Memorial Day of St. Proclus, Archbishop of Constantinople

There is no mention of the origin and early years of the saint; it is known that he was a student and confidant of the Archbishop of Constantinople, John Chrysostom Even during the time of Proclus’s apprenticeship, there was a holy phenomenon associated with the activities of his teacher Chrysostom, renowned for his righteousness, instructed everyone Proclus' duties included meeting and escorting visitors to the holy father One noble nobleman was afraid to visit Chrysostom during the day, and therefore agreed on a night visit But when Proclus came to John to report the visitor, it turned out that the holy archbishop was not alone An unfamiliar, majestic man stood next to Chrysostom, who was sitting at the table, dictating important speeches in a whisper The student did not dare to interrupt the teacher’s work and suggested that the nobleman wait until John was left alone But the mysterious visitor did not come out until the morning, and his departure went unnoticed The unfortunate nobleman tried for two more nights to get into a conversation with the archbishop, but each time he had to wait until the morning for the mysterious guest to leave And every time it was impossible to explain where and when this person came from Soon Saint John himself inquired where the nobleman, who had an appointment to meet three nights earlier, was Having listened to the whole story about the unknown man who dictated long speeches to Chrysostom at night, the archbishop was surprised, because at night he worked and wrote his theological works alone When Proclus looked around the room, he saw an icon depicting the Holy Apostle Paul and realized who the archbishop's unknown guest was So John, through the vision of his disciple, realized the divine nature of the texts he wrote A few years after the death of Chrysostom, the future Saint Proclus himself already held the rank of Archbishop of Constantinople He was a righteous priest, revered by his flock One of his first acts was the transfer of the holy relics of John Chrysostom to Constantinople During the years of his ministry, a terrible test fell in the form of an earthquake of monstrous force that destroyed houses and claimed lives When the frightened inhabitants of Constantinople, together with the imperial couple and Proclus, prayed fervently in the cathedral, one child miraculously rose into the air to an unattainable height After the fall, the boy told how he heard the chants of an angelic choir: “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal” The words of the Trisagion chant were taken up by all those gathered with the addition of “Have mercy on us!” and soon the shaking of the earth was over In memory of the miraculous salvation, the Trisagion chant was introduced into church use and enshrined at the council of 451 Archbishop Proclus accomplished quite a few charitable deeds, directing his activities to the disadvantaged and needy For his good deeds, he was presented to the ranks of the Saints after his death at an old age