Constantine, a Saint?

[James924]

Hello, I’ve noticed in shopping online for Icons, that Constantine is considered a saint by some in the East. Is this the case for Eastern Catholic rites as well? Or just Eastern Orthodox? Also, what is the story behind it? There must be some reason they think he’s a saint.

Thanks

 

[MarkosC]

Hello, I’ve noticed in shopping online for Icons, that Constantine is considered a saint by some in the East. *Is this the case for Eastern Catholic rites as well? *Or just Eastern Orthodox? *Also, what is the story behind it? *There must be some reason they think he’s a saint.

Thanks

He should be in all Greek Catholic churches, unless the diocese in question dropped him and his mother from the menaion (which I doubt). It’s actually a great feast in the Greek Catholic and Orthodox traditions.

All you need to know can be found:
analogion.gr/glt/texts/May/21.uni.htm

This also is a good English summary:
goarch.org/special/constantineandhelen/index_html

 

[Phillip_Rolfes]

Markos knows his stuff!!!

In general Eastern/Byzantine Catholics venerate many saints liturgically that are not venerated by the West. This is in part because saints are traditionally a local phenomenon; i.e. we honor those who come from our own region, province, country, tradition, etc. You will not, therefore, typically find Sts. Francis of Assisi, Thomas Aquinas, Bonaventure, Rose of Lima, etc., etc., etc., on an Eastern liturgical calendar; just like you will not typically find Sts. Constantine or Gregory Palamas on a Roman liturgical calendar. It’s not because one Church doesn’t think the other Church’s saints are saints. Each recognizes the sanctity of the other’s saints, they just do not venerate them liturgically because they are not part of their particular tradition. Of course, the laity are free to venerate these saints privately.

 

[jakasaki]

St. Constantine the Great - Feastday: May 21

Catholic Online - World's Catholic Library

Junior Emperor and emperor called the “Thirteenth Apostle” in the East. The son of Constantius I Chlorus, junior emperor and St. Helena, Constantine was raised on the court of co-Emperor Diocletian.

When his father died in 306, Constantine was declared junior emperor of York, England, by the local legions and earned a place as a ruler of the Empire by defeating of his main rivals at the battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312.

According to legend, he adopted the insignia of Christ, the chi-rho, and placed it upon his labarum - the military standards that held the banners his armies carried into battle to vanquish their pagan enemies. His purple banners were inscribed with the Latin for “In this sign conquer.”

Constantine then shared rule of the Empire with Licinius Licinianus, exerting his considerable influence upon his colleague to secure the declaration of Christianity to be a free religion. When, however, Licinius and Constantine launched a persecution of the Christians, Constantine marched to the East and routed his opponent at the battle of Adrianople.

Constantine was the most dominating figure of his lifetime, towering over his contemporaries, including Pope Sylvester I. He presided over the Council of Nicaea, gave extensive grants of land and property to the Church, founded the Christian city of Constantinople to serve as his new capital, and undertook a long-sighted program of Christianization for the whole of the Roman Empire.

he was baptized a Christian only on his deathbed, Constantine nevertheless was a genuinely important figure in Christian history and was revered as a saint, especially in the Eastern Church.

catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=2731