PATRON SAINT OF THE DAY: For Cenobitic Religious

The 11th of January is the feast of Saint Theodosius the Cenobiarch.

Theodosius lived from 423 to 529 and was born in modern Turkey. He entered religious life and attended the Fourth Ecumenical Council in 451. He stayed in the area of Jerusalem and founded the first major monastery in the Bethlehem region.

The founding of the monastery was revolutionary at the time. Before Theodosius, most religious lived as hermits in the eremitical lifestyle. All modern convents and monasteries owe their existence to him. To live in a community is known as cenobitic.

Saint Theodosius the Cenobiarch, or pro nobis!