Question: “A 6-year-old girl died, she was baptized Svetlana. Is it really now allowed to baptize with one’s own name, and not with Photinia, as before?”

Answer: Questions related to the name at Baptism are asked quite often. The reason for this is some misunderstanding that exists among parishioners. There is an opinion that at Baptism a person is given some kind of “secret, church” name, which must be called only in the Church. Of course this is not true. In the Sacrament of Baptism there is the rite of naming, which the priest, in agreement with the parents, proclaims by laying his hand on the baby. The fact is that, according to the teachings of the Church, every Christian at his Baptism is approached by a guardian angel who is present next to him all his life. However, there is a pious tradition according to which if a baby bears the name of one of the saints of God, already glorified in holiness, then in addition to the guardian angel, he is also helped in life by a heavenly patron whose name he bears. It is important to understand that a baby is not baptized “in the name” of this or that saint. Baptism can only be performed in the name of the Most Holy Trinity, as the Savior commanded us: “Go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). The presence of a heavenly patron does not occur “automatically”; it is not a “mechanical act of witchcraft.” You must also turn to the saint whose name the baby bears, “get to know” him, read his life, find out by what feat he was glorified among the host of God’s saints. And be sure to prayerfully turn to him. Of course, saints are always ready to come to our aid, but the person must ask for it, say that he really needs help. To address the saints there are prayers, akathists, and the Canons to the saints are especially good. And of course, there must be an icon of our heavenly patron so that we know who we are addressing.

As for whether it is possible to give names at Baptism that are not in the Saints, there are no strict canonical conciliar prohibitions on this. However, in our opinion, is it really bad if a newly baptized baby has a heavenly patron, an intercessor to whom you can turn in difficult times for prayer help and advice. It is only important that this appeal really exists and is conscious. Therefore, in the Russian Church (precisely in the Russian, in other Orthodox Churches, say, in the Georgian, Serbian, Greek there is no such tradition), there is a centuries-old pious tradition of calling the newly baptized by the names that the holy saints bear. Therefore, at Baptism, priests usually follow this tradition.

Most often this question arises in connection with the Russian name “Svetlana”. In our opinion, there is some confusion here. The name "Photinya" (Photinia, Photina), Greek. Φωτεινή", is only a translation into Greek name Svetlana, or rather, on the contrary, the name “Svetlana” is a translation from Greek into Russian of the name Fotinha. We believe that this is the same name, just pronounced in different languages, but not different names. Church Tradition informs us that this was the name of the Samaritan woman with whom the Savior spoke at the well (John 4:4-42). Since ancient times, she was remembered as Photinia, then in the 19th century the name was translated and “Svetlana” appeared, but this is the same name. Now in publishing church calendars this discrepancy has been eliminated, and this is how it is indicated: “Fotina (Svetlana) Samaritan of Rome” or “Svetlana (Fotina, Fotinia) of Palestine.” Therefore, you can commemorate both with this and that; we repeat, this is the same name.

In general, indulging in excessive reasoning on the topic “how to remember correctly, how to write, where to put a period, etc.” we thereby express a latent distrust of God and our Holy Church. The Lord knows all our names, everything about us sinners, “even the hairs of your head are all numbered.” (Matthew 10:30), this is what the Savior says. Therefore, God bless all our Svetlanas, Photinias, Fotins, living and deceased!

Priest Mikhail Makarov

Svetlana (Svitlana) is one of the later Orthodox names. First mentioned in XIX literature century. A. Kh. Vostokov included it in one of his romances; a few years later, V. Zhukovsky picked up the baton, calling the ballad that way. However, the origin of the name goes back centuries.

Holy name days

The name Svetlana (according to church baptismal names Fotinia, Fatinia, Fotina) spread only in the 20th century. There is an opinion that Photinia became a derivative of the Muslim Fatima or Fatina. Svetlana's name day is celebrated three times:

On any of these days you can congratulate your beloved Sveta with a personalized card, give a small gift or arrange a surprise.

The name is of Slavic origin. There is an opinion that it comes from “svytlan”, “svetlan”, “svetlad” and literally means bright land. It is also interpreted as “the light of the Earth.” It could also mean a literal meaning: fair-haired, fair-skinned, or kind, open-minded.

Svetlana is a name that has long been used as an artistic image, or as the names of ships and other objects. The point is not the popularity of the name, but the fact that it was absent from the calendar. Orthodoxy did not include a name in the list for naming. In the 30s of the 20th century, the name began to be used to name babies. With the advent of the communists, they did not give much importance to the saints. Leader I. Stalin himself named his daughter Sveta.

