Fr. Andrew’s Birthday
Happy Birthday and Happy Names Day to our Fr. Andrew! May God Grant You Many Many Years!
Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, was the first of the Apostles to follow Christ, and he later brought his own brother, the holy Apostle Peter, to Christ. Apostle Andrew worked with his brother as a fisherman. When the holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John began to preach, Saint Andrew became his closest disciple. Declaring Christ to be the Lamb of God, Saint John the Baptist himself sent to Christ his own two disciples, the future Apostles Andrew and John the Theologian.
After the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, Saint Andrew went to the Eastern lands preaching the Word of God. He went through Asia Minor, Thrace, Macedonia, he reached the River Danube, went along the coast of the Black Sea, through Crimea, the Black Sea region and along the River Dniepr he climbed to the place where the city of Kiev now stands. Through the prayers of the Apostle, the Lord worked miracles. By the labors of the holy Apostle Andrew, Christian Churches were established, for which he provided bishops and clergy.