Dear Brendan,
Why is it that you are Orthodox and I'm Eastern Catholic, and yet we can't ever disagree on anything, including St Alexander's Day and the papacy?
Yes, Sept. 12 is my Feastday - thank y'all!
St Alexander Nevsky is also celebrated on that day and I've a religious medal of the Saint together with his Akathist.
There are more than 130 Saint Alexanders in the calendar, not including the several canonized by Rome and the Orthodox Churches in recent years (St Alexander Hotovitsky of New York City, St Alexander the Carpatho-Rusyn etc.).
But the chief feast of St Alexander is on August 30 (Sept. 12 Old Calendar).
It was this Patriarch of Constantinople that finally put pay to Arius and asked God not to allow Arius to enter the Orthodox Catholic Church - "either take him or take me, O Lord."
Arius died that very night . . .
St Alexander Nevsky was actually a Kyivan Saint. His brother, St Theodore, was betrothed to the daughter of St Michael Prince of Chernihiv but died the night before the wedding (REALLY BAD pre-nuptial jitters one may surmise?). She became a nun thereafter and is St Euphrosina of Suzdal.
St Daniil of Moscow was a son of Alexander Nevsky, I believe.
Alexander became a monk and took the name "Alexius" after the Man of God (the names mean the same "Helper of mankind.").
The popularity of the name "Alexander" comes from the Conqueror and King of the Hellenes, of course, whose icon (without halo or liturgical service) appears with those of Plato, Aristotle and Socrates in Eastern Churches.
The scene of Alexander's apotheosis to heaven, born in a chariot and pulled to heaven by griffons, was popular in stained glass windows in western Catholic countries.
Some in Ethiopia actually follow the Islamic tradition and invoke Alexander as a prophet "Nabi Iskander."
The only other Saint's name that outstrips even Alexander in popularity is, of course, "John" after John the Baptist.
There are seven major feasts to the Prophet in the year, with every Tuesday's services dedicated to him and the major Feast of Theophany featuring him as the Baptizer of our Lord.
To give some indication as to how many Saints there are with the name "John," when the RC Church beatified about 200 new martyrs killed under the English Kings for their Catholic faith, no less than 73 of these were named "John!"
In addition to celebrating all the St Alexanders, my second name is "John" as well . . .
Thank you!
Alex
