Celebrating St Euphrosynos’ Feast Day
“Thou didst live righteously in great humility, in labors of asceticism and in guilelessness of soul O righteous Euphrosynos. Hence, by a mystical vision, thou didst demonstrate most wondrously the heavenly joy which thou hadst found. Do thou make us worthy to be partakers thereof by thine intercessions.”
Feast Day September 11th
St Euphrosynos - If you’ve ever noticed an icon in a kitchen, it’s likely an icon of St Euphrosynos, the cook saint, who is known to be holding a branch of apples! He is one of the most beloved saints in the Orthodox Christian Church, inspiring countless families with his humble service to Christ. A friend helped me remember how to pronounce his name by telling me “You-froze-ya-nose” (You-fros-eh-nose) and that has stuck in my mind ever since! Now I can remember his name when I see his icon.
He was a humble monastic whose desire was for anonymity who has a miraculous tale of being permitted to dwell in paradise. In this blogpost, I’m sharing simple and fun ideas to help your family celebrate Saint Euphrosynos together, including Orthodox recipes, family activities, children’s crafts, hymns and songs, saint-inspired videos, and faith-filled traditions that can deepen your children’s love for this holy saint. Whether you are looking for ways to celebrate his feast day, teach children about Euphrosynos, or create meaningful Orthodox Christian family traditions, I hope these ideas encourage your family to grow in faith, strengthen your devotion to God, and cultivate a deeper love for the saints within the life of the Orthodox Church.
Check out this episode on Patristic Nectar Family on how we celebrate this feast:
Scroll to learn more about St Euphrosynos, find activity and reading suggestions and more to celebrate this feast day!
🍎 Story of Apples from Paradise - Euphrosynos was a humble monk who fulfilled his monastic duty as the monastery cook. He spent his days continually praying and fasting. His brothers at the monastery often corrected him, but he never complained. He endured every correction and unpleasant treatment. St. Euphrosynos pleased the Lord by his inner virtue that he concealed from people. One time, a priest of the monastery prayed asking the Lord to show him the blessings prepared for the righteous in the age to come. In a dream it seemed to the priest that he was standing in a garden. In it he also saw Euphrosynos, the cook of his monastery. Amazed at this encounter, the Priest asked Euphrosynos how he came to be there. The saint replied that he was in Paradise through the great mercy of God. The priest then asked if Euphrosynos would be able to give him something from the surrounding beauty. In reply, St. Euphrosynos suggested the priest take whatever he wished, and so the priest pointed to three luscious apples growing in the garden of Paradise. Euphrosynos picked the three apples, wrapped them in a kerchief and gave them to his companion.
When the priest awoke in the early morning, he initially thought the vision was a dream, but suddenly he noticed next to him the cloth with the fruit of Paradise wrapped in it, emitting a wondrous fragrance. Later, the priest found St. Euphrosynos in church and asked him under oath where he was the night before. He replied that he was where the priest also. Fearing vain glory, he soon fled the monastery and was never seen again. The monks always remembered that their monastic brother St. Euphrosynos had come upon Paradise, and that they, in being saved through the mercy of God, would meet him there. The pieces of the apples from Paradise, the brethren reverently kept and distributed. St Euphrosynos was commemorated Sep 11th
St Euphrosynos pray to God for us!
Image by Orthodox Mom
Activity Suggestions for Families:
Make an Apple Dessert
St Euphrosynos brought back fruit from paradise, which is often depicted as apples in iconography. Consider making an apple dessert! We plan to make an apple crisp with ice cream on top! But other ideas include apple sauce, apple slaw salad, and apple pie. The possibilities are endless!
Here are some recipes:
2. Go Apple Picking
When we were living in New York, the apple picking season was in the beginning of September, which lined up perfectly with St Euphrosynos feast day, so we always scheduled our apple picking then. There’s something extra fun about reading the story of his life and picking “apples from paradise”. This is a perfect time to be reminded of God’s goodness to us, and the abundance of the fruits of the earth! Check out your local area for apple orchards or local farmers markets!
