St. Bosus and St. Susan +388

St. Bosus and St. Susan +388

May 11th is the commemoration of the dukhrono of St. Bosus & his sister St. Susan +388 along with their teacher St. Stephen, and St. Lewangina & the 11,000 martyrs of the villages of Beth Zabday according to the Liturgical Calendar of the Syriac Orthodox Church. Mor Bosus & Mort Susan were twins who were the children of Aba Zarid the governor of Beth-Zabday region (Idil District of Sirnak province in modern day Turkey). Aba Zarid was a pagan & a persecutor of Christians. In the palace of Aba Zarid lived a Christian servant named Stephen. He secretly taught the siblings about Christ & guided them to become faithful Christians. Once when their father Aba Zarid was away on a trip, the siblings secretly received baptism from a Christian named Lewangina from a nearby village. When their father returned, he made them worship & serve offering to the pagan idols. However, the two of them refused & left to Fil village. Their father was furious, but gave them time to forget Christ & return to paganism. The siblings would never leave Christianity, they escaped from Fil & headed to the village of Hedil. Furious, their father Aba Zarid chased them till the rocks of Hedil. He first slaughtered his daughter. Thus Mort Susan attained the crown of martyrdom. At the site where her blood flowed, a giant tree grew & it still exists today. Aba Zarid then murdered his son by the rocks. Thus Mor Bosus attained the crown of martyrdom. The village of Kefshenne (which means big rock) gets its name from the site of their martyrdom. Seeing his children steadfast in their faith in Christ, Aba Zarid became even more enraged & spiteful towards Christians. On the same day, he ordered the mass slaughter of 11,000 Christian faithful in the valley of Roghulo ďGyhano. He also executed his servant Stephen the teacher of Christianity & Lewangina from whom the siblings received baptism. Thus on that day thousands attained the crown of martyrdom. At the site of the martyrdom of Mor Bosus & Mort Shusan, a monastery (Dayro d-Mor Bosus) was built which still stands today in Hedil. Today there are not many Syriacs in Hedil. However, every year on May 11th, the faithful from nearby Miden town come by foot to the monastery to celebrate the feast of Mor Bosus & Mort Shushan along with the other martyrs of Beth Zabday region. Many miracles are attributed to the intercession of the twins. The Monastery of Mor Bosus gave the Syriac Orthodox Church many saints, monks & prelates. Notable among them is the thrice blessed late Patriarch HH Mor Ignatius Behnam Hadliyo (from Hidi/Hedel) of blessed memory who shepherded the Holy Church from 1445-1454 AD. Monk Dayroyo Dawod Tur-abdinoyo who brought the Girdle of St. Mary (Zunoro d-Yoldath Aloho) to Homs also hailed from the Monastery of Mor Bosus. A portion of the relics of Mor Bosus is kept in St. Mary's Church Homs, Syria. These relics were rediscover by the thrice blessed late Patriarch HH Moran Mor Ignatius Aphrem I Barsoum of blessed memory in 1953. Biography courtesy Kefshenne our village ܟܦܫܢܐ ܩܪܝܬ̥ܐ ܕܝܠܢ كفشننة page, adapted from the English translation by m'shamshono Fadi Gorgees Oh Mor Bosus, Mort Shushan, along with Mor Stephanus, Mor Lewangina and the 11, 000 martyrs of Beth Zabday! Plead for us before God's throne of grace. Amen. May the cries of the Holy Martyrs be a refuge for us all. Amen.