Name day
Moses: Name Day and Patron Saint
Moses keeps the name day on 4 September, or 17 September on the Old Calendar: the feast of the Prophet Moses.
- Patron saint
- the Prophet Moses
- New Calendar
- 4 September
- Old Calendar
- 17 September
- Next name day
- 4 September 2027 (New Calendar) · 17 September 2027 (Old Calendar)
- In the feast calendar
- The feasts of September
The patron saint: the Prophet Moses
Kept on 4 September, or 17 September on the Old Calendar · Holy Prophet and God-seer Moses
The God-seer who led Israel out of Egypt, received the Law on Sinai and saw God in the burning bush.
Other saints named Moses
St Moses the Black
Kept on 28 August, or 10 September on the Old Calendar · Repose (martyrdom at Scete)
St Moses was an Ethiopian slave in fourth-century Egypt, called “Murin” for his dark skin. Banished by his master after a murder, he became the feared leader of a band of robbers. By God’s mercy he repented, came to a desert monastery and wept at the gate until the monks received him. He fought his old passions with fasting, prayer and labor, carrying water by night to the elders’ cells. When a bishop tested him by driving him from the altar as an “unworthy Ethiopian,” he bore it humbly and was ordained priest. Warned that brigands would come, he sent his disciples away but stayed, saying, “All who take the sword will perish by the sword,” and was killed by the raiders at about seventy-five. Orthodox Christians pray to him for those enslaved to drink and for every sinner who needs the courage to begin again.
What the faithful pray for
- deliverance from the passion of drunkenness and wine-drinking
- strength to overcome a destructive passion
- sobriety, a sober mind and self-control
- true repentance and humility
- freedom from anger and violence
- the conversion of those living in crime
- reconciliation between races and peoples (modern usage)
Protection
- from the bondage of drunkenness
- from the devil’s triumph over the weak
- from anger and a violent temper
- from despair of one’s own sins
Miracles
- The former robber chief was so transformed that he carried water by night to the cells of elderly monks, and later served fifteen years as a priest with 75 disciples. (source)
- Foreseeing a raid by brigands, he sent his monks away to safety but stayed himself, accepting death by the sword according to the Lord’s word. (source)
St Moses
Kept on 25 January, or 7 February on the Old Calendar
Moses in other languages
| Language | The name | Short forms |
|---|---|---|
| English | Moses, Moshe, Moises, Moïse | Mo, Moe |
| Greek | Μωυσής, Moysis, Mosis | |
| Russian | Моисей, Moisei, Moisey | |
| Serbian | Мојсије, Mojsije | |
| Romanian | Moise | |
| Arabic | موسى, Moussa, Musa | |
| Spanish | Moisés |
An icon for Moses
We don't carry an icon of the Prophet Moses yet. Ask for it below, and we will write to you when it is in.
Closest to it
For every name: the Guardian Angel, given at baptism
Have it consecrated by our priest before it reaches you: Consecration, $49.
A name-day gift for Moses
Name-Day Gift Set $213$149
A patron saint's folding diptych chosen by first name, a stainless steel crucifix and a prayer rope, in a gift box with a card giving the saint's life and feast day.
The St Nicholas the Wonderworker & Guardian Angel Folding Diptych is chosen, for the Guardian Angel every Orthodox Christian receives at baptism, and the name is filled in.
Questions
When is Moses’s name day?
Moses keeps the name day on 4 September on the New Calendar and on 17 September on the Old Calendar, the feast of the Prophet Moses.
Who is the patron saint of Moses?
the Prophet Moses. The God-seer who led Israel out of Egypt, received the Law on Sinai and saw God in the burning bush.
How is Moses written in other languages?
Greek: Μωυσής (Moysis), Russian: Моисей (Moisei), Serbian: Мојсије (Mojsije), Romanian: Moise, Arabic: موسى (Moussa) and Spanish: Moisés. Every form of the name keeps the same saint.
What is a good name-day gift for Moses?
We don’t carry an icon of the Prophet Moses yet, and you can ask for one on this page. Every Orthodox Christian has a Guardian Angel from baptism, so the Name-Day Gift Set ($149) with the Guardian Angel diptych is always fitting.
More about name days
- Name Days Explained: What They Are, How Families Keep Them, and Gifts
A name day is the feast of the saint whose name you carry. Here is how to find yours on either calendar, how Greek and Russian families keep it, and what to give.
- Orthodox Patron Saint: How to Find Yours (by Name, Day or Choice)
Your Orthodox patron saint is the saint whose name you were given at baptism. Here is how to find yours by name, by the day of your birth or baptism, or by choice, and how to keep the name day.
- Find another name
Sources
- OCA — Venerable Moses the Ethiopian of Scete
- Azbuka very — Молитвы преподобному Моисею Мурину
- Azbuka very — Преподобный Моисей Мурин
- Fellowship of St Moses the Black — Our Mission & Vision
- Orthodox Church in America, Lives of the Saints
- eortologio.net, Greek name-day calendar (Εορτολόγιο)
- azbyka.ru, Месяцеслов (the Russian Church's calendar of saints by name)