St. Verena

     Orthodox Churches are typically named after saints, people who lived righteous, God-fearing lives and were canonized by the Church. The parishioners remember the saint's story and use that as encouragement to live their own lives of godliness.  The saint also provides intercessions and prayers on behalf of the church. Our patron saint is Saint Verena. Below is her story and after that are some spiritual applications of her life. 

     St. Verena came from a noble Christian family in the ancient city of Thebes, corresponding to present day Luxor in Egypt. Her family advised her to go to Bishop Sherimon of Beni Suef, who instructed her in the Christian faith and later baptized her. She was a close relative of St. Maurice, the general of the Theban legion. The soldier’s relatives were allowed to accompany them on their missions in order to look after their needs and attend to the wounded. Thus, St. Verena joined the Theban legion on its mission to Switzerland. After St. Maurice and his legion were martyred, she practiced an ascetic life of solitude, fasting and prayer, and God performed many miracles through her.

     The saint served as a spiritual guide for young girls. Since she was a nurse, she also looked after their physical well-being. As a result of her fame, the current pagan ruler arrested her and sent her to jail, where St. Maurice appeared to her to console and strengthen her. After she was released from prison, she traveled to several regions. God continued to perform miracles through her. She also led many people to the Christian faith.

     St. Verena was also fond of serving the poor, often by feeding them. She tended the sick, especially those suffering from leprosy. She lovingly treated their wounds and was fearless of contracting their contagious disease. At the time of her departure, the Holy Virgin Mary appeared to her to strengthen her. She departed this life and went to live with the Lord on the 4th day of the Coptic month of Thout. In 1986, a delegation from St. Verena Church in Bad Zurzach, Switzerland, took her holy relics to Egypt. May her prayers be with us, and may her love and service to others be planted within us.

​

     St. Verena's life was one of service and sacrifice, as the two are often inseparable. She traveled to a foreign country in uncertain circumstances in order to serve others when it was certainly the easier thing to resign to her life of nobility. St. Verena is also an example of using skills from her training to serve God. As a nurse, she took great care in fearlessly treating the physical diseases of the people while not neglecting their spiritual needs. As our patron Saint, St. Verena's life pushes us to go out into the world, to use what God has given us to serve others and bring glory to His name.