Byzantine Saints: Saint Irene Chrysovolantou (28 July)

About this sermon

On July 28, the Church commemorates St. Irene Chrysovolantou, one of the great wonderworking abbesses of the Byzantine Church. Born into a wealthy Cappadocian family in the ninth century, Irene was originally chosen to become the bride of Emperor Michael III. Yet Divine Providence intervened, freeing her from an earthly crown so she could become a bride of Christ. After entering the Monastery of Chrysovalantou in Constantinople, St. Irene embraced a life of profound humility, fasting, ceaseless prayer, and heroic obedience. She became abbess through God's unmistakable providence and received extraordinary spiritual gifts including clairvoyance, miracles, and even levitation during prayer. Among the most beloved miracles associated with St. Irene is the account of three heavenly apples, sent by St. John the Apostle through the miraculous intervention of an elder who walked upon the sea. These blessed apples became a symbol of God's grace, heavenly nourishment, and the saint's intimate communion with the Kingdom of Heaven. In this episode, discover: Why St. Irene was originally chosen to marry an emperor. The prophecy of St. Joannicius. Her life of humility and asceticism. Her miraculous gifts and visions. The famous miracle of the three heavenly apples. Her holy death at over 101 years of age. Why apples are still blessed on her feast day. May the prayers of St. Irene Chrysovolantou strengthen us to pursue holiness with humility, perseverance, and unwavering love for Christ. "The steps of a man are established by the Lord." — Psalm 37:23 00:00 Introduction to St. Irene Chrysovolantou 00:24 Born into a noble Cappadocian family 00:53 Chosen as bride for Emperor Michael III 01:07 The prophecy of St. Joannicius 01:46 Divine Providence changes her vocation 02:05 Entering the Monastery of Chrysovalantou 02:34 Humility, obedience, and love of the saints 02:46 Spiritual warfare and growth in holiness 03:03 Chosen by God as abbess 03:44 Leading the monastery with wisdom and miracles 04:29 The miracle of levitation in prayer 05:22 The bowed cypress trees 05:50 Devotion to St. Basil the Great 06:07 The miraculous sailor from Patmos 06:35 St. John the Apostle sends three heavenly apples 06:58 Forty days sustained by the blessed apple 07:14 Sharing the heavenly fruit with the sisters 07:27 Foretold of her approaching death 07:46 Final preparation for eternity 08:09 Holy repose of St. Irene Chrysovolantou 08:33 Miracles at her tomb and blessing of apples https://www.oca.org/saints/lives 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Support Catholic Businesses here - https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-businesses/ Sensus Fidelium Press - https://sensusfideliumpress.com/ Sensus Fidelium Apps - https://sensusfidelium.tv/ Support Sensus Fidelium - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 🙏🏻PLEASE HELP OUR CHANNEL GROW 🙏🏻 ▶️ 1. Become a Channel Patron: https://www.patreon.com/SensusFidelium ▶️ 2. Visit the website https://www.sensusfidelium.com for Gueranger, Saint of the Day, Apologetics, Meditation by the Saints, Scripture Study and more. ▶️ 3. Subscribe to Other Video Platforms 🔴 BitChute --- https://www.bitchute.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium/ 🔴 Rumble --- https://rumble.com/c/c-298311 🔴 My Catholic Tube - https://mycatholictube.com/videos/sensus-fidelium-channel/ 🔴 LBRY.tv --- https://lbry.tv/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 ODYSEE - https://odysee.com/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 UGETube - https://videos.utahgunexchange.com/@Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 BrandNewTube - https://brandnewtube.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 GabTV - https://tv.gab.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 GloriaTV - https://gloria.tv/Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 Brighteon - https://www.brighteon.com/channels/sensusfidelium ▶️ 4. Paypal, Bitcoin, Anedot, Stripe, Square & PO Box donations - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ ▶️ 5. YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 ▶️ 6. Please share this video 📲, and help others find Christ inside the Catholic Church! Please share this video on Facebook and Twitter using the share button. ▶️ 7. Follow on Social Media: 🔴 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SensusFidelium/ 🔴 Twitter: https://https://twitter.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 Parler: https://parler.com/profile/Sensusfidelium/posts 🔴 SP3RN: https://www.sp3rn.com/community/pages/14-sensus-fidelium 🔴 GAB: https://gab.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 Bastyon: https://bastyon.com/sensusfidelium 🔴 GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/sensus_fidelium 🔴 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sensusfidelium/ 🔴 Telegram: https//t.me/RealSensusFidelium 🔴 Truth Social - @SensusFidelium ▶️ 8. Follow on iTunes: 🔴 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sensus-fidelium-catholic-podcast/id1477010758 #StIrene #SaintOfTheDay #OrthodoxSaints #CatholicSaints #LivesOfTheSaints #ByzantineSaints #ChristianHistory #ChurchHistory #SensusFidelium #HolySaints #MonasticLife #Miracles #Prayer #Humility #StJohnTheApostle