The Christian tradition celebrates a variety of orthodox saints who struggled with the issues of purity. These individuals include priests and bishops who proclaimed the Truth of God and fought against heresy. Saints are also recognized for other examples of holiness, including ordinary people.
St. Aloysius
St. Aloysius is known as a patron of youth and purity, and his feast day falls on June 21. He was a Jesuit in Rome, and volunteered to work at a hospital during the plague. His duties there included caring for the sick, washing them, and preparing them for the sacraments. Despite his physical repulsion against these duties, he persisted and worked for his patients.
As a young man, Aloysius wanted to be a priest, but his family discouraged him. He spent much of his time reading about the saints, and was often in prayer. At the age of nine, he made a private vow to remain pure. Although the family was angry with him, Aloysius made the decision to remain faithful.
St. Syncletike
Syncletike was a native of Alexandria and the daughter of wealthy Macedonian parents. Although she was beautiful and intelligent, she chose to remain a virgin and devote her life to prayer. Although she received many suitors, she eventually found a heavenly spouse. When her worldly affairs went wrong, she turned to prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. She lived for the rest of her life in a crypt and instructed other devout women.
Syncletike had a family of like-minded believers, and she had two brothers and a sister who were preparing for the same holy life. Her younger brother, however, was exhorted to marry by his parents. But the young brother escaped the snare of his parents and exchanged his bride for an assembly of saints.
St. Theophan
The modern Western mind wants to see something else in St. Theophan. It wants to see him as a “new ager” and to analyze his Christology. But the truth is that St. Theophan was a Church Father who lived with the consciousness of the French Revolution.
A patristic writer, St. Theophan warned against the perils of modern secular society. He was particularly opposed to the reformist hierarchies who would try to install foreign elements in the governance of the flock. They would also rip the influence of Fathers like St. Theophan.
St. Quintianus
The orthodox saints who struggled with the problem of impurity were not rare during the era of persecution. Saints such as St. Quintianus and Saint Charalampos were not immune to persecution. They were ostracized and tortured, and a number of them even died.
These saints, like St. Quintianus, fought the devil, and the devil for their soul’s purity. They had to fight against the world, the devil, and even their own flesh. They struggled for many years to attain the purity that God required.
St. Philomena
The orthodox faith recognizes the sanctity of a virgin. Saint Philomena, an early Christian martyr, is one such example. Her tomb was discovered in the catacombs of Rome in 1802. She is widely venerated and prayed to by Catholics of all ages. She was a young girl when she died for her faith. She was a model of purity and sanctity, and her example of holiness has drawn many people closer to Jesus Christ and the Blessed Mother.
Saint Philomena was born to pagan parents on the Greek island of Corfu. When her parents were unable to conceive, they realized that false gods did not exist and converted to Christianity. They named their daughter Philomena, and she grew up in the Christian faith. As a result, she developed a deep love for Christ.
St. Juliana
St. Juliana of Nicomedia was an orthodox saint, whose life was marked by struggle with purity. She refused to marry a Roman senator who pleaded with her repeatedly, calling her a “bride of Christ.” Juliana refused him out of devotion to Christ and her purity, and endured flogging, hanging by her hair, and being placed in front of a fire. In the end, she was beheaded, but her life remains a model for women today.
Juliana once had great wealth, but later she was among the poor, living among the children without bread. Despite her poverty, she clung to the cross and the suffering of Christ, looking forward to the joy of her future. Throughout her suffering, she was strengthened by the Holy Spirit, and she sang praises to God in all things.