3. Place an Icon of St Euphrosynos in Your Kitchen
Many Orthodox Christians have the icon of St. Euphrosynos the Cook somewhere in their kitchen. On a list of “must have” icons, I put this up there near the top of the list (along with the Christ and the Theotokos, The Last Supper - typically near the place you eat, Hospitality of Abraham, etc). I ask his intercessions often when I’m baking something new or to bless our food. I found my icon at our local women’s Monastery. You can find similar icons at Legacy Icons and use my discount code ALM15 for 15% off.
4. Listen to a Story of His Life:
Listen to the Synaxarion on Patristic Nectar Publications App - Download the app, create a free account, and listen to the lives of the Saints every day of the year! You can find Saint Euphrosynos on September 11th.
Listen to the book “The Boy, A Kitchen and His Cave” (part 1 - 17 mins) by Catherine K. Contopoulos read aloud in the podcast Readings from Under the Grapevine. Part 1 HERE and Part 2 HERE
Listen to a Podcast for older kids (6+) on Ancient Faith “Hidden Saint” (8 Mins) on St Euphrosynos the Cook Saint
5. Watch a short video about his life:
From Hearts Brave and True on YouTube (7 Minutes)
Saint Euphrosynus the Cook, or, the Apples of Paradise on YouTube by Bible Illustrated (3 minutes)
Children’s Book Recommendations :
Image by Charlotte Riggle
The Boy, A Kitchen, and His Cave - (Pictured above) A clumsy scullery boy finds solace in a place known only to him and his God in this charming children’s book about St Euphrosynos, commonly known in Orthodox tradition as "The Cook." Written for ages 6-10. You can also listen to it read aloud in the podcast Readings from Under the Grapevine Part 1 HERE and Part 2 HERE.
The Saint in Our Kitchen: Saint Euphrosynos the Cook by Rush Snorgren- this sweet self published book is about a family who is expecting the Bishop over for dinner and a young girl is put in charge of making the soup and accidentally burned it. She attempts to recreate the recipe from memory and asks for St Euphrosynos’ help! You can buy it on Amazon.
My Synaxarion: September by Potamitis Publishing features him on September 11
102 Orthodox Saints by Ancient Faith Publishing features his story on page 40.
Apolytikion (Tone 4)
You lived righteously in great humility, / in labors of asceticism and in guilessness of soul, / O righteous Euphrósynos. / In a mystical vision, you demonstrated most wondrously the heavenly joy which you had found. / Make us worthy to be partakers of it as well, by your intercessions.
Troparion (Tone 5)
With a humble heart O Father Euphrosynos, / you offered your service as a cook, / and you were truly filled with the Holy Spirit, / therefore the glory of God became known to us through a venerable priest; / make us partakers of it as well, O God-bearer, by your intercessions.
Kontakion (Tone 4)
You shared in heavenly gladness because of your angelic life, / and you appeared as one equal in honor to the Angels, / with them, O Euphrósynos, intercede for those who honor you.
Final reflection:
As a mom of small children, I love incorporating traditions in my home that anchor us more deeply in the life of the Church. Our time is precious, and very limited, so sprinkling in a few special traditions each year is an attainable goal, but we don’t necessarily do every feast day. As we have grown our family, our participation in the life of the Church has also grown and we begin to follow the seasons, and rhythms of the Church. It becomes seamless and is woven into the fabric of our lives and we look forward to each new season as it comes. To give you an idea, we have been practiced at following the seasons for so many years now, I don’t need a calendar to tell me what’s coming up this fall. We begin the liturgical new year (September 1st) by welcoming Christ into our home by leaving out an icon overnight and bringing it in in the morning, and kid-friendly pumpkin spice latte (recipe here) while we add seasonal decor to our space. I know as fall is approaching, our annual apple picking is coming up around the feast of St Euphrosynos, so we plan accordingly and with the apples we bring home, we make a treat and read about his life. Then a few days later (September 14th) we make homemade pesto using the blessed basil from the feast of the Holy Cross after attending the Liturgy. We do the same things each year, and each year we look forward to these traditions that help us anchor ourselves deeper and deeper into the Church. So choose one thing, be faithful to do it for a few years, and soon enough it becomes a cherish tradition woven into your lives. The rhythms of the Church begin to take root and bring forth so much life in your home. Start small, and build!
