Venerable Eumenius, Bishop of Gortyna (7th century) — September 18 / October 1 (Julian Calendar)

On this day, September 18 according to the Julian Calendar (October 1 civil calendar), the Georgian Orthodox Church commemorates Venerable Eumenius, Bishop of Gortyna.

Venerable Eumenius was a Christian distinguished by his pious life. He distributed all his possessions to the poor and, trusting in the mercy of God, withdrew from the temptations of this world and took up a life of strict ascetic struggle. By God’s blessing the blessed father was made Bishop of Gortyna on the island of Crete. The holy hierarch shepherded his flock wisely: through his prayers God often sent rain in times of drought, and he healed the sick and strengthened those who had stumbled.

The saint firmly defended the Orthodox faith against the Monothelite heresy that had arisen in his day. For his tireless struggle against the heretics, the ungodly exiled him to the Thebaid, where he reposed in the seventh century. The relics of the Lord’s chosen one were carried back to Gortyna and laid to rest there.