In 1943, the name was included in the church calendar and began to be used at baptism. However, infants continued to be baptized with the name Photinia. The difference between names protects babies from evil and the evil eye. A baptized baby usually has two names.

The peak of popularity occurred in the 50s and 60s of the last century. During the years of the development of communism, the name took on an ideological character: the path to a “bright future.”

Other cultures also have names with similar meanings, e.g. Italian name Chiara, German - Clara, Italian - Lucia, Fiona of Celtic origin, Hebrew Liora, and in ancient Greek - Faina and Eulampia.

Character traits and fate

As you know, whatever you name a ship, that’s how it will sail. Naming affects what character a person will have. These are bright and easy personalities, with a difficult character. These are women with an authoritarian character who love and know how to lead others. However, she does not know how to control herself stressful situations, so her fate is complex and full of experiences.

She feels like a fish in water in a male team, but she has a hard time with women.

If we talk about personal life, it is always tragic. Svetlana does not know how to control her emotions, she is distrustful and suspicious of members of the opposite sex. Therefore, despite her natural beauty, it is difficult for her to build a happy family life. But the number of her fans is impressive.

She loves children very much. For Sveta, family is the center of the universe. This can be seen as in early age(she depends on her parents and relatives) and later (her family depends on her).

This is a hardworking person who takes on any job. She easily changes professions; the most suitable professions for her will be those with a creative core, for example, designer, musician, artist.

Today it is one of the common female names. Among the famous bearers of the name:

And this is far from full list genius owners of this name.

Saint Photina (Greek Photinia), a Samaritan by birth, a wife at first of a chaotic life and superstitious, and later a blessed holy ascetic and preacher of the true faith.

The Gospel tells us how one day the Lord Jesus Christ came to a city in Samaria called Sychar, where there was a well given by Jacob to his son Joseph and his descendants. Tired from the road, the Lord providentially sat down to rest at the well while His disciples went into the city to buy food. At this time, a certain woman came from the city to fetch water. The Lord asked her to give Him something to drink. The woman was surprised by the request, since the Jews never communicated with the Samaritans.

Jesus said to her: “If you knew who is speaking to you, you yourself would ask Him for a drink, and He would give you living water.” The Samaritan woman was even more surprised: where could Jesus give living water without even having a drawer?

The Lord answered her that drinking water from the well they will thirst again, and the water that He gives will become a fountain of eternal life. By living water the Lord meant His life-giving teaching, leading to eternal bliss in the Kingdom of God.

The Lord, knowing that the Samaritan woman was cohabiting with a certain husband secretly, in sin, but had an ardent faith in God and a firm expectation of the coming of the Messiah, gradually revealed to her that He, speaking to her, was the expected Christ.

The Gospel does not tell us the name of the Samaritan woman, but the Tradition of the Church has preserved it, and we call her in Greek - Photinia, in Russian - Svetlana, in Celtic languages ​​- Fiona, in others Western languages- Claire. And all these names tell us about one thing: about light. Having met the Lord Jesus Christ, she became a light in a shining world, a light that enlightened those who met her.

The blessed Samaritan woman herself, who was honored to talk with the Lord, suffered for Christ along with her sons and sisters during the persecution of Christians instituted by the Roman Emperor Nero. This fierce persecution lasted from 65 to 68, and during it the holy apostles Peter and Paul suffered in Rome, and the tormentors then began to look for all their followers. At this time, Saint Photina lived in the city of Carthage (now the city of Tunisia), where she and her youngest son Josiah fearlessly preached the Gospel. Meanwhile, the eldest son of Photina, named Victor, fought courageously in the war that the barbarians were waging against the Romans at that time, and at the end of the war, by order of the emperor, he was appointed commander of the troops in the city of Attalia in order to subject the Christians who were there to torture. When the ruler of the city, Sebastian, found out about this, he said to Victor:

Voivode, I know for certain that you are a Christian and that your mother and your brother Josiah are followers of Peter, and therefore you will not fulfill what the emperor commanded you for fear of destroying your soul.

“I am burning with the desire to fulfill the will of the heavenly and immortal King, Christ our God,” Victor answered this, “and I neglect Nero’s command to torture Christians.

