Wow, what a woman... This was a new saint to me too!!! Love so many things about this story, including that she was a frequently barefoot monarch and that she abolished the death penalty!
Not an Orthodox source but very cool animation of King Tamara of Georgia (my favorite fun fact is that the Georgian language didn't have a female form of the noun for a sovereign ruler so her title is King Tamara) here: https://www.rejectedprincesses.com/princesses/tamar-of-georgia
Dear Nicole, thank you for this wonderful article inspiring understanding and compassion for all wounded people struggling to live a holy life in the Church. I really appreciate hearing about the saints you chose to highlight. This was very heart-warming and an encouragement to my own broken soul and life.
Thank you for this. Church can sometimes be stressful, especially since I’m not living the perfect on the outside life. I told several people at the beginning of the divorce how much I felt like Hester Prynne. It’s so good to have a short list of those who know the long suffering.
Thank you for saying all of this and sharing about these Saints. So needs to be said. This is one for the ages just like the last one you wrote. I am so sorry you are getting so much backlash from that last brilliant writing! It is truly persecution for speaking Truth! Remember “Blessed are those who are persecuted…” we know the promise. Hope you somehow feel the blessings! Keep up your powerful voice of Truth. It is healing.
Thank you for posting this group. I live in the area and have friends that attend this Church. I am so glad to know about this resource. I will pass along. Thank you again.
I always enjoyed visotimh your church, though I haven't been back for many years. Dr. Helen spoke at a retreat for us here in WI which I was part of & that was really nice! A friend of mine pointed this out to me, and I've heard of nothing similar at any other Orthodox Church.
What a lovely reminder that none of the saints were unwounded people -- simply people who brought every wound they experienced to our compassionate God, the True Healer. ❤️ Also, nice shout-out to my patroness!
Haha, well done my friend! I was trying to say "lotsa churches" as she was known to have commissioned the building of many many churches. I believe she was behind the construction of the Church of the Nativity in Palestine.
And... for a really wild twist on things, St. Alexander of Munich was running around with a married woman for at least 18 months and was extremely disappointed when she decided to remain with her husband rather than choose him. The bulk of the writings of St. Alexander that we have are in the letters he wrote to her, because in that year and a half or so that this was going on, he often wrote her more than once a day. Apart from that, he didn't write people all that often, and as far as anyone knows, he didn't keep a diary or anything like that.
Things seemed to cool off about 8 months before his arrest in February of 1943. Although he was a strong Christian believer before his arrest and it was a large part of the reason he felt it right to resist the Nazis, but the six months or so that he spent in prison before his execution seemed to put him on a deep, spiritual path toward God, so much so that he wrote his family that it was necessary to get him there.
Angelika - the woman who he was so in love with - did end up divorcing in 1945, and I don't think she ever married again, even though she was still quite young.
Yes, the martyr saints in particular often led somewhat colorful lives, bc they are remembered more for the witness of their death than the piety of their lives. (Granted many if them also led very pious lives, and in any case, "we die as a measure of how we have lived," to borrow the words of another modern martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer)
I've been interested in St. Alexander's life for over twenty years now; long before he was glorified as a saint and long before most people had heard of him. I kind of ended up being in the right place at the right time - I lived in Germany in 2000 for six months, and then again from 2002-2006. This really coincided with the time that the first thorough information just about him was coming out - at least in Russian and in German. It's really quite easy to have this idea that saints are somehow different from the outset, but it becomes more and more clear that they're not - they are people who make hard choices to turn toward God. And that can happen wherever we are if we're willing to follow Him. My (ex-)husband decided that he wanted a divorce a couple of years ago; we have five young kids together, and it's a thing that affects us all every single day. And yet... And yet... Despite it all, and despite the hardship it still causes, it seems as though I was set free in a way, and the only way to honor that is to follow His calling. God's not done with us. He may hate divorce, but he doesn't hate us, He loves us still, and has plans for us!
I really do think this is a subject that is very poorly dealt with by the Church. Some of that is to be understood; it's not like priests have been through this. At the same time, it's really hard to feel like there's shame sometimes even to be in Church because especially in some circumstances, there's not a lot that somebody could have done. I still don't know about the Church side of things, but for the legal side, it's harder to get out of a student loan than a marriage.
Thank you! I couldn't find any information on his glorification (though I understand many regard him as a saint in their devotions). I'll mention this on the list but would love to know more! Do you have any reputable Orthodox sources about his life?
