Holy Apostle Andrew the First Called

Kontakion 1

Standing in spirit upon the summit of the hill whereon his right hand raised up a cross, with hymns let us praise the most glorious Andrew, the first-called apostle of Christ, the preacher of the holy Gospel, the divinely inspired enlightener of the Russian land; and to him, as the first of the followers of the Church, the first of all to follow after Christ, let us cry out in compunction:

Rejoice, O Andrew, first-called apostle of Christ!

Ikos 1

An angelic herald of Christ, the Lamb Who takes away the sins of the world, were you, O apostle Andrew, and you abide with Him forever in Heaven. Wherefore, look upon the hymns offered to you here, and in that you are rich in the grace of God, grant us goodly discourse, that we may cry out to You:

Rejoice, morning star which has shone forth upon us from the city of Bethsaida;
Rejoice, brother of the preeminent Peter and equal to him in honor!
Rejoice, disciple of the great Forerunner of Christ;
Rejoice, you who, first among the apostles, were called to the apostolic ministry by the Lord Himself
Rejoice, for you cried out to the others with joy: Come, we have found the longed-for Messiah:
Rejoice, for you lead us also to Him!
Rejoice, you who zealously spread the glad tidings of Christ among the nations;
Rejoice, you who willingly gave yourself over to torments and crucifixion for His sake!
Rejoice, O Andrew, first-called apostle of Christ!

Kontakion 2

“Master, where do You dwell?” you asked the Savior of our souls, O Andrew; and having abode with Him one day, all the days of your life you loved the Messiah Whom you had found, and brought your eldest brother to Him. Wherefore, never cease to draw us, your younger brethren, to Him also, that, following in your steps, we may cry out with you to God: Alleluia!

Ikos 2

Perceiving in you the flame of faith and love, O holy Andrew, the Lord found you with your brother again on the Lake of Gennesaret as a fisherman, casting your net into the deep; and He said to you: “Come after Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” And straightway you followed Him, and with the divinely inspired Word, as with a net, for Christ you fished for men; and with them we who have been ensnared by you unto salvation cry out to you:

Rejoice, for you were taught the skill of spiritual fishing by the Lord Himself;
Rejoice, for, tempest-tossed with the other disciples on the same lake, you were saved by faith in the Lord Who rebuked the wind and sea!
Rejoice, you who acquired great faith when you saw the most wondrous feeding of the five thousand with five loaves of bread;
Rejoice, you received as a gift from the Lord the ability to heal every infirmity and sickness!
Rejoice, for a voice from heaven was heard because of the Greeks who were brought by you to see Christ;
Rejoice, for on the Mount of Olives things to come at the end of the world were revealed to you!
Rejoice, for like a star in the constellation of the apostles you shine celestial effulgence upon us;
Rejoice, for you were like a comet traversing the heavens, shedding rays of grace divine!
Rejoice, O Andrew, first-called apostle of Christ!

Kontakion 3

As a faithful friend of Christ, having enjoyed the Master’s hospitality and the table of immortality in the upper room on Sion, with the rest of the apostles you beheld your Lord and God, and from Him you received the Holy Spirit, that you might bind and loose the sins of men. And again in that same upper room on Sion the abundant grace of the promised Spirit was poured forth upon you in tongues of fire. Wherefore, all the tribes of Israel marveled at how you spoke of the mighty works of God in their own language, chanting: Alleluia!

Ikos 3

Having received from the Lord the commandment to preach the Gospel to all creation, you went about many cities and lands, O apostle Andrew, calling the people to the knowledge of the true God, and baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. And with them we also have been granted the grace of baptism. Wherefore, we address hymns of thanksgiving to you:

Rejoice, faithful proclaimer of the wonders of Christ,
Rejoice, clarion-voiced herald of the Holy Gospel!
Rejoice, abolisher of the worship of idols:
Rejoice, instiller of true piety!
Rejoice, for through your discourse men are brought to regeneration by water and the Spirit:
Rejoice, for through you the faithful partake of the banquet of immortality!
Rejoice, husbandman who tended well the vineyard of your Master
Rejoice, you whose blood, shed for your Lord, was for the faithful like wine to gladden their hearts!
Rejoice, O Andrew, first-called apostle of Christ!

