The Church commemorates Saint James, a bishop and confessor; Saint Cyril, a bishop known for his miracles; Saint Thomas, a patriarch who foresaw tribulations; and Saint Serapion, a desert abbot and companion of Saint Anthony the Great.

Saint Serapion, who lived around 366 AD, was a companion of St. Anthony the Great and abbot of the Antiochian monasteries in the Nitrian desert, which housed about eleven thousand monks. He emphasized the severity of sin over disease, stating that “Disease follows us only to the grave, and sin remains with the sinner even after that.”

Saint Thomas, Patriarch of Constantinople, lived during the time of Emperors Maurice and Phocas. Before being elected patriarch after the death of Cyriacus, he served as sakellarios (deputy) of the Patriarchate under Saint John the Faster. He witnessed a miraculous event where crosses swayed and hit each other, which Saint Theodore of Sykeon interpreted as a sign of great troubles for the Church and the Greek kingdom due to political and religious discord. Saint Thomas died in 610 AD, soon after Saint Theodore, after praying to be spared from these calamities.

Saint Cyril, Bishop of Catania in Sicily, was a native of Antioch and a disciple of the Apostle Peter. He was known for his gift of miracle-working through prayer, and once turned bitter water into potable water during a drought. He reposed peacefully after governing Christ’s flock well.

Saint James, Bishop and Confessor, is commemorated for his ascetic life, constant prayer, and steadfastness against the iconoclasts during the time of Copronymus. He endured hunger, imprisonment, and mockery for his faith before giving his soul to God in the 7th century. The location of his birth and episcopacy remain unknown.