Friday May 15, 2026 / May 2, 2026
Thou wast a pillar of Orthodoxy,/ strengthening the Church with divine dogmas, O sacred hierarch Athanasius;/ for, preaching the Son as consubstantial with the Father,/ thou didst put Arius to shame.// O venerable father, entreat Christ God, that He grant us great mercy.
Planting Orthodox doctrines,/ thou didst cut down the thorns of heresy,/ increasing the seed of the Faith with the rain of the Spirit, O venerable one;// wherefore, we hymn thee, O Athanasius.
Full of the fear of God, and enlightened by holy baptism, thou becamest a habitation of the Holy Spirit, O right-believing King Boris; and having established the Orthodox Faith in the land of Bulgaria, and set aside the scepter of kingship, thou madest thine abode in the wilderness, didst flourish in ascetic struggles, and found grace before the Lord. And now, standing before the throne of the Most High, pray thou, that He grant unto us who entreat thee salvation for our souls.
O chosen leader of God Most High, Who by the power of the Cross triumphed over the uprising of darkness and planted piety in thy land, as thou hast boldness before the Lord, by thy supplications preserve thy posterity, that we may cry to thee: Rejoice, O King Boris, equal of the apostles, baptizer of the land of Bulgaria!