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St. Gabriel the Archangel

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Along with Michael and Raphael , Gabriel is one of the three archangels mentioned by name in Holy Scripture. He is the only one featured in the Gospel stories, as it is Gabriel who shares the news with Mary that she will give birth to the Christ.  In the Eastern church, Gabriel gets two feast days dedicated solely to him (plus a third shared with the other angels). One of those is the day after the feast of the Annunciation.   Lifetime:  Eternity Region:  Heaven & Earth Patronages:  Communications; Messengers; Clerics; Diplomats Iconograpy:  Angel wings; Mirror reflecting X; Lilies; Trumpet Feast Day:  September 29 (with other Archangels) (Western); November 8 (with other Archangels) (Eastern); March 24 (Eastern); July 13 (Eastern) Since everything we know about Gabriel comes from the Gospel of Luke, I thought the best way to introduce him is to simply share those passages. Here Gabriel tells Zechariah that his wife is pregnant with John the Bapt...

St. John Chrysostom

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St. John Chrysostom was one of the most prolific writers of the early church, and one of the most influential speakers in his time. He is widely celebrated by Christians who venerate saints, but most especially by Byzantine Christians, who recognize him as one of the three holy hierarchs and celebrate him on three separate feast days. Lifetime:  ~347 to 407 Region:  Antioch (modern Turkey) Patronages:  Education; Epilepsy; Lecturers; Constantinople Iconograpy:  Bishop vestments; Gospel book; Dove Feast Day:  September 13 (Western); November 13 (Eastern) John was born in Antioch, and while it is unknown whether his parents were Christian, his father was a high-ranking officer in the military. His father died when John was still a baby, so he was raised by his mother. Using her influence, she had John tutored by a well-known pagan tutor who specialized in rhetoric and taught John how to speak and read Greek. John eventually became a lawyer, but at some point began...