Feast Day of St. George (April 23rd)

St. George who was a martyr and one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers has a feast day on April 23rd, the anniversary of his death by beheading.

In 1969, Saint George's feast was reduced to an optional memorial in the Roman Catholic calendar so the solemnity of his commemoration depends purely on local observance. However, St. George Day is celebrated by several nations and cities of which Saint George is patron saint. These include, England, Portugal, Georgia, Bulgaria, Bosnia and the Republic of Macedonia, and the cities of Moscow in Russia, Genova in Italy and Beirut in Lebanon.

In Palestine the feast of St. George is celebrated in the Monastery of St. George in al-Khader near Bethlehem. It is also known as 'Georgemas'.

In Great Britain St. George Day is a national holiday. April 23, the traditional day of St. George's death is a provincial government holiday in Newfoundland, Canada.

The country of Georgia celebrates the feast day of St. George on November 10. The Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the dedication of the Church of St. George in Kiev by Yaroslav I the Wise in 1051 on November 26.

On April 23, Boy Scouts remind themselves of their Promise and Scout Law. The Sunday nearest to St. George's Feast is an annual occasion for specialty ceremonies where Scouts reaffirm their Promise and acknowledge the Scout Law in a national act of dedication.

http://www.st-george-medal.com/index.html

Saint Geroge, Born to a noble Christian family of Cappadocia late in the third century, Saint George was the son of a Roman Army official. His mother was from Palestine. His name, George, means ‘worker of the land’.

The Saint George Legend contends that after his parents’ deaths when George was still a teenager, he decided to go to Nicomedia to present himself to the Roman Emperor Diocletian to apply for a career as a soldier. Diocletian welcomed him with open arms (because he regarded St. George’s father as one of his finest soldiers). By the time he reached his late twenties, Saint George has obtained the rank of Tribunus (colonel or second in command) and was stationed as an imperial guard of the Emperor at Nicomedeia.

It was the year 302, A.D. when Diocletian issued the edict ordering the arrest of every Christian soldier in his army. Saint George, using the courage of his faith, faced the Emperor to loudly renounce the edict. In front of his fellow soldiers, Saint George proclaimed himself a Christian and declared worship only to Jesus Christ.

Diocletian attempted to convert St. George by offering him gifts of land, money and slaves but St. George refused to accept them. Before he was executed, St. George gave his wealth to the poor and prepared to face death. He was dragged through the street and tortured excessively, including laceration on a wheel of swords. It is said he was resuscitated from that particular torture three times. He was beheaded at the city wall on April 23, 303. April 23 has become his feast day.

One Saint George Story claims he tore down the Emperor’s decrees as they were posted in Nicomedia. St George the saint was one of Diocletian’s first victims, although, the emperor became well-known for his persecution of Christians. The Emperor’s wife, Alexandria, was so impressed by St. George’s courage that she converted to Christianity and was also put to death.

Saint George was buried at Lydda, Palestine. He was canonized in 494 A.D. by Pope Gelasius who proclaimed him one of the number “whose names are justly revered among men but whose acts are known only to God”.

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