CrucisSt. Andrew of Crete
St. Andrew of Crete was born around 650 at Damascus, Syria, and died around 740. He became a monk in Jerusalem, served the Church at Constantinople, and was eventually made archbishop of Gortyna on the island of Crete, where he was known for his preaching, his care for the poor, and the building of churches and charitable institutions.
He is honored above all as one of the great hymnographers of the Byzantine Church. His masterpiece is the Great Canon, a long and profoundly penitential hymn that leads the soul through the whole of salvation history, calling the sinner to repentance; it is still sung during the season of Lent in the Eastern churches to this day. He is venerated as a saint, remembered for uniting pastoral zeal with the gift of sacred poetry.
Selected quotes
“Awake, my soul, from the sleep of sloth, for the Judge is at the door and the lamp must be trimmed.”
“I bring you no virtue, O Christ, only my wounds; heal them by the medicine of your mercy.”
“Do not despair, my soul, though your sins be many; the Physician of souls turns no penitent away.”