Thanks for your bravery, frankness, steadfastness, vulnerability, and grace in sharing your story and these saints. I’m exceptionally impressed with how you’ve called out the Ortho-Police for their malfeasance whilst keeping the focus on how the church honors divorce as demonstrated in the lives of the saints. May the intercessions of Sts. Photini, Helen, Radegunde, Gummarus, Fabiola, and Maria of Paris be with us all, amen. I also love blessed Iliana of Romania, too.
Thank you for this comment. And yes Mother Alexandra, (Princess Iliana) was divorced twice. She not only became an Abbess but also founded two very well known Monasteries!
yes I feel somewhat the same. I always get excited when I see a pre-schism saint. Also because sometimes they come from places where I have actual cultural ancestry from (like Scotland, Wales, and Germany), which… is just special.
Friends- a few of you have introduced me to additional divorced saints not mentioned in my original list. I've now added a section near the bottom of the article with your additions! Let me know of any others you know, now or in future, and I'll try to add them to the list here: https://nicoleroccas.substack.com/i/156867008/eta-more-divorced-saints-added-by-fellow-readers
Queen Tamar (also a saint) also divorced her first husband.
I came here to leave this same comment. She's my patron saint and has an incredible story and bravery, devotion! Here's a link about her, Nicole: https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2007/05/01/101261-right-believing-tamara-queen-of-georgia This was a great post; thank you for sharing these stories and your insight. I'm sorry you're experiencing this criticism.
This is beautiful, thanks!
Thank you. I knew of her but rereading today brought more meaning to her life and story! May she pray for us…
Wow, what a woman... This was a new saint to me too!!! Love so many things about this story, including that she was a frequently barefoot monarch and that she abolished the death penalty!
Saint Tamar, Queen of Georgia, pray for us! 👑🇬🇪☦️🕊️
This is a new-to-me saint! Thanks for introducing us 😉🙏
Not an Orthodox source but very cool animation of King Tamara of Georgia (my favorite fun fact is that the Georgian language didn't have a female form of the noun for a sovereign ruler so her title is King Tamara) here: https://www.rejectedprincesses.com/princesses/tamar-of-georgia
Dear Nicole, thank you for this wonderful article inspiring understanding and compassion for all wounded people struggling to live a holy life in the Church. I really appreciate hearing about the saints you chose to highlight. This was very heart-warming and an encouragement to my own broken soul and life.
Thanks for this. As a divorced and remarried man, I take some comfort in it.
Thank you for this. Church can sometimes be stressful, especially since I’m not living the perfect on the outside life. I told several people at the beginning of the divorce how much I felt like Hester Prynne. It’s so good to have a short list of those who know the long suffering.
Thank you for this beautiful post, Nicole. You are a gift!
Thank you for saying all of this and sharing about these Saints. So needs to be said. This is one for the ages just like the last one you wrote. I am so sorry you are getting so much backlash from that last brilliant writing! It is truly persecution for speaking Truth! Remember “Blessed are those who are persecuted…” we know the promise. Hope you somehow feel the blessings! Keep up your powerful voice of Truth. It is healing.
Thank you. This article is a gift to the Church! I am eager to share it.
Glad to see my patron St Maria on this list!
She's amazing!
Hello Nicole,
You're not alone. My name is Lucas (Luke), and I’ve also been through a divorce.
I’ve connected with other Orthodox Christians who are on a journey of healing and recovery.
We have a group that meets to support one another—our next meeting is tomorrow, and we’d love for you to join us:
https://ssppglenview.org/divorce-rebuilders-group/
Glory to God for all things!
Luke
Thank you for posting this group. I live in the area and have friends that attend this Church. I am so glad to know about this resource. I will pass along. Thank you again.
I always enjoyed visotimh your church, though I haven't been back for many years. Dr. Helen spoke at a retreat for us here in WI which I was part of & that was really nice! A friend of mine pointed this out to me, and I've heard of nothing similar at any other Orthodox Church.
What a much-needed resource to people! Is this something that is open to the public, that people can join via Zoom?
Yes, there is zoom. We are meeting today. Contact Maria. We would love you to join us.
Thanks for the invitation! I am not able to attend, but hopefully others see who might like to attend. What a wonderful ministry ❤️
What a lovely reminder that none of the saints were unwounded people -- simply people who brought every wound they experienced to our compassionate God, the True Healer. ❤️ Also, nice shout-out to my patroness!
Beautifully said! Abd who's your patron? (Answer with an emoji so I can try to guess!)