Kontakion 4

The power of God overshadowed you, O first-called apostle, that you might proclaim the power and glory of the Son of God and make steadfast those whom you called to believe in the Holy Trinity. Wherefore, on the verdant meadow of the faith of Christ do you ever pasture us who worship the one God in three Hypostases, that, ever sanctified by the grace of the Holy Spirit, we may cry aloud unto Him: Alleluia!

Ikos 4

Having brought your brother, Simon Peter, to Christ, O first called, with him you went forth to your apostolic ministry, first to Antioch and Sinope; and there having vanquished legions of demons, you freed your companion, the Apostle Matthias, from the bonds of prison, and with him baptized his fellow prisoners. And following the preeminent Peter to the lands of the West you gave him a fraternal kiss, but yourself labored well in the East. Wherefore, we children of the Eastern Church bless you, saying:

Rejoice, O power of God Who drives away legions of demons and breaks the bonds of prison;
Rejoice, receptacle of apostolic grace which miraculously frees us from the bonds of hell!
Rejoice, you who with your divinely wise brother divided the East and West by lot for the preaching of the Word of God;
Rejoice, you who by the power of your wonders denounced the impiety of the Jews in Sinope!
Rejoice, you who were beaten there by the godless for the sake of Christ;
Rejoice, for healing of your wounds was given to you by the Lord Himself, Who appeared to you!
Rejoice, for by the power given you by God you heal all manner of bodily infirmities;
Rejoice, for by the grace instilled in you, you dispel from us all despondency!
Rejoice, O Andrew, first-called apostle of Christ!

Kontakion 5

Having twice returned to the Holy City, that there you might celebrate the day of Pentecost with the apostles, twice you did so with the apostles, and twice you departed again from holy Sion to preach Christ to the whole World, first with John, who had leaned his head upon the breast of the Lord, and afterwards with Simon of Cana, and with Matthias, who was named an apostle by lot; and you went about all the parts of Asia and Pontus, teaching all with the word of salvation, that they might chant unto God: Alleluia!

Ikos 5

Having spread your nets from the Sea of Galilee to the Black Sea, and having taught the Faith all around the seacoast with your proclamation, you proceeded to the land of Scythia, O first-called one, planting the Cross of Christ everywhere as a token of our salvation. Wherefore, we also, though the last of peoples, heeding your proclamation and commemorating your struggles, cry out to you:

Rejoice, you that in Nicæa subdued wicked brigands and slay a most evil dragon;
Rejoice, you who planted the cross of Christ in the midst of that city, as a forerunner of the God-bearing fathers twice assembled there!
Rejoice, for through you the light of Christ shone forth in Asia and Pontus;
Rejoice, for your apostolic staff opened the foothills of the Caucasus to the light of Christ!
Rejoice, for thereby was the darkness of Cimmeria enlightened;
Rejoice, for with streams of living water has the whole world been watered!
Rejoice, for the breath of the all-holy Spirit blew forth from your apostolic mouth;
Rejoice, for thereby were multitudes drawn to the Christian Faith!
Rejoice, O Andrew, first-called apostle of Christ!

Kontakion 6

The tribes of men ignorant of the true God, who were caught in the storm of the passions and buffeted, as it were, by waters of the ocean, you guided to the calm harbor of Christ, O apostle, and their hearts, tempest-tossed like a leaking vessel, you moored fast to the Orthodox Faith. Wherefore, as children of the Orthodox Faith, with thankful heart and grateful mouths we cry out to God: Alleluia!

