Written by: Catechist Branislav Ilić, Editor of the “Kinonia” Portal
Our venerable and God-bearing mother Parascheva lived and laboured in the second half of the tenth and the first half of the eleventh century. By His love, the Lord brought Parascheva from non-being into being in the city of Epivates, situated between Silivria and Constantinople in Thrace. Her hagiographer testifies that she was of Serbian origin, born into a pious, God-fearing, and wealthy family. In her hagiography, it is mentioned that she had a brother, Euthymius, who was tonsured a monk in his youth and later became Bishop of Madytos.
The divinely inspired hagiographer of this wondrous servant of God records an important and striking detail that reveals the miraculous divine call the young Parascheva received which penetrated the depths of her being. As a young girl, accompanying her mother to the church and fervently participating in the sacred services, Parascheva once heard the words of the Lord: “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Mark 8:34). Like the Apostles, she followed the Lord with all her heart, conforming her life to the commandments of the Gospel.
After the repose of her devout parents, filled with longing for the ascetic life, she left her parental home and went first to Constantinople, and then to the Jordanian desert, where she lived a strict hermitic life for many years, labouring for Christ until her old age. Before her, numerous ascetics had struggled in the Jordanian wilderness — most notably Saint John the Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord. Following the ethos of her predecessors who had offered their struggle to God, she demonstrated that although the Jordanian desert was harsh for living, it was spiritually fruitful. Saint Parascheva heeded the voice of an angel of God who appeared to her in old age, saying: “Leave the desert and return to your homeland, for it is pleasing to God that you should leave your body there on earth, and that your soul should pass to your Lord.” The saint then departed from the desert and returned to her native city of Epivates. There she lived for two more years in constant fasting and prayer until her repose. Having lived for over forty years outside her native land, she was buried in the cemetery for strangers, outside the city grounds.
Just as her life was filled with great wonders and divine manifestations, so too a miraculous event occurred at the discovery of her holy relics. Over time, her wonder-working relics were transferred many times: first to Constantinople, then to the Bulgarian city of Tărnovo, later back to Constantinople, and from there to Belgrade. Today, the miraculous relics of Saint Parascheva rest in the Romanian city of Iași, where thousands of pilgrims come to venerate them and seek her intercession before the Lord. In the person of our venerable mother Parascheva, the words of the psalmist David are fulfilled: “God is wondrous in His saints, the God of Israel” (Ps. 67:36). This psalm verse is chanted in the service of Saint Parascheva — the faithful handmaiden of God, who shone with the light of holiness through her ascetic labours in the Jordanian desert and became for all of us a model of Christian life.
Saint Parascheva is venerated by all Orthodox Christians, though her devotion is particularly deep among the Slavic Orthodox peoples. This holy servant of God is not merely a faint memory from the history of the Church; she is our contemporary. She is with us, as are all the saints — alive, participating together with us in the mystery of the Holy Liturgy. Therefore, it is not meaningless, as some think, to invoke the saints to pray to God for us. Saint Parascheva withdrew from the world not out of fear, but for a far greater reason. She withdrew from the noise, turmoil, and distractions of this world so that, in silence, she might pray more fervently to God, that she might, in peace, serve and glorify His holy Name, praying for the salvation of her soul and for the entire world.
All hymnography in her service exalts the ascetic life by which Saint Parascheva pleased the Lord and became a model of virtue for every Christian soul. During the evening service, three readings from the Book of Wisdom speak of the righteous souls and the reward with which God crowns their righteousness. About Saint Parascheva, the faithful Bride of Christ who became a vessel of the Holy Spirit and a constant intercessor for those who approach her in faith and love, the following sticheron and exapostilarion proclaim:
“Let all people arise and praise Christ’s radiant Bride, the pure dove, gilded by the Holy Spirit. She loved the life of the desert, conversed with the angels, and became the glory of virgins. The angels praise her, and humankind exalts her, saying: Rejoice, O protector of the poor and defender of those burdened by earthly cares, most blessed Parascheva! You have followed your Bridegroom Christ, Who grants great mercy to the world.” (Sticheron at Matins after the Gospel, following Psalm 50)
“As a divine realm, O Parascheva, you have appeared to the Church in spiritual hymns, adorning it with the radiance of your countenance, O most gracious Bride of Christ. Pray to Him unceasingly for all of us.” (Exapostilarion)
In her hagiography, it is written that she left behind all earthly things and followed the heavenly, surrendering herself to the will of God and enriching her soul with virtues. This truth is reflected in the following sticheron:
“Having left your homeland, relatives, and riches, O Parascheva, and having despised all worldly things, you loved God alone. By fasting you became like unto Him, and you were made a dwelling of the Holy Spirit. Enlightened by His power, pray to Him to save our souls.” (Doxastikon at the Praises)
The beautiful and radiant example of our venerable mother Parascheva spiritually awakens us contemporary Christians, reminding us that the Gospel must be the measure of our life. By imitating Saint Parascheva, we become fellow travellers on the path of virtue that leads to the joy of eternal life. When the waves of this worldly life overwhelm us and heavy burdens are laid upon us, our helper and comforter is Saint Parascheva, who, by the strength of her faith, overcame all trials and temptations, glorifying the God whom she served faithfully.