From the Orthodox Church of Uganda: the holy Apostle Philip (one of the Seven Diacons) & the 1st Ethiopian Christian (October 11)

 

Uganda Orthodox Church - Holy Metropolis of Kampala

Icon from the article Commemoration of the Baptism of the Ethiopian Eunuch by Saint Philip (August 27)

Today, October 11, we commemorate the holy Apostle Philip of the seventy, one of the seven deacons, and our venerable father Theophane, Bishop of Nicea, called the Branded One or the Hymnographer.

The Epistle reflects on apostle Philips' encounter with the Ethiopian Eunuch. [Acts of the Apostles 8:26-39]

In those days, an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." This is a desert road. And he rose and went.

And behold, an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a minister of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of all her treasure, had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah.
And the Spirit said to Philip, "Go up and join this chariot." So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and asked,
"Do you understand what you are reading?" And he said, "How can I, unless some one guides me?"
And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

Now the passage of the scripture which he was reading was this:

"As a sheep led to the slaughter or a lamb before its shearer is dumb, so he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken up from the earth."

St Philip the Diacon, icon from here

And the eunuch said to Philip, "About whom, pray, does the prophet say this, about himself or about some one else?" Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this scripture he told him the good news of Jesus.

And as they went along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "See, here is water! What is to prevent my being baptized?" And Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may."
And he replied, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.
And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught up Philip; and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.

[The Gospel reading is from St Luke 7:36-50]

Saint Djan Darada, also known as Saint Aetius, is the Ethiopian Eunuch in the Book of Acts (from here)

More in

Moses the Ethiopian, the Black Saint & Teacher (& other Ethiopian saints in the Orthodox Church)

Orthodox Ethiopia 

African Americans Must Look to Orthodoxy for Peace in a Violent America