African Saints (from the Prologue of Ohrid) October 19 Varus and the Seven (ca. 307) Varus was a Roman officer living in Egypt and a secret Christian. He took care of imprisoned Christian teachers who encouraged him to join them as they were tortured and martyred. Cleopatra (327) & John (320) Not the Egyptian queen. … More Dispatch from the Desert: October 19th thru 25th
African Saints (from the Prologue of Ohrid) October 18 Apostle and Evangelist Luke (1st century) Luke was born in Antioch and and became one of the 70 Apostles Jesus sent to preach during His earthly ministry (Luke 10:1-24). He and Cleopas saw the resurrected Lord on the Road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-32). Luke authored one … More Dispatch from the Desert: October 12th thru 18th
African Saints (from the Prologue of Ohrid) October 5 Dionysius (265) Born into a pagan family in Alexandria and a student of Origen. Dionysius became the Bishop of Alexandria in 247 during a time of great persecution having to encouage his flock to hold firm against false teaching. October 8 Thais(Taisia) (340) She was a … More Dispatch from the Desert: October 5th thru 11th
African Saints (from the Prologue of Ohrid) October 4 Ammon (350) He and his wife decided to live seperately. She organized a convent while Ammon led a community of monks in the Nitria desert. Three lessons in the Sayings of the Desert Fathers are attributed to him. Paul the Simple (339) He caught his wife … More Dispatch from the Desert: September 28th thru October 4th
African Saints (from the Prologue of Ohrid) September 22 Peter the Merciful of Constantinople (6th Century) Served as a tax collector in Africa under Justinian. Peter was once a cruel man who rarely gave alms to the poor. In a vision, he saw the demons heaping his sins against him on a scale. To his … More Dispatch from the Desert: September 21st thru 27th
African Saints (from the Prologue of Ohrid) September 16th Dorotheus of Egypt (4th century) Lived in a cell in the Thebaid. He built cells for new monks and would pray and recite the Psalms while weaving mats. Cyprian (258) Bishop and hieromartyr of Carthage. Unlike the other bishop of the same name, this Cyprian was … More Dispatch from the Desert: September 14th thru 20th
“Iron sharpens iron, and a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.” Proverbs 27:17 LXX The chattel enslavement of Africans and African Americans in Virginia was established by the early 1700’s. Slave patrollers and a colonial militia were effective in crushing a widespread rebellion before it began in 1730. Blacks who escaped south of the … More Of Desert Fathers & Maroons: Victory in Unity
“Our Father, Abba Anthony, said he had never put his own personal advantage before the good of a brother.” John the Eunuch from the Sayings of the Desert Fathers There is a story of Abba Macarius receiving some fresh grapes. He wanted to eat them. But, he chose not to and knew another monk who … More Of Desert Fathers & Maroons: The Perils of Self Indulgence
African Saints (from the Prologue of Ohrid) September 11th Theodora of Alexandria (490) She was a married young woman who committed adultery. Mourning what she had done, Theodora cut off her hair, dressed as a man, and gained entrance to a men’s monastery where she was heralded for her ascetic disciplines under the name Theodore. … More Dispatch from the Desert: September 7th thru 13th
African Saints (from the Prologue of Ohrid) August 31st Cyprian (258) Bishop of Carthage. Born a pagan, he devoted himself to studying the scriptures and greatly criticized Roman society’s immorality. Cyprian led the Church against heretics, sometimes in hiding. As he was about to be martyred, the bishop gave 25 gold coins to his executioner. … More Dispatch from the Desert: August 31st thru September 6th
Desert Fathers Dispatch 