Then Sebastian said to Victor:

As a sincere friend, I advise you: submit to the will of the emperor. After all, if you begin to fulfill the royal command with due diligence and subject the Christians whom you manage to find to judicial interrogation and torture, then you will do what is pleasing to the emperor and you will acquire the property that belongs to them, and inform your mother and brother in a letter so that they do not They walked so openly and did not incline the pagans to renounce their fatherly beliefs, but let them secretly confess faith in Christ your God, if they wish that because of them you would not suffer the same torment with them.

“I will never do this,” Victor answered, “and not only will I not do it, but I don’t even want to think about subjecting Christians to torture or forcibly taking anything from them or advising my mother and brother not to preach that Christ There is true God, but I myself with all my soul want to be a preacher of Christ and will be one just like them.

To this Sebastian said to him:

Oh, Victor! We all know well what disasters await you, your mother and brother.

After these words, Sebastian’s face suddenly flared up, and he fell to the ground from acute and severe pain in his eyes, and completely lost the ability to speak. The servants who were present picked him up and laid him on the bed, and he lay there for three days without saying a single word. And after three days he cried out with a loud voice and said:

One Christian God there is true God, one Christian faith is true faith and one is baptism - baptism in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. There is no other true faith except the Christian faith.

Entering Sebastian, Victor asked him:

Why did such a change occur in you so suddenly?

“My dear Victor,” answered Sebastian, “your Christ is calling me to Himself.”

Victor instructed him in the faith, and he accepted holy baptism. Coming out of the font, he suddenly received his sight and glorified God.

Soon after this, a rumor reached Nero that Victor, the commander of the troops in Attalia and the ruler of this city, Sebastian, professed the faith of Peter and Paul and attracted everyone to themselves, convincing them to follow their preaching, and also that the same The mother of Victor Photina and her son Josiah, sent to Carthage by the Apostles, also do this. Having learned about this, the emperor was inflamed with anger and sent soldiers to Attalia so that they would bring the Christian men and women who were in this city to him for judgment. At this time, Christ appeared to the Attalian Christians and said to them: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). I will be with you, and Nero will be defeated, and also those who are with him.”

To Victor He said:

From this day on, Photinus will be your name, since many, enlightened by you, will turn to Me.

Christ strengthened Sebastian for the coming suffering with these words:

Blessed is the one who completes his feat to the end.

The Lord said these words and ascended to heaven.

Saint Photina was also notified by Christ of the suffering awaiting her and immediately, accompanied by many Christians, she set off from Carthage to Rome. When she entered Rome, the whole city began to move, and everyone said: “Who is this?” She fearlessly preached the Gospel of Christ. Meanwhile, her son Photina, who formerly bore the name of Victor, was brought to Rome, along with Sebastian and the soldiers taken with them, but Saint Photina warned Victor, having appeared before Nero with her son Josiah and the Christians who had come with her from Carthage. Nero asked the saint:

Why did you come to us?

“In order,” answered Fotina, “to teach you to honor Christ.”

At this time those who were with the emperor said to him:

Mayor Sebastian and governor Victor, who do not believe in gods, came from Attalia.

Let them bring them to me,” Nero commanded. And when they were brought, he asked them:

Is it true what I heard about you?

“Everything that you have heard about us, king,” they answered, “is the true truth.”

Then Nero, turning to the holy women, asked them:

Do you agree to renounce your Christ or do you want to die for Him?

O king! - answered the holy women, turning their gaze to heaven, - it will never happen that we renounce faith in Christ and the love that we have for Him.

What are your names? - asked the emperor.

“I,” answered Saint Photina, “from Christ, my God, received the name Photina, but my sisters are called like this: the first, born after me, is Anastasia, the second

Photo, the third is Photida, the fourth is Paraskeva, and the fifth is Kyriacia, and the names of my sons are as follows: the name of the eldest, who was named Photinus by my Lord, is Victor, and the youngest is Josiah.

So, do you all, - Nero said to this, - agree to undergo torture and die for the Nazarene Christ?

All of us, answered Saint Photina, are ready to die for Him with joy and joy and we all desire this.

