Apostle
Glorious Apostle Thomas
Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas
New Calendar October 6 Old Calendar October 19
Why they are a saint
One of the Twelve Apostles, he was a Galilean by birth. His name means “twin.” The twentieth chapter of St John’s Gospel describes how, when he doubted the appearance of the Risen Lord, Christ appeared to him again, saying “Reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side; and be not faithless, but believing,” at which Thomas cried out “My Lord and my God!” Through this one event the Holy Scriptures attest that Christ is risen bodily, not merely as a spirit, as some heresies claim; and that He is in fact God.
Life
Saint Thomas was born in the Galilean city of Pansada and was a fisherman. Hearing the good tidings of Jesus Christ, he left everything to follow Him and was numbered among the Twelve Apostles.
He did not believe the other disciples' report of the Resurrection, saying, 'Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails... I will not believe.' On the eighth day the Lord appeared and showed him His wounds, and Thomas cried out, 'My Lord and my God!' In Greek the icon of this event is called 'The Touching of Thomas.'
According to Church Tradition he founded churches in Palestine, Mesopotamia, Parthia, Ethiopia and India. For converting the wife and son of the prefect of the Indian city of Meliapur, he was imprisoned, tortured, and finally pierced with five spears. Parts of his relics are in India, in Hungary and on Mount Athos.
Sources: OCA Lives of the Saints. Retold in our own words.
Traditional patronage
The cited source names no specific patronage.
Patronage / why chosen as patron
Orthodox Christians usually take Glorious Apostle Thomas as a patron when they bear the name Holy at baptism, or were born or baptized near the feast on October 6. As an apostle, he is also asked to pray for missionaries and those who spread the Gospel.
Prayer
O holy Glorious Apostle Thomas, pray to God for us.
A short general prayer to a saint, not a liturgical text. No public-domain troparion for this saint is included.