St. Emilia of Caesarea lived in the fourth century, just
when Christianity was becoming widespread across Rome. She came from a wealthy
family and married a lawyer/rhetorician named Basil. Together, they raised a
strong Christian family. Several of her nine children are venerated as well:
Sts. Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, Peter of Sebaste, Naucratius, Theosebia
(a deaconess), and Macrina the Younger (Macrina the Elder is Emilia’s
mother-in-law, also venerated).
After her husband’s death, Emilia lived with her eldest
daughter Marcrina. The women lived a life of study and devotion, attracting
other women. The family’s property was turned into a monastic community for
female virgins. The servants were treated as equals, and the women followed an
ascetic way of life.
Somehow when I initially looked for a St. Emily, Emilia
didn’t come up. She’s not as well-known in the West, but she had a strong role
in the development of Eastern Christianity through her children. I like to
imagine that she and Macrina got along as well as my own mother and me.
St. Emilia’s feast day is May 30. Her sons Basil and Gregory
share a feast day on January 2.
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