Place us under the protection of your veil Theotokos
Like all those caves, grottos, and underground churches
Which heard all the prayers and pleas
Of men and women
Seeking an end to their suffering and the
Renewing of a life lived in
Faith
Hope
Love and the
Joy that lasts for all eternity.
Above is an icon of the Holy Protection of the Theotokos. This feast commemorates the appearance of the most holy Theotokos in the Church of Blachernae in Constantinople in the tenth century, as recorded in the life of Saint Andrew the Fool for Christ's sake. While the multitudes of the faithful were gathered in church, Epiphanius, the friend of Saint Andrew, through the Saint's prayers, beheld the Virgin Mary above the faithful and spreading out her veil over them, signifying her unceasing protection of all Christians. Because of this we keep a yearly feast of gratitude, imploring our Lady never to cease sheltering us in her mighty prayers.
The Feast is celebrated on October 1 (October 14 on the Julian Calendar). In the 1950s, the Church of Greece began to observe the Feast on October 28.
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