Ikos 6

On the Mount of Olives with the other disciples, O Andrew, you once asked your Master: “Tell us, what shall be the sign of Your coming?” And on the hills of Kiev, as an instrument of the grace of the Holy Spirit you foretold the future glory of that place. And, having been granted the mercies foretold us, we cry out to you with compunction:

Rejoice, for from Mount Sion you brought the law of the Gospel to us;
Rejoice, for, as an apostle of God, you hastened to us on the waters of the Voristhena!
Rejoice, for you bestowed upon that river the grace of the Jordan for our baptism;
Rejoice, you who set the cross of our salvation upon the hills of Kiev!
Rejoice, for you foretold an abundant outpouring of the grace of God through it;
Rejoice, for you prophesied that a great city and many churches would one day stand in that place!
Rejoice, for the mercy of God has descended upon the site of your prophecy;
Rejoice, for He lets fall His loving-kindness upon the city you foretold!
Rejoice, O Andrew, first-called apostle of Christ!

Kontakion 7

Today, in fulfillment of the word of your prophecy, a most glorious temple has been erected on the place where, by the gift of the Holy Spirit, you foresaw that which was not as though it already existed. And round about it a great city with golden-domed churches bears witness to the truth of your words; and, as from a heavenly throne, you have beforehand proclaimed peace for it. Wherefore, beholding the fulfillment of your divinely inspired words, we cry out with a loud voice unto God: Alleluia!

Ikos 7

The holy Olga, having received the light of divine knowledge from the radiant splendor of the first-called apostle, shone forth upon the Russian land as the day-star of our salvation, leading after herself like a radiant beacon her grandson Vladimir, the enlightener of all the northern lands. Wherefore, lifting our eyes unto you, O divinely wise Andrew, as to the chief herald of our salvation, we offer to you these praises:

Rejoice, for you gave the knowledge of divine light unto Olga, the day-star of our salvation;
Rejoice, for the kingdom of Christ was opened by her piety!
Rejoice, for with your blessing a most glorious beacon has shone forth from that day-star upon us;
Rejoice, for in accordance with your apostolic prophecy a prince, the equal of the apostles, appeared to us!
Rejoice, for through you the earthly kingdom of the holy Vladimir has a share in that of heaven;
Rejoice, for the rivers of Kiev, the Dnieper and the Pochaina, became for us a font of salvation!
Rejoice, for the gloom of idolatry has been driven from us by your instruction;
Rejoice, for the assaults of the demonic hordes are repelled by your authority!
Rejoice, O Andrew, first-called apostle of Christ!

Kontakion 8

The pastors and flock of the most glorious city of Kiev and of the land of Russia proclaim the memory of your acts, O divinely wise Apostle Andrew; and the saints of God, who rest incorrupt with Anthony and Theodosius within the Caves, declare your glory unceasingly to all ages and generations, as though alive; for the cross planted by you in that place has grown to be a tree of right goodly shade wherein we have picked the fruits of piety and sanctity. And as spiritual sparrows of your celestial garden, we are taught by you to chant unto God: Alleluia!

Ikos 8

Not to Russia alone were you the proclaimer of salvation, O first-called apostle of Christ, but gathering all the Slavic lands, like a hen gathers her chicks beneath her wings, you lead them to Christ; for, discerning the darkness of the northern lands from Cherson, by your preaching many years before you prepared the most wise teachers Cyril and Methodius, that the people of those parts might be taught the Word of God. And we, as with the mouths of these Our enlighteners, cry aloud unto you:

Rejoice, you who blessed the Slavic tribes of old;
Rejoice, you who rendered their learned discourse wise with the Word of God!
Rejoice, for they have become noetic children of the Church of Christ, obedient to the Word of God;
Rejoice, for in Cherson where you preached, the holy Cyril discovered the first Russian letters and took them up!
Rejoice, for thereby you proclaimed unto them Christ, the Wisdom of God, the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End;
Rejoice, for those teachers translated all the divinely inspired Scriptures Into the Slavonic tongue for us!
Rejoice, for in the sacred writings and the divine Mysteries we have found salvation through you;
Rejoice, for by your instruction was the foundation of our conversion well laid!
Rejoice, O Andrew, first-called apostle of Christ!

Kontakion 9

Undaunted by the Scythians of the wilderness, you extended your apostolic journeys into the depths of the northern lands, O first-called one, from whence you traveled to Old Rome, which was then the capital of the pagan world. But departing from there because of its myriad idols, and proceeding to the beautiful shore of the Bosphorus, in the city of Byzantium, which was to become the New Rome and Mother of Christians, you establish there your apostolic see, that thereby all the East and the North might be illumined with the light of the Faith, and that the faithful children of the Church of Christ might cry out to God in oneness of mind: Alleluia!

