St. Alexius of Rome
Feast 03-17
Patron of
About
Saint Alexius of Rome, also known as Alexis of Edessa, was a fourth-century Greek monk famed for a life of radical self-denial in complete anonymity. Born into a wealthy and noble family, he is said to have fled on his wedding night, abandoning wealth, bride, and homeland to seek God as a beggar in a far city.
For years he lived as an unknown pauper, first in Edessa and then, after a return to his own home unrecognized, serving at his family's table as a common servant. He accepted mockery and hunger without complaint. Only after his death was his identity revealed through a writing found in his hand.
The story captured East and West and made him a patron of beggars, pilgrims, and travelers. His feast is kept on March 17, and he is honored as one who counted all as loss for Christ.
Suggested prayer
O God, who taught St. Alexius to count all things as loss for the sake of Christ and to serve You hidden in the form of a beggar, grant through his intercession that we may learn true humility and detachment. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
