St. Arsenius

St. Arsenius the Great was born around 350 into a distinguished Roman family, and died around 445 in Egypt. A learned and cultivated man, he was appointed by the emperor to serve at the imperial court in Constantinople as tutor to the young princes Arcadius and Honorius, the future emperors. Yet amid all the honors of the palace he grew restless for God, and praying for guidance he heard the words, 'Arsenius, flee from men and you will be saved.'

Leaving everything, he made his way secretly to the desert of Scetis in Egypt, where he begged to be received among the monks and embraced their poverty and toil. Again he heard the counsel, 'flee, be silent, be still,' and he made these the rule of his life, becoming renowned above all for his profound silence, his ceaseless prayer, and the tears of compunction he shed. Where once he had lived in splendor, he now sought only to be forgotten, and he is venerated as one of the greatest of the Desert Fathers.