Ikos 9

Mother Sion, says the man in the Psalms, for man was spiritually born therein; and Kiev became for us a new Sion, for therein the light and grace of God was made manifest unto all the children of Russia through the see which you established in Byzantium, O first-called apostle. Wherefore, illumined with never-waning light, we cry out to you in thanksgiving:

Rejoice, you who descended Mount Sion and has illumined many-hilled Kiev with heavenly light;
Rejoice, you who by your blessing sent down upon it an abundance of spiritual fruit!
Rejoice, for in the midst of the world you established your apostolic see;
Rejoice, for under its protection, in New Rome, you gathered all the nations you enlightened!
Rejoice, for thereby is Orthodoxy confirmed within their hearts;
Rejoice, for by the East is the darkness of the West driven back!
Rejoice, you who protects the faithful from all heresies;
Rejoice, you who heal divisions among believers!
Rejoice, O Andrew, first-called apostle of Christ!

Kontakion 10

When the time of your departure arrived, O blessed Andrew, you went to the ancient Patras of Achaia, that you might there be put to death; for you fought the good fight, you finished your course, preaching Christ crucified unto all: unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness, but unto us who are called and saved - Christ, the Power and Wisdom of God, whereby we have been taught to chant unto God: Alleluia!

Ikos 10

Having everywhere healed the sick, raised the dead and expelled demons by the name of the Lord Jesus, you also confirmed your immortal preaching with miracles in Patras, O apostle of Christ, and converted Anthypatus Lesbius to the knowledge of the Truth when, stricken with the plague because of his obstinancy, he was raised from his bed of sickness by you. And, seeing the power of God in you, all the people destroyed their idols. Wherefore, the Lord appeared to you as He once had to Paul in Corinth, and commanded you to take up your cross, thereby foretelling your suffering for His sake in Patras. Wherefore, marveling at the great grace within you, we reverently cry out:

Rejoice, great power of almighty God;
Rejoice, precious treasury of wonders!
Rejoice, enlightenment and adornment of ancient Patras;
Rejoice, you who transformed the unbelief of Anthypatus into faith!
Rejoice, for there the Lord appeared to you again, calling you to the struggle of the cross!;
Rejoice, for a crown of righteousness was prepared for you!
Rejoice, for as your name denotes courage, so was your spirit undaunted by tortures;
Rejoice, for the thought of the torments which awaited you did not shake thy firm resolve!
Rejoice, O Andrew, first-called apostle of Christ!

Kontakion 11

The Emperor Nero who, as Herod once had, raised a persecution against all the faithful, beheaded Paul in Rome, and crucified Peter upon a cross; and the hand of that tyrant reached you also, in Patras, when in the place of the meek Lesbius he appointed as proconsul the cruel Aegeates, who, neither able to endure the baptism of his brother, nor appeased by the healing of his wife, cast you into prison and condemned you to the cross, as the preeminent Peter had been. And while a prisoner in a dark dungeon, you, as in a splendid temple, consecrated Stratocles, the brother of Anthypatus, as bishop of Patras, chanting unto God with all the faithful in the midst of the prison: Alleluia!

Ikos 11

Looking on as they raised up at the place of execution the cross upon which you were to be crucified, O apostle, you were not afraid to bear witness, even unto death, to Christ Who loved you and was beloved of you; and, stretching forth your hands toward this emblem of our salvation, you cried out with compunction:

Rejoice, O most precious Cross, before which I stand in gladness, knowing you to be my hope;
Rejoice, O life-creating Cross, whose summit has reached to the heavens and whose base has broken down the gates of hell!
Rejoice, O right worshipful Cross, which received my Master as the sweetest Cluster of grapes which has poured forth salvation upon us;
Rejoice, O blessed Cross, which saved the thief and produced for him the fruits of confession!
Rejoice, for you have been the fullness of my joy;
Rejoice, for in the memory of you am I filled with gladness!
Rejoice, for in you do all the martyrs glory;
Rejoice, also, O passion-bearer, who sealed your faith in Christ on a cross!
Rejoice, O Andrew, first-called apostle of Christ!

