Icon of Saint Helena, Equal-to-the-Apostles

People ask Saint Helena to pray for them, for strength in faith and support in doing good. The Church honours her as Equal-to-the-Apostles for her work in spreading the Christian faith. The cross in her icon recalls the discovery of the Life-Giving Cross, which Church tradition associates with her pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Helena was the mother of Emperor Constantine the Great. She supported the Church, helped the poor and helped establish churches at places connected with Christ's earthly life. In her later years she travelled to the Holy Land, where, according to Church tradition, the Cross of the Lord was found with her support. Saints Constantine and Helena are commemorated on June 3, or May 21 according to the Julian calendar.