St. Theodora of Alexandria

St. Theodora of Alexandria lived, according to her traditional life, in the fifth century in Egypt. A married woman of Alexandria, she fell into the sin of adultery, and when she came to her senses she was so overwhelmed with remorse that she resolved to spend the rest of her life in the strictest penance. To hide herself and escape recognition, she cut her hair, dressed as a man, and entered a men's monastery under the name of Theodore, where she lived austerely and was esteemed for her humility and obedience.

Her penance was severely tested: falsely accused of fathering a child by a woman of a nearby inn, she made no attempt to defend herself, but accepted expulsion and disgrace and raised the child in poverty outside the monastery gate, bearing the shame in silence for years before being received back. Only after her death was her true identity — and her innocence — discovered. Her story, long treasured in both East and West, is honored as a striking example of humble, hidden repentance.