Why do Orthodox Christians pray to the Saints? 

Orthodox Christians pray through the saints by asking them to pray for us. The Orthodox understanding is that when we gather to celebrate the Liturgy we are also gathering with the whole Church — both the living and the dead. All the generations of Orthodox Christians that came before us are alive in Christ. Their personal presence is with us through the grace of God. Thus, just as it would make sense for us to ask friends & family to pray for us at times of distress and trial, so, too, is it natural for Orthodox Christians to ask the saints to pray for us.

This page’s drop-down link displays images on month-by-month pages of Christian Saints. Within each page the images denote the day each Saint is remembered. 

 The Saints are a continual prompt of what holiness means, reminding us of our pilgrim nature and the need to strive for what is best in human nature

The Saints are sent to us by God as so many sermons. It is they who move us and lead us   to where we had not expected to go. (Charles Journet 1891-1975)

The calendar of the Celtic Orthodox Church begins on the first Sunday of November after All Saints Day (November 1).  This choice reconciles two traditions, one linked to the Syrian Orthodox Church tradition, which begins the liturgical year on the first Sunday of November (after All Saints Day), and the other according to an ancient Western non-Roman custom.

The calendar presents the Saints of the Universal Church as well as the principal Saints who have illuminated the history of the Celtic Orthodox Church.

The Liturgical year opens before us as a permanent invitation to deepen our spirituality. The calendar answers, “present”, to the call to deepen our faith in Christ. The Sunday and feast-day readings are an inheritance of many centuries that belongs to our spiritual heritage.

The liturgical cycle was developed over a period of time and set up by our Fathers under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It is both a Divine and human work, providentially proposed to our generation, in order that we may rediscover our spiritual roots in a world that is becoming more and more de-christianised.

In this sense this calendar is prophetic for, drawing from ancient Western sources from before the Carolingian reforms, it is surprisingly suited to our times. This appears very clearly when we let ourselves be guided by the feasts that give rhythm to our daily life.

Experienced day by day, the Liturgical cycle of Christian history is a source of grace and strength throughout this year.

Although I have a comprehensive library of images I’ve created, unfortunately in the past I was pretty lacked about their sizing. So please bear with me whilst I amend them and upload them.