Then the emperor ordered the hands of the holy martyrs to be crushed on an anvil. But during the torture, the confessors did not feel pain, and the hands of the martyr Photinia remained unharmed: the tormentors, who chopped off her hands with axes, changed many times and, having no success, fell exhausted, as if dead, and the holy martyr, remaining unharmed by the grace of Christ, She prayed and said: “The Lord is for me - I will not be afraid: what will man do to me?” (Psalm 117:6). After this, Nero began to be at a loss, thinking about what other torment to subject the saints to and, finally, Nero ordered Saints Sebastian, Photinus and Josiah to be blinded and imprisoned, and Saint Photinia with her five sisters - Anastasia, Photo, Photida, Paraskeva and Kyriacia - to be sent to the imperial palace under the supervision of Nero's daughter Domnina. But Saint Photinia converted Domnina and all her slaves to Christ, who accepted holy baptism, and also converted the sorcerer to Christ, to whom he once brought a tincture of poisonous herb for her and her sisters to drink, after which she endured many torments.

When three years had passed after this, Nero once ordered the release of one of his servants, who was among his courtiers, who, by his command, was imprisoned, and those sent for this, seeing the holy martyrs Sebastian, Photinus and Josiah in prison in a healthy state, reported to the emperor , that the blinded Galileans see and are completely healthy, that the prison itself is light, filled with an abundant fragrance and from a place of confinement has become a place for glorifying God and a holy house, that the saints have great wealth in prison, that people gather to them and, having believed in God them, receives baptism from them. Hearing this, Nero was horrified and ordered the saints to be crucified upside down and beaten on their naked bodies with belts for three days. On the fourth day, the emperor sent servants to see if the martyrs were alive. But when they arrived at the place of torture, the messengers immediately became blind. At this time, the Angel of the Lord freed the martyrs and healed them. The saints took pity on the blind servants and, with their prayers to the Lord, restored their sight. Those who received their sight believed in Christ and were soon baptized.

Having believed, they were baptized in the name of Christ our God and became followers of the saints. The wicked Nero, having learned about this, became very angry and ordered the skin to be torn off from Saint Photina. And while the tormentors were carrying out this royal order, the holy martyr sang: “Lord! You have tested me and you know. You know when I sit down and when I get up; You understand my thoughts from afar” (Psalm 139:1, 2).

They skinned Saint Photina and threw her into a well. After this, they grabbed Sebastian, Photinus and Josiah, cut off their popliteal bones and threw them along with their knees to the dogs, and then tore off their skin and, by order of the emperor, threw them into a dilapidated stone building. After this, Nero ordered the five sisters of Photina to be brought to him, and ordered their nipples to be cut off, and then their skin to be torn off. When the tormentors approached Saint Photis for this, she did not want any of them to carry out this torture on her, as they did on other holy wives, but, standing in the place of torture, she courageously tore off her skin and threw it in her face. Nero, so that he himself was amazed at her courage and patience. Then the torturer came up with a new, extremely cruel and deadly torment for Saint Photis. At his command, two trees were bent towards each other in his garden and tied to their tops by the feet of Photis, after which the trees were released, and the holy martyr was torn apart by them. So she gave up her righteous and blessed soul to God. After this, the wicked Nero ordered all the other holy martyrs to cut off their heads with the sword, and Saint Photina, taken out of the well, was imprisoned, where she remained for twenty days. Having then ordered her to be brought to him, Nero asked her if she would now submit to him and, having repented of her stubbornness, would not make sacrifices to idols. Then Saint Photina spat in his face and, laughing at his madness and stupid mind, said:

O most wicked blind, deluded and insane man! Do you really consider me so unreasonable that I would agree to renounce my Lord Christ and sacrifice to blind idols like you!?

Hearing such words, Nero ordered Saint Photina to be thrown into the well again. And when this was accomplished, the holy martyr gave up her soul to God and, wearing a martyr’s crown, eternally rejoices in the Kingdom of Heaven along with all who suffered with her.

The Holy Martyr Photinia is revered by our people as a healer of fever. In many villages and cities of our homeland, prayers are served for those who suffer from this disease. It is not uncommon for patients to make a vow to paint or purchase an icon of the Holy Martyr Photinia.

It is very difficult to determine why Saint Photinia is the healer of this severe disease, but the legend says that Saint Photinia healed the governor Sebastian of some illness, during which he: “His face burned and fell to the ground from the potion of a great and fierce illness.” Maybe it was a fever.

However, the people could also attach importance to the fact that the Savior spoke with the Samaritan woman at the well, and thanks to this, Saint Photinia could, in the opinion of the people, receive from the Lord power and strength over all water element, in which, according to popular views, this terrible disease nests.

