The rector of St. Maximus Parish, Fr. Thomas Marretta, is the translator of the monumental series The Great Collection of the Lives of the Saints, compiled by St. Demetrius of Rostov.  This twelve-volume set is drawn from the ancient sources in Greek, Latin, Syriac, and other tongues, rendered into Slavonic by St. Demetrius.  The accounts in this series are distinguished by their completeness; superb literary quality; extreme fidelity to the originals; and sober, traditional tone.  Unlike other collections of Saints’ Lives currently available in English, St. Demetrius’ versions are themselves authoritative patristic texts, having been compiled and edited by one of the greatest saints of Christ’s Church.

Included in The Great Collection of the Lives of the Saints is the Life of our parish’s celestial patron, the venerable Maximus the Confesor.

For our community, the Life of St. Maximus is especially inspiring because it shows clearly that no sacrifice is too great if made on behalf of Christ and the purity of His faith.  In our day, when the spirit of compromise reigns and the salt of Christian faith and piety are all too frequently losing their savor, the Life of St. Maximus recalls us to the saving path of Christ’s truth.

          Since many visitors to our church are unfamiliar with the Life of our patron saint, we offer below the full text of the Life of St. Maximus the Confessor from St. Demetrius’ collection.  It appears courtesy of Chrysostom Press, publisher of Fr. Thomas’ translations and other important Orthodox books.