The Church commemorates Martyr Phocas the Gardener.
Martyr Phocas the Gardener cultivated with great diligence the small garden he maintained and lived on the meager income he received from the sale of goods. He practiced frugality and self-sufficiency in his life so that he could help his poor fellow human beings, and at the same time, he studied the Bible to know the Word of God and to be spiritually fortified.
Martyr Phocas described his soul as a spiritual garden and tried to cultivate it constantly so that it would not be filled with spiritual thorns. He tried to do the same with the Christians who came to him for spiritual counseling as he became widely known. It is testified that through humility and prayer he converted even unbelievers to the true teaching of Christ.
Out of envy for all his spiritual activity, Saint Phocas was denounced and sentenced to death by beheading, which he endured with faith and courage.
Source: Church of Cyprus