The Church of the Holy Martyr Photinia (Svetlana) is located in one of the most picturesque places in the Dnepropetrovsk region on the banks of the Dnieper at the famous Dnieper rapids, in the village of Dibrova, Sinelnikovsky district. It is no coincidence that this village bears this name. Even before the construction of the Zaporozhye hydroelectric power station, an oak grove (oak grove) grew on the banks of the Dnieper and people called this place “paradise on earth.” In this church there is an icon of the Holy Martyr Photinia with a piece of her relics, at which a prayer for health is constantly served (every Wednesday of the week) with the blessing of Metropolitan Irenaeus of Dnepropetrovsk and Pavlograd. Also in our church there is kept a particle from the relics of St. Lawrence of Chernigov, the wonderworker.

The Samaritan woman did not come to the well for spiritual reasons: she simply came, as she came every day, to draw water, and met Christ. Each of us can meet Christ at every step of life, for example, when we are busy with everyday affairs, we need our heart to be set correctly if we are ready to meet Christ, accept the blessing, hear - and ask questions. The Samaritan woman asked Christ questions: and what she heard in response was so superior to her questions that she recognized Him as a prophet, and then recognized Him as Christ, the Savior of the world. This is what the Samaritan woman teaches us all: so that at every moment of our life, during the simplest activities, we should be so open as to accept the Divine word, to be purified by His purity, to be enlightened by the Divine light and to accept Him into the depths of our hearts, to accept the God of all our life, so that people seeing who we have become can see that Light has come into the world. Let us pray to the Samaritan woman that she would teach us, lead us by the hand to Christ, as she herself came to Him, and serve Him, as she served him, becoming salvation for everyone who was around her.

Records found: 14

Hello, please tell me, I want to morning prayer to pray for my grandmother, but she was unbaptized, what is the correct way to mention her, like Svetlana or Fotinia? Thank you in advance.

Maria

Hello Maria. You can call the name with which she lived - Svetlana. And in churches they do not always require that Svetlana be called Photinia. The meaning of these names is the same. God bless you.

Priest Sergius Osipov

Hello! My name is Svetlana, and I was baptized (according to my mother) by Faina. Under this name, I have always prayed, confessed, received communion in church, and even got married for 40 years. And so I find out from people working in the church that I should have been called Photinia at baptism. According to Orthodoxy, Svetlana is Photinia. And my mother says that she doesn’t remember exactly what name I was baptized with, Faina or Fotinia. He says that maybe I was Photinia. Like this. What should I do? Relatives now do not know what name to give for their health. But the most important thing is that I am married to my husband like Faina. Maybe I should continue to be Faina, or not? Help me!

Svetlana

Dear Svetlana, don’t worry, the sacraments are performed not on a name, but on a person. Therefore, there is nothing terrible in the fact that you, being sure that you received the name Faina, were called that, and not Photinia. Neither communion nor wedding can become imperfect from this. The name Svetlana actually corresponds to Fotinia. Most likely, they were baptized with this name, and you can try to write a letter to that church with a request to check in the archive, maybe there is a record (for this you need the exact date indicate). If you have become associated with the name Faina, then you can continue to be called that way and honor this saint as your heavenly patroness. Undoubtedly, she is praying for you. God bless you.

Priest Sergius Osipov

Good afternoon Please tell me why Svetlana was previously baptized with the name Photinia, but now she is called Svetlana? What name to say before communion? Thank you in advance.

Natalia

Natalia, Svetlana and Fotinia are the same name, and there is no need to separate them. If you were baptized with the name Svetlana, then you should call her that during communion.

Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)

Hello! please tell me if it is possible to name a child with a name that is not in Orthodox Church? And how to baptize? For example, Snezhana?

Proina

It is better to immediately give the baby the name of the saint so that there is no confusion later. The name given at baptism will be called in church when performing the sacraments, with it you will pray for your daughter in church and at home. In principle, it is possible to name a child by a name not contained in the calendar, but this will be associated with certain problems in the future. It often happens that people come to church to pray for someone, but cannot name the name given to this person at baptism. If the name you have chosen is not in the calendar, then at baptism you need to choose at least a consonant or most often used name of the saint (for example, Svetlana - Fotinia, Yana - Ioanna, Oksana - Ksenia). To be honest, I find it difficult to say with what name the name Snezhan can be compared.

Priest Vladimir Shlykov

There are times when you really want to thank your Guardian Angel and light a candle to the icon. But not all churches have it. The women selling candles said that the icon of All Saints should be placed. I would like to clarify with you whether this is true? You can find a lot of different information on the Internet, which is why doubts arose.