I was going to put an Indiana Jones GIF in there but I see Substack doesn't support that 😉
Ooo in emojis? Okay, in one emoji: ☦️ but that's kinda tough. In MANY emojis it will be easier to guess: 👸 🤴 🇬🇷 ⛏️⛏️⛏️ ✨ ☦️✨ ⛪⛪⛪⛪⛪
lol. St Helen finding the True Cross, very clever! But why 5 churches? The Pentarchy was around before her.
Haha, well done my friend! I was trying to say "lotsa churches" as she was known to have commissioned the building of many many churches. I believe she was behind the construction of the Church of the Nativity in Palestine.
And... for a really wild twist on things, St. Alexander of Munich was running around with a married woman for at least 18 months and was extremely disappointed when she decided to remain with her husband rather than choose him. The bulk of the writings of St. Alexander that we have are in the letters he wrote to her, because in that year and a half or so that this was going on, he often wrote her more than once a day. Apart from that, he didn't write people all that often, and as far as anyone knows, he didn't keep a diary or anything like that.
Things seemed to cool off about 8 months before his arrest in February of 1943. Although he was a strong Christian believer before his arrest and it was a large part of the reason he felt it right to resist the Nazis, but the six months or so that he spent in prison before his execution seemed to put him on a deep, spiritual path toward God, so much so that he wrote his family that it was necessary to get him there.
Angelika - the woman who he was so in love with - did end up divorcing in 1945, and I don't think she ever married again, even though she was still quite young.
God's love is greater.
Yes, the martyr saints in particular often led somewhat colorful lives, bc they are remembered more for the witness of their death than the piety of their lives. (Granted many if them also led very pious lives, and in any case, "we die as a measure of how we have lived," to borrow the words of another modern martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer)
I've been interested in St. Alexander's life for over twenty years now; long before he was glorified as a saint and long before most people had heard of him. I kind of ended up being in the right place at the right time - I lived in Germany in 2000 for six months, and then again from 2002-2006. This really coincided with the time that the first thorough information just about him was coming out - at least in Russian and in German. It's really quite easy to have this idea that saints are somehow different from the outset, but it becomes more and more clear that they're not - they are people who make hard choices to turn toward God. And that can happen wherever we are if we're willing to follow Him. My (ex-)husband decided that he wanted a divorce a couple of years ago; we have five young kids together, and it's a thing that affects us all every single day. And yet... And yet... Despite it all, and despite the hardship it still causes, it seems as though I was set free in a way, and the only way to honor that is to follow His calling. God's not done with us. He may hate divorce, but he doesn't hate us, He loves us still, and has plans for us!
I really do think this is a subject that is very poorly dealt with by the Church. Some of that is to be understood; it's not like priests have been through this. At the same time, it's really hard to feel like there's shame sometimes even to be in Church because especially in some circumstances, there's not a lot that somebody could have done. I still don't know about the Church side of things, but for the legal side, it's harder to get out of a student loan than a marriage.
Thank you for writing this. It seems it is easier to get "venerated" in spite of a life of murder and wanton fornication in the Church than divorce.
Wish I could restack this. You get it!
Chiune Sugihara was a Japanese diplomat who was canonized, and also divorced.
Thank you! I couldn't find any information on his glorification (though I understand many regard him as a saint in their devotions). I'll mention this on the list but would love to know more! Do you have any reputable Orthodox sources about his life?
Thanks for your bravery, frankness, steadfastness, vulnerability, and grace in sharing your story and these saints. I’m exceptionally impressed with how you’ve called out the Ortho-Police for their malfeasance whilst keeping the focus on how the church honors divorce as demonstrated in the lives of the saints. May the intercessions of Sts. Photini, Helen, Radegunde, Gummarus, Fabiola, and Maria of Paris be with us all, amen. I also love blessed Iliana of Romania, too.
I had forgotten divorce was part of her story as well! Thanks for the reminder, and for your kind words.
Thank you for this comment. And yes Mother Alexandra, (Princess Iliana) was divorced twice. She not only became an Abbess but also founded two very well known Monasteries!
I love that these are almost all pre-schism and St. Maria is a martyr, which kind of transcends those stupid divisions anyway.
Curious why that point is helpful for you? 😊
Just cause I'm Catholic and dream we'd go back to the "before times", is all
yes I feel somewhat the same. I always get excited when I see a pre-schism saint. Also because sometimes they come from places where I have actual cultural ancestry from (like Scotland, Wales, and Germany), which… is just special.
I'm not sure who Christianized my ancestors in Poland & Slovakia. Could have even been post-schism Orthodox and not Catholic.