. His name is invoked at the blessings of water and of oil.