Svetlana

Hello Svetlana. The heavenly patron is the holy saint of God, whose name we bear. You, this is the martyr Photinia, her image probably is in your home, and in many churches, in any case, on the Menaion icon for March, and the icon of all saints. The Guardian Angel is also depicted on icons, in the form of a winged youth, and they are found in churches. We offer prayers to our saint and angel every day. We ask for their help and intercession. There is a good tradition, during home prayers, to light a candle or lamp in front of icons.

Priest Alexander Beloslyudov

Good afternoon. Tell me, if I want to mention the names of some people in my morning prayer, but I don’t know what names they were given at baptism, and for some it is unknown whether they were baptized at all, then can I call them as they are written in the passport? For example, Yuri, Svetlana. I know what these names correspond to church names George and Photinia, but suddenly they were baptized in the name of another saint or were not baptized at all (there is no way to find out from them themselves). Will such a prayer with the pronunciation of their worldly names be counted for them? Save me, God!

Irina

Yes, Irina, you can remember it that way. Pray for these people, and may God help you!

Hegumen Nikon (Golovko)

Hello! I am 28 years old. I decided to fast for the first time. I read a lot of literature about this. Questions have arisen to which I either cannot find an answer, or the opinions of the priests are divided. Help me figure it out, please! 1. Is tea or coffee a dry food? 2. Is it possible to read the gospel printed on a computer, or is it necessary to buy a book in the temple? 3. I don’t know what name I was baptized with. I was baptized in infancy by my aunt, my mother’s sister (there is no way to ask her about this). Apart from her, none of the relatives attended the Sacrament. Mom says that at Baptism they named her Svetlana, and the candle makers in the church said that there is no Saint Svetlana, there is Photinia. And everyone who is called Svetlana is baptized with Photinia. Is it true? And when is my Angel Day? Born on November 27, 1984.

Svetlana

Svetlana, dry eating is when you eat uncooked food and use juicy vegetables or fruits to replenish your water supply. But, due to weakness, of course, you can drink water or another drink that does not excite nervous system and does not feed guttural rage ( taste sensations). But I immediately have a counter question for you and even some concern: Are you going to start your fast with dry eating? You should not do this, especially since you are fasting for the first time. I would very strongly recommend that you discuss how you should fast with the priest in the temple, otherwise excessive fasting will lead to pride and even greater spiritual damage, and not to humility and benefit. Regarding the second question, I think that it is better to purchase the Gospel, but until you do this, you can start reading from a computer printout. As for the third question, your heavenly patroness- Venerable Svetlana (Photina, Fotinia) of Palestine, her memory is celebrated on February 28 according to the new style. Photinia and Svetlana are the same name, only the first version is in Greek, and the second is in Russian.

Hegumen Nikon (Golovko)

Hello! In the canon for Holy Communion, almost at the end, but before the prayers, it is written that one must read “It is worthy to eat. The Trisagion. According to Our Father.” - How is that? The Father and the Trisagion are understandable, but how is “It is worthy to eat” read, what kind of prayer is this? How can I not do what I don’t want, especially since I was warned that I shouldn’t do this, but before that I for some reason promised the person to do this (to come visit), since they constantly invite me, but I know this person few. How not to offend and at the same time not harm yourself, or which one to choose? Please pray for R. b. Photinia and Galina. Thank you.

Photinia

Dear Photinia, in liturgical books the order of prayers is given in an abbreviated form, but the prayer must be read in full; if it is written “It is worthy to eat...”, then the prayer must be read in its entirety. If you are invited somewhere, but your soul opposes it, then you should find a plausible excuse for refusing, so as not to offend people, but to stay at home. Photinia (Svetlana) is translated as luminous, do not dim your thoughts and feelings, everything else will follow.

Priest Alexander Babushkin

Hello, father! This was more than 10 years ago. I was friends with one wonderful girl Oksana, she is a very bright person. She brought me her silver earrings and ring, which she loved, and asked me to sell them to someone for 300 rubles. And Oksana herself went to serve in a monastery. I couldn’t sell them (in general, I have no sales experience); life was very difficult for us back then. Time has passed. I forgot about the headset. Then I saw it, my soul felt warm - I put it on myself. And when I was wearing it, our apartment was robbed (I accidentally didn’t come to dinner then, otherwise I would have found them in the apartment). I went to church, brought a set, but they didn’t take it from me - I donated 1000 rubles for the restoration of the temple in the name of this debt. And my husband tells me that Oksana left me this set as a memory. Maybe find her (we have moved far away now, but I would make an effort), but why would I embarrass her in the ministry? I ask for your advice on what I should do. Thank you, father.