Kontakion 12

Come, you witnesses of my joy,” you cried out to those Who carried out the will of Aegeates, O apostle, “do the will of us both! Crucify me, and offer me up like a lamb in Sacrifice unto the Creator Who fashioned me!” And having spoken these words, you ascended the cross as though it were a lofty throne, and for three days and three nights preached the Word of God from it unto the people who stood round about, that they might not fear death when confessing the Lord Jesus. And when your countenance was filled with a heavenly light, the tormentor was terrified and ordered you taken down from the cross. Yet you, O passion-bearer, did not desire to be parted from the tortures of the cross, crying out unceasingly to God until your repose: Alleluia!

Ikos 12

Glorifying your apostolic struggles, O first-called Andrew, we bless the holy repose wherein you glorified the life-bearing sufferings of the Son of God; and in compunction of heart we cry out to thee thus:

Rejoice, friend of Christ, who joyously endured the sufferings of the cross for Him;
Rejoice, faithful apostle, who from your cross preached words of eternal life to the people!
Rejoice, for at the moment when you were taken down from the cross a light covered you, like lightning from heaven;
Rejoice, for you promised great grace unto those who in Orthodox manner confess Christ the Son of God, Whom you preached!
Rejoice, apostolic foundation of the heavenly Jerusalem;
Rejoice, boast of Bethsaida and adornment of all Galilee!
Rejoice, you who shall sit with the apostles on one of twelve thrones, to judge all the tribes of Israel!
Rejoice, you who shall present to the merciful Judge all the peoples you have brought to the Faith!
Rejoice, O Andrew, first-called apostle of Christ!

Kontakion 13

O Andrew, first-called apostle of Christ, look down upon these the praises of all who honor your holy memory, and as you planted a wooden cross upon the hills of the city of Kiev, do you ever protect us with its saving sign, that, preserved by the Cross of our Lord, God and Savior, we may attain full stature in Christ and may be granted, with you and all the saints, to chant for endless ages unto God our Savior with a sound of rejoicing: Alleluia!

(Repeat the above Kontakion 13, 3 times)
(Then continue below)

Ikos 1

Kontakion 1

Rejoice, O Andrew, first-called apostle of Christ!

Prayer to the Holy Apostle Andrew, the First Called

O first-called apostle of Jesus Christ our God and Savior, eminent founder of the Church, all-praised Andrew! We glorify and magnify your apostolic labors, with great gladness we remember your blessed visitation of the Russian land, we venerate the honorable sufferings you endured for Christ, we kiss your sacred relics, we cherish your holy memory, and we believe that, as the Lord lives, so your soul lives also, and you abide with Him forever in heaven, where you also love us with the love wherewith you loved us when, through the Holy Spirit, you foresaw our conversion to Christ; and not only do you love, but you also entreat God in our behalf, beholding all our needs in His light. Thus we believe, and thus also do we confess this our faith, O holy Andrew; and believing, we ask and beg our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ, that by the prayers which you ever receive and send up, He may grant us all that is necessary for the salvation of us sinners; that as you left your nets at the sound of the Lord’s voice and followed after Him without hesitation, so each of us may seek not his own, but that which is for the edification of his neighbor, and may be mindful of his own heavenly calling. And having you as our intercessor and advocate, we trust that your prayers may accomplish much before our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to Whom is due all glory, honor and worship, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, unto the ages of ages.

Akathist to Holy Apostle Andrew the First Called

Kontakion 1

Ikos 1

Kontakion 2

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Kontakion 3

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Kontakion 4

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Kontakion 5

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Kontakion 6

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Kontakion 7

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Kontakion 8

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Kontakion 9

Ikos 9

Kontakion 10

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Kontakion 11

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Kontakion 12

Ikos 12

Kontakion 13

Ikos 1

Kontakion 1

Prayer to the Holy Apostle Andrew, the First Called