Holy and Glorious Apostle Thomas
October 6 on the Julian calendar / October 19 on the civil calendar
Dates follow the calendar tradition used by this project. Parishes using the new calendar celebrate fixed feasts on different civil dates.
The Holy Apostle Thomas was one of the Twelve Apostles and a witness to the risen Christ. His confession, “My Lord and my God,” is central to the Gospel account of the Resurrection.
Life and calling
The Apostle Thomas was born in the Galilean city of Pansada and worked as a fisherman. When he heard the good news of Jesus Christ, he left his former life and followed Him. Thomas was among the Twelve Apostles, the Savior’s closest disciples. The Gospel presents him as a sincere and direct man, one who desired to know the truth of the Resurrection with certainty.
Witness of the Resurrection
After Christ’s Resurrection, Thomas did not accept the report of the other disciples until he could see the wounds of the Lord. On the eighth day, the risen Christ appeared among the disciples and invited Thomas to see the marks of His Passion. Thomas then confessed: “My Lord and my God.” For this reason, Church tradition understands the event not simply as Thomas’s doubt, but as his coming to faith. Icons may call it “the Touching of Thomas” or “the Belief of Thomas.”
Why he is venerated
According to Church Tradition, the Apostle Thomas founded Christian communities in Palestine, Mesopotamia, Parthia, Ethiopia, and India. Tradition further relates that his preaching led to martyrdom in the Indian city of Meliapur: he was imprisoned, tortured, and killed by five spears. Portions of his relics are venerated in India, Hungary, and Mount Athos. Christians honor Saint Thomas as a steadfast preacher of the risen Christ and as an example of how an honest search for truth can lead to the confession of faith.
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Sources: Orthodox Church in America