Svetlana (Photinia)

Dear Svetlana, your concern should be, first of all, about your soul, about salvation. Keep your jewelry as a memory of Oksana, and try to become a good Christian while living in a family. God bless you!

Archpriest Andrey Efanov

Hello, father! My name is Svetlana, in churches when ordering services they always wrote down as Svetlana, sometimes as Fotinha (they said that Christian name Svetlana does not exist). And recently I found the calendar of one of my late grandmothers and saw that she wrote me down as Anna. Attempts to find out the truth led nowhere - they baptized me in early childhood, I don’t remember anything myself, the baptism took place in a remote village near Smolensk (that is, far from the place where I live now), and none of the witnesses to this baptism were alive. The problem is that my second grandmother baptized me, and she did not personally know the one whose saints I found, never saw each other, and they did not communicate with each other, so there is no certainty that it was Anna who baptized me. What to do in such a situation? As far as I know, there is no re-baptism in Orthodoxy. Under what name should I request and order services? Thank you!

Svetlana

Hello Svetlana.
There is no re-baptism, but if there is doubt that baptism has taken place, baptism is performed with the proviso: “If you are not baptized, you are baptized...”
If it is known for sure that baptism has been completed, but doubt about the name remains, then it is more likely that your name is still Svetlana-Photinia. Maybe that grandmother, with whom she had little relationship, was mistaken.
You can, of course, contact that church, maybe they still have records of your baptism. But they may not exist if they were baptized in Soviet time and "underground".
In any case, the Lord knows you personally, and no matter with what name you approach the Sacraments, with the one with which you were baptized, or with the one erroneously assigned to you, they will be performed on you.
God help you.

Priest Sergius Osipov

My mother Tatiana is 71 years old. She is very sick. Stomach ulcer, gastritis, osteoporosis, cholecystitis, pancreatitis, arthrosis, arthritis, osteochondrosis, ischemic disease heart, blood pressure jumps, kidneys hurt. Approaching Lent. What should she do? Is some relief possible? She can't live without dairy at all. Or, based on her state of health, can she not fast? And further. She is embarrassed that due to pain in her joints and back, she cannot Lately visit the temple. Prayer Rules performs at home. But it seems to her that she has thus abandoned God. How can I explain to her that this is not so? I ask you, give an explanation: is not going to church due to illness a sin?

Photinia

Sin is a violation of one or another of God’s commandments, a violation of God’s will for man in general and in particular. If a person does not go to church not because he does not want to, but because of illness, then what kind of sin can we talk about here? In such cases, the Church itself comes to the person, to the home, in the person of a priest, who administers unction and communion to the sick person. Therefore, Svetlana, the first thing you need to do is invite a priest. Well, it goes without saying that the rules on lean food do not apply to the patient. The post is generally established for healthy people in normal life situation. Therefore, for travelers, for example, there is also a relaxation. And there is no question of, for example, soldiers fasting during the war. Or prisoners. We need to approach everything with reasoning, understanding the meaning of what we are doing, and not slavishly following the letter of this or that rule in order to fulfill a formality that we do not understand.

Priest Konstantin Kravtsov

Thank you very much, father, for the very clearly presented answers to questions that have been tormenting me for a long time (almost all the questions that previously raised doubts or were simply of interest were voiced here by other sufferers). I've been reading without stopping for several days now. God bless and bless you.

Svetlana (Photinia)

Hello! Please tell me who is mine heavenly patron? My name is Svetlana, born on May 22.

