Saint Pachomius

      On May 9th we celebrate the life of Saint Pachomius, who is known as the founder of Christian monasticism. He was born in Egypt about the year 292. At the age of 20, he was inducted into the emperor's army. Moved by the kindness shown to soldiers by the Christians of Thebes, he decided to convert to Christianity after being discharged from the army.

      After being baptized, he took up the habit and became a disciple of an anchorite named Palemon. They both devoted themselves to manual labor and prayer day and night. In 318, the two of them built a monastery on the banks of the Nile at Tabennisi. It didn't take long before they were joined by 100 other monks. Shortly thereafter, Pachomius opened ten other monasteries for men and two nunneries for women. Saint Pachomius was the first to organize hermits and write down a rule for them to live by.