Our Patron Saint - Saint Basil the Great

Holy Virgin‑Martyr of Rome († c. 137)

The saints of the Church, who are alive in Christ, are not only models whose lives and devotion to God we should strive to emulate, but also are intercessors to God. Individual faithful and parish communities are called upon to take a patron saint, in the tradition of the Holy Orthodox Church. Early churches were built at the site of the graves of many of the Holy Martyrs. These communities were dedicated with the name of the martyr, and he or she was called upon by the community who worshiped there to act as an intercessor and protector for the faithful. Churches today place relics of the saints inside the Altar table as well as in places for veneration in the church in remembrance of these holy men and women in our lives.

About Saint Elpis

Saint Elpis—whose Greek name means “Hope”—was the ten‑year‑old middle daughter of the pious widow Saint Sophia and the sister of Faith (Pistis) and Love (Agape). During the reign of Emperor Hadrian (117‑138 AD), the three sisters openly confessed Christ in Rome. Elpis strengthened her sisters in their resolve, telling the prefect Antiochus that their hope rested entirely in God. After enduring savage scourging and other torments, she was beheaded and thus received the incorruptible crown of martyrdom. Their mother buried the bodies of her daughters on the St. Sophia and, after three days in prayer at their graves, peacefully reposed to join them in the Lord. Their joint feast is kept on 17 September.

Apolytikion in the Fifth Tone

You blossomed in the courts of the Lord as a fruitful olive tree,
holy martyr Sophia; in your contest you offered to Christ the sweet fruit of your womb—
your daughters Faith, Hope, and Love.
Together with them intercede for us all. 

Kontakion in the First Tone

The holy branches of noble Sophia—Faith, Hope, and Love—
confounded Greek sophistry through grace.
They struggled and won the victory
and have received an incorruptible crown from Christ, the Master of all.

Sources

Life and hymns of Saint Sophia and her daughters from the Orthodox Church in America: oca.org/saints/lives/…
Kontakia and additional details from the GOARCH Online Chapel: parish.goarch.org/…