Svetlana

The name Svetlana is the Greek equivalent of the name Photinia. As a rule, each baptized person is given one or another name in honor of a saint or saint whose memorial day (or which) falls after the birthday of the person being baptized. In your case, the next day of remembrance of the saint with the name Photinia falls only on February 13, old style / February 26, new style. On this day is the day of remembrance of the saint Venerable Photinia, which is your heavenly patron. This is what it says short life: “From the age of 18, the Monk Martinian settled in the desert, near the city of Caesarea in Palestine, where he spent 25 years in ascetic labors and silence, receiving the grace-filled gift of healing diseases. However, the enemy did not leave the hermit, bringing various temptations upon him. One day a harlot woman bet with depraved people that she would seduce Saint Martinian, the fame of whose virtuous life spread throughout the city. She came to him at night hour under the guise of a wanderer, asking for an overnight stay. The saint let her in because the weather was stormy. But the crafty guest changed into expensive clothes and began to seduce the ascetic. Then the saint left his cell, lit a fire and stood barefoot on the burning coals. He said to himself: “It is difficult for you, Martinian, to endure this temporary fire, how will you endure the eternal fire prepared for you by the devil?” The woman, struck by this spectacle, repented and asked the saint to guide her on the path of salvation. On his instructions, she went to Bethlehem, to the monastery of St. Paul, where she lived in strict labors for 12 years until her blessed death. The woman's name was Zoya. Having been healed of his burns, Saint Martinian withdrew to an uninhabited rocky island and lived in the open air for several years, eating food that a shipowner brought him from time to time, and the monk wove baskets for him. Once, during a strong storm, a ship crashed and to the island where Saint Martinian was fleeing, the waves brought a maiden named Photinia on the wreckage of the ship. Saint Martinian helped her get to the island. “Stay here,” he told her, “here is bread and water, and in two months the shipman will arrive,” and he rushed into the sea and swam. Two dolphins carried him to land. From then on, Blessed Martinian began to lead the life of a wanderer. This went on for two years. One day, having come to Athens, the saint fell ill and, feeling the approach of death, entered the temple, lay down on the floor, called the bishop and asked for his body to be buried. This happened around 422. The blessed maiden Photinia remained to live on the island, where she spent 6 years in solitude, and then gave her soul to God. Her death was discovered by the same shipman, who brought her, like the Monk Martinian, food. He transported the body of Blessed Photinia to Caesarea in Palestine, where it was buried with honor by the bishop and clergy. The memory of Saints Zoe and Photinia is celebrated on the same day.”

Lives of Saints Martinian, Zoe and Photinia (Svetlana)

From the age of 18, the venerable Mar-ti-ni-an lived in the desert, near the city of Ke-sa-ria Pa-le-stin-skaya, where about -was in motion and silently for 25 years, having been blessed with the blessing of curing the disease. However, the enemy did not leave the enemy, launching various personal attacks on him. Once upon a time, a woman had an argument with depraved people who were seducing the holy Marty. no, the fame of a good life has spread throughout the city. She came to him at night under the guise of a stranger, asking for the night. The saint let her in because the year was stormy. But then the sweet guest changed into nice clothes and began to seduce the movement. Then the saint came out of the cell, lit a fire and stood barefoot on the flaming coals. At the same time, he said to himself: “It’s hard for you, Mar-ti-ni-an, to endure this temporary fire, how will you endure it forever?” what kind of fire did you have in mind?" The woman, captivated by this sight, became excited and asked the saint to put her on the path to salvation. nia. At his direction, she went to Beth-le-em, to the monastery of St. Paul, where she lived in strict 12 years until his blessed death. The woman's name was Zoya.

Having suffered from burns, Saint Mar-ti-ni-an fled to an uninhabited rocky island and lived under the covered by the sky for several years, eating food that a ship's worker brought him from time to time, and he wove baskets for him in a special way.

Once upon a time, during a strong storm, a ship crashed, and to the island where Saint Mar-ti-ni-an was sleeping, -we brought a de-vi-tsu named Fo-ti-niya to the scrapyard. Saint Mar-ti-ni-an helped her get to the island. “Stay here,” he told her, “here’s bread and water, and in two months the ship’s man will come,” and the bro- I pushed myself into the sea and swam. Two del-fi-na you carried him to land. Since then, the blessed Mar-ti-ni-an began to lead the life of the countries. This continued for two years. One day, having arrived in Athens, the saint fell ill and, sensing the approach of his death, entered the temple, lay down on the floor, he called the bishop and asked him to offer his body for burial. This happened around 422.

The blessed girl Fo-ti-niya stayed to live on the island, where she spent 6 years in solitude, and then from la God-gu do-shu. Con-chi-well, it was opened by the same ship-builder, who greeted her, just like the most kindly Mar-ti-ni-a-nu, pi-shu. He transported the body of the blessed Fo-ti-nii to Ke-sa-ria Pa-le-stin-skaya, where it was honorably well-needed but episcopal and clergy. The memory of the dear Zoya and Fo-ti-nii is celebrated on the same day.

See also: "" in the text of St. Di-mit-ria of Ro-stov.