St. Melania the Younger

St. Melania the Younger was born in 383 to wealthy Christians. Her grandmother was St. Melania the Elder. Her father was a Roman senator. At 14, she married Valerius Pinianus. After two of their children died soon after childbirth, Valerius agreed to devote their lives to religious dedication, including celibacy.

Melania inherited land in Sicily, Britain, Iberia, Africa, Numidia, Mauretania and Italy. She used her wealth to endow monasteries Egypt, Syria, and Palestine, as well as donate to churches and monasteries in Europe, often anonymously.

In 408, the couple moved to Sicily to live a monastic life. When barbarians invaded in 410, Melania, her husband, and her mother fled to Numidia. They founded a convent, led by Melania, and a cloister, led by Valerius. They met and befriended Augustine. In 417, they made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and wound up settling in a hermitage there. Melania met Jerome, and they became good friends. 

Though blessed with vast wealth and familial support, Melania spent her life giving away her possessions and seeking an ascetic life. After her mother died in 431 and her husband died in 432, she built a convent and served as its abbess until her death on Dec. 31, 439. She is regarded as one of the Desert Mothers. Her feast day is Dec. 31 (Julian calendar).