Our Patroness, Saint Katherine
Saint Katherine of Alexandria was the daughter of Constas (or Cestus). She was an exceedingly beautiful maiden, most chaste, and illustrious in wealth, lineage and learning. By her steadfast understanding she utterly vanquished the passionate and unbridled soul of Maximinus, the tyrant of Alexandria, and by her eloquence she silenced the so-called philosophers who had been gathered to dispute with her. She received the crown of martyrdom in the year 305.
Her holy relics were carried by Angels to the holy mountain of Sinai, where they were discovered many years later. The famous monastery there was first dedicated to the Holy Transfiguration of the Lord and the Burning Bush, and was later dedicated to Saint Katherine.
Her Feast Day
Saint Katherine’s feast day is November 25. By ancient usage, Saints Katherine and Mercurius were celebrated on November 24, and the holy Hieromartyrs Clement of Rome and Peter of Alexandria on November 25. At the request of the Church and Monastery of Mount Sinai, these dates were exchanged, so that the feast of Saint Katherine, their patron, could be celebrated more festively together with the Apodosis (leave-taking) of the Feast of the Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple. The Slavic Churches still commemorate these Saints on their original dates.